Hartland project’s impact on wells

In response to your article about the proposed 9,000-square-foot Sunnymede Farm Store in Hartland, I would like to ask town officials in Hartland, and the owners of Sunnymede, where will the water come from? (“Ruling allows farm store”; June 20)

I’m a native Vermonter and a second-generation property owner in Hartland. Your readers may not know that Hartland does not have town water or sewage. My family has owned two different properties on Martinsville Road, the road adjacent to the proposed Sunnymede site, since the 1960s. In that time, we have had to re-drill and replace wells at both sites. Historically, locals and old-timers know that water veins that provide our wells’ water come from the top of Rice Road and flow downward. Wells ran dry as recently as 2018-2019 with the additional strain put on the water source as Rice Road became more developed and put more demands on the water before it reached lower Martinsville Road.

So, the question is, how will a 9,000-square-foot commercial business, built at the top of our road, with public restrooms, and commercial kitchen facilities, further impact our limited water supply? And who is going to be monitoring this? I am all for the development of small business in the town I live in, but not if it is to the detriment of the property owners that already have established rights to the water that is necessary for our homes and livelihoods.

Sunnymede and Hartland officials, please do due diligence before proceeding.

Chris Files

Hartland

Fun with Roz Finn

I would like to thank John Lippman for his excellent profile of Roz Finn and the many nuances of her life (“Peace was a big wish for Roz”; June 23). I wish to speak of Roz as I knew her, my dear friend with whom I had so many memorable times.

Setting off with her for a “Day Out” always required “bail money” on the off chance we found ourselves in need. So fortified, we stopped for tea before exploring thrift shops, book stores, card shops, antiques shops and any venue that offered treats to take home for our beloved dogs.

“Auntie Roz” charmed my visiting granddaughters with visits to fairy houses in the woods, lavish teas and ripping games of Old Maid.

Her annual “Wild Women” party gathered generations together for a fabulous pot luck supper. Book Club, in addition to her pithy comments, was an occasion to wonder “why they hadn’t used a good editor

It must be clear that I loved Roz and treasured her as my friend. I miss her beyond measure.

Linda Williams

White River Junction

Ban Congress from trading stocks

Members of Congress are required to publicly disclose stock trades valued at over $1,000 within 45 days. For good reason. They might get advance information that may impact the stock market.

Well, back on March 8, Donald Trump posted “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!” Within hours, he “paused” most of the tariffs he’d imposed. Following this seemingly sudden reversal, the stock market had one of its largest one-day upturns in over a decade.

Some members of Congress say that we shouldn’t have to wait 45 days to find out if any MAGA Republicans profited from Trump’s tariff tantrum. They’re calling for:

■Every member of Congress to immediately disclose any stock trades made between April 2 to 9.

■State attorneys general to investigate whether Trump, his family, anyone in his administration, or any members of Congress engaged in insider trading, market manipulation, or other illegal actions related to the tariff pause.

■A ban on stock trading by members of Congress.

It would be unconscionable if any member of Congress used their position to benefit financially from Trump’s tariff insanity, especially when millions are suffering from the chaos he’s caused. Please tell your members of Congress to support these demands.

Steve Gehlert

West Newbury, Vt.

Israel does world’s dirty work

It’s deja vu all over again. Although Israel was uniformly condemned when it destroyed Saddam Hussein’s Osirak Iraq nuclear reactor in 1981, and Hafez al-Assad’s reactor in Al-Kibar Syria in 2007, the world and US interests became safer with nuclear capabilities out of the hands of these dictators. We can expect the same sequence of condemnation followed by a belated “thank you” after Israel succeeds in dismantling Iran’s illicit nuclear program. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said it best last week, “This is the dirty work Israel is doing for all of us.”

David Greenfield

Grantham