The photos have been submitted in the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association’s annual calendar contest and it is time to start the voting.  Any full-time or part-time Cavendish/Proctorsville resident is eligible to vote.  Photographers compete for the opportunity to be published as a monthly selection in the annual calendar. This year voting will be…

Summer’s just around the corner and there are exciting opportunities coming up at Union Arena in Woodstock for ice skating.  Hockey skating clinic with Jacki Smith: Mondays, June 19-July 24. Ages 10U/12U session from 3:30–4:30 p.m.; ages 14U/HS session from 4:40– 6 p.m.  Union Arena Figure Skating Clinic: Wednesdays, June 2 through July 26 from…

Wednesday, June 14 at 6 p.m. — PROCTOR — The Proctor Free Library will host “Church Bells to Train Whistles: Rutland & the Ripleys, 1837-1958,” an illustrated talk by Julia Purdy. The program is free. Light refreshments will be provided and discussion will follow, time permitting. Purdy’s talk is a story of Center Rutland’s rise from…

  Volunteers still needed for June 19-22 event KILLINGTON—The American Junior Golf Association will return to Killington for the 12th annual Golf Performance Center Killington Junior Golf Championship. Green Mountain National Golf Course will once again host the 54-hole national junior golf tournament, June 19-22, with 132 boys and girls (ages 12-19) competing. An AJGA…

  Rutland—It’s that time of year again when outdoor dining and play return to Center Street! Since 2020, our outdoor parklets have helped to create more functional public spaces, slower streets, and additional room for pedestrians.  "This year we’ll see the most parklets since it’s inception, and we can’t wait!" stated the Downtown Rutland Partnership.…

  Saturday-Sunday, June 10-11—The state of Vermont is offering free admission to state parks and state historic sites on June 10 and 11 as part of Vermont Days. “With free admission to Vermont’s 55 state parks and six state-owned historic sites, Vermont residents and out-of-state visitors are invited to celebrate summer in Vermont by spending…

By Megan Sullivan Editor’s note: Megan Sullivan is the vice president of government affairs for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. The 2023 legislative session has been underscored by new and increased taxes and fees on both individuals and businesses, leading to $150 million of likely cost increases for Vermonters. This significant burden is particularly concerning…

  By Anore Horton and John Sayles Editor’s note: Horton and Sayles are executives at Hunger Free Vermont. Hunger is a solvable problem, yet in the federal debt limit deal, one of the negotiated “tradeoffs” is to take food off our neighbors’ tables. People over 50 and under 55 who receive SNAP benefits, known in…

  Dear Editor,  The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife has recently proposed new trapping regulations they call “Best Management Practices (BMPs)” in response to Act 159, which was passed last year by the Vermont Legislature. The purpose of Act 159 was to improve trapping safety and the welfare and humane treatment of trapped animals.…

Dear Editor, Reading about the housing crisis in Vermont and all over the country, and how a judge could change in one stroke of his pen the fate of hundreds of unhoused Vermonters, it is one grave sign that our society and our governments (federal, state and local) are moving toward a catastrophic end. I…

By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is the editor and publisher of the Addison County Independent, a sister publication of the Mountain Times. Gov. Phil Scott’s expected veto of the budget last week, and his more recent veto of a legislative pay raise, struck their mark with the expected outrage by the Democratic-dominated Legislature.…

  Bobolinks, Savannah sparrows and eastern meadowlarks enrich our summers with their songs, but their populations have suffered dramatic, long-term declines due to the loss of their grassland habitat. “These species have experienced declines across the continent, but on Vermont’s grasslands, especially in larger fields and more open landscapes, there are ways we can help,”…

  On May 30 the Vermont Department of Mental Health announced that the state had received a new federal grant to help provide mental health and substance use services to more people throughout the state.    The $1 million, one-year planning grant aimed at developing a network of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs).   “We’re excited…

Gov. Phil Scott today announced continued progress towards the implementation of the Vermont Family and Medical Leave Insurance Plan (VT-FMLI). The Department of Financial Regulation approved the VT-FMLI insurance coverages and rates filed by The Hartford, a private insurance carrier who was selected to deliver and administer the program benefits.  Phase 1 of the three-phased…

  Gov. Phil Scott signed S.100 – known as the Housing Opportunities Made for Everyone or HOME Act – on June 5, which will enable more significant progress addressing Vermont’s housing shortage.  “This bill represents what we can get done when we all come to the table, work through our differences, and reach compromise to…