BRATTLEBORO — You do the community a great service by printing obituaries free of charge. Like many others, I feel that birth and death notices are considered to be news.
In a tight-knit community such as Brattleboro and the surrounding towns, people need to stay informed about their neighbors. What a shame it would be if financial hardship prevented a citizen from announcing the death of a loved one.
Charging for obituaries sets a dangerous precedent - that news items are published based on the submitter's ability to pay rather than the community's need to know.