By Mark Bushnell/VTDigger One of the greatest economic advances in early industrial America involved sheep. It also involved Napoleon, an American diplomat and some fortunate timing. Details of the story might never have come to light if not for the resolve of the diplomat’s daughter, Mary Pepperrell Sparhawk Cutts, to extract the details from her father.…

Average sale price for a single-family home rose 26% to $352,537 By Anne Wallace Allen/VTDigger The number of $1 million home sales in Vermont nearly tripled last year. Vermont real estate agents assisted in the sale of 313 homes worth at least $1 million in 2020, said Staige Davis, CEO of Four Seasons Sotheby’s. In 2019,…

USDA Rural Development (RD) is seeking applications for the Value Added Producer Grant Program (VAPG). Applications will be accepted through close of business on March 22, 2021. The VAPG program helps agricultural producers in rural communities develop and market their products, and widen their areas of distribution, to increase their income and strengthen rural food…

The Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF) aims to ensuring that all children in New Hampshire and Vermont have access to enriching literacy experiences, the resources they need to learn, and high-quality books in the spaces where they spend time, particularly in the home. Literacy skills are one of the strongest indicators of a child’s future success…

On Jan. 15, the Vermont Women’s Fund announced that it is now accepting applications for its 2021 grant round from nonprofit organizations in Vermont that advance economic opportunities for women and girls. The 2021 competitive grant program will award grants of up to $10,000 for both specific programs and general operating support that: Make pathways…

The Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE) has released its 2021 call for Partnership Grant program proposals. The Partnership Grant program funds projects that work in direct partnership with farmers to encourage innovative solutions to current sustainability challenges related to production, marketing and/or farmer and community wellbeing in Northeast farming and food systems.…

By Tony Crespi Skiing has always been about more than tracking vertical at Killington. It’s always been more than just a sport. For many of us it’s a lifestyle. It’s, well, a way of life. Stopping by a local airport recently to examine a four-seater plane, I saw an empty world. Hangars were closed. Aircraft…

Mentor Vermont is excited to announce the awarding of four multi-year federal grants, totaling $755,000, to youth mentoring agencies serving rural communities in northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest Vermont. Funding for these grants comes from a $1.25 million three-year federal grant awarded to the Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF) and Mentor Vermont from…

How embracing the word ‘slower’ lead to a new sport: snow swimming By Sandra Dee Owens Have you ever made your own speed limits? After I received two speeding tickets and a warning within six weeks—I realized I had a problem. With an excellent, 40-year driving record before this life “phase,” I suddenly found myself…

Vermont Racial Justice Alliance releases its legislative priority list for 2021 The Vermont Racial Justice Alliance (VRJA) announced its top legislative priorities for 2021 last week, expressing deep concern surrounding the unprecedented impact of Covid-19 and systemic racism on Black American descendants of slavery (ADOS). The Racial Justice Alliance is calling on the Vermont Legislature…

By Merisa Sherman We were lost. Well, not quite. I guess it would depend on your definition of lost. If it meant that we had no specific idea where we were or that we weren’t exactly where we thought we would be, then I guess you could say we were lost. But then again, if…

By Dom Cioffi I saw an individual driving on the interstate the other day with a certain representation of the male anatomy hanging from the ball mount on their truck. As is the case in these moments, my curiosity got the best of me, so I sped up to get a look at the driver.…

By Gary Salmon It’s February, a tree’s dormant season between leaf fall, starch storage in the roots, and sugaring season. A time perhaps to dream of green days ahead, to read a good book, or otherwise shorten our dormant season. This line of thought brought me to ship building and the long history of wooden…

By Kevin Theissen Around the world, Covid helped make 2020 one of the most challenging years ever for dentists. The Dental Tribune reported most dental offices around the world closed their doors in March. While most eventually reopened, the impact on dental practices and suppliers was significant. Many adopted cost-cutting measures. The Tooth Fairy did…

By Susan Shea A woodpecker frequently visits our feeder, alighting on the wooden supporting post and hopping up the post to the suet. Its medium size and striking markings – black wings spotted with white, a large white patch on the back, and a red spot on the back of the head – identify the…