By Neil P. Allen On Monday during the Brandon Select Board meeting, Rental Housing Officer Tom Kilpeck reported that about 41% of the rental property owners in town have not submitted their annual statement of compliance. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Kilpeck said he had extended the Jan. 1 deadline for the statements to June…

On Friday, June 11, at 3:30 p.m., troopers from the Rutland Barracks of the state police were advised of a two car motor vehicle crash on Route 103 in the town of Mount Holly. While en route, troopers learned one of the people involved in the crash was deceased. Upon arrival, troopers found it was…

A multi-month investigation into illegal deer hunting in Rockingham and surrounding towns began Dec. 5 and ended last month. It ultimately lead to seven arrests.  Christopher Brough Sr., 51, was charged with 34 misdemeanors in both Windham and Windsor Counties. Charges included hunting under revocation, possession of an illegal big game animal, failure to tag a…

By Neil P. Allen On Monday, June 14, the town of Brandon will resume the collection of delinquent sewer and tax payments following Governor Phil Scott’s announcement that the Covid-19 pandemic state of emergency would end at midnight. “We agreed to not collect them through the pandemic,” said Seth Hopkins, Select Board chair. “The change…

By Neil P. Allen On Monday, June 14, Brandon Select Board member Tim Guiles presented a document with the mission statement and set of goals for the Brandon energy committee following a request from commission members to be allowed to continue their work at the Select Board meeting on May 24. “I had a meeting…

Vermont pediatricians are offering guidance to families with children on how to navigate the summer and stay healthy and active. Vaccines are the most effective tool we have to end the Covid-19 pandemic. But as Vermont moves forward with its reopening plan, it is important to remember that young children are not yet eligible for the…

The 2021 Vermont maple syrup production totaled 1.54 million gallons, down 21% from the previous year, according to Pam Hird, New England state statistician of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, New England Field Office (NASS).  Vermont maple syrup producers set out 5.90 million maple taps in 2021, an increase of 4% from the 2020…

By Emma Cotton/VTDigger It’s hard to connect with social services in Rutland and Bennington counties.  That’s the gist of two surveys recently conducted by a group called Families at the Center in Southwestern Vermont, which, through a localized pilot project, aims to expand Vermonters’ access to services such as housing, child care, recovery support and…

By Ali Dieng Editor’s note: Ali Dieng is the founder of the Burlington School District Parent University and co-founder of the Vermont New American Advisory Council. He is the first African immigrant elected to the Burlington City Council. This commentary caps a 10-part series in which the authors respond to pressing topics identified in a “Proposition…

By Addie Lentzner  Editor’s note: Lentzner, 17, is a high school senior (class of ‘22) from Bennington, Vermont. He’s a member of the Vermont Young Playwrights and wrote a play to honor a homeless man named Thierry Heuga in Bennington who died after sleeping under a bridge in February 2020. He also co-founded facebook.com/endvermonthomelessness. He…

Dear Editor, “A rose by any other name would smell the same,” wrote William Shakespeare. Not so apparently, in the Raider vs. Raven standoff here in Rutland. The cancel culture has reached Rutland in the form of challenging the racist implication of the Raider team mascot, an arrowhead. Symbols have meaning, it is true. But…

Dear Editor, If anyone has the right to hold a soft spot in their heart for the Raiders, it is the extended family of Roger Laird. In the 1920s, as a Raider, Roger suffered a traumatic brain injury on the football field behind the high school on Library Avenue; one that would take his life…

By Jack Hoffman Many legislators and school officials are eager to adjust Vermont’s education finance system to provide more money for school districts with kids from low-income families and those for whom English is not their first language. We agree these resources are necessary and should be provided as soon as possible. But the Legislature…

By DJ Dave Hoffenberg This Friday, June 18, G Love and legendary drummer Chuck Treece will be playing the Country Girl Diner in Chester at 7 p.m.  Yes, you read that right.  I was shocked myself, but this will be a great opportunity to see him up close and personal. The show came about because…

It’s officially summer! To properly enjoy Vermont there’s only one real rule: be ready for anything!  By Brooke Geery  Vermonters are a resourceful group, and for good reason. Living and playing here isn’t easy, and you never really know what to expect. But anyone who’s survived the Green Mountains should be able to tell you:…