To the editor: What will rural Vermont be like after implementing the new Act 250 requirements? On December 31, Act 250 permits will be required for any development, including single-family homes, in areas that meet certain criteria. These include habitat connectors, headwater streams and other areas that meet the act’s[Read More…]
Editorial
Woodsmoke by Julie Atwood
War, war and more war
Like many others, I watched the opening ceremonies of the 2026 Winter Olympics on my television over the weekend. I was moved by the calls for peace and the sheer talent and beauty created by the countless dancers, artists, technicians and more. The combination of stunning visuals, with messages of[Read More…]
For the record
Last week’s story, “Voters to weigh in on town forest acquisition,” should have referred to the “Davis” family in the third paragraph and indicated voters will weigh in on contributing $25,000 to the project from the floor, not by Australian ballot, in Article 7, which says, “Shall the Town contribute[Read More…]
Reminders of some of the happiest days
EAST MONTPELIER – I’m writing this during the afternoon of February 2. The sun is flooding the yard, raising the temperature to a dizzying 23 degrees, the snow lies deep in the woods, and there’s never been a bluer sky. Twenty-five years ago I wouldn’t be here; I’d be outside[Read More…]
Frigid February
SHELBURNE – With ice on our roads and ICE in the streets, it feels frighteningly frigid this February. One needs a warm up while the other requires a cool down. Dr. Dan Siegel, Founder of the Mindsight Institute, loves alliteration and describes the stress response as “fight, flight or freeze.”[Read More…]
Committee action planned
MONTPELIER – On the House Education Committee, we’ve been laying out the different paths Vermont could take when it comes to education reform. This month, we’ll begin exploring possible district maps that would plan for larger, more consolidated systems. At the same time, I will continue to strongly advocate for[Read More…]
I am hopeful we’ll come out stronger
MONTPELIER – The topic of the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or ICE, weighed heavily on the minds of many legislators recently. The Governor made a strong statement saying “enough is enough” about the tactics being used by ICE to make America safer from violent illegal immigrants. The[Read More…]
We have all been here before
EAST MONTPELIER – This unprepossessing gentleman pictured is I.F. Stone, crusading journalist and truth-teller. I’ve been reading “The Haunted Fifties,” a collection of his writings that includes a four-page piece he wrote in December 1953, more than seven decades ago, that stopped me in my tracks. It could literally have been written[Read More…]
Rethinking infrastructure in an era of change
Across our region, towns are facing infrastructure questions that would have been hard to imagine even a decade ago. Roads that once flooded occasionally now see water again and again. Bridges built for smaller storms are being overtopped or undermined. Public systems we rely on every day are now operating[Read More…]
Identifying trees in winter
CORNISH FLAT, N.H. – If you like to hike or snowshoe in the winter, you might like to learn the names of the trees you see. Do so, and the trees will seem like your friends. No need to greet them as Sally and Bob, know them as sugar maple,[Read More…]
