It doesn't seem like a day to worry about cold drafts. I'm sweating at my desk. But John Tracy, one of two Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor, says Vermonters are telling him they expect to feel a chill this winter because of the high cost of home heating fuels. Tracy doesn't have a remedy in mind, but he says he thinks state government shouldn't sit on the sidelines and watch a crisis develop. As part of his campaign to promote his leadership skills, he has called on his Democratic colleagues -- House Speaker Gaye Symington and Senate President Pro Tempore Peter Welch -- to convene a summit soon on the looming home heating crisis.
"We stepped up to the plate for farmers," Tracy notes. "Let's not wait until people are having their fuel run out."

-Nancy Remsen