sarahNo New E. State Street Sidewalk
To the Editor:
I believe the proposed new sidewalk in Montpelier on the south side of East State Street between Hubbard and the existing crosswalk farther up the hill will be costly and unnecessary and urge DPW to not consider it. This is based on the following:
I know a goal of Complete Streets is to have sidewalks on both sides of streets. While important, this is a goal, something to be given fair consideration when appropriate.
The crosswalk at Hubbard and East State is far more dangerous in my first-hand experience, because cars go even faster there, sight lines are worse, and the intersection is much busier and more complicated. All of this compounded by the fact it is heavily used by several hundred school children and has not had a crossing guard for several years; a middle of the street warning sign is there only intermittently.
A sidewalk on the south side of the street will make this situation worse. It will require two new crosswalks on the south and east sides of the intersection. One problem is the portion of Hubbard Street south of there is one-way downhill — often ignored, meaning cars must stop at the top with horrible sight lines.
Better options might include:
- Ensure the existing mid-street crosswalk is always well painted and that a mid-street sign is used whenever possible. A more permanent crosswalk light (solar) could be installed to further enhance safety.
- Ensure that these crosswalks are among the first in the city to be repainted in spring and fall.
- One or two parking spots on East State both east and west of Hubbard should be removed to improve sight lines.
The money saved from not constructing this proposed sidewalk can certainly be much better used elsewhere to repair other sidewalks or paint crosswalks.
John Snell, Montpelier
Release Nacho and Heidi
To the Editor:
On June 14, two Vermont residents — Jose Ignacio “Nacho” De La Cruz and his stepdaughter, Heidi Perez — were violently detained by the U.S. Border Patrol while delivering meals to farmworkers. Agents shattered their car window and pulled them out simply for “suspicious activity.” They were jailed without cause for exercising their right to remain silent.
Both Nacho and Heidi contribute to their families and community in innumerable ways. Nacho, a former dairy worker, now helps build sustainable housing as a worker-owner at New Frameworks. Heidi, just 18, is a recent high school graduate preparing for college. Both are community leaders with Migrant Justice, advocating for the rights of the farmworkers who help keep Vermont’s cows milked and the economy running.
Their arrest is not just unjust — it’s a warning. Many political analysts believe the current administration’s mass deportations of immigrants is the first step in instituting martial law. Immigrants across the country are being detained and deported without due process by masked agents, often without warrants or legal justification. This violates constitutional protections and threatens everyone’s civil liberties. Under the Constitution, due process requires just and fair treatment of everyone, regardless of background or immigration status, if their life, freedom, or property is at risk. This includes having the opportunity to defend their rights in court. Illegally kidnapping and deporting immigrants erodes everyone’s civil rights.
Protecting all of our rights requires action. Demand the release of Nacho and Heidi and a halt to their deportation by signing this petition: actionnetwork.org/letters/free-nacho-free-heidy-not-one-more-deportation
Follow Migrant Justice for updates and contact Gov. Phil Scott and our federal delegation to speak out. Their future and all of our rights are on the line.
Ginger Nickerson, Montpelier
Climate Change in Fahrenheit
To the Editor:
Last May I read an article on climate change in The Guardian (May 2024) that included a survey of climate scientists (conducted by The Guardian) about the rise in temperature above pre-industrial levels by 2100. Since then, I have had a few conversations with people about climate change, and it has become clear most people were thinking of 1.5°C as if it was Fahrenheit. Here in the U.S. most of us live in a Fahrenheit world. While we may know 0°C equals 32°F, other equivalents leave most of us confused. Making the computation to Fahrenheit in our head is very difficult, assuming you know the formula. How much warmer is Fahrenheit? Here are three common climate change reference standards with their Fahrenheit equivalents taken from the Guardian article:
1.5° C = 2.7° F
2.5° C = 4.5° F
3.0° C = 5.4° F
Here is what the scientists who responded to the survey believed:
Only 6% think the 2.7°F (1.5°C) limit will be achieved; and 42% think it will be more than 5.4°F (3°C).
Russell Frank, Montpelier
Is Opposition to Israeli Policy Antisemitism?
To the Editor:
Considering the preemptive attack on Iran, I can’t imagine a more inappropriate (or perhaps appropriate by being so revealing) commentary by the Shalom Alliance (The Bridge, June 11, 2025).
It goes without saying that they equate opposition to Israeli policies as antisemitism.
But how would they account for President Reagan calling Menachim Begin in 1982 and demanding that he stop the bombing in Beirut, consciously deploying the word “holocaust” to describe it?
Was Jimmy Carter an antisemite for describing Israel as an apartheid state in a book published over 20 years ago?
Moving to the present, would they also include the Financial Times, famed leftist hotbed among London financial interests, for recently denouncing Israel’s immolation of Gaza on its editorial page (“The west’s shameful silence on Gaza”)?
Why is Cindy McCain, currently director of the UN World Food program, telling the press that Hamas has not blocked food aid, but that the IDF has?
Might I also add former cabinet minister Avigdor Lieberman’s disclosure that Israel arms ISIS gangs in Gaza as a counterweight to Hamas? How does this promote the cause of peace or at least temporary pacification unless you are playing eight-dimensional chess? (Let’s forget Mr. Netanyahu’s preference for Hamas rule in Gaza over that of the secular Fatah.)
Instead, we are treated to a highly selective history with a paucity of detail and a claim of victimology and micro-aggression.
It’s instructive that at the end of the apartheid years, South Africa sought regime change in all the countries that bordered it, and beyond, including Angola, Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia. Enter Israel with incursions in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and now Iran. No doubt they are wishing for further direct U.S. involvement in a regional war.
Scott Penney, Chelsea
Freedom, But Not for All
Dear Editor:
As we celebrate the Fourth of July with friends, festivities and flags, basking in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, let’s pause to consider those denied even the most basic freedoms—not just people, but animals.
Whether hunted in the wild, confined in laboratories, imprisoned in zoos or circuses, caught in traps or caged, raised and killed for their fur, skin. feathers, flesh, or by-products, animals have no freedom!
Consider farmed animals: billions live in confinement, deprived of autonomy, dignity, and joy. Chickens never spread their wings, pigs never root in the soil, and cows never feel the sun on their bodies. They’re bred solely for exploitation—caged, mutilated, and killed, with no say in their fate.
If freedom is a value we truly cherish, shouldn’t it extend beyond our own species?
Choosing a plant-based lifestyle is one powerful way to put our values into action. On this Independence Day, let’s widen our circle of compassion. Liberation shouldn’t stop with humans—it should include every living being who longs to live freely.
If the roles were reversed, wouldn’t we want the same?
Think about it.
Maxwell Branset, Montpelier
Letters to the editor represent the opinions of the authors and do not reflect the opinions of The Bridge. Submit your letter by email to editor@montpelierbridge.com. Preference is given to submissions by those who live in central Vermont, should not exceed 300 words in length, and may be edited for brevity and accuracy.
