Editorial

The world is in uncharted territory

To say we are in uncertain times is an understatement. In so many ways, the world is in uncharted territory. What the coronavirus has done, through its worldwide spread, is to make much of the globe stop whatever it was doing. It’s kind of like the childhood game of freeze tag, only in reverse:...

Transparency needed

With Sunshine Week on the horizon, now more than ever people need honest information. Sunshine Week, March 15 to 21, is an annual call by the news industry for open government and open information. It has been developed over the past 15 years by media outlets large and small to help people...

Open government is good government for all of us

Note: March 15 to 21 is Sunshine Week across the country, when media celebrate and encourage open government. As a lead-up to that, we publish this opinion piece by Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos. He has long been an advocate for open government.
The New England Newspaper and...

Voters have appointment that’s not worth keeping

Voters in Wilmington will be faced with making a rare decision at Tuesday’s Town Meeting. They are being asked to decide whether or not the town clerk and town treasurer positions should be appointed by the selectboard instead of being elected by the voters (see story on page 1).
We don’t...

A lot riding on auction

As things stand right now, the bankruptcy auction for the Hermitage Club is a month away. For many in the valley, it can’t come soon enough.
It’s been two years since the club shut down operations midway during the ski season, and during the interim 24 months there have been many twists...

Town Meeting season off to a good beginning

Town Meeting season got off to an early start this week. The River Valleys Unified School District, made up of Wardsboro and Dover, held its annual meeting on Tuesday (see story on page A1). The meeting had a little bit of everything that makes Town Meeting special and uniquely Vermont. Voters...

Study response required

“If the Legislature fails to act this year, I believe your towns should hire attorneys and sue or do whatever you can to get relief immediately. I believe this is unconstitutional.”
Rep. Laura Sibilia When Sibilia said the above quote at an information meeting a couple of weeks ago, many...

Still waiting to connect

Last week we had a pair of articles reporting on another attempt to expand high-speed internet services to underserved areas around the region. In a nutshell, representatives of a large number of towns in Windham County and adjacent communities are exploring the idea of joining together to study...

Inspiration for everyone

“That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I’d run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I’d just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I’d just...

Country headed for most divisive campaign ever?

The country is just weeks away from the early 2020 presidential contests, with Iowa caucuses taking place on February 3 and the New Hampshire primary following eight days later. That two-week span will likely pour more rhetorical gasoline on what is already one of the most volatile political...