by Liz Steel and Laura Zakaras Later is too late. We must take sweeping action now to wean ourselves off fossil and other greenhouse gas emitting fuels. The climate crisis is raining out our iconic Vermont winters, flooding our streets and homes, battering our vibrant local farms, and filling our air with smoke. These[Read More…]
Editorial
Sims Updates Statehouse Activity
CRAFTSBURY – Revenues are back to their pre-pandemic levels and federal financial support is no longer there to boost the budget. As legislators, we won’t be able to do everything we want this year. We’re being realistic and focusing our efforts on the issues that matter most. My legislative priorities include[Read More…]
Closing Lakeview
by Karl Stein Patrick Larson’s February 20 post regarding “Closing Lakeview” stated that “For those wondering, the cost to educate a student at both Woodbury and Hardwick Elementary is in the neighborhood of $15,000/pupil. At Lakeview the cost is $31,317/pupil. Any argument that doesn’t acknowledge equity disparity and affordability is[Read More…]
What Might a Lakeview School Closure Mean?
To the editor: I’m writing to express grave concerns about Lakeview School’s operation in our district, especially given recent developments undisclosed before critical decisions. The decision to maintain Lakeview despite severe staff shortages compromises education quality, evident in one teacher covering multiple grades. Moreover, the disproportionate per-pupil expenditure raises fiscal[Read More…]
Climate Change Requires Prioritizing Renewable Energy
Climate Change Requires Prioritizing Renewable Energy To the editor: Older people have benefited from the fossil-fuel-driven world of past decades. That world needs to change as quickly as possible and be driven by renewable energy. Third Act Vermont, an organization for older persons concerned about climate change, has endorsed H.289,[Read More…]
Vote, Be Part of the Conversation
Vermont’s Town Meeting Day is upon us. Most towns covered by The Gazette will hold an in-person meeting on the first Tuesday in March. That’s March 5 this year and also the date of the Presidential Primary. Stannard and Woodbury will hold Town Meetings on Saturday, and Marshfield on Sunday.[Read More…]
Town Meeting Break Coming Up, Property Taxes and More
WORCESTER – The pace continues to pick up as we head for the Legislature’s Town Meeting week break. As has happened across the state, there have been changes in how and when towns and school districts vote and meet, including in our House district. School Property Taxes. H.850, the bill[Read More…]
A Few Things Became Clear
To the editor: I recently attended the community forum about the upcoming vote to close Lakeview Elementary and, over the course of the two hour meeting, a few things became clear to me about this important vote. Teachers at Hardwick Elementary spoke passionately on Monday night about their long struggles[Read More…]
Volunteering Just Might Be Good For You
With Town Meetings almost upon us, lots of folks across Vermont are thinking about volunteers. Towns need volunteers, lots of them. The list of where towns need volunteers seems almost endless: library trustees, electric department commissioners, planning commissions and development review boards, town energy committees, and quite recently, equity committees[Read More…]
Life Was a Splendid Torch
To the editor In Lorraine Hussey’s obituary, her son mentioned her commitment to the Hardwick Historical Society (HHS). I’d like to describe that commitment. In 2004, she joined the team of volunteers organizing the collection that the town moved from the Memorial Building to the Depot. Neither she nor the[Read More…]
Lucky Us!
To the editor: Our names, friends from birth until graduates of Hardwick Academy, Clare Mary Robb and Joyce Ann Slayton were printed in the newborns section of the Hardwick Gazette in August of 1933, as were all the students of Hardwick Academy at their birth. And once again, I remember being cited[Read More…]
