Staff report Gov. Phil Scott and other state officials defended their controversial and “abrupt” shift in school policy for combatting Covid-19 in the governor’s weekly press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 11. As case numbers have hit record numbers with the omicron variant, Agency of Education Sec. Dan French sent school administrators a letter on Friday,…

Students and staff return to school closures, surging cases, expired tests, changing guidance, frustration By Peter D’Auria/VTDigger As students returned from the holiday break, some Vermont schools made it just three days before closing under the weight of Covid-19 cases. There were so many cases in the building which houses JFK Elementary as well as…

By Katy Savage An attempt to expand the Vermont Farmers Market Food Center on West Street in Rutland has uncovered a contamination problem in the air and soil. The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources sent current and former owners of the property a letter on Dec. 30 explaining they need to provide a corrective action…

By Katy Savage A Hartland dog is being called a hero after leading police officers to a serious crash on Interstate 91 in Hartford, where its owner was badly injured. The New Hampshire State Police and Lebanon Police Department responded to a report of a loose dog on Veterans Memorial Bridge on I-89 above the…

By Brooke Geery Mini Shred Madness took over Red’s Backyard at Killington Resort on Sunday, Jan. 9. The sickness was real, in the best way possible, as groms ages 4-13 got the chance to session the hike park with a little help from the Woodward Killington park crew, Killington Mountain School and Killington Snow Sports…

By Curt Peterson Near the end of a 2 -hour meeting Monday, Jan. 3, the Windsor Central Unified Union School District board passed a proposed $24.3 million budget for fiscal year 2023, reflecting 6.5% increase over last year’s budget. Two dissenting votes were cast by Bill Overbay (Pomfret) and Gwen Hagenbarth (Killington). Based on the…

By Katy Savage After some speculation, Woodstock Rep. Charlie Kimbell announced he’s running for lieutenant governor. Kimbell, 57, is the only candidate to officially announce his campaign for lieutenant governor. He said he made the decision to run after current Lt. Gov. Molly Gray announced her bid to succeed Rep. Peter Welch in Congress. Welch,…

86 Killington Resort employees test positive, Dec. 30 By Polly Mikula On Sunday and Monday, Jan. 2-3, hundreds lined up in to be tested in their vehicles at the former Killington Fire Station on Killington Road — 642 to be exact, according to Police Chief Whit Montgomery who was covering the event. An additional 250…

Additional recommendations added   On Dec. 30, the state of Vermont has adopted the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for Covid-19 isolation and quarantine, while adding an additional layer of protection. In addition to the CDC guidance, the Dept. of Health guidelines allow Vermonters to end isolation on the fifth day if…

Operation ‘Kits for Kids’ to make 87,000 kits available for K-12 students Governor Phil Scott announced Dec. 29 that parents and caregivers of Vermont’s K-12 children will be able to pick up one free rapid antigen test kit per student this week at sites around Vermont. The state is encouraging parents to use these kits…

By Ethan Weinstein When I first met Oke, he rolled up to the Mountain Times in his 90s Saab. I thought the sedan was a Porsche, black and angular. It looked like the past’s version of the future. Oke walked inside dressed in his usual: the straw hat he dons and doffs with neurotic regularity,…

State says Afghan refugees will start to resettle in Rutland over the next few weeks By Ethan Weinstein Several families of Afghan refugees will settle in Rutland next month, according to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI). USCRI has been coordinating with Rutland organizations, such as Rutland Welcomes and the school system, to…

By Polly Mikula New Year’s is a time to reflect on the previous year and celebrate the arrival of a new one. Last year at this time — about nine months into the pandemic when Covid case numbers were reaching (then) record highs — we were hopeful that the end of Covid was around the corner. Vaccines…

By Ethan Weinstein Amidst the year’s pandemic tumult, business is thriving in Rutland’s downtown. “We’re beginning to see a revived vibrancy,” said Lyle Jepson, executive director of the Chamber & Economic Development of the Rutland Region (CEDRR). “What’s exciting to me as someone who would call himself no longer young, is that there are young…

"In order to ensure that we can keep doing what we do into the New Year, we need to slow down the spread of Covid-19. With cases surging again in the Northeast, we are reinstating our indoor mask mandate," Killington Resort announced Dec. 26. "As of Dec. 27, 2021, masks will be required for everyone…