LUDLOW—As the Covid-19 crisis deepens and the economy worsens, the staff at Black River Good Neighbor Services in Ludlow continues to help the community with food and financial assistance. “We’ve closed the store, but the food shelf is operating to help anyone in need,” said Krey Kellington, food program director in a news release April…

Self-isolation does not mean that anyone is helpless The Vermont State Police, Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence join with other law-enforcement agencies and advocacy organizations to acknowledge the unique and difficult challenges facing people who are living in abusive and violent circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic. “While…

  Support for parents is vital for children’s well being “We understand isolation, though necessary for preventing the spread of the coronavirus, can be very challenging for families with children,” stated Ed Bride, deputy/development director at Prevent Child Abuse Vermont (PCAVT) in a recent news release. Young children need and actually thrive with predictable structure…

Staff report The Vermont Department of Labor received 40,000-50,000 unemployment claims in the last two weeks of March. “That’s the same number of claims that we typically get in a year,” DOL spokesperson Kyle Thweatt said. Tens of thousands of unemployment claims have yet to be processed, he added. The surge is expected to continue…

By Anne Wallace Allen/VTDigger People who are filing for state unemployment insurance for this week will start receiving their weekly $600 supplement from the federal government when they receive their unemployment check next week, according to state officials. But for the self-employed and independent contractors, who are also in line to receive assistance from the state…

On Friday, April 3, Attorney General T.J. Donovan published Attorney General’s Directive to Law Enforcement on the Enforcement of COVID-19 Emergency Order. The directive is geared toward law enforcement, including state’s attorneys, sheriffs, and police. The directive establishes that the Attorney General will bring all enforcement actions related to the COVID-19 Emergency Order and provides steps…

By Heather Furman, director for The Nature Conservancy in Vermont Only a few short weeks ago, none of us could have predicted the impacts to our personal and professional lives that COVID-19 would wreak. During times of crisis or tragedy we are often compelled to gather with one another and find community, but in this…

Dear Editor, We are in an intense fight to defeat the Coronavirus; to reduce passing it around and deaths.  If we really want to beat it, then we have to work together.  So here is my concern. First, a tiny list of some of what I believe the medical community considers part of essential health…

Dear Editor, Listen, people!  Vermonters have what it takes! We don’t run from problems, we run TO them. For generations we have prepared for this. Our tendency is to be courteous and law-abiding. We give each other space, naturally (and by the same token we don’t like to be pushed). We embody “Yankee ingenuity” —…

Dear Editor, The time is now for our Black River community. We are ready to make a big move. You have been hearing from us for three years now, in some form, about our mission to open an independent school in Ludlow, to serve any area student, tuition-free. A school whose independent status will allow…

By Jack Hoffman Let’s all take a deep breath. Before we jump to the conclusion that $600-a-week federal unemployment checks on top of state benefits are going to destroy the work ethic and wipe out the labor force, let’s remember why we’re doing this. The intended consequence of federal pandemic unemployment benefits through July is…

Staff report On Sunday, April 5, the state of Vermont released a summary of ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE) available as part of the coordinated fight against COVID-19. Under the “most likely scenario” modeling the state currently has a sufficient supply of N95 FFP respirators, surgical masks and gloves. It does not have a…

By Katy Savage Volunteers from the Rutland MINT Makerspace are committing to making 10,000 face shields for the Rutland Regional Medical Center as the hospital combats the coronavirus. MINT MakerSpace spokesperson Karen McCalla said MINT members Gabe Oberkirch and Tom Lichtman created the design for the shields and are cutting them with a laser. Oberkirch…

Diana Lynn Gildersleeve, 62, passed away peacefully at her home in Bridgewater, Vermont, on March 31, 2020. Born Sept. 18, 1957, to parents Joyce (Wardwell) and Raymond Phillips, she was a graduate of Woodstock Union High School class of 1976. Diana Gildersleeve worked at the Book Bindery, the original Cole Farm Restaurant, Bridgewater Country Store,…

By Editor Emeritus Royal Barnard I am so sad to report the passing of Dave Pfannenstein, my friend, a friend of the Mountain Times and one of the most wonderful people many of us have had the privilege to know. Dave Pfannenstein recently retired as the executive director of the Vermont Golf Association and moved permanently to…