By Merisa Sherman Pulling my hood over my head, I dove off the trail and under the tree branch, heavily laden with the snow from the past few days. Usually, the branch would be bent from the weight of heavy wet snow, but today it was only from the weight of so much snow falling…

By Kenrick Vezina Have you noticed the cheery evergreen sprig with pearly berries, currently perched over the doorways of Yankee traditionalists and those desperate to be kissed? That’s common mistletoe (Viscum album), which one botanical dispatch from the 1800s called “perhaps the most distinguished plant in the flora of England.” It’s found in broadleaf trees…

The First Universalist Church and Society of Barnard, located at 6211 Route 12, will host BarnArts 12th annual winter carols at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 16. The event is free with donations welcome to offset costs. There will also be a bonus outdoor BarnArts Chorale performance on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. on…

December — LUDLOW — Help Benson’s Chevrolet make a child’s Christmas special this year. The car dealership is once again a local drop-off location in the Ludlow area. Help them fill the tree and truck with books, toys, clothing and more this holiday season. There is no greater joy than a child receiving a Christmas…

By Curt Peterson The Killington Select Board made some significant adjustments in zoning setback requirements during a hearing that was part of its Dec. 12 meeting. The area covered includes two “hamlets” within the town, and a section called “the valley," all on Route 4 on the East side of town. According to Town Manager…

By Curt Peterson Maggie O’Brien, the newest member of the Rutland Regional Planning Commission, will be helping update the 2015 Killington Town Plan, according to RRPC Special Projects Manager Ed Bove. O’Brien grew up in Farmington, New York, a small town of 14,000 between Lake Canandagua and Lake Ontario. She earned her degree in environmental…

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…