The 2019 Vermont personal income tax season has opened. The IRS and the State of Vermont began accepting income tax returns on Jan. 28. This year, the federal and state due date for returns and requests for extensions is April 15. Many of the changes come as a result of Act 11, Vermont’s response to…

By Casey O’Meara A great deal of attention is paid to personalizing learning for students. Often this results in matching student interests with paths to meet curricular requirements. Some students have a variety of interests and they work within the confines of curricular requirements to explore these areas. Other students feel they don’t have anything…

By Mary Ellen Shaw The method for obtaining information on any subject has certainly changed since my school days in the ’50s and ’60s. I remember my mother getting a set of encyclopedias earned with her grocery store purchases. The books had a green, hard cover and they came into our home one by one…

There are many reasons why people who could retire are hesitant to do so. Some people think they need to wait until they’re 65 or older. Some are worried about running out of money. Many parents want to keep supporting their children through some major life transition, like college, marriage, or buying a first home.…

By Susan Shea On winter mornings when I look out my window, I often see a gray squirrel clinging upside down to the post supporting my bird feeder, with his front paws in the tray, munching sunflower seeds. Sometimes, a much smaller red squirrel is perched on the opposite side of the feeder. This brings…

By Dom Cioffi My son’s basketball season officially ended this past Friday night with a loss in the semi-finals. It took no more than 15 minutes from the end of his game before he started pestering me for a sleepover. I have a rule during any sports season that there will be no sleepovers on…

Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin has responded to the intensifying need for food and heating support for vulnerable Vermonters with a $15,000 donation to Fuel Your Neighbors, a campaign by Capstone Community Action to provide emergency food and heating assistance to households in need. “We are so thrilled by this commitment from CVMC to…

By Karen D. Lorentz Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to love your heart and to encourage someone you love to take care of theirs. One of the best gifts you can give your Valentine, or yourself, is a heart health evaluation and a commitment to follow healthy heart habits. A healthy diet, physical fitness,…

By Marguerite Jill Dye  In this Chinese New Year of the Earth Pig we have the opportunity to choose happiness as our emotional countenance. We also have the ability to manifest our dreams. What would you like to pursue at this time in your life in the next three, six, and nine months? How do…

Thursday, Feb. 14, 8 p.m.—KILLINGTON— Self proclaimed “Rotten Roll” band, Swimmer, is set to perform at the Pickle Barrel Nightclub Thursday, Feb. 14. Doors open at 8 p.m for this Valentine’s Day show. Whether riding solo or in the relationship club, ditch the boring bouquet of flowers and chocolates this Valentine’s Day for some live…

Photo courtesy Wobbly Barn LauraLea & Tripp Fabulous

Photo courtesy Chandler Center for the Arts Maple Jam

Sunday, Feb. 17, 8 p.m.—KILLINGTON— The Felix Brown Band is ready to bring all the good energy to the Pickle Barrel stage Sunday, Feb. 17. This fun, upbeat, all-around-good-time show is not one to be missed. The creative six-piece group got together after realizing they all had a fiery passion for making people happy while…

Friday, Feb. 15, 4 p.m.—WOODSTOCK— A closing reception with refreshments for the “ Love Your Library ” group art exhibit will be held on Friday, Feb. 15, 4-5:30 p.m. on the Mezzanine Gallery at Norman Williams Public Library (NWPL). The exhibit, which celebrates the beauty of Woodstock’s library, showcases work by Ivan Albright, Peggy Brightman,…

Feb. 16-March 2—WOODSTOCK— Billings Farm & Museum, offering programs and activities for all ages, is open for the upcoming vacation weeks, Feb. 16-March 2, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. Visit the farm & museum and discover Vermont dairying and learn about the development of the Billings Farm, still one of the best Jersey farms in…