By Brooke Geery With life upended for everyone in the world, it’s important to stay positive and look for whatever rays of sunshine may come. Things may not be perfect, but they’re definitely going to get better eventually. In the meantime, be thankful for what you have. Here are 10 bright sides, or silver linings,…

Staff report Now you can have an alcoholic beverage with your takeout meal. Gov. Phil Scott signed an executive order Thursday, March 19, that allows restaurants to provide “to-go” orders of cocktails, beer and wine. Restaurants can also deliver those drinks. The order also allows licensed retail stores to deliver beer, wine and liquor (including cocktails). The…

By Anne Wallace Allen/VTDigger BRANDON — Faced with the loss of their standard food deliveries from New York City as a result of COVID-19, the owners of Li’s Chinese decided to cook the ingredients they did have and give the meals away for free Tuesday before closing their restaurant altogether. “Lunch is on us today!” the…

Local businesses that benefit from events and the recreational opportunities here in central Vermont, are a big part of the Mountain Times. Our pages are typically chock-full of photos and news related to the ongoings throughout our region — many of which happen at Killington, Pico and Okemo Mountains this time of year. However, due to…

By Xander Landen/VTDigger Gov. Phil Scott announced Monday, March 23, that the state has pushed back tax deadlines for businesses and individual Vermonters, in an effort to provide economic relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Scott administration also announced that businesses would not need to pay meals and rooms or sales and use tax “until further…

By Anne Galloway/VTDigger and Polly Mikula As the nation, and the region, faces a dearth of personal protective equipment for health care providers in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, volunteers and small local companies are stepping up to fill the void. Jillian Bradley, co-owner of the Barnard General Store, posted the following message to the…

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 grow exponentially By Polly Mikula On Monday, March 23, Mayor David Allaire declared a state of emergency for Rutland. The move gives him greater unilateral power to take action and move quicker to ensure the safety of Rutland City residents. While Allaire made no indication that he planned to use the…

By Xander Landen/ VTdigger Gov. Phil Scott announced Monday that the state has pushed back tax deadlines for businesses and individual Vermonters, in an effort to provide economic relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Scott administration said in a news release that businesses would not need to pay meals and rooms or sales and use…

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Gov. Phil Scott announced that two Vermonters who had tested positive for COVID-19 died on Thursday, March 19. The cause of death has yet to be determined. Health Commissioner Mark Levine estimated the number of cases of people with coronavirus are in the 20s.    

By Kit Norton/VTDigger As the spread of the coronavirus forces more Vermonters to apply for unemployment insurance, Senate lawmakers on Wednesday, March 18, began discussions on how to expand eligibility for benefits. Legislation passed by the House last week, H.681, would ensure that employees who are forced to take leave related to COVID-19 are eligible for benefits, but would…

Healthcare workers have such a need for facemasks that the the Agency of Commerce and Community Development is reaching out to manufacturers and construction companies with a supply of N95 facemasks to consider assisting in the state’s response to the COVID-19 virus by making these masks available to healthcare providers immediately. N95 facemasks are a…

DMV to close  -The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will suspend all in-person transactions effective 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, to reduce the risk and spread of COVID-19. The DMV will continue to process registration and license renewals and various other services online, by mail, or via telephone. In-person transactions that cannot be…

With any health care crisis, it’s sometimes difficult to separate the truth about what’s causing the crisis from the myths and conspiracies that are spread by misinformation. Here’s a rundown of some of the myths, and the medical facts as they are known today. This list was compiled by the newsletter Medical News Today: The…

What COVID-19 and oil prices mean for your retirement account By Patrick M. McGinn As of last week, major market indices in the Americas, Asia and Europe have fallen more than 20% from recent historical highs. Globally declining investor sentiment and increasing pessimism have contributed to some of the sharpest intraday trading losses since 1987.…