By Art Woolf The Vermont state labor department received 14,784 claims for unemployment for the week ending March 21. The huge spike in claims came in the wake of coronavirus-related layoffs. Michael Harrington, interim commissioner, told lawmakers Thursday, March 26, that the total number of claims — processed and unprocessed — is an all-time record. In…

By Polly Mikula After promoting a “Stay to Stay” pro-gram for the last two years and creating other incentives to get people to come to Vermont and relocate, Governor Phil Scott issued an executive order — and then an amendment strengthening that order —calling for visitors to, essentially, not visit. The Department of Tourism underscored…

By Erin Petenko and Xander Landen/VTDigger Vermont Gov. Phil Scott issued a “stay home” order on March 24 (effective March 25), then strengthened that order on March 30 with 14-day self-quarantining measures for those traveling in from outside the state. It’s the latest in a series of closures, bans and restrictions intended to keep people at home, away…

By Katy Savage As soon as area businesses were shut down due to coronavirus concerns, Pamela Martin started asking the community for help. Martin, who moved to Killington from New York three years ago, started a GoFundMe, called Killington Strong, to help businesses that closed and laid off service workers. Martin created the GoFundMe on…

By Lisa Lynn, VT Ski & Ride On the night of March 10, Jon Schaefer read an article about the spread of COVID-19. He turned off the lights and went to sleep. “Five minutes later, I woke up and knew what we had to do,” he said. Schaefer runs Berkshire East (the ski area in northwestern…

By Brooke Geery The old idiom about waiting until after Memorial Day to plant a garden here in Vermont, doesn’t have to apply if you start your garden indoors! In this uncertain world, there has never been a better time to get your hands dirty and plant a vegetable garden. Even minimal success will provide…

On Thursday afternoon, March 26, Governor Phil Scott directed schools to remain dismissed through the end of the 2019-2020 school year. Districts will close schools for in-person instruction and be required to implement continuity of learning plans for remote learning. This extends the Governor’s previous directive dismissing PreK-12 schools from March 18 to April 6.…

On Tuesday, March 24, Governor Phil Scott issued a “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order and directed the closure of in-person operations for all non-essential businesses. These restrictive measures are in place to minimize all unnecessary activities outside the home to slow the spread of this virus and protect the public. These actions were implemented in…

Photo by Paul Holmes: Hannah, Hanne and Margie cycled up Killington Road, skinned up Ramshead, then skied.   By Katy Savage Editor’s note: at press time Tuesday afternoon, Killington Resort updated its uphill travel policy on its website, stating simply “Uphill is closed for the season. Thank you for understanding.” The following story was writen…

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…

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…

By Colin Mein/VT Digger Gov. Phil Scott said on Wednesday that he has enlisted the help of senior aides in previous administrations to help lead the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Liz Miller, who was chief of staff to former Gov. Peter Shumlin, a Democrat, and Neale Lunderville, who was secretary of administration for…

By Curt Peterson As growth of COVID-19 is expected to be exponential, Gov. Phil Scott ordered all schools to close March 18 through at least April 6. “The orderly dismissal of schools is essential to support both the state’s response to COVID-19 and the needs of children and families across Vermont,” Gov. Phil Scott said.…

Staff report On Monday, March 16, Governor Phil Scott ordered an end to dine-in service at restaurants and bars starting 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 17. The day prior, Sunday, Scott ordered schools to close by Wednesday, and the day prior to that, Saturday, all ski areas in the state had announced they would closed, too.…