Like a good book or movie, characters develop as a part of the story. They slowly morph, change and reveal themselves. Sometimes, they change for the better and sometimes they don’t. More often than not, a certain situation in the plot brings an opportunity for that character to choose their path. This week may bring…

By Kevin Theissen Inflation is all over the news and affects all of us. This includes older Americans that rely on their Social Security benefits. It’s important to know how Social Security keeps up with inflation and how the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is calculated. Social Security is a source of predictable, inflation-adjusted lifetime income available…

By Dom Cioffi In the city where I grew up, Sears, Montgomery Wards, Grant's, and Ames department stores dominated the playing field in terms of retail options. These four “everything stores” covered most household needs, from clothing to lawn mowers to sporting equipment. But as the years passed, they all slowly disappeared. Some of this…

By Merisa Sherman In Japan, citizens of all kinds take pilgrimages to bless aspects of their lives. Business will travel to remote temples to have a monk bless their financial futures; old women will come, panting with each step, so they may have a blessing for their grandchildren; and the young come without knowledge, looking…

By Susan Shea Beneath the forest canopy, or overstory, of towering trees is a second layer of vegetation known as the understory. It is composed of shrubs, saplings, and understory trees that grow in the dappled shade of the overstory. One understory specialist is striped maple, a small tree that seldom grows more than 20…

By DJ Dave Hoffenberg You don’t want to miss Jacob Green, a new act coming to Jax Food & Games in Killington on Friday, May 20-21 at 9 p.m. They love him at the Public House in Quechee where he’ll be playing once a month, the next one being 6 p.m. Friday, May 27. Jacob…

RCHS would like to offer some helpful reminders of ways to keep your pets as safe as possible as it gets warmer. Open windows – As you start opening up your windows for a breeze, make sure your screens are in nice and tight, and be aware of pets, especially cats, that may jump or…

By Steve Faccio The life cycles of the three species of stream salamanders native to New England – northern two-lined, northern dusky, and spring – are closely tied to the small streams where they are found. All three species belong to the Plethodontidae family, which are lungless salamanders that breathe through their skin. Stream salamanders…

The Rutland County Humane Society (RCHS) would like pet owners to be aware of the risks of marijuana use. While marijuana may produce pleasurable affects in people, for pets, the substance can be dangerous and even lethal. Though marijuana use is not new, its use for recreational purposes is more recent, and the increased accessibility…

By Mary Ellen Shaw If you have been waiting for color in your gardens that time is here! It will only get better as the weeks move forward. The first blossoms we see are from bulb flowers. They offer wonderful and varied colors. They begin to pop up and bloom in April and continue into…

By Kevin Theissen It may turn out that 2022 ends as one of the most volatile years for bonds in many years. The Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index has been down nearly 10% this year. The downturn in the bond market has challenged conservative investors and a widely held belief that bonds are “safe” investments.…

By Merissa Sherman I was at a bonfire party, staring at the beautiful clear sky. The stars were starting to come out, just a little twinkling and the wind had noticeably evaporated. It was weird, and almost unnoticeable except for the fact that the wind hadn’t stopped roaring for the entire month of April. And…

By Dom Cioffi When we look back on the “Great Pandemic of the 2020s,” we’ll undoubtedly remember it as a two-year halt to normality. There’s no doubt that things got weird on multiple fronts once Covid-19 entered the picture. From politics to religion to healthcare to education to sports, it seems like every facet of…

By Sandra Dee Owens Once upon a time, I was 52 years old. One morning, as I bent over to sock a raised foot, I noticed I was less steady than the day before. And just like that, I felt a new and lesser level of balance try to insert itself into my life. I…

Did you know that the Rutland County Humane Society (RCHS) offers a “Spay The Mom” program? Even better, the program is simple and free! If you’re a Rutland County resident, and have a mom dog or cat with babies, you can bring the whole litter of kittens or puppies to us! In exchange, RCHS will…