Discover More from This Author: Polly

OV to induct 2021 Hall of Fame class

September 22, 2021
Saturday, Sept. 26 at 1 p.m. — BRANDON — Otter Valley Union High School will induct its 2021 Otter Valley Hall of Fame at halftime of the Otters’ Homecoming football game this Saturday, Sept. 26, against Mill River. That game begins at 1 p.m. This will be the eighth class inducted into the Otter Valley…

Fair Haven Concerned seeks volunteers

September 22, 2021
Sunday, Sept. 26 at 4 p.m. — FAIR HAVEN — The Fair Haven Concerned Board of Directors is excited to announce a new Fall Fundraiser to help us meet the upcoming costs of the winter season. These costs include helping to provide heating to our neighbors who may be in need. In addition to helping…

Updated Rutland-Southern Vermont Regional Airport master plan will influence future plans

September 22, 2021
The Vermont Agency of Transportation has completed a draft of the Rutland-Southern Vermont Regional Airport’s Master Plan Update (MPU) to account for changes that have taken place at the airport and in the aviation industry. The master plan will be used to guide airport improvements to meet existing and future needs of airport users. An…

Bridgewater sewer failure dumps waste into Ottauquechee River

September 22, 2021
On Sept. 17, Woodstock Fire and EMS wrote on their Facebook page that “The Bridgewater sewer treatment facility by the Mill Mall has been discharging untreated sewer in the Ottauquechee river since August.” The post advised people to avoid the river until further testing to avoid contact with sewage. The plant released 96,200 gallons of…

Rutland Town Select Board discusses ARPA ideas

September 22, 2021
Staff report RUTLAND TOWN—At Sept. 14’s Select Board meeting, board members raised several ideas about what to do with the town’s estimated $1.2 million in ARPA money, roughly half of which Rutland has already received. Select Board Chair Mary Ashcroft presented those present with a list of 24 possible uses for the funds, which included…

VSP investigates death in Killington

September 16, 2021
UPDATE: 4:40 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021 The investigation into the death Wednesday night of a woman in Killington is continuing Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021. The victim is identified as Brittany Bouthiette, 28, of Mt. Holly, Vermont. Following an autopsy performed Thursday at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington, the cause of her death…

Vermont writer featured on NBC’s “America Tonight Radio”

September 15, 2021
Interview with Julia Purdy of Rutland On Thursday and Friday, Sept. 16-17, radio listeners can tune in to NBC’s “America Tonight Radio” with Kate Delaney to hear an interview with Julia Purdy of Rutland, author of a new translation of the classic 1947 novel “The Sky Is Red” by Giuseppe Berto, a coming-of-age story of…

State: Covid cases soar to winter highs, hospitalizations rise, three more perish

September 15, 2021
Staff report Hospitalizations continue to reach recent highs, according to data from the Vermont Dept. of Health. As of Tuesday, Sept. 14, 43 people were hospitalized for Covid, with nine in intensive care. That’s the highest daily count of hospitalizations during the current surge for the second day in a row, according to the state.…

Barstow school choice: Should public tax dollars support private schools?

September 15, 2021
The vast majority who attended a virtual forum Sept. 9 say: ‘Yes!’ By Polly Mikula Residents of Mendon and Chittenden want to retain Barstow’s current open school choice options — as do others nearby who benefit from that choice. A virtual forum held by the school board via Zoom on Thursday, Sept. 9, drew about 90…

RRMC confronts nurse shortage and patient influx

September 15, 2021
By Ethan Weinstein Like seemingly every other business in the area, Rutland Regional Medical Center (RRMC) is struggling to find staff. But these staffing woes have been compounded by an additional problem: an influx of patients who put off elective care during the Covid state of emergency. “We are seeing here at Rutland Regional some…

Farming, nutrient runoff and the environment

September 15, 2021
Dear Editor, Farming, like most human activity, impacts the environment. During the last two decades — and particularly since 2016 — Vermont has taken progressive and calculated steps to reduce one such environmental impact: nutrient loss from farmland. On Aug. 19, Sen. Patrick Leahy hosted U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack at ECHO, Leahy Center…

Opting in and out of government spending

September 15, 2021
By John McClaughry Editor’s Note: McClaughry, vice president of the Ethan Allen Institute, a free-market oriented public policy research and education organization. A large insurance company has been flooding the television channels with an advertising slogan “Only Pay for What You Need.” It’s an interesting exercise to apply that idea to various public spending issues.…

Mill River’s stolen Black Lives Matter flag was quickly replaced

September 15, 2021
By Brooke Geery The Black Lives Matter flag with a rainbow Pride stripe has retaken its place under the American flag and Vermont state flag in front of Mill River Union High School (MRU) in Clarendon. On Monday, Sept. 7, the flag was initially raised for the first of a 90-day run at the request…

Rutland Forest Service office to operate virtually while Mendon headquarters is constructed

September 15, 2021
RUTLAND—Forest Service officials announced Sept. 10 that the Rutland-based headquarters for the Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forest (GMFL) is transitioning to a full-time virtual work schedule. Most employees have been working remotely for more than a year now due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and this will continue until their new office is completed…

Reduce carbon, reduce ticks

September 15, 2021
By Shaun Christean Dear Editor, Everyone living in the Northeast has heard the warnings time and time again: always be vigilant for ticks after spending time outdoors. Tick habitat has increased substantially as higher latitudes are unlocked by warming climates, allowing ticks to edge further north every year. Tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease, babesiosis, and…