Vermont Youth Project mobilizes community to reach youth this summer RUTLAND—When a group of dedicated agencies known as the Vermont Youth Project of Rutland County realized that youth summer camp programs were going to be limited, they acted.  Working together, Mentor Connector, 4-H, and the Partners for Prevention put out the call to action to…

By Curt Peterson The Agency of Education and the Dept. of Health issued long-awaited guidelines for the reopening Vermont schools this fall on June 17. The 25-page report “A Strong and Healthy Start, Safety and Health Guidance for Reopening Schools, Fall 2020” warned that, “This guidance will be periodically updated as new information becomes available.”…

By Lola Duffort/VTDigger Lawmakers have sent legislation setting next year’s school taxes to the governor’s desk, and property taxes will go up if the measure is signed into law. But they won’t skyrocket the way they would have had lawmakers decided to use them to plug the more than $100 million shortfall the state’s education fund…

Staff report STOCKBRIDGE—The Vermont State Police are investigating the drowning of a child in the White River Wednesday evening, June 24, near the Gaysville post office in the town of Stockbridge. The victim was Gabriel McEachern, 7, of Stockbridge. Investigators learned that Gabriel was with his parents, Kenneth and Danielle McEachern; his two siblings; and…

Policy allows quarantine-free travel from designated counties from Ohio to Virginia As state data and expanded testing and tracing capacity continue to support reopening, Governor Phil Scott announced Friday, June 26, that he will expand the number of states covered under Vermont’s county-by-county quarantine-free travel policy, which allows direct travel from designated counties without a 14-day…

By Katy Savage Food scraps will be banned from landfills starting July 1 and while some trash haulers aren’t offering residential pick-up services, locals are stepping in. Zach Cavacas, a Stockbridge resident, launched a food scrap hauling business called Music Mountain Compost for people throughout Rutland County this month. Cavacas has about 40 customers so…

State stops short of saying outbreak is contained Staff report FAIR HAVEN — Last week a cluster of new Covid-19 cases popped up in Fair Haven. On Monday, June 22, two cases were reported, but by Wednesday there were 12. However, since then, no new cases have been confirmed in the area — and over 200…

Green Mountain Power (GMP) customers can now enroll in Share with Vermont Green, a pioneering pilot program empowering solar net metering customers to share their credits with other customers. The shared energy credits will go to small businesses and nonprofits in Vermont recovering after the Covid-19 shutdown. Solar net metering customers, who are not already…

WEST HAVEN—Things just work out perfectly sometimes, and that is exactly what happened for brothers Justin and Austin Comes at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Sunday, June 28. In front of the first grandstand crowd of the season, the Middlebury siblings swept feature wins in the Sportsman Modified and Limited Sportsman divisions. Bill Duprey, Shawn Moquin,…

Seventh Rutland Sculpture Trail piece to be unveiled in fall RUTLAND—The unveiling of a sculpture honoring a ground-breaking African American Rutland resident, nearly a year in the planning, has been postponed until fall largely due to Covid-19, organizers announced June 25. The sculpture honoring Rutland native Martin Henry Freeman, the first African American president of…

Bobolinks, meadowlarks, Savannah sparrows, and grasshopper sparrows enrich our summers with their songs, but some of these species are in decline due to the loss of appropriate grassland habitat. Landowners can make a difference by altering the times of year they mow fields. The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. is encouraging landowners to help promote…

July 4 tips from the Rutland County Humane Society With the Fourth of July comes fireworks. The 5th of July usually brings more stray animals than usual to the shelter. The noise and flash of fireworks scares even pets that are used to being outside. Since fireworks are becoming more common the best advice we have is to keep your pet…

By Mary Ellen Shaw You may have more free time these days and if you are seeking lighthearted entertainment look no farther than your yard! It’s too nice this time of year to be indoors so pull up an outdoor chair and take a break from your gardening chores. In my younger days I never…

By Kathy Romans Hall, Rutland Chapter UVM Extension Master Gardeners The Rutland Chapter of UVM Extension Master Gardeners would like to share some information about a common ornamental plant that you may have on your property. We have concerns about the Japanese barberry, a spiny shrub that in the past 30 years became a popular…

By Gary Salmon The problem with this article occurred earlier when my mind went searching for a photo of an ornamental hemlock tree growing in someone’s yard. I have a large collection of tree photos filed away in both my mind and computer available for a wide range of needs which requires that I only…