Editorial

Unions play a critical role in creating equity

Monday is Labor Day, our national holiday to celebrate the working men and women of the country. Labor Day weekend is also seen as the traditional end to the summer season, as students head back to school for their fall semesters and the summer vacation season winds down.
Labor Day has a...

Unemployment rate doesn’t work for many

Vermont has a worker shortage. The signs are all around. Ask anyone in Vermont who owns or manages a business about their staffing levels, and the answer will basically follow the same theme: “We can’t find enough people to fill our open positions.”
While much of the evidence pointing to...

Time to get on board

A week ago reporter Lauren Harkawik wrote about a new program being developed by the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation. It is a four-part series call “SoVT Get on Board” and designed to mentor people who are interested in volunteering for community boards and commissions. The series...

Newspaper raid despicable

Our hearts go out to fellow journalists in Kansas. Readers who follow national news have likely seen or heard reports about a police raid on the Marion County Record.
If you missed it, here’s a report from National Public Radio that offers a good synopsis of what happened:
“The...

Tone deaf response

Frustrations have been voiced by many people over the reaction of a couple of Wilmington Selectboard members to a report and recommendations from a housing study committee. That group was charged with coming up with some reasonable solutions to help improve the availability of long-term rental...

New administration, new interpretations

Last week we reported on an ongoing permit application in Wilmington. It was the second development review board hearing concerning permits for Adams Farm. The farm is seeking permission for three short-term rental properties, two recreational vehicle campsites, and space for two food trucks...

A blue chip event

For the next 10 days folks around the valley will be seeing quite a bit of blue just about everywhere they turn. Of course we’re talking about the annual Vermont Blueberry Festival, which kicks off this weekend.
Fifteen years ago organizers came up with an idea for a blueberry festival...

Less visible, but ever present damage

News outlets around the region have been swamped the past two weeks reporting about the flood waters that swept across Vermont on Monday, July 11. Rightfully so, of course, as some areas of the state were hit as hard or harder than when Tropical Storm Irene hit in 2011.
No doubt most...

Time again to be Vermont Strong

It was probably around 8 pm Monday evening when the valley let out a collective sigh of relief. By then the rain had moved north of the area, the sun was breaking through the remaining clouds, and the floodwaters from the storm had reached their crest.
Thankfully, that zenith was well...

Ghosts in the air and in the water

We are facing unseen monsters and don’t even realize it. No, these are not the latest zombie apocalypse movie or a new virus strain. The ghosts we’re talking about are hidden in our drinking water, in ventilation systems in public and private buildings, and in the food we eat. They shows up in...