By Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger Stratton Town Clerk D. Kent Young was assembling the annual municipal report when, lacking such past cover photos as a local elder or landscape, he eyed a bulletin-board message that began, “You came here from there because you didn’t like there, and now you want to change here to be like there.” Young…

By Amanda Gokee/VTDigger A eugenics survey in Vermont sought to “breed a better Vermonter” by sterilizing and institutionalizing Indigenous people, French-Canadians, and people who were mixed-race, poor or disabled. Ninety years after the 1931 survey got underway, lawmakers are proposing an official apology for the state-supported program that tore families apart. Abenaki people in Vermont say…

This year, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) can help working families in Vermont make ends meet with a credit of up to $6,660. Additionally, any family with dependent children who receives the Vermont EITC is automatically income eligible for food benefits through 3SquaresVT – meaning it may be easier to enroll in the program…

By Xander Landen/VTDigger The Vermont Senate voted unanimously Friday, Feb. 26 to exempt menstrual products from the state sales tax. The bill, S.53, would remove the tax on products including tampons, panty liners, menstrual cups, which are currently subject to Vermont’s 6% sales tax, and an additional 1% local option tax in some communities. The…

Rep. Peter Welch on Thursday, Feb. 25 reintroduced legislation that would provide federal funding to revitalize forests being destroyed by invasive species and help stem the future infestations of invasive pests. “Invasive species are devastating to forests which are a central part of Vermont’s economy and our way of life,” said Welch. “This bill will fund efforts…

By Rep. Jim Harrison Let’s face it, we all live by deadlines. It might be April 15 for tax filing or cramming the night before an exam. They cause us to change our priorities when a deadline is approaching. The Vermont Legislature also has deadlines, however self-imposed. In a normal year, the General Assembly meets…

Suicide Six held its annual Fisk race on Feb. 25. The Fisk Trophy is the longest running ski race in North America. It is a right of passage for serious Eastern ski racers. Notable past winners include Chip Knight, Jimmy Cochran and many other Olympians, US Ski Team members and NCAA Champions. This year’s results are as follows:…

By Brooke Geery Jamisyn Baker and Olivia Suker are cousins with more in common than just a bloodline. In a few months, the girls will compete together in the Miss Vermont USA/Teen Pageant, happening June 5-6 at Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe. Baker, 15, is a sophomore at Rutland High School, and will…

Crispy, flaky, steamy and fried — the popular, limited menu item sells out quickly By Krista Johnston It’s March and the Lenten season is well on its way. And what do I crave more than anything right now? Fish! Crispy, flaky, steaming, fried fish! Coming from southwestern Pennsylvania, our family tradition has always been to…

Governor Phil Scott announced Feb. 22 that 11 new plug-in electric vehicle (EV) fast-charge stations are scheduled to be installed across Vermont over the next two years. The charge stations will be located in Newport, Enosburgh, St. Johnsbury, Johnson, South Hero, Springfield, Fair Haven, Wilmington, Ludlow, Randolph and Rutland. The chargers will be a part of the…

By Karen D. Lorentz Having grown up next to Mt. Ascutney, where he learned to ski at age 3 and snowboard at 15, C. Michael Bell was part of the first wave of skiers to try riding. “At that time [mid-1980s], snowboarding was just going mainstream and most resorts didn’t allow snowboards on the lifts,…

By Ryan Boeke When trying to open a business during the middle of a pandemic, Digital Surgeons owner Jacob Vincent knew that it would not be an easy challenge. Opening a technology store was something he had always wanted to do, so even with the Covid-19 restrictions in place, he embraced it and knew his…

By Katy Savage A longtime employee of Mountain Sports Inn in Killington was found dead in his onsite apartment unit on Friday, Feb. 26. Killington Police Chief Whit Montgomery said Peter S. MacDonald, 55, was found unresponsive by an employee of the inn on Friday morning. Police responded around 11 a.m. and he was pronounced…

Absent a predictable forecast, events begin to cancel By Anne Wallace Allen/VTDigger and Polly Mikula Wedding planner Jaclyn Watson has 15 weddings booked this summer in Vermont, three of them expected to cost more than half a million dollars. Two are planned in Stowe, one in Burke, and one in the Manchester area in July,…

By Curt Peterson and Polly Mikula Two local towns, Killington and Woodstock, currently have short-term rental regulations and now the state Legislature seems to be interested in joining the fray. Bill H.200, introduced by Representatives Kornheiser (Brattleboro), Colburn (Burlington) and Pajala (Londonderry), claims four purposes: Protecting the residential rental market, supporting full-time residency, discouraging real…