I’ve been watching the national effort to politicize Burlington College’s demise and am saddened by the venality of our politics and our dangerous ignorance of non-profit governance. It’s endemic in Vermont, where too many of our major non-profits have limped through a decade or two of un-reviewed leadership, mission decay, and disconnection from constituents because their boards have no idea what the obligations and liabilities of board members are or even what board service means.

I recently spoke with a young woman who fled from Syria with her parents. She's struggling with her identity in a family that straddles two countries that can often feel worlds apart. And the escalating political rhetoric hasn't helped; her father's been called a "terrorist" more than once as he tries to earn money for his family.

The West River Modified Union Education District - comprised of Brookline, Jamaica, Newfane, Townshend and Windham - has just had its first organizational meeting.

Anyone who spends time in the woods knows that the tick check has become routine - as habitual as applying sunscreen or buckling up a seatbelt.

Janet and Jay Bailey, of Fair Winds Farm in Brattleboro, have operated a diversified horse-powered family farm for more than 40 years. The farm’s previous owner had donated the land to Earthbridge Community Land Trust, who later leased the land to the Baileys. In 2011, looking toward aging but wanting to ensure this land continue to be farmed, they formed an untraditional partnership.

Vermonters live in a bubble. And there are sub-bubbles such as those found around Montpelier and Burlington. Indeed a frequent quip is that “Burlington’s a great place to live because it’s so close to Vermont.”

I treat each year’s strawberry season as a special holiday. The dates change according to the weather, but it lasts longer than even Hanukkah or the 12 days of Christmas - though not much longer.

The facts of Vermont beekeeping are quickly told: beekeepers number between eight hundred and one thousand; annual honey production from two to three hundred thousand pounds of honey, with a retail value of two million dollars.

As is typical on the last day of a Supreme Court term, we heard announcements about some controversial cases last Monday. And it was notable how many involved religion.

In the recent case of Trinity Lutheran v. Comer, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Trinity Lutheran Church – potentially changing the way faith based organizations provide social services and whom they serve.