Outdoor dining, close-contact businesses like salons, and others could be permitted to open by June 1. By Anne Wallace Allen/VTDigger With just one Covid-19 patient now in an ICU in a Vermont hospital, Gov. Phil Scott on May 15 continued to open the state to an economic recovery. Scott promised he would relax the stay home/stay…

Sites will pop-up in White River Jct. Saturday and in Rutland Monday   Anyone who lives or works in Vermont and does not have symptoms of Covid-19 can be tested for the virus at pop-up testing sites around the state, according to a recent new release from the governor. "We encourage health care workers, first…

By Polly Mikula and Colin Meyn/VTDigger Gov. Phil Scott announced Monday, May 11, that a “gradual reopening” of the retail sector will be permitted to begin on May 18. Scott said that all employees at retail outlets will need to wear face covering. Stores will also be required to stay under 25% of their maximum legal…

Sherburne Fire District #1 operates the sewage treatment facility on Dean Hill Road in Killington. It serves the properties along Killington Road from The Woods to Glazebrook. The facility operators continue to treat higher flow than there should be at this time, particularly with the pandemic business closures. There are many potential sources of this…

By Curt Peterson Windsor Central Unified School District superintendent Mary Beth Banios announced at the May 11 board meeting that Woodstock Union High School was ranked “Third Best” among Vermont high schools in 2020 by U.S. News and World Report. WUHS is one of 312 public high schools in the state. Mt Mansfield Union High…

BETHEL— On May 7, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that two local grantees have been selected to receive $800,000 to assess and clean up contaminated properties under the agency’s brownfields program. These funds will aid under-served and economically disadvantaged communities around the state in assessing and cleaning up abandoned industrial and commercial properties.…

By Zayda Kellogg I am a junior at Peoples Academy High School in Morrisville, Vermont. Throughout the pandemic, and the consequential shutdowns, there is often talk of wanting to go “back to normal,” to fall back into the past, the thought of which provides us comfort and a sense of security, to forget Covid-19 ever…

Dear Editor, To all of those who helped us search for our dog Finn in Pittsfield, the Masillo family can not thank you enough. He got free with his leash attached and was out in the woods and stuck for 42 hours. We are overcome with gratitude, by both the willingness and kindness, of our community. He…

Dear Editor, The following is a letter that U.S. Rep. Peter Welch wrote to Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader McCarthy on May 8. I write today to request that the next Covid-19 legislative package include funding to support local journalism and media. This support is essential to ensure that our communities continue to have access…

Dear Editor, There is no hiding from Covid-19. This virus has no borders and travels at will, menacing people and businesses in every sector of society. The pandemic threatens agriculture and with it our food security, as farmers work to produce the food on our tables.  Our farmers, producers and those making their living off…

By Andre M. Fleche During an uncertain time for the Vermont State College System, the people of Vermont should have confidence that Castleton University remains well-positioned to continue to serve the social and economic good of the state. Each year, Castleton sends forth new nurses, teachers, social workers, journalists, entrepreneurs, and many other graduates who…

By Joe Kraus In the summer of 2012, a large and diverse group of citizens gathered to ask what could be done about the growing opioid crisis affecting our community. That group ultimately became known as Project VISION, a very eclectic collaborative of virtually every agency and organization dedicated to the welfare of the greater…

By Sen. Alison Clarkson Public health is improved with safe housing The Covid-19 crisis is challenging all of us, but it is particularly challenging for those already at risk in Vermont. “Stay Home, Stay Safe” assumes two things – that you have a home and that it is safe. Sadly, for too many Vermonters this…

By Rep. Jim Harrison Call it a mother’s ingenuity, but our son is not always the best with reading and responding to emails. It may be a guy thing? So Pat has learned that when she needs to get Ben’s attention, she just titles the email “Golf,” even though it has nothing to do with…

By Colin Meyn/VTDigger Some of the messages read like field reports: “The sidewalks between Price Chopper and Walmart had groups of people standing together no mask or social distances,” and others like warnings: “I want to make you aware of the health crisis that is ongoing at the floating bridge in Brookfield. Since fish were stocked…