Editorial: Before school budget talks turn to slashing expenses, let’s have a grand plan

With 2024-25 education property tax rate hikes well into double digits last year, it’s little doubt school boards will be primed for holding costs to a minimum for their upcoming budgets.

Trump’s dominance in the swing states reflected voters’ dissatisfaction with high inflation and the high cost of living that had followed the Covid 19 pandemic.

Vermonters witnessed as much of a change election as we’ve seen in the past couple of decades, as Republicans gained six seats in the Senate and 18 seats in the House.

In Addison County House and Senate races, here’s a key point to consider: What has caused the crises Vermont faces and who is in the best position to help solve the problem?

What’s interesting in the state’s House and Senate races this year is that most candidates from both political parties agree we need significant changes to create more affordable housing, reforms to funding education, and continuing to lower carbon emissi … (read more)

That Middlebury’s houseless population has become more problematic is an outcome of doing too little for too long. The issue has been recognizable for several years but came to a head a year ago when downtown vandalism and disruption prompted two dozen do … (read more)

Rep. Joe Andriano has launched a noble cause to raise funds for a nonprofit community center in Orwell to follow in the footsteps of Buxton’s Store, which has served as that town’s de facto community center for decades.

Vermont Republicans running for election to the House or Senate have two ready-made campaign issues — inflation and high property taxes — and many are using it to their full advantage.

We received several comments from area voters who noted, with some alarm, that voters are responsible for not losing their personalized ballot because the town clerk’s office may not have enough blank ballots if too many residents treated the official-loo … (read more)

The presidential debate Tuesday night was notable for many reasons, but one stood out for us: Kamala Harris showed the nation and the world how easy it is to manipulate Trump.

Addison County’s community firefighters are a special breed of volunteers who, almost uniformly, spend hundreds of hours each year training and reporting to duty for one reason: a desire to give back to their communities.

Russia’s egregious bombing of civilian areas throughout Ukraine on Tuesday, in which more than 50 people were killed in a single strike on a military academy and nearby hospital in Poltava, should be met by the West with more than moral outrage.

Lloyd Komesar received well-earned recognition at what was a fabulous 10th Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival. At both the opening night ceremony last Wednesday and the VTeddy Awards on Sunday night, the one-man, high-energy force behind the concept and l … (read more)

If you’re a reader of headlines and don’t often read the full story, you might delve deeper into the story where Meta czar Mark Zuckerberg regrets caving to “censorship” imposed by the Biden administration over Facebook’s posting of misinformation during … (read more)

The almost immediate impact Act 76 has had on Vermont’s childcare industry is not only hopeful but demonstrates how a targeted government program can help solve a problem in the marketplace.