Editorial

Honoring MLK means confronting actions, beliefs

Monday the country celebrates the anniversary of the birth of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. It’s a day to recognize the life and accomplishments of the civil rights leader, who was gunned down in 1968 at the age of 39. During the 1950s and ‘60s King became the face of a nonviolent movement...

One thing is certain: nothing is certain

Tuesday marked the start of the 2022 legislative session for Vermont. Unlike previous years, when legislators from across the state made their way to the Statehouse in Montpelier, this year saw an unusual kickoff to what promises to be an unpredictable session.
Members of the House checked...

Don’t let hate grow

Four decades ago, one of the watershed events in history of the Deerfield Valley occurred. In the spring of 1982, the Ku Klux Klan announced it was targeting the state of Vermont as a place to expand the Klan’s message of racism and hatred. The Klan held a rally in Wilmington that it hoped would...

The spirit of Christmas: more than material goods

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore.”
Then the Grinch thought of something...

Retail cannabis in town a step closer to reality

Could a retail cannabis operation be coming to the valley? That’s the bet local entrepreneurs Christian Engel and Jennifer Betit-Engel are willing to make. Last week we reported on their efforts to start the ball rolling for a retail pot shop on the edge of the Wilmington village.
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Extend Giving Tuesday into a season for giving

Getting in the spirit of the holidays means many different things to many different people. But one thing that we can all agree on is the holiday season is really a season for giving. People seem to be at their best when they are thinking about others, and there can be no doubt the holidays bring...

Shop local and beat the supply chain shortage

There has been a copious amount of news lately about supply chain woes. It has become almost a daily story in the national media, about the inability to get products produced in other countries unloaded and shipped across this country. The bottleneck at shipping ports, with backlogs stretching...

Leahy to pass the torch

“It is time to pass the torch to the next Vermonter who will carry on this work for our great state. It’s time to come home,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, announcing at a Monday press conference he will not seek reelection next year.
News this week that Leahy will not run for a ninth term in...

To all veterans: thank you for your service

Today, November 11, is Veterans Day. A day to pause and pay our collective respect to the men and women who have served in every branch of the Armed Forces of the United States.
Veterans Day has been rooted in the history of this country for the past century. It was first celebrated as...

Life’s lesson learned?

Sometimes, educators need to be reminded there are lessons that can be learned outside the classroom.
Such was the case with an incident earlier this week, when state and local high school officials became embroiled in an open-access controversy after the Vermont Principals Association...