Vermont’s goals of reducing carbon emissions by 25 percent from the 1990 benchmark by 2012 and by 50 percent by 2028 weren’t haphazard.

In preparation for my high school reunion, I’ve been thinking about 1968, the year I graduated. The parallels with today are striking.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to learn that the ACLU considers panhandling free speech – because in a healthy society, free speech should promote dialogue. Whether upsetting or repellant, it should provoke people to think … and eventually answer.

Dominic is my daughter’s boyfriend and the good news is I like him. The not-so-good news is that he got pulled over in Wyoming by highway cops and endured what appears to be a case of profiling.

Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation process has been notable, if only for the number of times the word “unprecedented” has been used to describe it.

Vermont’s consumer protection laws are some of the strongest in the country. Intended to protect consumers from unfair or deceptive business practices, these laws are vital for both consumers and business because they protect fair competition in the marketplace. They prevent consumers from being deceived and also maintain honest rules for economic competition.

The record that sticks in my mind came the night when Burlington never fell below 80 degrees. That’s not what you call sleeping weather.

I recently observed an uncomfortable exchange concerning a case study that was being reviewed in an academic setting. The discomfort didn’t stem from the delicate ethical considerations involved, but from the exchange that followed when a white person stated that the case’s subject was black.

I lived on Puget Sound in the seventies, where I saw only rain clouds for months. We celebrated in April when the sun broke through and Mt Rainier reappeared.

I’ve been wondering if we may be promoting a stereotype that no longer reflects the reality of a contemporary, inclusive Vermont – even perhaps contributing to some of the racism we’ve seen lately, like the public attacks on Bennington Representative Kiah Morris and her family, or the incident at a Stowe youth camp where racist remarks left children shaken and afraid.