The Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) invites the public to its monthly virtual series highlighting efforts to protect and restore water quality in Vermont. Efforts to improve water quality provide many additional benefits- protecting public health and safety, increasing flood resiliency, supporting outdoor recreation, and enhancing wildlife habitat. On Jan. 7 from 12-1 p.m., DEC’s Stormwater…

Short-term power outages can be a minor inconvenience. A long-term power outage can cause a major disruption to daily life. The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s annual Electric Power Industry Report says interruptions in electric service vary by frequency and duration across the many electric distribution systems that serve the country. In 2016, the most recent…

Disasters can happen in a flash, and having a plan in place for common emergency situations can make it easier to handle adverse conditions, particularly when away from home. According to MFASCO Health and Safety, a supplier of first aid supplies and kits, 90 percent of people do not carry first aid supplies or other…

By Dr. Glen Molette 2021 is here, and will it be just another year? If it’s just another year then that won’t be bad at all because too many will not have another year. The opportunity and privilege to have another year is the gift of life. Being alive and living your life is about…

Flipping the switch from boring—to “woohoo!!!” By Sandra Dee Owens Have you ever yearned to do something but were afraid to try it? Climbing out of the mid-October water, I excitedly hopped up and down at the effectiveness of my winter “swimsuit” against the plummeting air and water temperatures. The previous morning, before dawn, I…

Well, there you have it. The worst year in recent memory is officially over. There seems to have been a collective sigh of relief around the world as 2020 gave way to an increasingly hopeful 2021. Like most others, I spent New Year’s Eve at home. My son slept overnight with a friend so that…

By Merisa Sherman It’s chaos. Between the chairlift motors and the crowds, the noise is almost deafening. As we ski along, we are focused on the turns of all those with whom we are sharing the trail and attempting to anticipate their movements. In a split second, we must judge the downhill skier in front…

By Susan Shea Mornings are quiet now. Gone is the loud chorus of bird song outside my window that I awoke to in spring and summer. While we brave the cold, snow, and bitter winds of winter by donning extra layers or throwing another log on the fire, most of our summer birds have departed…

WOODSTOCK— Billings Farm & Museum’s 11th annual Woodstock Vermont Film Series features “Moynihan,” a film about the seminal public intellectual and sociologist, policy specialist, ambassador and long serving Senator. Daniel Patrick Moynihan was a moralist in a political world where morality — the urge to do good – is often overcome by the desire to do well. Over…

Upper Valley residents of all backgrounds welcome for training in citizen action Jan. 11-Feb. 14 — Promoting citizen-driven, community-level action is the goal of the Climate Change Leadership Academy (2CLA), which is accepting applications Jan. 11 through Feb. 14 for its 2021 session. 2CLA is a program of the Upper Valley Adaptation Workgroup (UVAW), a group of…

BENNINGTON—From Jan. 7-15, critically acclaimed, award-winning authors and faculty of the Bennington Writing Seminars will host Writers Reading, an evening reading series during the MFA program’s winter residency, which is being conducted remotely this term. All readings are free, open to the public, and will take place virtually via Zoom. On Thursday, Jan. 7 at…

Final deer harvest numbers will not be available for a few more weeks, but the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. (VTF&W) has already said the final tally will be around 18,000 deer, the second highest total since 2000. Those deer will provide approximately 3.6 million servings of local, nutritious venison. The archery season harvest, which…

The Mettawee School District Board conducts an online meeting at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Jan.11, to finalize its work on the proposed Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) budget. The spending level agreed to at this meeting will be submitted to the residents of Pawlet and Rupert for approval in a vote scheduled for Tuesday, March 2. FY22…

By Curt Peterson Vermont Select Boards and School Boards are adapting meeting formats to Covid-19, and Windsor Central Unified Union School District is no exception. The 2021 Annual Meeting can’t be convened in one place as usual because of state anti-virus “gatherings” guidelines. But, board secretary Rayna Bishop pointed out, the 2021 district budget can’t…

White River Junction VA Healthcare System began Covid-19 vaccination with the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine Dec. 21 following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorization for this vaccine. As the roll out continues, the teams deploying it are reviewing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance on risk stratification. Since Dec. 21,…