By Peter D’Auria/VTDigger In June, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in a case called Carson v. Makin, finding the state of Maine could not withhold public money from private religious schools simply because those schools might use the money for religious purposes. In Vermont, which operates a tuition program that is similar to…

By Curt Peterson In an effort to streamline gathering of financial and human resources data from more than 300 school districts, former Agency of Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe signed a $5.2 million contract in 2018 for eFinance. The state had been wrestling with data provided via multiple software systems from districts. The contract term started…

Alice Sciore, a well known Killington artist passed away peacefully on Jan. 1, 2023,  in Cranston, Rhode Island, where she has resided with her family for the past four years. Born in Hoboken, New Jersey July 13, 1929 she was the devoted daughter of the late John Sciore and Helen Mazzocca Sciore. Alice Sciore lived…

By Angelo Lynn, Addison Independent The boards of Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union and Otter Valley Unified Union District ratified a three-year contract with the educational support staff and bus drivers, according to RNESU Superintendent Kristin Hubert, at a meeting on Dec. 7. The boards continue to hone the school district’s proposed 2023-24 fiscal year budget.…

Catherine Martin, 77, of Killington, fought a brave battle, sadly succumbing to esophageal cancer, on Dec. 29. She was born in Queens, New York on June 22, 1945 the daughter of John and Catherine Martin. Martin was educated and was the secretary to the vice president of Reynolds Aluminum in New York City before moving…

By Katy Savage After extensive renovations, the Birch Ridge Inn reopened over Christmas week as a vacation rental and corporate retreat. The inn closed over the summer, after Jacob McGrath and Dave McComb bought the property for $1.35 million on June 30, 2022. “We spent a lot of time renovating and getting things ready,” McComb…

Dear Editor, ‘I don’t give them money, because they’re just going to buy drugs with it. I don’t want to feed their addiction.' Let’s unpack that statement that was just repeated to me for what felt like the gazillionth time today. Maybe they are, maybe they’re not. But let’s say for argument’s sake they are…

Dear Editor, Since the merger between Vermont PBS and VPR and the subsequent name change, I have been referring to the organization as “Vermont Public Whatever.” My suggestion, made to a long time VPR reporter as well as various concerned members of the public I have spoken to on the subject, was that the merged…

By Lawrence W. Reed and David Flemming Editor’s note: Lawrence W. Reed is president emeritus of the Foundation for Economic Education. David Flemming, a policy analyst at the Ethan Allen Institute. All of us have heard, perhaps many times, complimentary references to the so-called “common man.” He (or she) is widely regarded as praiseworthy simply…

By Sas Carey Editor’s note: Sas Carey’s new book, “Marrying Mongolia,” is being published by the International Polar Institute and will be released in February 2023. Her healing practice in Middlebury can found at.lifeenegyheal.com. The documentaries and Mongolian work can be found at nomadicare.org. When you follow your inner guidance or calling, amazing things can…

By Robert S. Emmons Editor’s note: Robert S. Emmons has maintained a private psychiatric practice in Vermont for 33 years. He is a member of the volunteer clinical faculty at UVM Larner College of Medicine, where he has taught in the fields of professionalism, ethics and psychoanalytic psychotherapy. It’s hard to wrestle old habits to…

Staff report  Two skiers with Vermont ties made history, Thursday, Dec. 29 in Semmering, Austria. Mikaela Shiffrin secured her 80th World Cup win and 50th slalom victory on Thursday while Paula Moltzan came in second place, earning her first podium in the discipline. It was the first time Americans finished first and second in a…

The Legal Services Corporation in Burlington has received technology initiative grants for 29 legal services providers across the country. Legal Services Vermont is one of the organizations selected for a grant-funded project that leverages technology in delivering legal help to low-income residents. Legal Services Vermont will create online guided interviews that walk Vermonters through filling…

By Julia Purdy The day after Christmas, in Vermont’s Washington County a woodstove ignited the wall behind it as the family was watching television, reported WPTZ. The previous week, WCAX reported a pre-dawn, total house fire in Bethel that killed an elderly couple. The attached woodshed was “full of wood, so that was all fully…

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is reminding the public to take precautions around wild birds, as virulent avian influenza (HPAI) continues to circulate in the state. Backyard flocks of domestic birds in Caledonia and Lamoille Counties have had to be destroyed after exposure to the virus, commonly known as avian flu. “Highly pathogenic avian…