Discover More from This Author: MtnTimes
Growing citrus trees as houseplants
January 29, 2025
By Amy Simone, Extension Master Gardener, University of Vermont Imagine having sunny orange, bright yellow, and luscious green fruit growing in your home, especially during this gray, cold time of year. While we do not associate citrus plants with our northeast climate, several varieties can be grown as indoor/outdoor houseplants. Citrus plants, native to Southeast…
Explore Killington’s winter beauty with Base Camp snowshoe tours
January 29, 2025
For those looking to experience Vermont’s winter landscape up close, Base Camp Snowshoe Tours offers a scenic and accessible way to explore the outdoors. Departing from 2363 US Route 4, Killington, these guided tours provide an immersive snowshoeing experience for both beginners and seasoned adventurers. With fresh snowfall covering the trails, conditions are prime for…
Exploring regenerative agriculture with ‘Common Ground’
January 29, 2025
Feb. 1 & 2 at 3 p.m. — WOODSTOCK — The Woodstock Vermont Film Series presents “Common Ground,” a documentary highlighting how regenerative agriculture can restore soil health and mitigate climate change. Screenings occur Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Billings Farm & Museum Visitor Center Theater. Directed by Rebecca Harrell Tickell and…
Wondertee golf outing to benefit Wonderfeet Kids’ Museum
January 29, 2025
Feb. 1 at 8 a.m. — RUTLAND — Wonderfeet Kids’ Museum is bringing its signature spirit of fun and play to Stonehedge Indoor Golf on Saturday, Feb. 1, for an exciting indoor golf tournament designed for adults. The 18-hole, six-person team scramble offers a day of friendly competition while supporting the museum’s mission of inspiring…
Subaru WinterFest returns for a weekend of music, gear demos, and winter fun
January 29, 2025
Jan. 31 - Feb. 2 — KILLINGTON — Subaru WinterFest is back, bringing an action-packed weekend of live music, outdoor adventure, and winter lifestyle experiences to Killington Resort. Running from Friday through Sunday, this free event invites skiers, snowboarders, music fans, and adventure enthusiasts to celebrate their love for winter with gear demos, live performances,…
Addressing affordability: Why fossil fuels are not the answer
January 29, 2025
Dear Editor, Nearly all Vermonters agree we want living in our state to be more affordable. When it comes to energy, continued dependence on high-cost and price-volatile fossil fuels like gasoline, fuel oil, and propane is not a path to affordability. In 2023, $2.2 billion was spent on fossil fuels for transportation and heating in…
Unaffordable Housing I:Rent-fixing
January 29, 2025
Dear Editor, Back in February 2024, Vermont Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) introduced a bill, “Preventing Algorithmic Facilitation of Rental Housing Cartels.” What does the bill’s name translate to in plain English? Rent-fixing. In a press release dated Aug. 23, 2024, the U.S. Dept. of Justice (DOJ) announced it, along with…
Meeting the moment to build more housing
January 29, 2025
By Lindsay Kurrie Editor’s note: Lindsay Kurrie is the secretary of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development. This is a pivotal moment in the history of Vermont that will determine our future. It’s imperative we all realize that housing is the foundation of how we will meet this moment to create the momentum…
Vt legislators introduce bi-partisan bill to phase out tax on Social Security benefits
January 29, 2025
Vermont legislators are calling for support on a bill that seeks to exempt Social Security benefits from state income tax, a move aimed at easing financial burdens for retirees while aligning Vermont with most other states. This proposed legislation, H.74, has over 60 co-sponsors from across all parties and from all corners of the state. Currently, Vermont is one of…
New effort to cap Vt hospital executive pay is underway
January 29, 2025
On Thursday, Jan. 23, a coalition of Vermont state legislators and healthcare workers, in partnership with the office of Senator Bernie Sanders, unveiled a bill that would task the Green Mountain Care Board with moving healthcare resources to the front lines of patient care amidst a deepening healthcare crisis. The bill, which was introduced on…
Pieciak announces plan to eliminate $100m in medical debt
January 29, 2025
Last Tuesday, Jan. 21, Treasurer Mike Pieciak, Senator Ginny Lyons, and Representative Alyssa Black announced a proposal to provide medical debt relief to thousands of Vermonters. The proposal would eliminate up to $100 million in medical debt for a one-time investment of $1 million. Further, the proposal would protect Vermonters’ credit scores by eliminating the…
Jerry LeBlond: From engineer to skier, photographer
January 29, 2025
By Karen D. Lorentz What started out as a fun winter sport on a school trip and a hobby — perhaps inspired by his artistic mother — led to a new vocation and lifestyle for Jerry LeBlond. Born in 1946 and raised in Biddeford, Maine, a coastal French speaking community, until the 6th grade when…
State economists tout strong economy but warn of uncertainty under Trump
January 29, 2025
By Shaun Robinson/VTDigger Vermont’s economy, and the country’s as a whole, is in “exceptional” shape, the state’s economists told a panel of top fiscal lawmakers Wednesday, Jan. 22 — but cautioned their outlook was tempered by uncertainty over the actions President Donald Trump has pledged to take, or already taken, early on in his second term.…
Killington’s Taylor Dobyns mounts a skiing comeback on Freeride World Tour
January 29, 2025
By Staff Report After an injury cut her 2024 season short, Killington native Taylor Dobyns is back on the Freeride World Tour (FWT), ready to reclaim her place among the world’s best freeride skiers. Dobyns, who qualified for the prestigious FWT Pro Circuit last year, received a season wildcard for 2025 and has already made…
Judy O. Findeisen, 92
January 29, 2025
Judy O. Findeisen, a longtime Killington resident and avid skier, passed away on Jan. 22 at the age of 92. Born Oct.13, 1932, in Newport, Rhode Island, Judy was the oldest of Dorothy and Arnold Openshaw’s three children. She grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts, swimming, horseback riding, and skiing. While attending St. Lawrence University, she…