Milk from Vermont dairies will be processed to feed Vermonters in need The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets has coordinated an effort to recover raw milk from being disposed while creating a new, temporary food supply for the Vermont Foodbank. In collaboration with the Vermont Community Foundation, $60,000 has been made available to…

CHITTENDEN—The Barstow School Board announced the appointment of David St. Germain as the next principal of Barstow Memorial School, on Monday, May 11. St. Germain, a local resident, will begin his new position on July 1, 2020. Having earned a doctorate of education in administrative leadership for teaching and learning from Walden University, Dr. St.…

Preliminary data show a 15% decrease last year over the year prior Opioid-related fatalities in Vermont have decreased for the first time since 2014. Newly released data from the Department of Health show a 15% decline in the number of deaths attributed to opioid misuse — down from 130 in 2018 to 111 in 2019. Health Commissioner Mark…

As prime-time backpacking season approaches, the Green Mountain National Forest is responding to the Covid-19 pandemic by restricting overnight camping at designated campgrounds and shelters, in addition to closing pit toilets along the Appalachian Trail and Long Trail segments.  The majority of the National Forest remains open. After Secretary of Natural Resources Julie Moore announced,…

KILLINGTON—In response to Gov. Phil Scott’s announcement Friday, May 8, that summer camps can open if they “can meet strict health and safety requirements,” Killington’s Department of Parks and Recreation will offer a modified summer camp. The regulations put in place by the state of Vermont include measures to increase social distancing, allowances for easier…

By Julia Purdy Even when schoolchildren are required to stay home, the school meals program must go on. And this year, in addition to seeing that kids don’t miss out on nourishment, the program helps to relieve the extra financial hardship of parents being out of work as well as offering paid work to paraeducators,…

Lowe honored for helping to save American Kestrels RANDOLPH—Brian Lowe, of Randolph, has helped hundreds of American kestrels successfully hatch and fledge in Vermont and was named the winner of the 2019 GMP-Zetterstrom Environmental Award. Lowe was announced as the 2020 winner rather than receiving the honor in person, in keeping with current Covid-19 physical…

Anyone with even mild symptoms is encouraged to contact a health care provider, to get tested WHITE RIVER JCT—Vermont health officials announced three pop-up testing sites will open this week for Covid-19 specimen collection, including one locally at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center in White River Jct. Saturday, May 16 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Over…

CASTLETON—The Vermont State Colleges board of trustees named Dr. Jonathan Spiro interim president of Castleton University, according to a news release Thursday, May 7. Dr. Spiro will begin June 1 and serve until a permanent president is named. “It’s an honor to be named Castleton’s interim president. I’m confident our amazing and hard-working team of…

Rutland’s Summer Market will open at Depot Park downtown Saturday, May 16 By Katy Savage RUTLAND—After a four-week mandated closure, the Vermont Farmers’ Market in Rutland is coming back Saturday, May 16. Gov. Phil Scott gave farmers’ markets permission to open May 2, but only if they follow certain guidelines. Vermont Farmers’ Market president Paul…

Child care centers and day camps can reopen, overnight camps in question Staff report Gov. Phil Scott announced Friday, May 8, that child care centers can reopen June 1 and summer day camps will be able to open this summer, provided they can follow specified safety guidelines. State officials acknowledged opening child care programs will…

The Movie Diary by Dom Cioffi The backyard of my property is framed in a thick cluster of trees that blocks almost any hint of other homes. I can hear voices and lawnmowers in a number of directions, but my visual range sees only greenery. Obviously, this is the case during the spring and summer…

By Merisa Sherman Tarentaise. Ascutney Mountain. Grafton Maple Smoked Cheddar. Vermont Smoke & Cure Summer and Fortuna’s Cacciatorini Sausages paired with some fresh made six-grain bread and all washed down with some Mac & Maple Cider. It’s amazing to think of all the wonderful foods we have in Vermont just at the tip of our…

By Laurie D Morrisey One of the first spring wildflowers you’ll see – perhaps even before the last shaded patches of snow disappear – is the violet. This common flower, which blooms from April through June, is widely known and easily identified. There is more than one violet, however. The genus Viola contains some 500…

By Cal Garrison, a.k.a. Mother of the Skye This week’s Horoscopes are coming out under the light of a Capricorn Moon. The big news this week is that a bunch of planets are going retrograde, and a couple of them are changing signs. Here is the list: Saturn goes retrograde on May 11, at the…