The Vermont Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors announced June 6 that Amy Spear will be the incoming president of the organization. Spear was selected from a robust pool of applicants following a six-month search committee process that leveraged the expertise of Burlington-based Hawley Consulting Services. The committee’s recommendation was ratified by the full board…

By Bruce Bouchard and John Turchiano Editor’s note: Bruce Bouchard is former executive director of The Paramount Theatre. John Turchiano,  his friend for 52 years, was formerly the editor of “Hotel Voice,” a weekly newspaper on the New York Hotel Trades Council. They are co-authoring this column collaborating to tell short stories on a wide…

In “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll, Alice stumbles upon a large mushroom. She peeps over the edge and encounters a caterpillar “smoking a long hookah, and taking not the slightest notice of her or anything else.” If Alice had touched the creature, she might have been in for an even bigger shock—forked horns,…

With his 27th cookbook out just this past January, Jamie Oliver takes us on not just a cook’s tour of the 22 countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, he takes us on the celebrity chef’s tour of cuisines and cultures that promises to rock us out of dinnertime ruts with casual, easy takes on delicious food.…

Tuesday, June 11 at  5 p.m.—RUTLAND—The Chaffee Art Center, 16 So. Main St., Rutland, invites the community to the opening reception on June 11 of a new exhibit, Art …The Equalizer, An Exhibit about originality, diversity, and individuality featuring Beyond the Curve, American Abenaki COVID Experience.   Participants can mingle and get creative with interactive arts…

'Once upon a time with Barry Fell' by Howard Coffin  Sunday, June 9 at 2 p.m. — BRIDGEWATER —Howard Coffin, Vermont historian, author, and former Rutland Herald reporter will present his reporting on Harvard University professor Barry Fell's research on ancient stone structures and chambers in Vermont that led to Fell 's conclusion that Europeans,…

Vermont’s annual, statewide Summer Free Fishing Day is Saturday, June 8 this year, and it will be highlighted by opening day of the state’s regular bass fishing season. Free Fishing Day gives resident and nonresident anglers the opportunity to go fishing without a license for the day in Vermont lakes and streams. Free Fishing Day…

Saturday and Sunday, June 8-9 at 10 a.m. —WOODSTOCK—What better place to celebrate dairy than on a working dairy farm?  Sample delicious dairy products and get up close with cow cuteness at this fun food event for all ages.  This family-friendly event features fresh food and craft beverages, along with live music, educational programs, and…

Friday, June 7 at 7:30 p.m. —ROCHESTER—The Rochester Chamber Music Society celebrates 30 years in south-central Vermont. Artistic director and concert artist Cynthia Huard has curated the varied and dynamic programming during the past 30 years and will retire from RCMS this summer. Huard, a long-time favorite on the series with her sensitive, expressive piano…

Come Alive Outside announced the inclusion of two new members to its board: Barbara Spaulding and Dean Rinaldo, in a news release Monday, June 3. Barbara “Barbie” Spaulding is a well-known Rutland resident who produces the popular Bellevue Avenue Haunted House. She began the haunted house 21 years ago and has also published a children’s…

Dear Editor, The movement to stop Israel’s murderous campaign against Palestinian civilians is up against the entire American military/industrial/congressional complex and assorted American war/death culture allies like AIPAC, The Heritage Foundation, and Fox News. Leaders of the most powerful American institutions and major party presidential candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden want to continue official…

Dear Editor, Every year, beginning on June 1, bears, bobcats, foxes, and other wildlife are pursued by packs of hounds, potentially over miles of land, during Vermont’s hound “training” season. Since this is also the time of year when wildlife is tending to their young, this “training” may lead to orphaned animals, as well as vulnerable wildlife suffering…

The Vermont Donor Milk Center (VDMC) has announce the opening of a new freezer site at 123 S. Mendon Road in Mendon. This expansion aims to increase the availability of pasteurized donor human milk to families in Vermont and northern New York. Since its inception in 2020, the VDMC has been dedicated to providing life-saving…

The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) will host an informational meeting open to the public on Wednesday, June 12, to present a draft long-range management plan (LRMP) for the Castleton Management Unit (CMU) plan for Blueberry Hill and Birdseye Wildlife Management Areas that will guide the management of these lands for the next 20…

The Attorney General’s Office announced June 3 that it has filed civil enforcement actions against two Vermont Medicaid providers for fraud. The lawsuits, currently pending in Vermont Superior Court, were investigated and brought by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU) and allege separate violations of the Vermont False Claims Act. Locally,…