By Jenn Swain Burton Snowboards was born in a barn in southern Vermont over 40 years ago, and we proudly remain a Vermont-based business. The climate crisis is a direct threat to the sport we love, the mountain lifestyle that we and our community lead, and our long-term business success. In today’s world we are…

By William J. Mathis It is particularly noteworthy (and problematic) that Vermont, with a low gross state product, allocates a high proportion of its wealth to education.  Yet, regardless of how and who is doing the measuring, we can take pride in consistently scoring in the top 10 in educational quality. Realizing the need for…

By Sen. Alison Clarkson Our Town Meetings will be unusual this year. Yet another example of Vermont’s ability to respond flexibly to the continuing challenges the Covid-19 pandemic presents. Some towns are holding Informational Meetings in advance of the vote by Australian ballot on Tuesday, March 2. Some are holding off until May in hopes…

BY Rep. Jim Harrison The House Appropriations Committee was ground zero for what has been dubbed, a “mini Covid relief bill.” Utilizing some unspent federal coronavirus relief funds from last year along with one-time money from the current better than expected revenue forecasts, the committee assembled a bill appropriating more than $55 million in very…

Feb. 17, the Coalition for Tobacco Free Vermont, along with health experts, members of the House and Senate Social Equity Caucuses, the Center for Black Health and Equity, and Vermont youth urged the Vermont Legislature to pass S.24, legislation to eliminate the sale of all flavored tobacco products. “It’s vital that Vermont lawmakers stand up to…

By Julia Purdy Six of the seven mayoral candidates for Rutland city went before the public Feb. 10 in a virtual forum led by the Rutland Young Professionals and livestreamed on Facebook. Kimberly Rupe, president of the RYP board, explained that signups for Zoom had exceeded the permissible number so the forum was moved to…

Vermont Lieutenant Governor Molly Gray launched Lt. Governor for a Day— a virtual series to engage Vermont students and classrooms in state government. The bi-weekly series, hosted every other Wednesday starting, 12-2 p.m. on Feb. 24, will allow students to engage directly with the lieutenant governor. Each Lt. Governor for a Day will begin with…

Governor Phil Scott has issued an executive order creating the Governor’s Commission on the Future of Vermont Agriculture to study and strategize how best to grow agriculture in the Green Mountain State. The commission’s charge will focus on ensuring the viability and adaptability of this sector, including recommendations for more cross-sector collaboration, increasing production and promotion, reducing…

Joseph James Peterson was a man of many names.  Whether you knew him as Jamie, Joe, BBY, Robert, or Bobby, you knew him as a friend.  A friend you could count on in good times and bad.  A friend to go to for advice, to share a secret, or to shed a tear.  Bobby was…

Castleton University to combine with NVU and VTC, CCV to remain separate, all campuses to stay open Staff report On Monday, Feb. 22, the Vermont State College System board of trustees voted unanimously to move forward with the proposal outlined by the state’s Select Committee on the Future of Public Higher Education in Vermont. The…

Taking the entrepreneurial passion route to the ski life By Karen D. Lorentz Growing up in a family of seven boys and one girl, Pico’s Director of Operations and Killington’s Director of Summer Operations Rich McCoy will tell you it was natural to play sports and love waterskiing and boating on nearby lakes. That background…

By Erin Petenko/VTDigger A new analysis of police budget proposals up for a vote on Town Meeting Day found that, on average, they’re flat — police budgets headed for voters next month have dropped very slightly — on average, by 0.45%. But an average is just an average, and police budgets vary widely from community to community.…

By Victoria Gaither If there was ever a king of snowmaking, Brian Hughes holds the title. Celebrating 28 years at Killington Resort, Hughes started his career with no snowmaking or grooming experience when he landed in Vermont by chance from San Diego, California. “I needed a change of pace, so I took out a map…

Select Board discusses realistic plans for GMNGC debt By Curt Peterson The Killington Select Board called a special meeting on Friday, Feb. 19, to discuss the 2020 audit, which corrected an expected surplus in the town budget. William Hall, of RHR Smith & Co., reported to the board regarding the FY2020 audit for the town…

By Katy Savage Stockbridge voters will decide on Town Meeting Day, March 2, whether to withdraw from the Rochester Stockbridge Unified School District and operate Stockbridge Central School as its own entity. The article is being presented after a group of about 50 Stockbridge residents filed a petition with the Stockbridge Select Board. If approved,…