The Rutland Regional Planning Commission (RRPC) announced Dec. 29 expanded outreach and services to municipalities and the public to enhance water quality and tactical basin planning efforts for South Lake Champlain (Basins 2 & 4). RRPC staff will assist by facilitating enhanced municipal and public input during the drafting process.  A formal draft of the…

On Dec. 27, at about 2:45 a.m., troopers responded to an active burglary alarm at Super Shoes store on Route 4 in Mendon. Upon arrival, troopers observed a shattered front window with numerous items missing from the store. These items consisted of Carhartt footwear and apparel. Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to…

Green Mountain Power (GMP) has alerted customers to be alert to the forecast, as meteorologist predict a region-wide storm system bringing the possibility of strong winds that could take down trees and power lines, along with one to two inches of rain (possibly snow in the higher elevations) and the potential for localized flooding Thursday…

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By Karen D. Lorentz Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, this will be a unique ski season, one like no other and yet like all others. A paradox to be sure, but at the same time an uplifting one. The one thing that has stayed the same during this new reality of staying away from so…

By Molly Gray, lieutenant governor-elect Editor's note: this commentary was originally written as an open letter to the Biden-Harris Administration. Over the last year, rural Vermont much like rural America has been hit hard by this pandemic. While our small rural state has much to be proud of in terms of the collective sacrifice of…

By Karen Tronsgard-Scott Editor's note: Tronsgard-Scott is the executive director of the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. Every Vermonter has the right to thrive and live their life free from violence. Unfortunately, the reality is that too many Vermonters aren’t safe. Each year, thousands of Vermonters experience domestic or sexual violence. What would…

Dear Editor, The long-anticipated Christmas holiday is nearly upon us. It conjures visions of happy families gathered by a warm fireplace, opening presents, sharing their love, and... feasting on ham and turkey. It’s the happiest time of the year, but not for the animals. The 222 million turkeys killed in the U.S. this year were…

Dear Editor, “If you build it, they will come,” is a phrase that haunts the main character in the movie “Field of Dreams.” In that film, the thing to be built is a baseball field for spectral players from the early 1900s, but it got me thinking, and not about baseball. It got me thinking…

By Michael Caduto What a journey we are on together. For some 10 months our lives have been upended by Covid-19, and yet we carry on. In the midst of more than 1.65 million deaths worldwide, including over 313,000 who have lost their lives in the United States (more than 100 in Vermont and rapidly approaching…

By Katy Savage Theories are circulating that aliens have landed since a mysterious monolith, at least 8 feet tall, appeared 1,800 feet up a hill in Pittsfield last week. “It’s like a giant just grabbed onto it and stuck it in the ground at the top of the mountain,” Riverside Farm General Manager Peter Borden…

In collaboration with the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Dept. of Public Service (PSD) conducts a regular survey of local heating fuel retailers in order to collect a sample of unit prices charged to Vermont customers. The Heating Fuel Price Survey (HFPS) is conducted weekly during the heating season, from October to March, and…

By Jim Harrison At this point, we generally have a good idea of what the major issues will be for the new legislative session. But this year is different in so many ways. At least the first two months will be conducted remotely (and potentially the entire session), which may make tackling complicated or contentious…

The U. S. Mint America the Beautiful (ATB) Quarters Program is a multi-year initiative to honor 56 national parks and other national sites in each state. Five new reverse designs have been released for the quarter coin each year beginning in 2010 and will continue through 2021. The America the Beautiful (ATB) Quarters are legal…

By Anne Wallace Allen and Erin Petenko/VTDigger Reforming the state’s short-term rental regulations will be a top priority of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce in the coming legislative session. The association aims to level the playing field for members that operate traditional lodging businesses. The chamber will ask lawmakers to establish a registration system for short-term rentals such…