Editor’s note: This is an open letter to the Vermont Legislature written by Commissioner Bram Kleppner, CEO of Danforth Pewter, on behalf of the Vermont Tax Structure Commission. Dear Legislators, Three years ago, you and the Governor asked us to spend two years studying Vermont’s tax system as a whole, and to make recommendations that…

By Angelo Lynn As Congress grills the Biden administration on its troubled withdrawal from Afghanistan, as small businesses throughout Vermont and many parts of the nation struggle to hire enough employees to keep their businesses open, as housing prices rise and millions of Americans can’t find affordable solutions, as the climate crisis magnifies, or as…

By Lola Duffort/VTDigger Amid a rise in cases, Lt. Gov. Molly Gray on Sept. 16 called on the Scott administration to take “greater measures” to dampen the spread of Covid-19. The Vermont Dept. of Health reported a record-setting 314 cases Thursday but said an IT problem might be partly to blame for the day’s spike…

Robert Scott III, 61, of Rutland, was arraigned on Wednesday, Sept. 15, on two counts of Possession of Child Sex Abuse Materials and one count of Failure to Comply with the Sex Offender Registry Law. The charges brought against Scott are the result of a criminal investigation including the execution of residential and online data…

By Lola Duffort/VTDigger Surveillance testing has been touted by Vermont officials as a cornerstone of its Covid-19 mitigation efforts in K-12 schools. But only a little more than one-third of Vermont’s public school districts and a quarter of its private schools will have actually begun testing by the end of September, according to figures provided…

A Clarendon man died in a logging accident in Castleton on Friday, Sept. 17. Roy “Lucky” Corey Jr., 70, was found dead by friend Roy Lewis on a property where they were clearing trees for a house site, Castleton Police reported. Police responded to a call from Lewis at about 4:30 p.m. saying he’d left…

When viewing civics through a geographic lens, it becomes clear that those who have the power to draw district boundaries have the power to determine political representation. In most states, state legislators redraw congressional, state house and state senate districts every 10 years to ensure district boundaries reflect population shifts over time. National news commonly…

By Karen Lorentz “Women don’t get enough credit in the ski industry,” noted Justin Lindholm in a presentation on the early ski history of Pico and Killington. That comment drew some appreciative female murmurs among the attendees at the Chittenden Historical Society’s first program of 2021 on Sept. 14 at the handsome, renovated Grange Hall…

By Brett Yates A rooster in Pittsfield appears to have stirred a controversy among its human neighbors. The bird’s “constant crowing” has come up as a major topic of debate at four Select Board meetings since July, when Rebecca Steward, who lives nearby, first sent in a complaint. The saga is likely to continue, as…

By Steve Costello One recent day did not go as planned, but after starting with sadness, tension and adrenaline, it came to an end with an incredible feeling of happiness. With plans for tailgating and Castleton University football, I was up early for an 8-mile run. Not quite 1.5 miles in, I came upon a…

When Mattel was looking to make over its iconic Barbie doll it decided to shine a light on empowering role models past and present in an effort to inspire young girls. As a key part of the toy company’s Dream Gap Project it is introducing girls to women’s stories from all walks of life to…

By Polly Mikula The investigation into the death of a Mount Holly woman last Wednesday night, Sept. 15, off Route 4 in Killington is ongoing, according to Adam Silverman, public information officer for the Vermont state police. “Our investigation is still ongoing, so unfortunately we don’t have any updates beyond the information we released last…

Vermont Fish & Wildlife is reminding hunters to wear fluorescent hunter orange. “Hunting is one of the safest outdoor activities, and it’s getting safer thanks to advances in education as well as science,” said Vermont Hunter Education Program Coordinator Nicole Meier. “Our volunteer hunter education instructors stress that wearing orange during hunting season is important,…

Kick off foliage season with a craft brew and a colorful view Wet your whistle with a backdrop of Vermont’s finest autumn foliage and enjoy live music, fabulous food offerings and over 80 of the finest craft beers in the region. Brewfest is one of Killington’s most distinctive annual celebrations. This year will see it…

Sunday, Sept. 26 at 2 p.m.—HUBBARDTON—On Sunday, Sept. 26, the Hubbardton Battlefield State Historic Site in Hubbardton and the Hubbardton Historical Society offer an afternoon of stories about the early civilians who lived in Hubbardton and the soldiers who fought here in 1777. Site interpreter Robert Franzoni and Hubbardton Historical Society president Grace Calvin lead…