By Art Woolf Vermont’s demographics differ from the nation in two very important ways: We are an old state and we are overwhelmingly white. Being an old state is a relatively recent occurrence. Vermont’s age distribution was very similar to the U.S. until the 1990s. Vermont’s ethnic and racial composition has been different from the U.S.…

By Julia Purdy The 2020 Census, delayed as the nation grappled with the Covid-19 crisis, is getting up to speed. The initial phase includes options to file responses electronically using a code that is mailed to households, or to mail a paper questionnaire. Beginning in August, trained census workers will hit the streets to locate…

By Curt Peterson The Killington Select Board voted unanimously to set the 2020 municipal property tax rate for 2020 at $0.4717 per $100 of assessed value. The 2019 rate was $0.4665. The increase of $0.0052 (about half of a penny) will increase taxes on a $200,000 assessed-value property by $10.40 for the year. The tax…

Board President Matthew Whitcomb will serve as interim mayor, July 23 On Monday night, July 6, Mayor David Allaire told the Board of  Alderman at its regular meeting that he’ll be out of commission recovering from surgery for esophageal cancer for a few weeks starting July 23, when the surgery is scheduled. Board President Matthew…

Swimming holes in Vermont are renowned for their beauty and opportunity for adventure – thousands of people enjoy our swimming holes every year and depend on them as public gathering spaces to have fun and relax during the short Vermont summers. During the pandemic, with public pools and beaches closed, Vermonters need our swimming holes now more than…

Scott Howard, an enthusiastic and proud member of the Killington 100 Day Club, who had an incredible insatiable passion for skiing and golf, died June 25, 2020. He was 67. It is always so difficult losing a person who was such a special member of the Killington community, who had a love for the great outdoors.…

By Polly Mikula Next month, residents in the Slate Valley Unified School District will vote again on a district budget to fund their schools over a month into the fiscal year. Is the third time the charm? Voters rejected the school budget on Town Meeting Day and then again on June 9. The district budget…

By Lola Duffort/VTDigger With the start of a new fiscal year, July 1, some school districts are still without voter approved budgets. While most school districts in Vermont bring their budgets to the electorate on Town Meeting Day in early March, when the pandemic swept the state just weeks later and put the state on lockdown,…

State urges residents to compost with bears in mind Staff report Many people are having problems with bears looking for food near their homes, according to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. With the new food scrap ban now in effect the department is providing tips for people who are composting at home so they…

By Polly Mikula Vermont businesses that have been hit hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic can now apply for up to $50,000 in emergency support. And some 2,300 businesses had as of 5 p.m. Monday, July 6, the first day the portals opened. The process received generally positive reviews on its first day, with wait times averaging…

By Katy Savage School Board members are looking for cuts after the proposed $4.39 million Rochester-Stockbridge Unified District budget failed 141-110 on June 30. Rochester residents approved the proposed budget 87-47, but Stockbridge voters widely defeated it, 94-23. “I was disappointed,” said Carl Groppe, who chairs the school board. “We’ll find a way forward.” The…

Learn to appreciate them from a distance Few wildlife encounters rival hearing the haunting call of the loon or seeing them glide by in protected coves on a lake. So, for the birds’ protection, we’re asking boaters and anglers to enjoy loons from a safe distance this summer and adhere to the no-wake zone of…

Everyone knows cats are experts at napping but do you know they’re also hard workers?  They’re natural rodent deterrents and they love their jobs! If you have a farm, stable, warehouse, factory, greenhouse, nursery, winery, distillery, junkyard, storage facility, repair shop, retail store and more and you have a problem with rodents, Rutland County Humane Society’s…

4-H State Day adopted a virtual format this year to allow 4-Hers, including nine enrolled in Rutland County clubs, to showcase their talents and recent project work. A total of 82 club members from 11 counties participated in this University of Vermont (UVM) Extension 4-H event, submitting entries in 16 different categories via video and…

By Commissioner DJ Dave Hoffenberg The pandemic season finally got under way. There a few adjustments the guys have to get used to but playing softball is not one of them, filling a team though, was a problem for one but a bonus for another. The first game featured Defend Title Fantastically (DTF), the defending…