Vt on track to be the first state to offer breakfast to all On Friday, April 30, the Vermont Senate approved a bill that would bring universal school breakfast to all Vermont schools by 2022. The bill (S.100) would make Vermont the first state in the nation to provide breakfast free of charge to all public school students every school day.…

By Rep. Jim Harrison Last Thursday, April 29, the House approved changes to the Brattleboro charter that will allow 16-year-olds to vote in municipal elections and serve on town boards such as select boards. Additionally, 15-year-olds can vote early or absentee if they will be 16 on election day. The proponents of the measure believe…

By Seamus McAvoy/VTDigger Vermonters can expect a return to amusement rides, fried food and demolition derbies this summer, as most fairs plan a revival after a year off due to Covid-19, including the Vermont State Fair at the Rutland fairgrounds, which will celebrate its 175th anniversary Aug. 17-21 with two demolition derbies and a rodeo, among…

Out of concern for Lake Champlain’s underwater ecosystems, the Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) and the Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) have appealed a permit issued by the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) to allow the sinking of a 152-foot-long ferry near the Burlington waterfront. The permit authorizes the Vermont Division of Historic Preservation and the…

New robocall team formed to stop scams to Vermont phones Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced April 28 a settlement with a small Florida-based company that routed thousands of foreign scam robocalls to Vermonters. The Attorney General investigated the company—Strategic IT Partner—after reports of scam robocalls to the Vermont Consumer Assistance Program (CAP). The settlement will…

By Brooke Geery Scott Downs, from Middleton, Massachusetts, and Lincoln, New Hampshire, comes to Killington in the spring after Loon Mountain (New Hampshire) closes.  In addition to skiing as many spring days as he can, “I always try and make the June 1 days at Killington,” he said.  With the Icon Pass he also comes…

Rutland Northeast and Northwest Primary Schools selected The Children’s Literacy Foundation announced April 28 the 11 Year of the Book schools in New Hampshire and Vermont that were selected for the 2021-2022 school year. The Year of the Book is a $25,000 literacy grant awarded to elementary and middle schools with a significant percentage of…

Rutland businesses and organizations came together on Saturday, May 1, to participate in the annual, statewide Green Up Day clean up effort in downtown Rutland. Over 30 volunteers from Rotary Club of Rutland, Rutland South Rotary, Rutland County Solid Waste District, Rutland Dismas House, The Richards Group, Grow Vermont, Unlimited Potential, and the Downtown Rutland…

By Emma Cotton/VTDigger When Ed and Barbara Morrow founded Northshire Bookstore in 1976, they moved with their son, Chris, into an apartment below the shop. Chris, who was 9, remembers climbing a ladder from their home through a trap door that led to the service desk. The Morrow family has owned the Northshire Bookstore ever since.…

The Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program (VT UCF) recently bestowed tree steward awards on several Vermonters, including two from the Rutland area, for their commitment to protecting and preserving their communities' forests and trees. Tom Estill, Rutland, a longtime science teacher and outdoorsman, was recognized with the Leader award, presented annually to an individual…

On Tuesday, May 4, motorists saw a traffic pattern change  in Hartford at the intersection of US Route 5 and Sykes Mountain Avenue and at the intersection of Sykes Mountain Avenue and Ralph Lehman Drive, as motorists began using two new roundabouts. In the immediate future, motorists are advised to use caution as new signage…

By Katie Jickling/VTDigger Dick Drysdale, a longtime editor, publisher and reporter who spent his life telling stories about — and to — a community he loved, has died. He was 76. Drysdale manned the helm of the White River Valley Herald (formerly The Herald of Randolph) for more than four decades, documenting the high school graduations,…

Vicar Lisa Ransom and Farmer Priest Rachel Field welcomed two colonies of honey bees to Mission Farm in Killington, Sunday, May 2. Bees are part of the plan to bring regenerative agriculture practices to Mission Farm. Field explained all the steps she took to introduce the swarms of bees to their new home on the hillside…

By Katy Savage Some retail shops and restaurants closed and the Woodstock Village was under a boil water notice after a water main broke last week. Woodstock Aqueduct Company President Jireh Billings said a pipe broke in front of Woodstock Recreation Center around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, April 29. Three feet of water leaked from a…

By Brooke Geery FAIR HAVEN— Sometimes you walk into a place and it immediately feels like home. The Fair Haven Inn is one of those places. When I arrived for happy hour on a rainy day last week, co-owner Bruce Ieremias greeted us at the side door, informing me that the front door was being…