Dear Editor, It has come to my attention that the Green Mountain state has become greatly incognizant of the issues of the U.S./Mexico border wall in regard to its environmental instability. Our local newspapers have failed to recognize the immense issues of the border wall even though they coincide with the ideals and values of…

By Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan As Vermont and our nation continue to work toward a more fair and equitable criminal justice system, the Vermont Legislature is considering an important bill that can provide a fresh start for thousands of Vermonters, promote public safety, and reduce incarceration. S.7 expands Vermonters’ ability to expunge old criminal records. Clearing…

By Governor Phil Scott and Lt. Governor Molly Gray It’s well known that Vermont faces a demographic crisis. We have an aging population, with a shrinking workforce and reduced school enrollment. As a result, Vermonters continue to shoulder an increasing tax burden. Both of us discussed this trend during the last election and we know…

By Curt Peterson KILLINGTON—From June 21-24, 78 young golfers, boys and girls ages 12-19, will be competing at Green Mountain National Golf Course (GMNGC) in one of more than 100 American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tournaments across the country. This is half the usual field for an AJGA tournament, limited by pandemic restrictions. The Killington…

By Lindsay DesLauriers Editor’s Note: Lindsay DesLauriers is one of the co-owners and the president of Bolton Valley Resort. She lobbied for the Vermont Early Childhood Alliance from 2012-2018 and for Voices for Vermont’s Children from 2012-2014. This commentary is the sixth in a 10-part series in which the authors respond to the pressing topics identified…

By Curt Peterson Two Hartland Select Board incumbents, Phil Hobbie and Mary O’Brien, are facing challengers. Every registered voter received paper ballots that must be submitted on or before Town Meeting Day, May 4. There will be no in-person town meeting this year due to Covid-19 restrictions. Hartland Library director Nancy Tusinski hosted “Candidates’ Night”…

By Brett Yates About 50 Mendon residents joined facilitators from the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) to talk about their town on April 21. The workshop followed a March 24 forum that initiated a program called Mendon on the Move, which VCRD describes as a “Two-month process that brings community members together to actively…

By Emma Cotton/VTDigger RUTLAND — An unlicensed fight promoter in Rutland has been ordered to pay $22,500 after promoting fights between children as young as 6 years old and violating the governor’s Covid-19 executive order. Lauren Hibbert, director of the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, said it was the largest administrative penalty she has ever seen. Randy Felion,…

On Wednesday, April 21, at approximately 8:27 p.m., troopers from the Williston Barracks were notified of a single-vehicle crash on I-89 south in the town of Richmond. While responding, troopers were notified that two more vehicles had collided into the original crash. They arrived on scene to find the third vehicle fully engulfed in flames.…

RUTLAND—Rutland South Rotary Club recently donated $5,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of Rutland County. These funds will be earmarked for program development and facility improvements at the B&G sites at Barstow School in Chittenden, Castleton Elementary School in Castleton, as well as their locations in Fair Haven and Rutland City. The Boys &…

Dear Editor, Imagine, for a few moments, Vermont’s future 50 years from now. What do our communities look like? How is our food grown? How happy are we in the places where we live, work, and play? How central are public health concerns, equity, and justice in our legislation and decision-making processes? And what are…

Grab-and-go options from Pat’s kitchen will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters By Brooke Geery Behind a plastic curtain in Lamere Square in Ludlow, Pat [who asked to keep her last name private] is serving up some of the best grab-and-go food imaginable. The curtain, is of course a symptom of the global pandemic we’re…

Wednesday, April 28 at 5 —VIRTUAL—The Vermont Women’s Fund and the Vermont Community Foundation will co-host This Way Up, a virtual event to examine the potential of women’s entrepreneurship, the opportunities and pitfalls associated with business ownership, and why gender impacts financial outcomes. Moderated by Vermont Public Radio’s Jane Lindholm, the event will feature four women business…

Friday, April 30 at 7 p.m.—VIRTUAL—Join Vermont fiddler, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Katie Trautz for a virtual house concert this month. The Live and In concert series, presented by Chandler Center for the Arts, will be streamed via Facebook Live and at chandler-arts.org/live-and-up. Admission by donation. Katie Trautz has toured nationally and internationally for 20 years, sharing traditional music…

From the studio into  the streets with LMNOPI (a retrospective) Saturday, May 1 at 5 p.m.—POULTNEY—Stone Valley Arts will be hosting the first solo retrospective from American muralist and printmaker Lopi LaRoe for the month of May. The opening reception will be held from 5-7 p.m. Saturday. The exhibit will span just under 20 years of…