Opinion
Editorial: Is Vermont primed to overhaul its schools?
All elections have consequences, but some are more consequential than others. Such might be the case with the tax revolt last fall that upended the political order in Montpelier and brought an influx of Republican legislators to the Statehouse. It potentially created the conditions for a major overhaul of K-12 public education in Vermont.
Forum for Feb. 13, 2025: Hartford Selectboard candidate
I’m Patrick Danaher, and I’m asking Hartford residents for their vote on March 4 to serve on the Hartford Selectboard. My family has lived in Hartford for nearly a century, and after 40 years away, I returned to Vermont because this town is home. But Hartford is at a crossroads, and I believe we need new leadership to get us back on track.
Column: We need reliable data about energy sources
By BILL HAMLEN
On a recent winter morning in Hanover, the temperature had dropped to -10°F as I took my dog for a walk. Passing by homes with chimneys releasing steady streams of smoke, I was reminded of just how essential reliable energy sources — heating oil, natural gas and wood — are for survival in harsh conditions. It raised a troubling question: Could renewables ever provide this same level of dependable heat? Given current technology and infrastructure, the answer remains far from certain.
A Yankee Notebook: The frozen surface, and depths, of Lake Morey
By WILLEM LANGE
To tell you the truth, I wasn’t looking forward to spending Saturday morning freezing my bippy on a frozen lake in Vermont. Friday had been really windy — windy enough to make Kiki think somebody was coming up the driveway in a large truck — and the thought of standing still in a snow-blowing williwaw while coolly (no pun intended) interviewing the recreation director of a resort was none too pleasant.
Forum for Feb. 12, 2025: Douglas Carver
A school principal acts quickly and wisely evacuates a gymnasium full of children from a roof about to collapse thereby perhaps saving many lives and avoiding a tragic outcome for the people and city of Lebanon (“A Look Back: ‘Below zero every morning’ ”; Feb. 3. Gee whiz, is there a plaque or recognition anywhere at Hanover Street School for this principal, Douglas Carver, who served the community for over 30 years?
Column: NH needs fair ambulance reimbursement rates
By DERICK AUMANN and NATHAN BORLAND
Let local property taxes make up the difference in funding shortfalls for ground ambulance services rather than for profit health insurance carriers.
Forum for Feb. 11, 2025: GOP plans in Concord
The 2025 legislative session is well underway in Concord and Republicans have proposed many bills.
Column: Why data privacy is the key to unlocking affordability
By MONIQUE PRIESTLEY and CAITRIONA FITZGERALD
Jan. 28 marked International Data Privacy Day, a moment to reflect on the digital world we inhabit and the price we pay for its conveniences. Technology permeates every facet of our lives, offering innovations that simplify our daily routines, from smart homes to online shopping.
Column: Trump’s ‘Golden Age’ of MAGA tribalism
By NARAIN BATRA
President Trump’s proclamation of a “golden age” for America seems to be emerging from his vision of ultranationalism and global dominance. He conjures a future where America will “flourish and be respected again all over the world” and become “the envy of every nation.” Russia’s Putin and China’s Xi Jinping have similar visions of grandeur by recovering and redeeming a glorious past through economic and military dominance.
Forum for Feb. 10, 2025: Vermont farms
As a State Senator representing Windsor County and as vice chairman of the Agriculture Committee, I am deeply concerned about the recent decision by President Trump to freeze federal funding. This action threatens to cause significant harm to Vermonters, particularly our hardworking farmers who are the backbone of our local economy and community.
Forum for Feb. 8, 2025: Housing bill
As prime sponsor of the Partners in Housing Bill (HB572), I urge all Upper Valley residents concerned about our housing crisis to make your voices heard in Concord. Last week I presented this bill to the Housing Committee in the New Hampshire Legislature. It would establish a program of low interest loans for developers who work with towns and cities to build affordable, “missing middle” homes on municipally owned land.
Editorial: A bad way to implement health care
Is this how American health care ends? Not with a bang, but a whimper of assent?
Column: The model patients and doctors of Model Land
By DIANE ROSTON
Have you heard the one where a veterinarian, an architect, and a physicist walk into a barn?
Forum for Feb. 6, 2025: Watching the clock
You know clocking right? You know stopping distance?
A Yankee Notebook: Drowning in a tide of events
By WILLEM LANGE
What’s an old fellow to do? My sources of information are letting me down. The news of the day comes into my house mainly via the internet, a New York Times subscription, a couple of local newspapers and brief sessions with commercial-haunted CNN (insurance of all kinds, mesothelioma lawyers, and Medicare Advantage) while I’m cooking and eating meals in my kitchen. Not very elegant, but generally reliable, as nearly as I can tell by cross-checking.
Forum for Feb. 5, 2025: Styrofoam recycling
I hope you didn’t throw your Christmas styrofoam packaging in the landfill but saved it for recycling on April 12, when Sustainable Lebanon is once again partnering with the Lebanon Rotary Club to offer a polystyrene (styrofoam) collection day, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Hanover Street School parking lot (193 Hanover St. in Lebanon). The event will take place rain or shine and is open to all. There is no fee, but donations are welcome to support the cost of trucking.
An Appreciation: For Marianne Faithfull, tears still go by
By DONALD MAHLER
She was my first crush. She never knew it, of course. I mean, how could she. After all, she spent all her free time with Mick and Keith … you know, the Glimmer Twins. So how could she have time for me?
Forum for Feb. 4, 2025: What next in Gaza?
On Jan. 26, The New York Times reported that “President Trump suggested to “clean out” the Gaza Strip and asked Egypt and Jordan to take in more Palestinians.”
Column: Gov. Scott’s ‘education transformation’ contains big flaws
By WAYNE GERSEN
Last week’s Valley News editorial asked whether Vermont is ready to overhaul its education system. Now that Gov. Phil Scott has presented his Education Transformation Proposal we have an answer — No.
By the Way: A voice from the Religious Left
By RANDALL BALMER
Back in the heyday of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, I frequently lectured on the origins of the Religious Right, pointing out that, despite all the leaders’ dodging and weaving, their movement began in defense of racial segregation in the 1970s, not in the more high-minded opposition to abortion.
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