Discover More from This Author: Polly

Governor Phil Scott announces $2.4 million in community development grants to eight Vermont communities

July 29, 2020
Hartford gets $247,200 to construct 21 new apartments On Thursday, July 23, Governor Phil Scott announced over $2.4 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) awards to eight communities in seven Vermont counties. The Vermont Dept. of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) awards approximately $7 million annually in competitive grants to Vermont cities and towns.…

Let’s elect a woman as Vermont state auditor

July 29, 2020
Dear Editor, We all can play a significant role in electing a woman as Vermont state auditor for the first time in a long time. Interesting? You bet. For many reasons. Linda Joy Sullivan of Bennington County is that woman. She is a certified public accountant, with an MBA and a master of laws in…

Schools should prioritize in-person attendance for preschool-grade 5 and for students with special needs

July 29, 2020
Dear Editor, Schools in Vermont support the academic, social and developmental needs of children, help address food insecurity, and provide mental health services. Weighing the health risks of reopening schools in fall 2020 against the educational and developmental risks of limiting in-person instruction, school districts should prioritize full-time, in person attendance for all students preschool through…

Vermont physicians thank Governor Phil Scott for mask mandate

July 29, 2020
Dear Editor, The physician and physician assistant members of the Vermont Medical Society applaud Governor Phil Scott’s announcement Friday putting in place a mandatory face mask policy. On Wednesday night, the Medical Society governing council led by president Catherine Schneider, MD, met for an hour to discuss the evidence and policy options regarding the universal…

Environment sacrificed for income

July 29, 2020
Dear Editor, In response to some of the lieutenant governor candidates who responded to a moderator question in last Tuesday’s vpt/vpr debate by expressing support for Donald Trump’s economic policies, I offer these pertinent facts. After three years in office his administration has dismantled most of the major environmental protective policies as the basis for…

Only Sullivan is qualified for state auditor

July 29, 2020
Dear Editor, Now more than ever, Vermonters must ask themselves who they want to audit their tax dollars and critical state programs and in 2020 the answer is Linda Joy Sullivan. She is a two-term state legislator from Dorset but more important to this letter she is a trained and nationally renowned professional certified public…

Subjective suspension: two different rule books?

July 29, 2020
Dear Editor, The field of lost dreams. That is now what the Killington softball field is being called. They built it, but nobody is coming. Every player loves playing here and always say how beautiful the field is. The town now has two fields that are not in use by anyone. I have been the…

Enough is enough. There’s a better path forward for America

July 29, 2020
By John R. Kasich This op-ed was first published in the Boston Globe July 22, 2020. It is republished here with permissions. America, we’ve lost our way. As a nation, and as individuals, we’ve been thrown off course by an endless barrage of shocking words and divisive deeds from the president who is supposed to lead…

Rutland Regional Medical Center to implement implicit bias training

July 29, 2020
By Emma Cotton/VTDigger Following a petition presented by 39 employees to hospital leadership last month, Rutland Regional Medical Center has begun scrutinizing its policies to ensure staff and patients are treated equally regardless of race. The petition, submitted shortly after protests erupted following the killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis, asked…

Local man killed in work accident at Killington Resort

July 29, 2020
Thomas W. “Tj” Patch Jr., 56, of Rutland died Wednesday, July 22, in Killington, after an work-related accident at the Killington Resort golf course. A fellow employee found Patch under a tractor, where it is estimated he had been for 15 minutes. Emergency resuscitation efforts proved unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at the scene.…

Man drowns in Echo Lake

July 29, 2020
PLYMOUTH—On Monday, July 27, at 4:25 p.m. police responded to a drowning at Plymouth State Park on Echo lake. Troopers from the Vermont State Police Rutland Barracks were notified of a missing swimmer at the Plymouth State Park, located at 1960 Camp Road in Plymouth. It was reported that 77-year-old, Thomas Marrone had last been…

Rutland man gets six years for heroin and cocaine base trafficking

July 29, 2020
Terrance Chipp, 42, of Rutland was sentenced Thursday, July 23, by US District Court Chief Judge Geoffrey Crawford to 72 months imprisonment and three years of supervised release, which follows the term of imprisonment, according to the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont. Chipp previously pled guilty to possession with intent…

Unexpected utility pole break sends two workers to hospital

July 29, 2020
On Wednesday, July 22, at approximately 10:27 a.m., state police troopers from the Vermont state police were dispatched to a reported industrial accident in the area of 390 Blake Roy Road in Middlebury. There, troopers learned that two GMP linemen were injured when the utility pole that they were working on suddenly broke. Preliminary investigation indicated…

2020 Census gears up for the big push

July 29, 2020
By Julia Purdy Among the first-time moves to make the national 10-year population count more user-friendly, faster, and also as complete as possible, the Census Bureau has come up with “Push Week” (July 27-Aug. 2), a friendly competition to see how many new household responses the Census can land before Census workers hit the streets…

Rutland’s community food scrap share program offers win-win solution

July 29, 2020
The Rutland County Solid Waste District, Solid Waste Alliance Communities and 350 Rutland County announced the rollout of the Community Food Scrap Share Program on Wednesday, July 22. This spring, over 285 people participated in Composting 101 Workshops. As an offshoot of this educational project, the organizations have created a community share platform after identifying…