By Andrea Knepper Many home-grown fruits and vegetables require pollination to develop fruit and seeds. Approximately 75% of all food crops grown in the United States depend on bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators. However, pollinator populations worldwide are decreasing due to habitat loss, disease and environmental contaminants.   We can all support pollinators by creating…

  By Jodi Larison Container gardening is a good option if you have limited space or want to be able to alter your environment by moving pots around. You will have fewer plant diseases and weeds and less physical stress as containers can be placed at a height requiring less bending. Before deciding to start…

  Monday-Thursday, June 19-22—KILLINGTON—The American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) returns to Killington for the 12th annual Golf Performance Center Killington Junior Golf Championship. Green Mountain National Golf Course (GMNGC) will host the 54-hole tournament mid-week starting Monday, June 19 throught Thursday, June 22, with 132 boys and girls (ages 12-19) competing. Last year, Leonardo Vieira…

  WOODSTOCK—With summer heating up, a great way to cool off is at Union Arena in Woodstock where a number of youth hockey camps and clinics will be held. Each clinic will focus on different techniques aiming to enhance skaters and players abilities in focused areas.  Some of the clinics include: Hockey skating clinic with…

  Saturday, June 17—RUTLAND—Mountainside Mutts is offering a 4 week course with a focus on helping your four-legged friend to keep physically fit and agile while also stimulating its mind and strengthening the bond between you. The course starts this Saturday. Offered in a short class format led by Diane Sullivan and assisted by Als…

  Friday-Sunday, June16-18—BARNARD—BarnArts production of “Arcadia” will debut this weekend at the old Feast & Field location (1544 Royalton Turnpike, Barnard). Performances are Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 4 p.m. this weekend and next (June 16-18 and 23-25). Written by Tom Stoppard, directed by Christopher Peirce, and produced outdoors…

  Grand opening held Saturday Saturday, June 17—BRIDGEWATER—Woodstock artist Pete Landis is opening a new contemporary art gallery in the Bridgewater Mill Mall.  Landis grew up in Hartland, went to Woodstock High School and then moved to New York City to receive his masters of industrial design degree from Pratt Institute in 2013 and his…

  Sunday, June 18—MIDDLETOWN SPRINGS—The 48th annual Strawberry Festival offers a classic summer treat at the Middletown Springs Historical Society from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday.  The festival includes a craft fair, live music, a new exhibit about historical childhood (1850-1920), and a children’s program with historic play activities. Strawberry lovers are invited to the Historical…

  Saturday, June 17—KILLINGTON—The 13th annual Vermont Adaptive Charity Challenge, presented by Killington Resort will be held at the Skyeship Base Area this Saturday.  The Vermont Adaptive Charity Challenge is an annual event to enjoy the beauty of Vermont through cycling, mountain biking, paddling, and hiking, all while raising funds for the state’s largest nonprofit organization committed…

   By Faith Gong Editor’s note: Faith Gong has worked as an elementary school teacher, a freelance photographer, and a nonprofit director. She lives in Middlebury with her husband, five children, assorted chickens and ducks, one feisty cat, and one anxiety-prone labradoodle. In her “free time,” she writes for her blog, The Pickle Patch. I…

  By Vermont Treasurer Mike Pieciak  Saving for retirement should be easy, but tens of thousands of Vermont workers lack access to a workplace retirement plan. Many of these workers are not saving a penny for retirement, and this is a major threat to Vermont’s economic future. That’s why I am so excited my new…

  In the article titled “Bear Mountain housing development in Killington receives Act 250 permit” published June 7, we wrote “the Act 250 commission has not yet approved the master plan for the entire three-phase project.”  It has subsequently been brought to our attention that this characterization was incomplete and could be misleading. A more…

  Dear Editor, Killington Fire and Rescue was once a respectable agency made up of members that love the town they serve. Now it has gone from a group of people that are there to help the neighbors, to a boy’s club forcing out anyone the current chief and his buddies do not align with.…

Minimum wage boost needed Dear Editor, On March 29, Vermont senior U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was grilling Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz on the illegal union-busting activities used by that corporation.  In order to embarrass our senior senator, Schultz shot back with the fact that Vermont has a paltry minimum wage of only $13.18/hour. His…

  Dear Editor,  The American Red Cross experienced a concerning shortfall in blood and platelet donations last month. The Red Cross collected over 26,000 fewer blood donations than needed in May to meet the needs of patients. The need for blood is constant, with someone needing a blood transfusion in the U.S. every two seconds.…