RUTLAND — As part of the Same Sun movie series at the Norma Patterson Drive-In, the Paramount Theatre continues its movie series with Halloween-themed shows throughout the month of October at the Vermont State Fairgrounds in Rutland. Oct. 15 — Nightmare Before Christmas: Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king of Halloween Town, seeks a new thrill…

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) is inviting Vermont elementary schools to name the state’s big orange snowplows. “Many of us saw the news coverage that went viral last year about the tradition in Scotland of naming their snowplows. While keeping Vermont’s roads safe for winter travel is serious business, naming the plows sounded like…

By Brett Yates In 2004, the town of Chittenden purchased the 138-acre Rutland Grammar School woodlot with the hope of using timber revenue to boost municipal finances, but for 17 years, the land has gone untouched. That could soon change. On Oct. 11, Select Board member Bob Baird asked for permission from the rest of…

On Monday, Oct. 4, the state of Vermont distributed resources and information to all Vermont public and independent schools to enable them to establish Covid-19 response testing. The state is bolstering existing testing tools with rapid testing to help keep more kids in school. These resources are provided free of charge to Vermont schools. “We…

The U.S. Mint officially announced the designs for the 2022 American Innovation $1 Coin Program, on Monday, Oct. 4. This multi-year series that started in 2018 honors innovation and innovators by issuing $1 coins for each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the five U.S. territories. The Mint works with the governors'…

By Bill McKibben Vermont gets good press, and I’ve generated my share of it — especially after the pandemic years I’m proud of the Green Mountain State. But this is a different kind of story: a story of a state that’s failing to understand we’re actually in a climate emergency, and so continuing with business…

Rutland Middle School forfeits soccer game after student's racist slur By Ethan Weinstein When Woodstock Middle School’s boys soccer team took on Rutland, Sept. 29, what should have been another day on the pitch devolved into verbal abuse, culminating in a Rutland player using an anti-Black epithet against a Woodstock player. The next day, a…

Policy Committee Chair Lou Piconi resigned after Monday meeting By Curt Peterson The idea of renaming educational facilities or programs that have been named for individuals in recognition of their past service to students of the Windsor Central School District (WCSD), for someone who makes a large financial donation to the district has become, in…

By Brian Ricca Editor’s note: Brian Ricca is the school superintendent in St. Johnsbury. There has been a great deal of discussion in the abstract about the impact of the Delta variant in Vermont schools since the academic year began. Here in the real world, with real students, faculty, staff, and families, it’s been excruciating.…

By Karen D. Lorentz With a target opening day of Nov. 20 for Okemo Mountain Resort, skiers and riders can look forward to several changes that will make getting around the mountain faster and easier. But before the snow flies, people can enjoy a final fall foliage weekend this Saturday through Monday Oct. 11, which…

By Emma Cotton/VTDigger Lawmakers from across the Northeast are urging U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to strengthen enforcement and close loopholes in the National Organic Program that put regional farms at a disadvantage. A bicameral, bipartisan letter from lawmakers, sent to Vilsack on Wednesday, said that the industry is vital to the region and…

By Mike Dougherty/VTDigger As the pace of vaccinations slowed this spring, some experts began floating a new vision of Covid-19’s future as endemic. Rather than focusing on herd immunity — the threshold at which enough people had been vaccinated or previously infected that the full population would be protected against the disease — endemicity provided…

Dear editor, Since 1964, Oct. 15 has been designated White Cane Safety Awareness Day to celebrate the achievements of people who are blind or visually impaired, and to recognize the importance of that tool for independence. The white cane is a symbol of strength and independence for blind and visually impaired people. As a blind…

Dear editor, Vermont is at an interesting crossroads with the fossil fuel empire. On the one hand, our Attorney General is suing ExxonMobil, Sunoco and Citgo for deceptive and unfair practices, as a consumer protection issue. Included is a proposal to prevent said companies from engaging in future unfair and deceptive acts, as well as…

By Karen D. Lorentz While Sarah Forward’s parents met and married in Vermont, they moved to North Carolina before she was born, so Forward grew up away from Vermont. Trips to visit extended family in Vermont provided a “special time” for her while growing up, but it was an aunt in the Rockies who got…