By James Finn/VTDigger A requirement that laid-off workers must actively seek work if they want to qualify for unemployment benefits is being reinstated, Labor Commissioner Michael Harrington announced at Gov. Phil Scott’s press conference Tuesday, April 27. The work-search requirement was suspended after Covid-19 entered Vermont last March, battering the state’s economy. But now, with a…

By Seamus McAvoy/VTDigger Vermonters can expect a return to amusement rides, fried food and demolition derbies this summer, as most fairs plan a revival after a year off due to Covid-19, including the Vermont State Fair at the Rutland fairgrounds, which will celebrate its 175th anniversary Aug. 17-21 with two demolition derbies and a rodeo, among…

Revises outdoor mask guidance, moves to Step 2 of reopening plan By Polly Mikula On May 1 the state announced that it had hit the targeted vaccination threshold of 50–60% of all Vermonters and 60–70% of Vermonters 16-plus, triggering the planned move to Step 2 of the reopening plan, Vermont Forward. As of Tuesday, May…

Thursday, May 6 at 7 p.m.—VIRTUAL—Rutland Young Professionals and Castleton University’s Master of Business Administration program are co-hosting part two of the Managing in the Pandemic series this Thursday, May 6 from 7-8 p.m.  The event is free and open to all. For our second event, we’ll be joined by Eliza Leeper, mission and customer manager at Vermont…

Governor Phil Scott announced April 30 that as of May 1, masks will only be required outdoors in situations where a 6-foot distance cannot be maintained. Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD, said this change is based on science that shows the risk of transmission when outdoors is very small. “This is why, now when you’re…

Thursday, April 29—WHITE RIVER JUNCTION—This Thursday Vermont Everyone Eats, an innovative Covid-19 response program, is celebrating 1 million restaurant meals served to Vermonters experiencing food insecurity. The program was launched in August 2020 with an allocation of $5 million of the state’s Coronavirus Relief Fund contracted by the Agency of Commerce and Community Development to…

By Curt Peterson Some people aren’t fans of returning to full-time, in-class learning. Who they are may surprise you. But pro-reopening voices have echoed loudly across the country and state — nowhere, perhaps, more so than at the virtual National Safe School Reopening Summit on March 24.  First Lady Dr. Jill Biden said, “Classrooms are…

All adults 16-plus can sign up for a Covid-19 vaccine Staff report Vermont teens age 16-18 became eligible for vaccine signup early on Saturday, April 17 at 10 a.m. The full age band (including 19- to 29-year-olds) followed Monday, April 19 at 6 a.m. About 47,000 have registered, or 40% of that age group, said…

By Brett Yates The town of Mendon expects to receive $99,992.68 in aid from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the $1.9 trillion stimulus package signed on March 11 by President Biden. The first payment will occur within 60 days of the law’s enactment, followed by a second payment one year from that date. While…

Vermont will receive $ 104,438,131 from FEMA to support the state with emergency protective measures to store, handle, transport, distribute, and administer the Covid-19 vaccine in accordance with the state vaccination plan. These funds are being awarded to support the Vermont Agency of Human Services in order to address this immediate threat to life and…

Vermonters age 16, 17 and 18 can make their vaccine appointments starting Saturday (April 17) at 10 a.m.;  all Vermonters age 16 and up will be eligible on Monday, April 19, as was originally planned (but now at an earlier time — starting online at 6 a.m.), state officials announced at Friday’s press conference, April…

Pause ‘out of an abundance of caution’ will last through Friday By Polly Mikula UPDATE: Thursday, April 15:  Johnson & Johnson vaccine clinics cancelled through Friday, April 23 State officials announced Thursday that Vermont will follow the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and extend the pause on the Johnson & Johnson…

By Xander Landen and Kit Norton/VTDigger When Congress established the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) last year, the aim was to provide tax-free, forgivable loans to businesses to help them make payroll and stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. But now, the Vermont Legislature is looking to tax some of those emergency payouts. The state House and Senate came…

Funding from the American Rescue Plan is in addition to the state’s annual award of $3.4 million  Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced Monday, April 12, that Vermont has received more than $11 million in additional funding for affordable housing construction under the American Rescue Plan Act, through…

By Lola Duffort/VTDigger At the start of the pandemic, state and education officials worried that Covid-19 would be a financial catastrophe for the pre-K-12 system. Instead, the opposite happened. With three major federal relief packages approved by Congress since the start of the pandemic, schools in Vermont and the Agency of Education have been allocated a combined $566…