By Lia Chen/VTDigger A national survey has ranked Vermont fifth in the nation for overall child well-being, but indicates there’s been a decline in key child mental health indicators in the state. The Annie E. Casey Foundation, a national nonprofit focused on improving child welfare, announced Monday the 2022 KIDS COUNT, an annual 50-state report…

George Pressley was a fixture in the Killington area for many years. Born in Detroit, his lengthy tenure in Vermont began when he became a resident of the Farm and Wilderness Camp in Plymouth in the 1960s. Life experiences gleaned there were truly that, and remained with and affected him throughout his life. During the…

By Fred Thys/ VTDigger Woodstock is adopting a novel approach to provide housing for people who work there. “You can get a job here, but then there’s nowhere to live,” said Trena Tolliver, who has been hired as Woodstock’s housing advisor by the town’s Economic Development Commission to run its pilot housing programs. “We’re trying…

By Katy Savage Lake Bomoseen Association’s application to use herbicides on the lake is on hold in the wake of public outcry, and it will likely remain on hold until the end of the year. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) placed a technical hold on Lake Bomoseen Association’s (LBA) application to treat the lake…

The Community College of Vermont (CCV) and Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) are expanding a program to provide Vermonters with a debt-free college degree. The 802 Opportunity Grant provides free tuition to Vermonters with a household income of $75,000 or less that do not already have a bachelor’s degree. The grant is available to new…

By Alan J. Keays/VTDigger Vermont State Police are investigating after a Ludlow police officer shot a man who was then taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to a state police press release Aug. 16. The wounded man, whom police did not identify, was taken by ambulance to Springfield Hospital and was then expected to…

By Jacob Knipes Some of Vermont’s top librarians visited Sherburne Memorial Library in Killington this past Tuesday, Aug. 9. The visit came as part of an initiative by the Vermont Department of Libraries to tour every county in Vermont and visit the local libraries. Joshua Muse, consultant of library technology for the department, detailed how…

By Bonnie Kirn Donahue Editor's note: Bonnie Kirn Donahue is a UVM Extension master gardener and landscape designer from central Vermont. While summer provides a bounty of fruits, veggies and flowers, it also brings invasive species. Common invasive species that you might find in your garden or landscape often started out as decorative landscape plants.…

By John Flowers/ Addison County Independent The Vermont State Board of Education voted unanimously Friday, Aug. 12, to issue an opinion that “there is an overwhelming risk” that Ripton won’t be able to assume full responsibility for educating its students beginning next July — either as a supervisory district or as a school district within…

With the current infant formula shortages, more parents are exclusively breastfeeding their babies longer. For many new families, breastfeeding and returning to work can be hard. Fortunately, the Vermont Department of Health is letting families know that its breastfeeding programs offer support for workers and their employers to help make breastfeeding the easy choice. For…

Aug, 20-21 — LUDLOW — The Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce is excited to host the second annual Best of Vermont Summer Festival scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 20 and Sunday, Aug. 21 in Ludlow. The event will take place at Okemo Field on Route 103. This festival is a great opportunity for everyone including…

By Karen D. Lorentz Not everyone has the good luck to find their direction in life at age 11, but for Devon McCluskey, an introduction to snowboarding by a cousin proved a fortuitous event that set him on a ski-industry path that he is passionate about. “My Christmas present that year was a ticket to…

By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is the editor and publisher of the Addison County Independent, a sister publication to the Mountain Times. Vermont Progressives took center stage in Vermont following Tuesday’s primary with left-leaning candidates capturing seats for U.S. Congress, lieutenant governor, the state’s Attorney General and several down-ticket offices. It was a…

By Laurie D. Morrissey On the New Hampshire lake where I spend much of the summer, loon calls are so common that I sometimes take them for granted. The sounds of the common loon (Gavia immer) are iconic of wilderness and have been described as haunting, plaintive, maniacal, other-worldly, even wolf-like. Recently, I’ve started listening…

By Curt Peterson At its Aug. 15 meeting, the Windsor Central Supervisory Union policy committee discussed a capital debt repayment policy that is still in the idea stages, according to its presenter, Ben Ford of Woodstock, who chairs the finance committee. The policy idea was the product of a July joint meeting of the building…