Wednesday February 8, 2012 Do you love animals? I have had the most wonderful and rewarding volunteer job for the past 10 years that I need to pass on to someone else now. I have been a foster home for feral and shy cats from the Second Chance Animal Center. Cats that fail at the shelter because they do not trust humans, or are extremely shy, come to me for rehabilitation.   Full Story

Monday February 6, 2012 As a fan and supporter of basketball in this town for over 35 years I would like to know what is going on with the girls basketball program. I have heard that coach Reynolds has taken a medical leave of absence. That is unfortunate for him. Where is Bill Martin? How is it that Courtney Ludwig-Reif is listed as the coach?   Full Story

Sunday February 5, 2012 A letter to Harriette Ms. Leidich Your physician has shared the good news that you will be 100 years old and that you are still writing a column for the local newspaper. That is quite a record and on behalf of President Ben S. Pollock and the Board of Directors of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, I wish to extend our heartiest congratulations on   Full Story

Sunday February 5, 2012 Health care is also a human right In the Jan. 23 Banner, Lee Russ's column, "Our local priorities on display," pointed out the steady rise in people needing help from our local food shelves and other needs that these economic and political times have brought upon us.   Full Story

Friday February 3, 2012 Trying to answer some independent school questions Mr. Corey’s question about the funding of the proposed North Bennington Independent School is one that is merited. In response it is important to understand the nature of an independent village school. The only example of a similar situation at the elementary level is the Mountain School at Winhall.   Full Story

Friday February 3, 2012 What’s your opinion? We would like to hear from you. Send letters and columns to the Bennington Banner: Mail to 425 Main St., Bennington, VT 05201; e-mail to news@benningtonbanner.com (no attachments, please); by fax to 802-442-3413. We may edit any letter or column for length, style or content, and reserve the right to reject letters or columns as not   Full Story

Thursday February 2, 2012 On Mr. Salmon and taxes While speaking on the radio recently (WDEV, Common Sense, Jan. 25), Tom Salmon offered his views on tax policy. He said he would like Vermont to be a "no income tax state." Apparently, he views this as a necessary remedy because "we’re a very sketchy state for businesses [and] New Hampshire continues to eat our lunch.   Full Story

Tuesday January 31, 2012 Some notice of teacher arrest would have helped Before you published a "Banner" headline in the Banner, it would have been kind and considerate if the parents of the children/potential victims of the nightmare at Monument School had been apprised of the situation. For five months, since September the parents have been told that the reason Mr.   Full Story

Tuesday January 31, 2012 We need a basketball court When I was a kid we played basketball at the recreation center (in Montpelier) nights during school, days on weekends. There never was a shortage of kids that wanted to play. In Bennington, kids have no place to play basketball. Even school teams have trouble getting court time.   Full Story

Monday January 30, 2012 We haven’t heard enough about palliative care In recent editions of the Bennington Banner I have read many articles dealing with doctor-prescribed suicide. But I cannot remember reading anything about palliative care. Palliative care provides adequate symptom relief for chronic or life-threatening conditions in order to enhance the quality of life for   Full Story

Sunday January 29, 2012 While reading the column "Our local priorities on display" (1/23), I couldn’t stop thinking about the phrase "trickle down." We have been told since Ronald Reagan that tax breaks for the rich and for the largest corporations will create prosperity for all of us. If this theory of governing was so wonderful, so effective, we would not be experiencing this dismal   Full Story

Friday January 27, 2012 Spend no more money on flawed Yankee case For the past 28 years I have represented well over 3,000 clients as a trial attorney in the Northeast Kingdom. In each of those cases I have had to examine a set of facts and assess how the law would be applied to those facts. This past weekend I read the decision of Judge Murtha in the Vermont Yankee case.   Full Story