By Angelo Lynn With the New Year upon us, let’s look for silver linings. Nine months into this pandemic, for instance, we have fine-tuned the art of looking at bleakness and coming up with ways to smile. We’ve turned panic of the unknown into a calm resignation of semi-isolation. We are learning how to infuse…

Student participation that exceeds the national average and overwhelming parent satisfaction with afterschool programs make Vermont a “Top 10 State for Afterschool,” according to a household survey commissioned by the Afterschool Alliance and released earlier this month. Nevertheless, unmet demand for programs – the percentage of Vermont parents who say they would enroll their child…

Attorney General T.J. Donovan joined a bipartisan coalition of 37 attorneys general in suing Google for anticompetitive conduct in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act on Dec. 17. The coalition alleges that Google illegally maintains its monopoly power over general search engines and related advertising markets through a series of anticompetitive exclusionary contracts…

Recognition for the third time reinforces commitment to nursing excellence Rutland Regional Medical Center attained Magnet recognition again this December, a testament to its continued dedication to high-quality nursing practice. The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program® distinguishes healthcare organizations that meet rigorous standards for nursing excellence. This credential is the highest national honor…

On Dec. 12, the Vermont state police received a report of multiple break-ins to motor vehicles, as well as garages, along Vermont Route 30 in the town of Cornwall. The incident occurred in the early morning hours. Surveillance from multiple banks in Rutland have provided photographs and videos of the suspect using the victim’s stolen…

By Katy Savage After a month of uncertainty, winter sports clubs and youth programs can now resume. Gov. Phil Scott relaxed restrictions on club programs at his press conference on Dec. 22, giving the green light for practices, conditioning sessions and contact-less drills to begin starting Dec. 26 for school-based and recreational youth sports. Scott…

A new analysis by Rewiring America shows that transitioning to 100% clean energy through electrification would save Vermont as much as $973 million in energy costs each year while dramatically reducing economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions. The Rewiring America Report, “No Place Like Home: Vermont. Saving money and creating jobs by electrifying America’s households,” by Dr.…

Remote learning week already planned Jan. 4-8 By Lee J. Kahrs The first cases of Covid-19 have been reported in two Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union (RNeSU) schools. RNeSU Superintendent Jeanne Collins, herself recovering from the coronavirus, confirmed the first cases on Dec. 18 and Dec. 23 sent out an email and a Facebook post to…

While operating in the U.S. 4th Fleet, USS Vermont (SSN-792) conducted anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercises with the Brazilian Navy Submarine Tupi (S30) and maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft. U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Todd Chapman hosted President Jair Bolsonaro, accompanied by Vice Adm. Daryl Caudle, Commander, U.S. Submarine Forces and other Brazilian Navy dignitaries for a…

The Vermont Dept. of Public Safety is continuing to accept public and stakeholder feedback on Vermont’s initiative to modernize policing across Vermont. The latest document available for public review is a draft Statewide Policy on Police Use of Force. The ongoing opportunity for comment and feedback is part of Governor Phil Scott’s Public Safety Reform…

It also revealed the crucial role of government, not just in crises, new report shows The recession created by the Covid-19 pandemic, beginning in February 2020, ended the longest economic recovery on record. The highest-income Vermonters came out of that recovery better off. But no one else did. Those at the bottom had less income…

Southwestern Vermont Council on Aging (SVCOA) has named Cinda Donton of Rutland Mental Health Services – Community Care Network, and Doug Jones of Meals on Wheels of Rutland County – TRIO Community Meals, as the agency’s 2020 Community Partners of the Year. “We’re proud to honor Cinda and Doug for their significant contributions to SVCOA…

By Lola Duffort/VTDigger Schools cannot ask students or parents about multihousehold gatherings, the Agency of Education announced just before Christmas, entirely reversing the state’s prior policy encouraging schools to do so. Gov. Phil Scott announced Tuesday, Dec. 22, he would slightly loosen prohibitions on multihousehold events over the holiday week, allowing Vermonters to gather with one trusted household…

Thanks to generous community support, the Vermont Foodbank is able to extend the Farmers to Families Food Box program into January and February, independent of the USDA. In partnership with the Abbey Group, Farmers to Families food boxes will continue to be available at multiple daily food distributions throughout the state through February. To keep…

On Thursday Dec. 17, Debra Poplawski-Wilson, 57, a former resident of Rutland passed away peacefully at her father’s home in Mendon. She bravely fought Glioblastoma Brain Cancer for 43 months and was considered a long-term survivor. The daughter of Eugene J. and Barbara P. (Grum) Poplawski she was born in Belleville, New Jersey on Nov. 17, 1963. Early…