By Tiffany Danitz Pache, VTDigger.org A state-by-state review of workforce policies and practices in the early childhood field has found that Vermont is making progress in a few areas but stalling out when it comes to ensuring higher pay for those who work with its youngest residents. Vermont was not among the states leading the…

By Dom Cioffi A couple weeks ago I chronicled my battle with Salmonella poisoning. It was a horrific week-long event that affected my entire body. As I was in the throes of the infection, I told myself several times that when I got better, I would do everything in my power to appreciate what it…

Signup deadlines start Wednesday, Aug. 17. The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department will be holding a series of free seminars to teach people more about hunting. The seminars will cover a variety of hunting techniques and species and will give participants the opportunity to try a new style of hunting or to learn more about a…

By Dave Hoffenberg Garlic McGraths punched their ticket to the big dance and earned a Championship rematch with Clearly Moguls. G.M. is going for their second title after a 2013 win against C.M. In their first elimination game, they cruised to an 11-0 mercy win against the Killington Deli and sent them packing. G.M. jumped…

A preliminary report from Vermont Fish & Wildlife shows that hunters brought home 5,537 wild turkeys during the spring hunting season—40 more than the average of the three previous years, including 662 turkeys taken during the April youth weekend hunt. “The hunter success rate remained steady with 21 percent of hunters harvesting at least one…

By Matt Baatz PITTSFIELD—I did not build the Green Mountain Trails. For the longest time I wanted to go on public record with that statement dispelling this absurd rumor. I’m not sure when or how it started, but I know it’s out there and I’m starting a campaign to end it. As any trailbuilder knows,…

By Ariel Kent KILLINGTON—A trail builder is someone who has dedicated his or her time to creating a network of mountain bike trails that he or she can enjoy but, more importantly, that others can enjoy. The hard work of a trail builder often goes unnoticed, many not even realizing the hard work and time…

PITTSFORD — On Saturday, Aug. 13, community members are invited to come out for a 5K race or fun run to benefit the Pittsford Recreation Department and the Adaptive Martial Arts Association, a Pittsford-based national 501(c)(3) non-profit that promotes disabled inclusion in martial arts and provides free education, outreach and support services. The 5K run begin…

By Marguerite Jill Dye Driving along our area’s roads we are often reminded of Tropical Storm Irene’s devastation, but what I remember most about Irene is Vermonters’ big hearts: heroes rescuing and reaching out to those in need, sharing food, water, shelter, and compassion. Strong, independent, reliable folk, Vermonters care for one another and for…

Most of you know that I was, for a very long time, a nationally touring stand-up comic. Some of you know that I had a weekly comedy show this past winter up at the Summit Lodge. What nearly none of you know about is that the best audience for which I ever performed was the…

By Joe Rankin The honey bee is an introduced species in North America. It’s only been here about 400 years, brought by English colonists who found none after stumbling ashore and then promptly put in an order with their backers back home. The honeybee, more properly known as the European honeybee, took to its new…

It was reported last week that George Zimmerman, the infamous neighborhood watch coordinator who was acquitted of second-degree murder in 2013, was punched in the face inside a bar in Sanford, Fla, after bragging about the 2012 incident in which he shot and killed the unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman was not badly hurt in…

By Cal Garison, a.k.a. Mother of the Skye This week’s Horoscopes are coming out under the light of a Leo Sun and a Libra Moon. Ordinarily, this combination generates energy that feels a lot like a trip to the candy store, but I am not so sure it’s going to work that way, this time.…

Wednesday, Aug. 10 & 17 at 7 p.m.—RUTLAND—Grace Congregational Church in Rutland, Vt., presents two topical programs honoring the Syrian people and their culture. On Wednesday, Aug. 10, “Maybe We Are One” will present the slam poetry group Muslim Girls Making Change, the first group of teen slam poets in over a decade to represent…

Wednesday, Aug. 10 at 7 p.m.—WEST HAVEN—Devil’s Bowl Speedway is going mid-week racing next Wednesday night, August 10 at 7:00 p.m.  The 3/10-mile dirt track will host the double-points Mid-Season Championship presented by Whelen Engineering, which has been rescheduled after being postponed by rain last Sunday. The dirt track will continue to race every Sunday…