All Entries in the "Commentary" Category
To the Editor: Vt. needs to report all Covid positives
I am dismayed that the State of Vermont is not reporting the now 42 positive cases from Manchester on its website. All positive cases and their locations need to be reported so Vermonters can hunker down when necessary. The explanation from the state: “We hope that those people will get PCR test from the State […]
To the editor: Thrift Shop Donation Trailer filled
The Thrift Shop at the Chester-Andover Family Center will not be accepting donations until Saturday, Aug. 1. Due to the generosity of the community and your patience during the Covid-19 shut down, we have been overwhelmed with Thrift Shop donations. Our Donation Trailer is FULL. Volunteers will be working hard to process the donations already […]
Rep. Bock: State moving Covid money into areas of need
By Rep. Tom Bock The last day that I and my fellow Vermont House colleagues set foot in the House Chamber was Friday, March 13. Since then, for more than three months, the 150-member House has conducted business from our homes, with Speaker of the House Mitzi Johnson insisting we continue to wear proper business […]
To the editor: Native Americans not honored by mascot
I grew up in Upstate New York in the 1970s. I went to Girl Scout camp and stayed in cabins with names such as Iroquois, Oneida and Hiawatha. At Thanksgiving, we cut out little paper feathers and attached them to a brown strip of construction paper so that we could play Indians in the school […]
Telegraph Poll: On the GM Chieftain mascot
The Green Mountain Chieftain mascot has been much revered since the founding of the high school in the 1970s. It has also been criticized for racist imagery. Is this the right time to replace the Chieftain with another, less-controversial mascot? Take the Telegraph Poll below, then if you’d like to make a civil comment, please […]
To the editor: Sen. Clarkson votes against Vermonters
In a recent opinion piece, Windsor County state Sen. Alison Clarkson, asks, “What kind of America do we want to be?” It is an important question. The causes that Sen. Clarkson supports and how she votes is not the America or Vermont that I envision. It is not an America of compassion, liberty or equality. […]
Op-ed: Why are you ‘white?’
By James Michael Brodie ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC I recently posed a question to my friends on Facebook who identify as white: “Do you know how you came to be called white? Do you know why?” Those who responded shared their experiences of living in white skin, but none could cite the source of those […]
To the editor: Windham Fire Co. cancels fund-raiser amid Covid-19; 50/50 raffle to take place
This year has brought some very unexpected changes to our daily lives. All of us have felt the impact of Covid-19. Here in Vermont we are fortunate that the virus has not affected us as gravely as our neighboring states, but we must take precautions nonetheless. I am sorry to report that the Windham Volunteer […]
To the editor: Thanks to all for Family Center’s successful Empty Bowl Fundraiser
The Chester-Andover Family Center Empty Bowl Soup Take Out Fundraiser, held June 10, raised $4,000 to support its Financial Assistance and Food Shelf programs. In addition to all who participated by reserving soup meals and making generous donations, we have many to acknowledge and thank. Jess Holmes and Paul Frasca, chef-owners of the Country Girl […]
Op-ed: My alma mater needs to teach about racism
By Cheyénne Prescott I was raised in the town of Chester, population slightly more than 3,000. From the 2nd grade to the 12th, I’ve been a part of this tight-knit, corner of Vermont. Some of my earliest childhood memories took place on the wooden play structure at Chester-Andover Elementary School. My “crew” and I would […]
Op-ed: Seeking racial equity in Vermont
By Sen. Alison Clarkson This week’s New Yorker magazine cover “This Side Up,” illustrates an upside down world, capturing an aspect of how many are feeling right now. Our U.S. government has failed to adequately prepare and protect its citizens from a global pandemic – and our public safety officers, whose job is to protect […]
Editorial: Why Black Lives Matter
By Cynthia Prairie ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC You say “All Lives Matter?” Let me be clear that Black Lives Matter now because they have never mattered. They haven’t mattered to the majority of white Americans and white America holds all the cards and all the privileges. As a nation, we have enslaved black lives to […]
Op-ed: Racism is white America’s problem
Editor’s note: This column is reprinted with permission by the author, James Michael Brodie, an old friend and colleague of mine from Baltimore, Md. — Cynthia Prairie. By James Michael Brodie ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC It should be evident by now that people like the white woman who called the police on a black man […]
To the editor: Keith Stern running for state Senate
My name is Keith Stern and I am announcing my campaign for the Windsor County Senate as an independent candidate. Some of you may recognize me as a candidate for governor two years ago. My platform has not changed: I want to see a more responsible budget, end Act 46, and make sure Act 250 […]
To the editor: Congress, industry hijack access to paid TV
What if the government told you that you could no longer subscribe to the New York Times because you live in Vermont—even if you wanted to pay for it at a premium price. That is exactly what is happening now with broadcast television. Congress has decided that certain area codes can no longer receive distant […]
To the editor: Eliminate ‘power base for racism’
The obscene public execution of George Floyd on Monday night, May 25 by Minneapolis police has brought about righteous indignation and protests not only in Minnesota but across the country as the American public has finally had enough of the continuous system of non-accountablity and protection from serious prosecution afforded to brutal thugs posing as […]
To the editor: Vermont LWV urges state to adopt mail-in voting
The League of Women Voters of Vermont supports every citizen’s right to vote in a safe and secure manner. It is our position that Vermont should be among the 20-plus states that are proactively mailing ballot materials to voters for the general election. Requiring voters to come together in large numbers at polling places this […]
To the editor: Southern Windsor County gets $300,000 Brownfields Grant
The Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission has received a $300,000 community-wide Brownfields Assessment Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It is one of just two grants awarded in Vermont in the 2020 fiscal year. This funding will provide a substantial boost in our ability to offer much needed assessment of brownfield sites in […]
Sen. McCormack: Right ideas, wrong applicaton
By Sen. Dick McCormack The pandemic, its economic fallout and the resulting social and personal stresses all beg for analysis. What’s going on? What are proper responses? What mistakes are being made? What fundamental problems are exposed? I’m grateful for the informed, insightful, indeed wise communications I’ve been getting from concerned citizens. It’s gratifying when […]
To the editor: Is industrial renewable energy really ‘green?’
A few weeks ago I sent the following email regarding the recently released documentary Planet of the Humans to our state representatives and senators. I sent a similar email to our congressional delegation: Rep. Peter Welch, and Sens. Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders. Not one of those seven politicians who represent Windham-3, Windham County and […]
