Governor Phil Scott and Department of Financial Regulation (DFR) Commissioner Michael Pieciak announced April 22 that more than 40 additional auto insurance companies have filed plans to return premiums or reduce their rates for Vermont policyholders. DFR has moved quickly to approve these plans, which amount to over $14.6 million in savings for Vermonters to…

By Bonnie Kirn Donahue Spending time planning your vegetable garden and thinking about what food you will produce is an excellent way to find some stability in these unsettling times. While growing our own food is an asset, as well as a source of comfort and enjoyment, I’d like to propose that we also consider…

QUECHEE—Join VINS Science Educator Michelle Amato on a night sky adventure. Available on the VINS Youtube and Facebook pages, this latest video will teach you about a few constellations you can find in the night sky during this time of year and how to find them. She’ll go over some tools you can use and…

RUTLAND—On Friday, April 24, the crew at Speakeasy Cafe in Rutland was whipping up lattes for a cause, namely the BROC community food shelf. In addition to crafting coffee, the baristas took to Instagram Live to inform and entertain all morning. All told, they raised over $2,600 in two hours! The money will benefit local…

Staying at home doesn’t mean that you can’t keep exploring Vermont’s creative sector! Visitors to VermontArtOnline.org can virtually enter twenty-nine museums and galleries across the state, with more coming online each day. Interact with exhibitions, click on objects to learn more, or try art-at-home activities great for students, parents, educators, and the general public. Vermont Art Online…

Members of Rutland Blooms recently planted trees along the city’s roadways as part of a beautification project. The Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program has recognized the Rutland group as a 2020 Vermont Tree Steward Award winner with the Volunteer Group Award.

May 4–8 — WOODSTOCK—Spring is here and our friends, the pollinators, are too! Join Billings Farm at Home online as they celebrate Pollinator Week, May 4 – 8, 2020. Learn about native pollinators and the vital role they play in our food supply. Where would we “bee” without our pollinators? On Wednesday, May 6, at 1 p.m., get your pollinator…

CHITTENDEN—The Chittenden Public Library is holding an Inspirations of Spring Photo Contest. Grab your cameras and look for Spring! We want to see what Spring looks like near your home. Literal, humorous, beautiful or ironic! We can’t wait to see what you come up with. The Grand Prize winner will receive a new book of their choice.…

CASTLETON—Castleton University will deliver its upcoming summer session online, allowing students to continue their studies from the comfort of their homes. Castleton’s summer session courses run in an accelerated format, ranging from three to eight weeks. Summer Session One runs May 18-June 26, and Session Two is July 6-Aug. 14. Current students can register for…

LUDLOW—The staff at Fletcher Memorial Library is trying to be creative in offering you items to read, listen to or watch. On nice days from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (at least) they will have a book cart outside the rear entrance with bagged books, audio books and movies. Please take and enjoy. They do not want…

School closings, stay home orders, social distancing and other aspects of the coronavirus pandemic have brought Vermont families back together. Our youngest children now need more things to do at home than ever before. The Dolly Parton Imagination Library can help preschool children cope with the “new normal.” Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book…

$10,000 was recently granted to VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region The VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region (VNAHSR) has received a $10,000 grant from the VT Covid-19 Response Fund of the Vermont Community Foundation. The grant will be used to help the agency adapt to the changing realities of providing home health care and hospice during…

U.S. Freestyle Ski Team members Hannah Soar and Alex Lewis on board to ride 2,000 miles as a team with Killington Mountain School alumni KILLINGTON— The 10th annual Vermont Adaptive Charity Ride presented by Long Trail Brewing has gone virtual this year due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The event raises critical money for Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports’ year-round adaptive sports…

The Vermont walleye fishing season will open on Saturday, May 2, marking the return of some of the best walleye fishing in New England. Revered by many as one of the best tasting fish in freshwater, the walleye is Vermont’s official warm-water fish.  Excellent spring walleye fishing opportunities are available in several lakes and rivers…

Arts and humanities organizations in Vermont facing hardship due to the Covid-19 pandemic can now apply for emergency relief funding through a new partnership between the Vermont Arts Council and Vermont Humanities. The new Covid-19 Cultural Relief Grant Program is seeded with more than $700,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the…