On Friday, March 2, the Vermont Senate approved bill S.216, to allow medical marijuana sales for any “disease, condition, or treatment as determined in writing by a qualifying patient’s health care professional,” according to page 334, of the March 1 Senate Journal. S.216 also requires the Vermont Department of Agriculture to establish marijuana testing laboratories, a necessary…

By Colin Meyn, VTDigger Before it became the vehicle for universal background checks and increasing the legal age to purchase guns, Senate bill S.55 had a fairly simple purpose: clear the way for the state to get rid of hundreds of abandoned or unlawful guns currently in storage. While the initial aim of S.55 was straightforward,…

By Katy Savage RUTLAND—Gov. Phil Scott emphasized the need to reverse Vermont’s declining population trend during a legislative breakfast at the Franklin Conference Center on Monday, March 12. “For years we’ve seen, on average, six fewer workers in our workforce, three fewer kids in K-12, and — c ertainly the most concerning — nearly one baby…

In school budgets presented to voters on Town Meeting Day, school boards and administrators rose to the challenge of keeping spending growth below the state’s target of 2.5 percent. FY 2019 statewide education spending growth is estimated at 1.5 percent, with education spending per equalized pupil coming in at under 1 percent. Ninety-six percent of…

CASTLETON—Encouraging a more fit and healthy lifestyle for Castleton students, faculty, and staff, the university recently launched its newest fitness initiative, CU Move for 60. A collaboration between the Student Government Association, Campus Activities Board, Health & Physical Education Club, Wellness Center, and the Campus Wellness Committee, the initiative features a wide range of classes and…

By Julia Purdy MENDON—The recently formed Mendon Economic Development Committee (MEDC) aims to improve Mendon’s economic health, looking ahead to the town-wide reassessment scheduled for 2020. The group took another step toward that goal Tuesday, Feb. 20, by discussing a tax stabilization measure and reviewing draft survey questions for Mendon businesses. Both items have been…

On Town Meeting Day, Vermont residents from 35 towns voted overwhelmingly in favor of resolutions seeking climate solutions. The exact wording of each resolution varied, but all the resolutions acknowledged the severity of climate change, urged the State of Vermont to meet its goals for 90 percent renewable energy, and called for a fair and…

It seems like all good things must come to an end at some point. Fortunately, in this case, it is for a good reason. Ted Crawford, one of the owners of Prestige Real Estate, has decided to retire to spend more time with his growing family (six grandchildren plus one on the way). Heidi Bomengen…

By Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Bridgewater, Chittenden, Killington & Mendon It was great to see so many people at the town meetings in each of the district towns last week. Bridgewater’s meeting was unique in the sense that it was held at the Long Trail Brewery, which had closed its popular restaurant on Tuesday to allow…

Cal Garrison (a.k.a Mother of the Skye) writes weekly horoscopes for The Mountain Times. If you would like an emailed notification sent to you weekly, sign up for the newsletter, below. Want to hear more from Mother of the Skye? Check out Mother's Celestial Inspirations for a deeper look into this weeks horoscopes Mother of the Skye…

Saturday, March 10, 7:30 p.m.—BRANDON— "I have literally seen people’s breath taken away when they first hear Julia Mark,” said Jay Ottaway, of the Plymouth Folk and Blues Festival. Julia Mark is a singer-songwriter and pianist of jazz-inflected folk/pop but her songs are unique in their subjects. She writes lyric-driven, optimistically dissonant songs about life on…

Sunday, March 11, 4 p.m.—RANDOLPH—Jeh Kulu Dance and Drum Theater will bring the high-spirited energy of traditional West African music and dance to the Chandler Center for the Arts for a special matinee performance for families on Sunday, March 11, at 4 p.m. Founded in 1993, the Vermont-based ensemble is celebrating 25 years of bringing the…

Saturday, March 10, 10 a.m.—SHREWSBURY—Join the Shrewsbury Conservation Commission and the Vermont Woodlands Association for a three-hour wildlife tracking workshop, Saturday, March 10, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Shrewsbury Meeting House. Learn the tracks and signs of many common Vermont mammals that may be found in the Shrewsbury area, with Ed Sharron, a National Park Service…

Thursday, March 8, 7 p.m.—RUTLAND—Vermonters of all ages are invited to attend a presentation about Vermont’s timber rattlesnakes on March 8 in Rutland. The presentation will be held at the Community College of Vermont, 60 West St., Rutland, from 7-8:30 p.m. Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department biologist and rattlesnake researcher Doug Blodgett will discuss this reclusive and often misunderstood reptile. Blodgett has…

By Marguerite Jill Dye “Be a nuisance where it counts. Do your part to inform and stimulate the public to join your action. Be depressed, discouraged, and disappointed at failure and the disheartening effects of ignorance, greed, corruption and bad politics – but never give up,” said Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Marjory Stoneman Douglas (1890-1998) must be…