Editorial
High School Graduates Are On My Mind
As we put together this and last week’s issues of The Hardwick Gazette, with graduation photos from around the area, we found it curious that the number of young men graduating seems lower than the number of young women. Notwithstanding the issue of gender fluidity, it seems an interesting question[Read More…]
Final Bill Passes Legislature
MONTPELIER – H.454 was the final bill that passed Vermont’s legislature this year after an unusual and difficult conference committee that had to rectify two versions of a bill, neither of which had majority support in the House or Senate. The Governor intends to sign H.454 and begin a long[Read More…]
Session Ends Like Roller Coaster
MONTPELIER – The legislative session came to an end a bit like a roller coaster. We wrapped up most of our work on Friday, May 30, working until 11 p.m., as votes passed back and forth between the House and Senate. I was pleased to see that Governor Scott signed[Read More…]
Final 2025 Legislative Session Update
MONTPELIER – This will be my final newsletter of the 2025 session, though I may be in touch throughout the summer and certainly again in fall as the new session shapes up. Please feel free to reach out to me as well if you have legislative questions. I have written[Read More…]
For the Record
Last week’s story, “Bechdel’s Book Talk Draws Supportive Fans” neglected to note that the event was hosted by Hardwick’s Galaxy Bookshop. Co-owner Andrea Jones said, “We knew it was going to be a big event and were thrilled Allison agreed to come to Hardwick and end her tour here.” Last[Read More…]
Still, We Persist
EAST MONTPELIER – Donald Trump is a tough target for journalists and commentators to hit. Like a high-flying bomber that spews metallic chaff out its back end to confuse the radar of missiles, he so consistently floods the news cycles with outrages that by the time anyone has the chance[Read More…]
In My Nature
Up and Down Again: How Montane Birds Navigate Spring Weather
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION – It’s a sunny day in early June, and your plan is to beat the I-93 summer crowds with a hike up the Franconia Ridge in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. But as you ascend, you reach a point where the trail disappears under a monorail[Read More…]
Life in a Shell: Eastern Box Turtle
MILLBROOK, N.Y. – As a budding naturalist growing up in the concrete-heavy environs of Boston, I would regularly thumb through my family’s collection of nature books and daydream about the creatures within. One species I was particularly drawn to was the eastern box turtle. These charismatic terrestrial turtles have high-domed[Read More…]
Dapper Sparrow of Underbrush: Eastern Towhee
NORTHEAST – From forest edges and thickets on late spring mornings in the Northeast comes what sounds like an exhortation from across the pond: drink-your-tea! This is not a British parent’s plea, but rather the song of a chunky, colorful sparrow: the eastern towhee. The eastern towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus, or[Read More…]
Leaders Make it up as They Go
To the editor: These days, we see plenty of leaders who seem to make it up as they go. They say one thing today and something else tomorrow. That kind of unpredictability is troubling enough. But there’s another kind of danger in politics that’s even more serious and it doesn’t[Read More…]
