Last week I went to the doctor for an annual checkup. While I am in good health overall, my physician mentioned my blood pressure was a little high and that I should keep an eye on it.

When Donald Trump’s campaign began in 2015 to distribute red hats bearing the slogan “Make America Great Again,” it could not have been predicted that they would catch on enough that an era of American history could end up being named for the slogan’s initials.

I find the following quotes troubling for the future of higher education in Vermont. First, Gov. Scott recently made the preposterous claim a “CDL is as important as a PhD.” Second, Lt. Gov. John Rodgers believes Vermont is “pushing too many kids to go to college.”

Those who make a living off the land found their voice in Montpelier this year — and lawmakers listened.

The days of catching kids smoking behind the gym are over. Now the problem is harder to spot, hidden in plain sight. Having worked with students since 1993, I can confirm it’s not going away unless we stop it.

Oh, dear, it’s ba-ack. That horrible, lurching monster of a bad idea is back from the dead and ready to party. What idea is that? The idea that nuclear power is clean, economical and safe. I’ve seen this idea recently welcomed by the governor’s office, the federal administration and by membe…

It is that time of year, lambing season. Shepherds are in barns, crouched low, ready to assist when an ewe goes into labor. They will supervise as a newborn lamb attempts to stand, swinging onto her knees, then unfolding her legs, one at a time, hindlegs first. She will topple over a few tim…

I wanted to write to you all to give you an update about where things stand as we approach the end of the 2026 legislative session in Montpelier. Specifically, I want to talk about three different bills: The Yield Bill (which sets property tax rates), H.955 (this year’s Education Reform Bill…

Act 181, the land-use law passed in 2024, is an admirable piece of legislation that aims to preserve and protect the wild spaces in Vermont, while still allowing for human development in urban areas that already have built environments. Ecologically sensitive areas, particularly at higher el…

No one is immune from being racist. I can try to excuse my racism. If you grew up in the decade I did, you’d be racist, too. I can blame my racism with more racism. I’m of Germanic (Angle, Saxon), Briton and Scot descent. It’s not my fault I’m racist.

Tobacco control has changed, and our policies must, too. I’ve spent 25 years in tobacco control work, including the last 20 in Franklin and Grand Isle counties. So, when I say today’s environment is like no other, you can believe it.

No one is immune from being racist. I can try to excuse my racism. If you grew up in the decade I did, you’d be racist, too. I can blame my racism with more racism. I’m of Germanic (Angle, Saxon), Briton and Scot descent. It’s not my fault I’m racist.

In Strat Douthat’s April 29 letter to The Times Argus titled No ICE, he states, “I think I speak for most Vermonters when I say we do not want ICE here, in any form or fashion.”

Has anyone else wondered why the Global Warming Solutions Act never solved anything? Indeed, from Day One, the Act was doomed to fail. Climate change is indeed very real; however, initiatives proposed in the GWSA were never going to have any measurable effect on the problem of carbon emissio…

Recently, during a Montpelier City Council meeting on April 22, a group of city employees laid out a proposal to utilize Montpelier’s natural resources to promote outdoor recreation for economic purposes: Fishing and whitewater rafting on the Winooski, hiking and biking were mentioned.

As a people, we feel lost. Our political life is full of division and animosity. Our society struggles to find its sense of meaning. Violence erupts far too often. And beyond our borders, we find ourselves embroiled in conflicts with enemies and allies.

There’s an old saying in Montpelier: “When the budget is done, we’re done.” Agreement on the budget marks the end of the legislative session. Each year, more than a hundred bills may pass, and every bill that includes spending must be incorporated into the budget bill. Without legal authoriz…

The global order is navigating a significant reordering of executive power, yet world attention remains fixed elsewhere. While headlines are dominated by visceral imagery of naval blockades and high-stakes boarding of the oil tanker M/T Tifani in the Indian Ocean, a quieter, more seismic shi…

At a time when global conflict and energy instability are driving up fuel costs, leaders around the world are taking practical steps to help people spend less on transportation and be less dependent on fossil fuels.

In 2022, Governor Scott’s administration partnered with a private insurance company to launch a new voluntary paid leave program, offering paid family and medical leave to all state employees and Vermonters who want to buy it. Earlier this month, the House Committee on General and Housing he…

What the world needs now is a more profitable climate remedy that will create lots of construction and farm jobs.

The Norwich University Board of Trustees met on campus for its spring meeting from April 16-18, engaging in a productive and forward-looking focus on what matters most at Norwich, our students, our people, and the long-term strength of the institution.

As I awaited my turn to testify April 2 in the Senate Finance Committee, with the noise of the HVAC system and the soft-spoken witness, I had a hard time hearing what Telecommunications and Connectivity Director of the Department of Public Service Hunter Thompson was telling the committee. I…

Vermont’s publicly funded education system is a community-based, statewide system tied together by its financing structure. It includes both public and private schools. For any system to serve those who benefit from it and those who pay for it, three things are required: sound financing, eff…

It’s a spring ritual in Vermont to reconnect with the land, as friends head out on their first hike, farmers ready their fields for planting, and families search for their first wildflowers.

I need to get a life. I was reminded of this fact the other day when I purchased a new houseplant.

On or before May 12, Barre City residents will cast their votes on the Fiscal Year 2027 municipal budget. The proposed budget builds on our continuing recovery from the 2023 and 2024 floods, and continues the top priority of presenting you — the voters — with affordable and achievable budget…

On March 17, an article ran in VTDigger titled “Is Fix Our Forest Act a fix or a free pass for loggers?” I would like to answer the question posed by that headline: It is indeed a fix and in no way a “free pass” for loggers.

‘Everyone should volunteer. It doesn’t matter if someone is retired or still working, it gives life a purpose.” These words from Central Vermont Adult Education’s (CVAE) Volunteer Coordinator Sarah Semler, are so true, and with decades of experience in the role, with multiple organizations, …

In 2024, Vermonters said no to the supermajority mindset that gave us the Clean Heat Standard, Act 181, the Global Warming Solutions Act, safe injection sites, double-digit property tax increases, and more.

Vermont depends on family child care. This bill is our future. Family child care owners want a voice in our own regulation, and equal access to opportunities that come with being part of a recognized profession.