Health Department so far finds no indication of COVID-19 spreading in the community   A week after reports first surfaced of a potential outbreak in the Manchester area, 35 of 63 people with a positive antigen test for Covid-19 reported to the Health Department by Manchester Medical Center since July 10 have had a PCR…

By Erin Petenko/VTDigger The first wave of influenza in the spring of 1918 was easy on the world: It, too, was a novel virus, but as it spread through the armed forces, sickening young men, it killed a few and spared most. It turned out to be a “herald wave,” presaging the second wave, which had…

By Anne Wallace Allen/VTDigger Move-in day at Vermont’s college campuses will be a relatively somber event this year, as students sign contracts promising to practice Covid-19 safety measures, enter quarantine if they’ve come from afar, and prep for party-free socializing. State officials on Tuesday, July 7,  released Covid-19 safety guidelines for college campuses, much as the state has…

By Emma Cotton/VTDigger About 200 Rutland High School alumni, students and community members are drafting a petition calling on school officials to remove the name and arrowhead imagery of the school’s sports team, the Rutland Raiders. The group, led by RHS 2010 alumna Amanda Gokee, cites appropriation of Native American culture. Gokee, who identifies as Ojibwe,…

Artist/Activist Lopi LaRoe (a.k.a. LMNOPI) created a nearly four-story mural facing Rutland’s new Center Street Marketplace Park on the back wall of the former Strand Theater adjacent to Roots –The Restaurant. This new public artwork imagines a world where all children are nurtured and cherished equally, and it is dedicated to uplifting the Black, Indigenous,…

Staff report Green Mountain College in Poultney will be auctioned off on Aug. 18, according to Maltz Auctions of Central Islip, New York, who will preside over the sale. A press release from the company states that “a well-qualified, interested party” has placed a stalking-horse bid of $3 million for the property. So the auction…

By Katy Savage If you’re planning to go to Woodstock, don’t forget your face mask. The Woodstock Village Trustees and town Select Board have required masks both inside retail stores and in outdoor public spaces since July 9. The requirement is being enforced by the Woodstock Village Police, the health inspector and village parking attendants,…

ROCHESTER—The “quin-towns” of Granville, Hancock, Rochester, Pittsfield and Stockbridge celebrated this past 4th of July weekend with a new tradition — a reverse parade. Route 100 became the designated parade route, but instead of the floats passing the spectators, the displays and points of interest remained fixed, while the viewers drove by in their cars.…

PROCTOR—On Thursday, July 9, at approximately 3:18 a.m., troopers from the Vermont State Police – Rutland Barracks were assigned to a single vehicle crash with entrapment and ejection on West Street, in Proctor. Through investigation it was determined Gabe Capen, 21, from Pownal, was operating the vehicle, a 2000 Saab 93, traveling south on West…

UPDATE: Thursday, July 9 The Vermont State Police identified the Rutland City Police Officers present at the time of Wednesday’s shooting as: Cpl. Elias Anderson, seven years of service with Rutland City Police. Officer Tyler Billings, three years of service with Rutland City Police. Officer Nate Harvey, six years of service with Rutland City Police.…

Swimming holes in Vermont are renowned for their beauty and opportunity for adventure – thousands of people enjoy our swimming holes every year and depend on them as public gathering spaces to have fun and relax during the short Vermont summers. During the pandemic, with public pools and beaches closed, Vermonters need our swimming holes now more than…

Scott Howard, an enthusiastic and proud member of the Killington 100 Day Club, who had an incredible insatiable passion for skiing and golf, died June 25, 2020. He was 67. It is always so difficult losing a person who was such a special member of the Killington community, who had a love for the great outdoors.…

State urges residents to compost with bears in mind Staff report Many people are having problems with bears looking for food near their homes, according to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. With the new food scrap ban now in effect the department is providing tips for people who are composting at home so they…

By Polly Mikula Vermont businesses that have been hit hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic can now apply for up to $50,000 in emergency support. And some 2,300 businesses had as of 5 p.m. Monday, July 6, the first day the portals opened. The process received generally positive reviews on its first day, with wait times averaging…

By Brooke Geery Residents of Rutland have not had a local drive-in movie theater since the 1970s. On July 3, 2020, the classic movie format returned to the Marble Valley with a showing of the 1978 movie “Grease” at the Paramount Theatre’s new drive-in at the Vermont State Fairgrounds. The sold-out show welcomed 60 cars,…