73 new facilities coupled with deregulation of in-home providers will add 10,000 openings By Erin Petenko and Lola Duffort/VTDigger Gov. Phil Scott plans to spend about $12 million in federal relief funds to dramatically expand child care capacity for school-aged children, including establishing regional child care hubs for students on remote learning days. The state estimates 10,300 students…

A recent incident involving bears in Wilmington should bring to the attention of those who rent out or manage property rentals in bear country that it is important to provide information about bears to renters so they can take the necessary measures to avoid encounters with bears, according to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. …

Racial disparities remain The Vermont State Police  has released traffic-stop data from 2019, marking the fifth consecutive year the agency has published its raw numbers to continue the public discussion on how to address racial disparities in discretionary car stops. Among the key takeaways: The number of searches decreased for motorists in discretionary traffic stops…

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Friday, Aug. 21, announced $42.4 million in direct assistance grants to 221 fire departments nationwide through the agency’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. Included among them are Middletown Springs in Rutland County that will get $114,857 and South Strafford in Orange County that will get $79,524, both to purchase…

On Wednesday, Aug.19 at around noon, troopers from the Vermont State Police Rutland Barracks were notified of a single motor vehicle roll-over crash on Vermont Route 140 in Poultney. On arrival the vehicle was resting on the driver’s side and obstructing both travel lanes. All occupants got out of the vehicle on their own. Through…

On Aug. 20, at 6 a.m., Vermont state police responded to a one-vehicle car crash that occurred at the end of Blueberry Ln. in Rutland Town.  A Pontiac Vibe driven by Norma Montaigne, 74, of Pittsford,  had driven off the road and into a cattle barn.  The vehicle sustained substantial front end damage, and the…

On Aug. 13, at 2:56 a.m., troopers from the Vermont state police – Rutland Barracks were notified of a glass breakage, cash register and cooler motion alarm at the Mac’s Convenience Store, located on Business Route 4, in the Town of Rutland. The Rutland City Police Dept. arrived on scene shortly after the alarm was…

The Vermont State Police is investigating an apparent drowning reported Thursday afternoon, Aug. 20, in the town of Waterbury. Police received a call at 2:11 p.m. requesting assistance locating a missing 5-year-old at the Little River State Park. When troopers arrived, the victim, Henry Beaird, 5, of Burlington, was receiving life-saving measures by rescue personnel.…

By Curt Peterson Vermont schools are preparing to reopen Sept. 8 in spite of fluid state guidelines. Windsor Southeast Supervisory Union (WSESU)— which includes Hartland Elementary School — is endeavoring to make local strategies work within those guidelines. “If you follow the science, it’s safe to open our school,” Hartland Elementary School principal Christine Bourne…

On Wednesday, Aug. 26, Woman’s Equality Day and the Centennial Anniversary of 19th Amendment, members of the Vermont Suffrage Centennial Alliance (VSCA) will join with local citizens throughout the state to commemorate the historic passage of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the vote. One hundred years ago, in the final push for suffrage, women picketed in…

By Emma Cotton/VTDigger With a $350,000 federal grant secured this week, Rutland City is a step closer to acquiring a 20-acre parcel of College of St. Joseph’s former campus, which includes an athletic center and recreation fields. The city government is one of 14 organizations statewide to receive federal funds to boost local economies. The…

The health and wellbeing of its community is foundational to the mission at Killington Mountain School. Over the past few months, a task force and outside advisors have created Covid-19 safety policies and procedures that will enable KMS to adapt to the uncertainty of this virus, while getting back to its mission. “Phase 2 of…

by Melinda Myers All your hard work is paying off with a bountiful harvest. Fresh produce is filling your garden, countertops, and refrigerator while the garden keeps producing more. Preserve some of your harvest to enjoy throughout the winter with some tried-and-true or updated variation of food preservation techniques. Hanging bundles of herbs to dry…

By Cassnada Tyndall Like some kind of endurance test, this week you may feel challenged to continue with what you started. It may be a personal pursuit or a professional project that may require more energy, effort or time than you originally anticipated. As the first tense angle between Mars in Aries and Saturn in…

By DJ Dave Hoffenberg The playoffs are under way and they started with a highly contested battle between No. 2 seed Rock Warriors and No. 3 seed DTF, the defending champs. The game started with a blast by Tucker Zink, his first home run since game one. That fired up DTF and they added three…