By Anson Tebbetts, Vermont Agriculture Secretary By the end of the month, we’ll have a clearer picture of how Vermont’s sugar makers view this season. How was the yield? What will prices look like? Where will the markets be? In June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will release the official results of its annual…

Dear Editor, If you’re wondering what Gov. Phil Scott and Sec. Zoie Saunder’s education plan will be like in practice, I can tell you­— our family lived through it in Florida. My family relocated to Vermont from Florida just a couple of months after Saunders and her family. Unlike Saunders, we moved to Vermont to escape Florida’s…

Dear Editor, We moved to Woodstock, Vermont, in early 2017. It was the first time we had spent any time in Vermont, and we fell in love. We loved the town, the community, and everything else. We opened a business, and one of the first people we met was then officer Joe Swanson. He was…

Dear Editor, At the Vermont Network, we support survivors of domestic and sexual violence, amplify their voices, and build safer communities. We represent 15 independent nonprofits that provide direct services to survivors and prevention programming in their communities. S.27, a proposal to eliminate up to $100 million in medical debt for low-income Vermonters and exclude…

By David Moats Editor’s note: David Moats, of Salisbury, is editorial page editor emeritus of the Rutland Herald, where he won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for his editorials on Vermont’s civil union law. The festive atmosphere on the town green in Brandon during the “Hands Off” protest on April 5 did not mask the seriousness of the…

By Habib Sabet/VtDigger Cabot Creamery has issued a voluntary recall for nearly a ton of butter due to potential fecal contamination, the brand’s parent company, Agri-Mark Inc., announced April 9. The recall covers 189 cases of the iconic Vermont brand’s 8-oz. Extra Creamy Premium Butter across Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire and…

LUDLOW—Former Vermont Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman recently addressed the Ludlow Rotary Club, making a case for ranked-choice voting in elections with multiple candidates. He argued that allowing voters to rank their choices rather than select just one could foster broader participation and more open dialogue among candidates. “Ranked choice voting gives voters more voice and…

The Vermont Historical Society (VHS) announced that the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) terminated its federal funding for the Activating 21st Century Local History Training Program, effective April 8. The decision follows President Donald Trump’s recent executive order to defund several federal agencies, including IMLS. In a letter from acting IMLS director Keith…

David Steven Hodulik of Ship Bottom, New Jersey, died on March 12. Hodulik was the first child of George and Dorothy Hodulik, born prematurely on April 2, 1955. His life was miraculous, as he received baptism and Last Rights at birth and was expected to live only days. He grew up in Dunellen, New Jersey,…

From Jon Lamb’s daughters It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our father, Jon Lamb, on April 2. Jon left this world with his ski boots on, doing what he loved most in the beautiful resort town of Big Sky, Montana. His family will remember him as a man passionate for…

Deborah Lee (Hyde) Colby passed away on Sunday, March 30, at Jack Byrne Center for Palliative & Hospice Care in Lebanon, New Hampshire. She was born on April 8, 1949, in Long Beach, California, the daughter of Harley and Lee Hyde. Deborah was the beloved wife of Scott Colby, with whom she shared over four…

By Karen D. Lorentz Editors’ Note: This is part of a series on the factors that enabled Killington to become the Beast of the East. Quotations are from author interviews in the 1980s for the book ‘Killington, A Story of Mountains and Men.’ In 1956, the only way to reach Killington Mountain was via West…

High school seniors still have time to apply for the Winona Smith Scholarship, a $2,000 award presented annually by the League of Women Voters of Vermont Education Fund. The deadline to apply is April 30 at midnight. Three scholarships will be awarded to students who demonstrate financial need, academic excellence, and a strong commitment to…

This week, we will explain the “tax” in Tax Increment Financing (TIF), clarifying what the “tax increment” is, how funding flows and who covers the cost for infrastructure improvements. Importantly, TIF does not create new taxes on our residents. Tax increment and the flow of funds First, it’s key to understand that in order for…

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Hartford High School received national recognition on Tuesday, April 8, as a Special Olympics Unified Champion School, joining a distinguished group of only seven schools in Vermont to earn the honor. The school was presented with a National banner award during a ceremony ahead of its Unified Basketball game against Rutland…