OPINION: What is a man’s right to ‘personal reproductive autonomy’?
Reading Proposal 5/Article 22 in preparing to vote for or against this constitutional amendment come November, I have to ask what does a man’s right to “personal reproductive autonomy” look like, especially when it “shall not be denied or infringed” by the laws of Vermont?
LETTER: Dogs and farmers market might not mix
Last Thursday at the market, we had an incident where a customer’s dog bit one of our market vendors. She was treated onsite by Waterbury Ambulance EMTs and luckily, she says she is doing OK, though it was quite shocking.
LETTER: Duxbury town officials look to improve public communication
The Duxbury Selectboard announces an effort to improve communication between the town’s boards and officers and the residents of the town and are implementing a townwide email communication service.
LETTER: Folks, have a little common courtesy
This is about the concern that I have for the ways that people conduct themselves while out and about in Waterbury.
Condos: The dangers of election disinformation
As we watch new information emerge from the January 6 Committee Congressional hearings, one truth has been made crystal clear. Whether it’s insurrection at the Capitol or violent threats against election officials, these acts are a consequence of a single insidious lie: that voter fraud altered the outcome of the 2020 General Election.
Racial bias and divisive blame strategies harm community safety
In an NBC5 story in May, Burlington’s Acting Police Chief Jon Murad said that Burlington was seeing an uptick in crime and “disorder” caused by members of “affinity groups” who knew each other but weren’t gang members.
Local doctor spearheads medical supply shipment to Kenya
In 2012, a determined man from a small village in Western Kenya made his way to the United States to essentially beg for help saving the lives of his fellow Kenyans.
Opinion: Shouldn’t Barre have a state senator?
Montpelier’s 2020 census figure was 8,024. The combined population of Barre City (8,491) and Barre Town (7,923) during the last census was 16,414, over twice the population of Montpelier.
A good idea worth sharing
The Good Citizen Challenge’s target audience is kids aged 18 and under. While most are too young to vote, it’s hardly too early for them to learn about what it means to be informed and engaged members of their communities and our state.
LETTER: Letting go of restraint and seclusion
I was invited to join the Waterbury Area Anti-Racism Coalition in April to discuss the impact of trauma associated with the use of restraint and seclusion, and I have since followed the process of policy review by the Harwood Unified Union School District.
Opinion: The American Dream 2022
Both parents wake up in the morning in a house on a piece of land they don’t own as it is considered government property with a taxable income.
LETTER: Ukraine fundraising dinner, auction a success
On Thursday, June 23, Stowe Street Cafe hosted a tender and heartfelt Ukrainian Community Dinner and Silent Art Auction as Part 2 of our fundraising efforts to help World Central Kitchen's work in Ukraine.
Juneteenth marks freedom for all
Did you know that July 4, 1776, only represents the day that white male Americans became free? We celebrate Juneteenth (a combination of the words "June" and "Nineteenth") to commemorate June 19, 1865, the day which slavery officially ended in our country and independence was granted to Black communities who waited an additional 89 years after the Declaration of Independence to become free.
Op-Ed: Why is it easier to build a Dollar General than a solar panel in Vermont?
Over the last decade or so while most of us weren’t looking, something very concerning has happened in Vermont: It has become easier to build commercial strip development like a Dollar General store in a rural town than to build renewable energy.
COMMENTARY: Guns are not the problem
Guns are NOT the problem. "Fear porn" and "false flag events" ARE. As it relates to another manufactured crisis, the exercising of one’s right to keep and bear arms is God-given. Period.
COMMENTARY: Increase legislative pay and benefits?
As a former legislator I understand and appreciate departing legislators’ complaints about pay and benefits. And, as a former legislator, I hope turnover based on complaints about legislative pay and benefits continues with every biennium.
COMMENTARY: We, the Cyberpatriots
Harwood Union High School junior Jeswin Antony of Waterbury represented Vermont at the American Legion’s National Oratorical Finals held in Indianapolis in April.
LETTER: State should ban seclusion, restraints for school students
“Vermont legislators, I am writing to advocate for children in Vermont with disabilities who are restrained and secluded in our schools at disproportionate rates compared to children without disabilities.”
COMMENTARY: On restraint and seclusion, ‘we can and must do better’
A prone restraint begins with a "takedown," where the staff forcibly takes a student down to the ground. The staff then turn a student onto their front and hold their arms and legs.
LETTER: Walk & Bike to School Day a success
On Wednesday, May 25, close to 200 students, parents, and community members participated in the Walk & Bike to School Day in Waterbury.