NEWFANE-What an interesting juxtaposition on the front page.
A woman in her 90s who grew up during the Depression when "everybody was poor, but we didn't know it [...] we were all the same" ["'They were tough times, but we made the best of it,'" News, Aug. 28].
She attended a one-room schoolhouse - which probably meant a one-employee schoolhouse - with one teacher who managed successfully to instruct all the children in all the subjects in grades 1–8.
The mothers made a casserole for all the kids to share for lunch; except for the Coleman kids who lived close enough to walk home and back for their own lunch. Because they lived the closest, she had to get up early during her final year of elementary school and start the fire; a duty for which she was paid $7 over the course of the year.
Erica Walch is part of a group of local citizens concerned about the cost of living in Vermont. "We have invited Rob Roper, formerly of the Ethan Allen Institute, to speak about Act 18 and what it may mean for Vermont households," she says. The public is welcome to...
As I write this on a Tuesday, thousands of homes in Vermont are still without power from a storm that started the previous Thursday evening. Pre-storm, Green Mountain Power notified customers that wet snow would be coming and they would be out in force to limit disruptions and fix...
This piece, and other letters to the editor, in The Commons assert that one must be a lawyer or do research into judicial history in order to understand Proposal 5, the so-called “reproductive liberty” amendment, and that since ordinary people don't have the lawyerly training to understand what is written in the proposed amendment, voters should trust the experts (i.e., lawyers) who can understand it and tell us what it means, rather than us ordinary types relying on reading the...
We, the voters of Vermont, have two proposed constitutional changes on the November ballot. One clarifies language already in the Constitution about slavery; the other obfuscates and adds new language that is reported to be about abortion but as it reads is more about the State determining individuals' life choices. The right to an abortion is already the law of Vermont. The language of the existing law reads, “The State of Vermont recognizes the fundamental right of every individual who...
Small-town selectboards should be apolitical. Candidates don't run as members of a political party, and the best selectboard is a diverse group of individuals who want to serve their town by managing the budget and listening to the concerns of all citizens. But in Newfane, three candidates who are allied to a political group (West River Valley Mutual Aid) are running together, like a Tammany Hall ticket. This sort of political maneuvering is contrary to the community-mindedness of individual service...
The first article of Vermont's fine constitution begins: “That all persons are born equally free and independent, and have certain natural, inherent, and unalienable rights, amongst which are the enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.” The Legislature will soon consider a proposal to amend the constitution to include a constitutional right to abortion. Proposal 5's proposed language is as follows: “That an individual's right to personal reproductive autonomy...
There are tremendous differences between the Vermont Republican party and the Vermont Democrat Party, and those differences are evident in their platforms and in people's political activities in the state. On the Right, we see a discussion opposing policies like the Global Warming Solutions Act and a desire to reopen businesses and schools, along with truck convoys supporting political candidates. On the Left, we see attempts to drown out opposing voices by screaming into bullhorns in people's faces, burning newspapers,