The Bernie Buzz

There is a major crisis that we are facing in our communities – something which does not get enough attention: It is getting more and more difficult to fully staff our fire departments. The truth is the vast majority of fire departments in Vermont and across the country are made up of volunteers. This Saturday, May 13, between 9:00am and 1:00pm fire departments across Vermont will be opening their doors to the public to highlight ways people can get involved. Please consider stopping by your local department this weekend to learn more and to help support your community’s firefighters.

We need to do a much better job in understanding the root causes of the mental health crisis and invest heavily in prevention as well as treatment. Recently, I sat down and discussed these issues with the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, the chief medical officer for the United States. In my view, Dr. Murthy is doing an outstanding job educating the American people about the mental health situation and offering concrete solutions. I hope you will watch the livestream and hear what the Surgeon General had to say.

If the United States is going to thrive in a competitive global economy, we need to have the best educated workforce in the world. What does that mean? It means that we have to rethink the concept of public education.

On Saturday, April 1, I saw something pretty remarkable: 130 young Vermonters from every county across our state coming together to learn and play the game of chess at our first-ever “Youth Chess Day.” I saw elementary and middle school students try out the game for the first time during our Learn to Play Session and more experienced players from 1st to 12th grade test their skills in our recreational tournament.

“Electric aviation’s time has come.” Those are the words of Kyle Clark, native Vermonter and founder of Beta Technologies. Officially established in 2017 and headquartered in South Burlington, Beta Technologies is working to revolutionize air travel from right here in Vermont – just a stone’s throw away from where Kyle grew up. Today, Beta Technologies has become a national and international leader in the manufacturing of electric planes.

There are a number of resources available throughout Vermont that provide treatment, support, referrals, and other recovery services for Vermonters struggling with addiction and for families and loved ones. One of the excellent resources is Jenna’s Promise, in Johnson, Vermont which I had the opportunity to visit a few years ago. Founded and run by the Tatro Family, Jenna’s Promise is a recovery community with a whole-life approach, including sober housing, treatment services, community support, an innovative work program, and more.