By Katy Savage Digging into soil found no evidence of underground storage tanks at the Vermont Farmers Food Center — a relief to the organization’s leaders as they try to remedy an environmental contamination. “That was best case scenario, that’s what we were hoping for,” said VFFC Executive Director Heidi Lynch, explaining the process to…

By Anne Sosin Editor’s note: This commentary is by Anne N. Sosin, a policy fellow at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Social Sciences at Dartmouth College.  A recent Vermont Public story profiled a home health worker who, after nearly 30 years of steady service, now earns $18 per hour. That…

By Dylan Giambatista Editor’s note: Dylan Giambatista is a former Vermont state representative, past trustee of the Vermont State Colleges system, and alumnus of the Community College of Vermont. Imagine being a college student who’s trying to get ahead but faces obstacles at every turn. Maybe it was a late phone bill, an unexpected closure…

Dear Editor, In response to Mr. Emerson Lynn’s guest editorial “The Peril of OneCare’s failure,” which ran in the Nov. 30-Dec. 6 editon of the Mountain Times, OneCare’s failure would hardly impact Vermont’s health care because it has always been a failure to begin with. I commend Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) members Owen Foster…

Dear Editor, It’s time for the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department (VTF&W) and elected state officials to act on the wishes of the majority of Vermonters and ban recreational and fur trapping for furbearers (bobcat, otter, fisher, coyotes, beaver, red and gray fox, muskrat, raccoon, opossum, weasel, mink and skunk). VTF&W recently commissioned a survey…

By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is the editor and publisher of the Addison County Independent, a sister publication to the Mountain Times.  Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s announcement to launch a paid leave program for state employees is a cynical, political move that has sparked deserved criticism. With Democrats pressing for a universal paid…

By Peter D’Auria/VTDigger Vermont’s education fund, the pot of money that finances the state’s schools, is brimming with a surplus of nearly $64 million. But despite that windfall — caused primarily by lower-than-expected spending on special education and leftover funds from the previous year — Vermonters’ property tax bills are slated to grow in the…

By Erin Petenko/VTDigger Vermont’s Covid-19 levels are still “low,” according to the state Department of Health’s weekly surveillance report, Dec. 7. The weekly update comes amid a national rise in Covid cases and hospitalizations, according to The New York Times. Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York have all reported a rise in Covid levels, particularly in…

By Victoria Gaither It’s out with the old and in with the new this ski season at Middlebury Snowbowl, located on Route 125 in Hancock. The Snow Bowl has a new logo, new snowmakers, and new behind-the-scenes improvements that will make the ski experience more enjoyable. Plus, a target opening date of Dec. 14, if…

By Liz DiMarco Weinmann There is an expansive physical space in Rutland, over 14,000 square feet to be exact, known as “The MINT – Rutland’s Makerspace” — where almost anyone, of any age, interest or skill level, can fulfill the popular mantra to “find your happy place.” Dictionaries define finding your happy place as “…a…

By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger A video of citizens violently apprehending an alleged shoplifter at the Rutland Home Depot has highlighted frustration over crime and the vigilantism that can crop up alongside it. The video of the incident, viewed more than 55,000 times on Facebook, appears to tell a deeper story than the arrest made in its…

Killington Resort’s team builds bikes to benefit local kids The Killington community gathered at The Foundry on Dec. 3 for Teddy Arbo’s 36th annual Holiday Toy Party. What started as a small dinner party in 1986 has grown into a community-wide event designed to put presents under the trees of needy Vermont families. “I’m just…

By Katy Savage When Mike Orlando bought property in Danby with a large hill and 30 acres three years ago, he knew what he wanted to do. “I knew right away it would be great to snowboard,” he said. Orlando, who rides at Killington Resort, spent three years cutting trees and building about 25 hiking…

By Victoria Gaither With Christmas just weeks away, Florence Christmas tree farmer Mike Gecha is busy. Gecha owns and runs Whipple Hollow Farms, a family business that only started selling Christmas trees two years ago. He explained, “We had some land that was just being used for farm hay. So we thought about how to…

Vermont inaugurated a national tradition By Julia Purdy High on Bethel Mountain Road outside Rochester, observant travelers might notice two prominent brown wooden signs flanking the road, with carved letters announcing the Riley Bostwick Wildlife Management Area and the Millionth Acre Tree Farm. Totaling 350 acres, these parcels represent the life work of Riley Bostwick,…