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Adherence to prohibition on gatherings is critical to prevent worst-case scenario By Polly Mikula In the first three weeks of November, Vermont has added more Covid cases than in the first five months of the pandemic combined  (March-July) — 40% of the state's total cases. “With the amount of virus in our communities right now,…

Dear Editor, Regarding the death of a pedestrian crossing Route 7 by Day’s Inn in Rutland Town (“Pedestrian struck and killed in Rutland,” Nov. 11-17 edition) — I travel Route 7 South often and am always amazed that pedestrians have to take their lives in their hands to cross Route 7 at one of the…

To the Editor, I was pleased to learn an Israeli startup called SuperMeat is serving cultured-chicken sandwiches at a test kitchen in Tel Aviv. For those who don’t know, cultured meat is grown from cells, without slaughtering animals. The U.S. Congress should help fund development of this revolutionary protein. Though cultured meat is rapidly approaching…

Dear Editor, This week, President Trump will take a break from brooding over his election loss to pardon two turkeys. Every one of us has that same awesome power to pardon an innocent, sentient bird by choosing a plant-based roast for our Thanksgiving dinner. The 222 million turkeys killed in the U.S. this year are…

By Bill Bender What, isn’t Vermont “green?” Of course it is, right? Wrong. Green Mountain Power, which is owned by a Canadian natural gas distributor and supplies 70% of Vermont with electricity, claims that its energy supply is 94% carbon free and more than 63% renewable. This sounds great, except that 95% of this electricity…

By Angelo Lynn Gov. Phil Scott’s decision to ban inter-household gatherings, while allowing schools to remain open and limited access to restaurants and bars, prompted rare public pushback among Vermonters who have been model citizens in obeying the dictates Vermont has successfully imposed since the pandemic’s outbreak in March. Numerous letters across the state’s media outlets attest…

The American Academy of Pediatrics Vermont Chapter, Vermont Academy of Family Physicians and Vermont Medical Society join Governor Scott and the Vermont Department of Health in calling on Vermonters to refrain from any social gathering in order to protect and prioritize essential services like schools, child care, and health care as we see rates of…

All road troopers expected to receive devices by early December The Vermont State Police has begun outfitting all uniformed troopers with body-worn cameras, culminating a multi-year process to secure the necessary funding and fulfilling a commitment to Vermonters to deploy the devices. The state police launched an effort in 2015 to add body-worn cameras for…

Apple found to deliberately slowing down certain iPhones Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced Nov. 18  that Apple, Inc. will pay $1.16 million to the State of Vermont as part of a $113 million settlement with a coalition of over 30 attorneys general. The settlement announced stems from Apple’s 2016 decision to throttle consumers’ iPhone speeds—artificially…

By Jim Harrison That is essentially the message from our governor and health commissioner following the alarming uptick in Covid cases here in Vermont and across the region. The state broke daily records at least three times last week. We have been through difficult times before and will get through it again, if we follow…

The Department of Public Service announced that customers of an expanded list of water and wastewater providers can now get help with past due bills. Deputy Commissioner Allen said that “the VCAAP has expanded to include non-regulated water and sewer/wastewater charges from municipal water and sewer/wastewater departments, community water systems, fire districts and other agencies…

The deadline to apply is Dec. 15! Woodstock Area Relief Fund (WARF) wants to be sure those struggling financially during the pandemic know about all state and local resources. Last week, Vermont announced good news: the Vermont Covid-19 Arrearage Assistance Program (VCAAP) has been expanded. VCAAP helps any Vermonter (resident, business, or nonprofit) facing service…

PEAKS has enrolled KES in Smile Amazon! Calling all Killington locals, community members, and allies. The Killington Elementary School PEAKS organization needs your support. They’ve launched an online fundraiser via Amazon Smile to assist in supporting local education and enrichment programs. Your contributions will help to sustain and enhance the Trailblazers Youth Ski Program, technology…

Six Vermont organizations, affiliated in a regional effort to support people seeking asylum in the U.S., are partnering for a Giving Tuesday fundraiser, on Tuesday, Dec. 1. People who seek asylum in the United States have fled persecution and violence in their countries of birth, only to encounter the same in U.S. detention facilities. Under…