After 24 days on the road, we’re almost home. My wife, Alison, and I left home Oct. 7 to take a little drive out West to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. We sort of had an idea of what to expect, but not really. Nothing could have prepared us for what we saw and the people that we met along the way.
As we watch the violence and terror unfolding in Israel and Gaza, Americans should strive for nonviolence in our words and actions, instead of trying to be right.
First, the past couple weeks have been hideous. War in Israel and Gaza, concern for our Jewish friends, break-ins and car thefts in our normally peaceful town, the looming government shutdown while the U.S. House figures out how to manage itself, and another deadly shooting, this time close to home in a way that makes us all pause and wonder not if it’s going to happen here, but when.
It’s increasingly difficult to find solace in madness, even though you’re a world away and only tangentially affected, but even then, you can’t help yourself. Each thing you learn, you can’t unlearn. Likewise, what you see, you cannot unsee
Many know the drill. I show up for my appointment and check in. The medical receptionist holds a plastic wristband and asks me to confirm the information. It’s one test I’m sure to ace. That is, if I can get close enough to read it. Leaning awkwardly over the reception desk like a wobbly ballerina, I see my name is correct and so, too, my birthdate, even though today my vulnerability makes my age seem impossible.
I don’t drink vodka straight up. This is because I don’t find the flavor that pleasant on its own. Throw in some olive juice, vermouth and an olive or three, and I’m delighted: a martini tastes good.
October marks Indigenous Peoples Day, an opportunity for all Americans to acknowledge the resilience and diversity of Native cultures in the United States and celebrate the contributions of those who have been in relationship with the land long before the arrival of Christopher Columbus.
As the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department social media leads, Joshua Morse and I get a front row seat to the good, the bad and the ugly emotions that the department’s work brings to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
This past month marks the 200th anniversary since Alexander Twilight became the first Black man to graduate from a college in the United States, and his alma mater was Middlebury College.
We had some visitors to the House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs last spring.
Once again, Vermont’s future is the topic of an initiative by a high-powered collection of partners, this time under the auspices of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.
We are currently facing the impacts of climate change. The heavy rainfall and flooding that occurred during the summer resulted in a significant amount of contaminants and sediment flowing into lakes and rivers.
I have a habit of loudly and dramatically announcing that certain aspects of government function are “the cornerstone of democracy.” (I put the fun in government function!)
There are certainly complex challenges in higher education and significant forces at play that Vermont State University doesn’t control — an aging demographic, uncertainty about the value of higher education and designing a model that reaches and encompasses the rural nature of the state.
More than 34,000 Vermonters belong to a union. That’s 12 percent of our workforce.
I’m not going to get involved in the town manager versus town administrator debate. I mean, I’m already involved to the extent that, should it get to this point, I will cheerfully and enthusiastically work on drafting a town charter bill and getting it through the legislative process.
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