Column: It isn’t easy to be on the side of peace

By WAYNE GERSEN

Over the past several days, I’ve had the opportunity to learn about Palestinian student Mohsen Mahdawi from the talks and interviews he has given locally and nationally. Unfortunately, the media coverage outside the Upper Valley has focused more on his advocacy for Palestinians than on his pacifism. Mahdawi ultimately stepped away from the disruptive elements of the Columbia University protests based on Buddhist principles he embraced to help deal with the suffering he experienced growing up in refugee camps.

Forum for April 29, 2025: Debating Gaza

These days, there are so many objectionable things happening in the world around us. People of conscience everywhere are in crisis, trying to find the best way forward in an terrifying environment of fascist repression. One recent example is the recent detention of Upper Valley resident Mohsen Mahdawi, merely for using his voice to oppose the genocide of his own people in Palestine.

Column: If Vermont wants a future of abundance, we must choose to build

By MIRO WEINBERGER

If you’ve turned on a podcast, watched a late-night show, or scrolled social media in the past month, you’ve probably heard something about “Abundance,” the new book by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. The thesis is simple yet powerful: America, especially in blue states, has over decades created systems that prioritize stopping things rather than building them. We’ve become experts at saying no.

Forum for April 28, 2025: All abilities

While approximately 24% of Vermonters identify as disabled — a statistic that holds true nationwide — ignorance, stereotypes, discomfort and fear regarding the experiences of people with disabilities prevent widespread change. As deaf activist Cat Romero writes, “While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has led to major changes for the disability community, one law cannot change the attitudes of everyone in our nation.”

A Solitary Walker: Sharing from the big tree of life

By MICKI COLBECK

My ears perk up these mornings as the little brown dogs and I hike along the Ompompanoosuc River, for now is the season of surprises when the birds, species by species, arrive from the south saying, “Hey, we’re back. Gonna sing a song, find a female, have some chicks.” That’s when I forgo responsibilities around the house and become a bird listener.

Column: A book list for the president

By JONATHAN STABLEFORD

In an era of censorship and blacklisting, President Trump may need help finding the right book to take with him to bed after an exhausting day. He hasn’t asked for my advice, but with the two of us sharing a common humanity and nearly the same age, I have prepared a modest list of books to take him places he doesn’t go in a normal day.

Forum for April 26, 2025: A familiar scenario

On June 30, 1934, my mother, 9½ years old, watched as four unidentified SS men and a plainclothes official arrived at her family’s Munich apartment and arrested and removed her father. There was no warrant, no explanation, not even a chance to gather his identity papers.

Forum for April 25, 2025: Free speech at Dartmouth

As alumni of Dartmouth College, we are deeply disturbed by Trump Administration efforts to chill free speech on college campuses, to restrict academic freedom by arresting students for exercising their right to free expression and to withhold funds from schools that teach courses on subjects contrary to the views of the administration. We are troubled by the apparent willingness of college leaders to acquiesce, and we are concerned that recent statements from Dartmouth President Sian Beilock calling for “restraint in speaking out on current events unrelated to our academic mission” reflects timidity in the face of Trump Administration pressure. There is nothing more closely related to Dartmouth’s academic mission than academic freedom, and little that calls more loudly for unrestrained opposition.

Column: Supervisory union opposes bill approved by Vermont House

Members of the White River Valley Supervisory Union Board have written a letter to the Vermont School Boards Association (VSBA) and Vermont Superintendents Association (VSA).

Column: At Dartmouth, 98.9% of faculty political donations go to Democrats. That’s a problem.

By BILL HAMLEN

When I ask friends across the political spectrum to guess what percentage of Dartmouth College faculty donate to Democrats versus Republicans, they typically land somewhere between 70% and 90% Democratic. That would make sense. Dartmouth has historically been one of the more conservative institutions in the Ivy League. But the real numbers are far more dramatic.

A Yankee Notebook: The first bright weekend in a dark spring

By WILLEM LANGE

Both my friend Bea and I have functioning automobiles, which is fortunate, because we live (when you factor in stops for coffee, washroom, or gasoline) about four hours apart. We pretty much trade weekends for travel, and get together about twice a month. She’s still teaching, so vacations are a pretty big deal.

Forum for April 23, 2025: It could get worse

I am very careful where I get my news reports, how much I follow the news, and what I believe. In spite of my quality controls, it just keeps getting worse.

Editorial: Free speech detentions reach into Upper Valley

So now the war comes home, as wars always do. This time it’s the dirty war that the American government is waging against immigrants, international students and the rule of law. And home is the heart of the Upper Valley.

Column: A day in the life of a Vermont state senator

By NARAIN BATRA

Recently, I had a fascinating conversation with first-term Vermont state Sen. Joe Major about the state’s trials and tribulations in the age of MAGA Trumpism. I asked him to describe “A day in the life of a Vermont Senator” and how he juggles his professional and political interests.

Forum for April 19, 2025: NH budget

New Hampshire deserves a better budget than what our legislators just passed in the state House of Representatives. This budget is only going to raise costs for everyday people. There are huge cuts to nearly every vital service that people rely on, which will result in increased health care costs, increased property taxes, increased housing costs, increased education costs and increased energy costs.

Column: A source of solace in National Poetry Month

By MARY K. OTTO

I Go Down to the Shore

Column: Planning local celebrations of the nation’s 250th birthday

By GWEN TUSON

Polarization. Fear. Uncertain future. Rising prices. Politics affects nearly every aspect of daily lives. Neighbors suddenly in conflict with one another. In some communities, families focus on subsistence, but they can’t escape the larger turmoil. Am I writing about today?

Column: New Hampshire needs a Commission on Aging now more than ever

By POLLY CAMPION and LAURIE HARDING

Recently, the New Hampshire House of Representatives voted to zero out the budget of the New Hampshire Commission on Aging.

Forum for April 17, 2025: Community nurses

Amidst dismal news of the finances of Vermont health care, I was pleased to read the front page article highlighting the work of community nurses (“Upper Valley community nurse programs help those in need”; April 5). Their services have a positive effect on health care costs by avoiding unnecessary hospitalizations.