Dear Editor, Closing NVU-Lyndon, NVU-Johnson, and Vermont Technical College’s (VTC) Randolph campus would migrate Vermont’s higher educational engine to the Champlain Valley. The Burlington metropolitan area already exerts economic and political dominance over the rest of the state. Depriving Vermonters of access to educational and cultural resources in this manner would be unfair and inequitable. The Vermont State College (VSC)…

By Richard Slusky The coronavirus pandemic has brought to light the many fractures in the U.S. health care system, particularly the inadequate access that many low- and middle-income people have to health care services when they are most needed, and their dependence on employer-sponsored health care plans. Perhaps it’s time to reconsider the concept of universal…

By Lisa Loomis, The Valley Reporter In the midst of this time of self-isolation and social distancing during Covid-19 our lives have changed in so many ways that it’s hard to keep up. A lot of these changes have been difficult and scary and painful. But at least one change in how Vermont conducts itself…

By Sen. Allison Clarkson Thankfully as a result of Vermonters adopting “Stay Home, Stay Safe” and practicing public health safety measures — social distancing, wearing face masks and gloves — the spread of the novel coronavirus has slowed significantly in Vermont. The growth rate in new Covid-19 cases is lower and the number of people…

By Jim Harrison This past Friday, April 24, Governor Scott turned the spigot ever so slightly or as Stewart Ledbetter said on “Vermont This Week” (the Friday evening PBS program for political junkies), “He took baby steps.” Vermont continues to show a slowing of new cases. However, as Scott pointed out, neighboring states like Massachusetts…

Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan is putting debt collectors, creditors, and financial institutions on notice that, in Vermont, federal stimulus money is protected from garnishment or collection. According to the directive issued April 21 by the Attorney General, payments authorized by the federal government’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, are exempt from…

By Erin Petenko/VTDigger Gov. Phil Scott made an impassioned plea for Vermonters with medical skills to volunteer to help the state’s health care system: “I am asking every Vermonter to dig deep and find a way to give more in this incredibly challenging time,” he said on March 31. Just a few weeks later, hundreds of Vermonters have…

Staff report The state of Vermont released new data on Monday, April 27, showing the number of coronavirus cases by the cities and towns in which patients reside. The data reflects lab-confirmed cases of Covid-19 among Vermont residents only. Residents of a long-term care facility or inmates at a correctional facility are reflected in the…

But it’s not business as usual By Karen D. Lorentz The real estate business, which had been booming along nicely in the Rutland Region, came to a halt in mid-March — as it did throughout Vermont — as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and “all in-person real-estate transactions” being suspended by an executive order…

By Curt Peterson Finance and Operations Manager Mike Concessi is leaving his post at Windsor Central Unified School District after June 30. He started the job on Sept. 9, 2019, meaning he will have worked 10 months in the position. Concessi will start in a similar position in Danville for Caledonia Central Supervisory Union (CCSU),…

By Katy Savage Chef Bryan Gudelis doesn’t have any customers, but he hasn’t stopped cooking. Gudelis, who owns The Garlic, an Italian restaurant on Killington Road in Killington, has been cooking free meals for Killington Elementary School students and their families since mid-March. Gudelis makes anything from baked ziti to shepherd’s pie and beef stew.…

Safety enhancement work on Goshen Dam re-routes fish to other waterways, recreation continues on Sugar Hill Reservoir GOSHEN—The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department announced April 21 that trout originally planned for stocking at Sugar Hill Reservoir, also known as Goshen Dam, in Goshen will be added to other area waterways for anglers. The shift is…

LUDLOW—The Black River Independent School Committee has hired Andrew Lapham Fersch to be their inaugural Head of School for the 2020/2021 academic year. Prior to joining Black River, Fersch—a 10 year teaching veteran of public schools—founded and ran an independent school in New Hampshire (the Penn Program) for several years. As a teacher and educational…

By Katy Savage Rutland city is looking at fecal matter to determine how widespread the outbreak of Covid-19 is locally. The city is one of 150 communities across 30 states participating in research being conducted by Biobot, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology-based start-up company. “Studies show that SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing Covid-19, is shed in…

  Staff report As the state begins taking measured steps toward re-opening, Governor Phil Scott and Health Commissioner Mark Levine say it is more important than ever to wear cloth face coverings whenever Vermonters leave home. Masks are important in order to keep our communities healthy when we have to be around each other for…