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Your support powers every story we tell. We're committed to producing high-quality, fact-based news and information that gives you the facts in this community we call home. If our work has helped you stay informed, take action, or feel more connected to Windham County – please give now to help us reach our goal of raising $150,000 by December 31st.
An extraordinary notion has crept into the public dialogue about closing Vermont Yankee. The notion is that unless Vermont has a vast array of new in-state power sources in place on March 12, 2012 at midnight, the lights will go out along with the deadly, glowing fission at the heart of VY.
This notion has been on the lips of our gubernatorial candidates and other public officials. It is encouraged by Entergy propaganda. And it leads, of course, to another notion: that we cannot decide to close the plant unless and until we have replaced it with 600 windmills or a gazillion solar panels, or 70,000 more pooping cows.
Both ideas are false. While it is desirable to replace VY with in-state renewables for a number of reasons, doing so is in no way a necessary prerequisite to making the decision to close the plant in 2012.
You only have to reflect a moment on your own experience to realize why. During its lifetime, VY has gone off-line dozens of times due to mishaps (several of them in very recent memory), periodically for weeks at a time for refueling, and for many months such as during replacement of faulty reactor coolant pipes.
It was 5 degrees outside when we woke up one morning. Snow devils danced across the field illuminated by early morning winter sunlight. Inside, the blower on our 1980s vintage wood/oil combination furnace was humming away. It was a cozy 68 degrees, our preferred house temperature. Nothing is extraordinary...
According to Reed Webster, the vice chair of the county's Democratic committee, a Republican neighbor had an epiphany. “He said, 'I know what the problem is. Vermont is the most liberal state in the union. Windham County is the most liberal county in the state. We live in the...
The Putney General Store property in the heart of the village, exposed to the elements since a May 3 fire left it roofless and damaged by water, could be stabilized before winter. On Sept. 27, the Putney Historical Society's board of directors voted unanimously to purchase the former store, dormant since a fire that heavily damaged the 239-year-old building, after a similar unanimous decision by the task force charged with exploring the project. Approximately 200 members also overwhelmingly voted to...
Thank you to Martha Nelson for your piece in The Commons [“Faith in the voting booth,” Letters, September]. I've made copies of it for friends and family, for it describes my way of looking at life in a comprehensive and concise way. Thank you! I could never have said it so well.
Sitting in the gym at the Vernon Elementary School on Sept. 15, listening to hours of testimony about the future of Vermont Yankee, I couldn't help but see a clear connection to what seems to be the major issue in the presidential race, albeit a mostly unspoken issue. The issue, of course, is fear. Fear of change that cannot be controlled or accurately predicted. Fear of loss - either of the present or the future. Fear of fear. Testimony about...
As the race for governor heats up, the very lifeblood of democracy is being drained away by Governor Jim Douglas with support from the Democratic candidate, Gaye Symington. As recently as mid-August there were two dozen debates and forums scheduled for public meetings with the candidates. The topics ranged broadly, covering agriculture, health care, conservation, renewable energy, business, the economy, education, and more. Recently the governor has cancelled five of these events, claiming scheduling conflicts, and Gaye Symington has used...
• 2 quarts whole milk – local, raw, organic if you can find it • ½ tsp. salt • 3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice • Large sieve lined with fine-mesh cheesecloth placed over a large bowl Bring the milk and salt slowly to a boil over moderate heat. Stir to prevent scorching. When the milk begins to boil, turn down the heat to low and add the lemon juice. Stir constantly for about 2 minutes, until the mixture curdles.
