All Entries in the "Commentary" Category
To the Editor: Vote yes for kids
The Green Mountain Union High School Board respectfully requests your support of the FY 2013-14 budget on Town Meeting Day. The budget proposal to be voted on Town Meeting Day represents a decrease in the amount to be raised by taxes of 1.73%, largely due to revenues that will offset increased expenditures. Our estimated education […]
Time to vote
The Norman Rockwell image is that Vermont governments are supremely open and Vermonters ensure that openness through hearty civic participation through institutions like Monday’s annual Town Meeting and Tuesday’s Election Day. That belief is reinforced each March by national media reports that tell of the quaintness and fervor of Vermont’s Town Meeting day. So, it’s […]
To the editor: No to assisted suicide
An amended version of S-77 has passed the Vermont Senate and will be read in the Vermont House sometime soon. As a Vermont resident, I ask that all our representatives vote no on assisted suicide. If assistance to die becomes a medical procedure, then what will stop my insurance company or whomever the hospital requires […]
State should adopt more transparency for law enforcement
This commentary by Bill Schubart was written for Vermont Public Radio and aired Monday, Feb. 4, 2013. Audio is available on line at VPR.net. By Bill Schubart By way of full disclosure, I’m Chair of the VT Journalism Trust, doing business as VTDigger.org, serve on the Board of the VT ACLU, and am a former […]
From the editor: Thank you for an exciting 1st year
One year ago, if you were interested in news about Chester, you might find the occasional story – fire, crime, accident or town government issue – in the Southern Vermont sections of the Rutland Herald or the Eagle Times. Or chances are, you turned to the blog at Chestervermont.org. But for the past year, The […]
Health care, job creation top Rep. Dakin’s legislative priorities
We have hit the ground running after our swearing in on Wednesday Jan. 9 and the inauguration of Gov. Peter Shumlin on Thursday Jan. 10. I have the privilege of continuing as a member of the House Committee on Health Care, where for the past two years we have been working on legislation that hopefully […]
To the editor: What you can do now that flu is widespread in Vermont
Influenza is currently widespread in Vermont and cases of influenza-like illness are higher than in recent years. Last week, designated general practitioners in Vermont reported that 7 percent of their visits were due to patients with influenza-like illness, a measure that typically peaks between 3 percent and 4 percent in non-pandemic years. Emergency room visits […]
To the editor: Many to thank for making Overture to Christmas a success!
I would like to thank everyone involved in helping to make this year’s Overture to Christmas the best yet. Let me start by saying that the level of participation in the planning and execution was so large, it is inevitable that I will overlook someone in this thank you. For this, I apologize. Thanks to […]
To the editor: Help keep Whiting Library healthy, growing
On any given day, more than 100 patrons visit Chester’s Whiting Library to borrow books, periodicals and audio-visual materials, to use the reading room, the computers and the research facilities. And now, Vermont’s first telescope lending program at the Whiting Library lets you view the night sky up close and personal. Although all these services […]
To the editor: Family center thanks all for donations of time and goods
On Monday, Nov. 5, a caravan of pick-ups with open trailers loaded with racks of clothes headed to the new home of the Chester-Andover Family Center, thanks to Les Hale and John Hennessey. The center’s volunteer angels were out in full force getting the job done and the CAFC Board would like to give a […]
To the editor: Charlie Macko Racing thanks local sponsors
Three years ago, our family formed a kart racing team, Charlie Macko Racing. Charlie was 5 years old, and had began kart racing at Twinstate Speedway in Claremont, NH. At that time, we asked two local businesses if they would like to sponsor Charlie in his racing efforts. The Killarney and the Verespy family of […]
To the editor: Pearce for state treasurer
Our state treasurer, Beth Pearce, was enormously helpful to our communities in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene, especially the actions she took to help our towns through the cash flow burden we faced to repair our municipal infrastructures so badly damaged that day. I represent two of the towns that suffered the highest financial […]
To the editor: Wilton for state treasurer
Many of the letters in support of candidates come from the candidate asking the author of the letter to write it. I can assure that this letter of support does not have that as its origination or motivation. As the chair of the finance committee of the Rutland Board of Aldermen for three years, I […]
Single payer: A common sense approach to health care
By Leigh Dakin Nationally, health care has emerged as a central issue in this election. Rightly so, with nearly 50 million Americans without health insurance and the cost of insurance and health care growing much faster than our incomes. The United States spends far more on health care than any other country: on average $8,000 […]
To the editor: TARPS thanks all for a great Fall Festival
The Animal Rescue and Protection Society had a successful time at this year’s Chester Rotary Club’s Fall Festival on the Green and would like to express our appreciation. Thank you to everyone who visited to our booth. We are happy to report that quite a few of our cats found new, loving homes plus we raised a lot […]
To the Editor: Why money for China?
Vermont Law School has received a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. State Department to support a three-year project designed to improve environmental and public health in China. The project’s goal is help legal advocates, citizen groups, NGOs and government agencies to act individually and together within Yunnan Province to create a model for advancing […]
To the Editor: Donovan for Attorney General
For the first time in 14 years, Vermonters have a choice in the race for Attorney General. I support T.J. Donovan because he has campaigned on the twin imperatives of defending the laws of the state of Vermont and setting an ambitious agenda for the office that will help Vermonters – and particularly working middle- […]
To the Editor: Symington backs Sorrell for AG
In the race for Attorney General, T.J. Donovan has stated that Bill Sorrell should have steered legislators away from passing bold progressive legislation that might draw lawsuits. As a former Speaker of the House, I want to speak up for Bill Sorrell, and for Vermont’s right to push the envelope in defense of our values. […]
