By Jake Claro I encourage everyone to read through the Vermont Agriculture and Food System Plan recently released by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) and the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) in fulfillment of Act 83. The jointly created 2020 plan takes a balanced and honest view of multiple agricultural industries…

By Sen. Dick McCormack “Half-baked idea” usually refers, insultingly, to an idea that hasn’t been thought through. But I offer an idea that I admit is half baked. Because no one in Vermont is talking about it, because the idea contradicts the largely unchallenged assumption that folks, regardless of ideology, party or cultural background, consider…

By Rep. Jim Harrison Last Monday, Feb. 10, Gov. Phil Scott vetoed a bill to raise the minimum wage in Vermont to $12.55. In his veto message, Scott said, “Despite S.23’s good intentions, the reality is there are too many unintended consequences and we cannot grow the economy or make Vermont more affordable by arbitrarily…

By Colin Meyn and Grace Elletson/VTDigger Gov. Phil Scott was once again talking about Vermont’s workforce woes during his weekly press conference, but the circumstances were less predictable than usual. The federal government is having a tough time finding people to conduct the census in Vermont. Scott said he got a call from federal officials informing him that…

By Xander Landen/VTDigger A Senate committee is poised to advance legislation that would criminalize robocalls in the state, penalizing illegal callers with up to 90 days in jail or fines up to $10,000. Sen. Randy Brock, R-Franklin, the lead sponsor of S.324, said he decided to propose the legislation after a day when he received 11 robocalls…

By Xander Landen/VTDigger Democrats in the Vermont House fell one vote short in their attempt to override Gov. Phil Scott’s veto of a paid family leave program on Wednesday, Feb. 12. In a major loss for the majority party, which has made passing a mandatory paid family leave program a priority in recent years, the…

By Xander Landen/VTDigger The House Ways and Means Committee advanced legislation Wednesday, Feb. 5, that would legalize a marketplace for marijuana and set a 20% combined tax rate on sales of the substance. The action means the bill, S.54, will likely see a full vote on the House floor in the coming weeks, and represents major movement…

The Vermont Department of Health is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to monitor people who have returned from travel in China for symptoms of a novel coronavirus, now called COVID-19. The monitoring effort is for people who have returned from China in the past 14 days and had no symptoms of…

Staff report BOSTON — Addison Press made a very good showing in the Better Newspaper Contest at the New England Newspaper and Press Association annual convention in Boston this past weekend. The Middlebury newspaper and magazine group (sister publications to the Mountain Times) boasted 30 awards — including nine first-place honors — in a contest…

By Lee J. Kahrs BRANDON – A group of all-terrain vehicle enthusiasts is working to create a better trail system in Brandon and legitimize ATV riding in the area. The goal is to engage private landowners and the town and use land and small sections of public road to form an ATV trail system in…

By Curt Peterson The Feb. 13 emergency meeting of the Windsor Central Modified Unified Union School District Board was followed by the resignation of co-chair Paige Hiller, Woodstock representative, the next morning. On Friday, Valentine’s Day, Hiller sent an email to board members resigning as co-chair and vacating her seat on the Board “effective immediately.”…

KILLINGTON—Residents and visitors to Killington were greeted with a Valentine’s Day surprise — hundreds of paper hearts affixed to windows, doors and signs all over town on Friday morning. This cheerful display was made possible by a team of volunteers assembled by the Sherburne Memorial Library. The idea was inspired by a group of people…

Vermont State Police are investigating a death in Clarendon after a middle-aged male was found dead under the Route 7 bridge on Feb. 11. Police said the man was believed to be homeless and was living under the bridge for some time. A passerby on Route 7 called police after seeing the man around 11:30…

Camille Ann Thill, born in Hackensack, New Jersey, on Aug. 10, 1937, passed away peacefully on Feb. 13, at age 82. Thill battled pancreatic cancer for 10 years. She was the wife of her beloved husband of 58 years, Ray Thill, devoted mother to her two sons Raymond and Tom, grandmother of Gavin, Mason, Sabrina…

LUDLOW—You may have noticed colorful hearts hanging all over Ludlow. Hundreds of colorful hearts made of fabric hang from trees in front of homes, at the gazebo at Veterans’ Park, at Kessman Park and on Main Street. A note left in a plastic bag indicates that the person has been “Hearted by the United Church,”…