At Bear Pond Books recently, in the midst of what passes for a huge crowd in downtown Montpelier, Ed Koren, the New Yorker cartoonist who has lived in Brookfield for decades, was signing copies of his new collection of cartoons.

Seven women – current and former students – have filed a class action lawsuit for seventy million dollars in damages against Dartmouth College for sexual harassment, assault, and discrimination. They claim the college did not take appropriate action regarding complaints against three professors in the psychological and brain sciences department.

There’s a political cliche, frequently repeated, that’s creating the wrong picture of our country.

The release of a new report on climate change underscores how far we have to go to reduce our emissions - and the kind of innovative thinking that will be needed to bring real solutions.

We just attended a family wedding in Atlanta. And it was the kind of rare family event that stays with one for a lifetime.

Over the past few years, I’ve been joining a group of friends for a holiday craft afternoon during which each person brings a project to share and sets up a station with clear instructions and materials.

President Trump made a mistake going after Chief Justice John Roberts in a recent Twitter storm. When the president denounced a member of the Ninth Circuit as an “Obama judge”, Roberts defended the ideal of an independent judiciary – saying that regardless of who appointed them, judges try their best to administer equal justice under the law.

Many families avoid controversial topics during the holidays, but as my own family has shown me, this can be a missed opportunity to learn more about one another, to share what we’re learning and passionate about, and to practice constructive dialogue.

When The Statue of Liberty was under construction, the young American writer Emma Lazarus was asked to compose a poem that could be auctioned off as a fundraiser for the building of its pedestal.

When I asked my 85 year old friend Jack, a native Vermonter, who split his youth between Burlington and Montgomery whether he thought we were in for a rough winter, he said, “Nope. I think it’s going to be an ‘Open Winter.’”