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Grafton County Commissioner Wendy Piper and Grafton County Register of Deeds Kelley Monahan have decamped from the Democratic Party to take up political residence in what Piper described to our colleague John Lippman as the Republicans’ “big tent,” which in her telling accommodates dissenting voices.

While Vermont is proposing to reinvent public education, New Hampshire is moving rapidly to de-invent it.

At a time when much of the rest of America has decided that being homeless is not only a moral failure but also a crime, the Upper Valley has rallied handsomely in support of the construction of a new 20-bed low-barrier shelter in White River Junction that is projected to open next spring. Although backing for the project was by no means unanimous, it is testimony to the compassion, good will and wisdom so often exhibited by those who live here.

After the Boston Red Sox traded their disaffected slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants earlier this month, Devers told The Boston Globe, “I was surprised when it happened, but I knew it was coming. I know the business of baseball.”

What began as a taxpayer revolt against education spending is well on its way to becoming a full-scale revolution in the way that Vermont governs, funds and provides public education. Only time will tell whether that transformation is for good or ill, but it is clear that the state has entered largely uncharted territory.

Lebanon, Hanover and the entire state of Vermont were named recently to the list of more than 500 states, counties and cities designated as immigration “sanctuary jurisdictions” by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (perhaps more accurately described as the Department of Noemland Insecurity, Kristi L. Noem, proprietor).

We are hardly the first to observe that the genius of the U.S. Constitution lies in large measure in the adaptability of its guarantees to novel circumstances. Take, for example, the recent vindication of the First Amendment right of a bakery owner in Conway, N.H., to display at his store a mural — or sign — that was painted by high school students.

Dairy farming in Vermont is undeniably a difficult proposition. Volatile milk prices, high costs, a shortage of labor, a dearth of large-animal veterinarians and climate change in the form of flooding are just some of the challenges. So it is astonishing to learn that some farmers in the state welcomed policies that threaten to compound their existing problems.

In rebuffing legally dubious propositions advanced by the Trump administration, several federal judges have provided eloquent reaffirmation of first principles of American democracy, as well as lessons in history and civics. Lest we forget.

Graduation season is almost upon us once again, and commencement speakers no doubt are honing their annual messages of hope and glory, in which they will urge newly minted graduates to be passionate and compassionate; to follow their dreams wherever they lead; to be grateful to their families, teachers and coaches for their unwavering support; to treasure the good friends they have made; to consider the road not taken; or take the road not considered. And so on.

The president of Dartmouth, home of the brave space, has been notably absent from the list of college leaders speaking out against the Trump administration’s all-out assault on academic freedom and free speech.

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.

Who says manufacturing is dead in the United States? The budget crisis that Republican lawmakers in Concord are now purporting to solve through draconian reductions in state spending is at least partially, and perhaps mainly, the result of unwise and unwarranted tax cuts they enacted over the past decade. If that’s not manufacturing a crisis, what is?

News that U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire will not seek re-election in 2026 is widely regarded as a serious blow to Democratic hopes of retaking control of that chamber, where Republicans now hold a 53-47 majority.

While America slept, Major League Baseball’s regular season dawned in the Land of the Rising Sun, where the Los Angeles Dodgers swept a pair of games from the Chicago Cubs at the Tokyo Dome a full week before the other 28 teams get into action this coming Thursday.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte is applauding the application by New Hampshire State Police to take on immigration enforcement duties for the Trump administration. We fear that this will not be a one-act play and that it will end in tragedy.

Before Vice President JD Vance arrived in Vermont for a ski trip with his family at Sugarbush Resort last weekend, Gov. Phil Scott issued a statement that read in part, “I hope Vermonters remember the vice president is here on a family trip with his young children and, while we may not always agree, we should be respectful. Please join me in welcoming them to Vermont.”

Four voices in the wilderness.

It was perfectly predictable — perhaps inevitable — that the Hartford Heroes Banners project would create discord. There’s bound to be conflict when a town allows public property to become a billboard for the expression of private groups’ opinions, even if the intention is to honor military veterans and first-responders.

Is this how American health care ends? Not with a bang, but a whimper of assent?

Of all the legislative maneuvers perfected by Republicans in Concord, the most accomplished is one we like to call the Reverse Robin Hood, in which financial benefits are lavished on the wealthy at the expense of everybody else.