The results are in! The winners of the Pittsford holiday lights decorating contest judged by fellow community members between Dec. 6 and Dec. 18 are:

By Brooke Geery Long dark nights are a little bit brighter this year, with many local Vermonters taking on Gov. Scott’s challenge to help “Vermont light the way.” In Rutland, visit socialtinkering.com/light-up-rutland to find a map of houses participating in the first ever Light Up Rutland event. Voting is open through Dec. 31 and the…

OKEMO VALLEY—The Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce (OVRCC) invited its 12-town region to make an extra effort to decorate this year to help celebrate the holiday season with the Okemo Valley Lights promotion. Businesses, municipalities, neighborhoods and residents were all included. Find more info on the OVRCC website YourPlaceInVermont.com. There is now a new…

Ingredients: 1 oz apple brandy (Lairds, or Calvados) 1 oz Cognac 1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice 3/4 oz ginger root infused maple syrup Hot water 2 dashes Angostura bitters Directions: Mix brandy, cognac, lemon juice and maple syrup in a mug. Fill with just boiled water to taste (about 8 oz), and stir. Top…

Ingredients: 1 onion, peeled and diced vegetable oil 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 1 medium butternut squash that has been peeled, seeded and diced (about 4 cups) 1 apple, peeled, cored and diced 1 qt chicken stock Salt and pepper ½ cup heavy cream 2 Tbsp Runamok Pecan Wood Smoked Maple Syrup 4 or…

Despite pandemic freeskier plans for epic season at Killington By Brooke Geery Brandon Westburg, 24, is a KMS coach and sponsored freeskier in Killington who’s hoping to top 150 day this season.  Former Killington parks director and KSA Built founder Jay Rosenbaum has watched Westburg develop his skills through the years in Killington’s parks. He…

Pico Mountain to Open with Operation Stay Safe to Ensure Wellbeing of Staff, Guests and Community; Parking Reservations Required this Winter KILLINGTON, Vt. (December 17, 2020) – Vermont’s Pico Mountain, part of the POWDR adventure lifestyle company, will kick off the 2020-21 winter season at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 19, 2020, welcoming Pico season pass and day…

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Dear Editor, As I gradually lost my sight over my lifetime, I realized how important work is. Obviously it provides the income you need to live, but it also shapes identity, builds confidence, and provides purpose and meaning. I benefitted from all the preceding because I was able to remain employed as I transitioned from…

Dear Editor, I was expecting a ghost town when I dropped my 13-year-old daughter off at Okemo on Sunday. I’d been working from home in Brattleboro for months, only seeing the occasional friend for a walk, and assumed most Vermonters were similarly wary of public spaces during the pandemic. So it was shocking to drive…

Dear Editor, Good news: Leading medical experts in the U.K. believe that eating vegan foods rather than animal-based ones is the simplest, cheapest ways to reduce one’s risk of “becoming seriously ill with Covid-19.” In an open letter to the British government, the physicians explained that people who eat wholesome vegan foods are less likely…

By Philip Finkelstein Editor’s note: This commentary is by Philip Finkelstein, of Charlotte, Vermont, who is a technical writer and business analyst. After attending the University of British Columbia, where he received a BA in political science, he served as a blog contributor for Citizens’ Climate Lobby.  Americans value their freedom—so much so, that refusing to…

Attorney General T.J. Donovan and a bipartisan coalition of 47 other attorneys general filed a lawsuit against Facebook Inc. on Dec. 9, alleging that the company illegally stifles competition to protect its monopoly power. The lawsuit alleges that, over the last decade, the social networking giant illegally acquired competitors in a predatory manner and cut…

A new partnership to speed economic recovery in Vermont by strengthening public and community spaces Governor Phil Scott, the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) and the Vermont Community Foundation announced $90,000 in grant funding to launch Better Places on Dec. 9, a statewide initiative that aims to speed economic recovery by creating places…

On any given night during the cold month of January, over 568,000 people experience the fear and discomfort of homelessness. While homelessness rates fell between 2007 and 2019, the problem has started to increase again. According to the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in 2017, the U.S. began seeing a rise in…