Mentor Vermont announced the recipients of the 2020-2021 Vermont mentoring grants on Dec. 30, which provide funding for youth mentoring programs throughout the state. This year, Mentor  Vermont awarded 24 grants, totaling $347,850, which will support over 100 new and existing program sites, and nearly 1,500 adult-to-youth mentor pairs in communities across Vermont. These grants…

Local schools participating include Woodstock Union High School, Harwood Union High School, West Rutland High School, Proctor High School, White River Valley High School and Thetford Academy The Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network recently received a $1,000 grant from the Vermont Community Foundation’s Spark Connecting Community grant program. The grant will help further the network’s mission…

The Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) invites the public to its monthly virtual series highlighting efforts to protect and restore water quality in Vermont. Efforts to improve water quality provide many additional benefits- protecting public health and safety, increasing flood resiliency, supporting outdoor recreation, and enhancing wildlife habitat. On Jan. 7 from 12-1 p.m., DEC’s Stormwater…

Student participation that exceeds the national average and overwhelming parent satisfaction with afterschool programs make Vermont a “Top 10 State for Afterschool,” according to a household survey commissioned by the Afterschool Alliance and released earlier this month. Nevertheless, unmet demand for programs – the percentage of Vermont parents who say they would enroll their child…

Attorney General T.J. Donovan joined a bipartisan coalition of 37 attorneys general in suing Google for anticompetitive conduct in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act on Dec. 17. The coalition alleges that Google illegally maintains its monopoly power over general search engines and related advertising markets through a series of anticompetitive exclusionary contracts…

A new analysis by Rewiring America shows that transitioning to 100% clean energy through electrification would save Vermont as much as $973 million in energy costs each year while dramatically reducing economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions. The Rewiring America Report, “No Place Like Home: Vermont. Saving money and creating jobs by electrifying America’s households,” by Dr.…

While operating in the U.S. 4th Fleet, USS Vermont (SSN-792) conducted anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercises with the Brazilian Navy Submarine Tupi (S30) and maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft. U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Todd Chapman hosted President Jair Bolsonaro, accompanied by Vice Adm. Daryl Caudle, Commander, U.S. Submarine Forces and other Brazilian Navy dignitaries for a…

The Vermont Dept. of Public Safety is continuing to accept public and stakeholder feedback on Vermont’s initiative to modernize policing across Vermont. The latest document available for public review is a draft Statewide Policy on Police Use of Force. The ongoing opportunity for comment and feedback is part of Governor Phil Scott’s Public Safety Reform…

By Lola Duffort/VTDigger Schools cannot ask students or parents about multihousehold gatherings, the Agency of Education announced just before Christmas, entirely reversing the state’s prior policy encouraging schools to do so. Gov. Phil Scott announced Tuesday, Dec. 22, he would slightly loosen prohibitions on multihousehold events over the holiday week, allowing Vermonters to gather with one trusted household…

Thanks to generous community support, the Vermont Foodbank is able to extend the Farmers to Families Food Box program into January and February, independent of the USDA. In partnership with the Abbey Group, Farmers to Families food boxes will continue to be available at multiple daily food distributions throughout the state through February. To keep…

By Amanda Gokee/VTDigger Demand for organic milk in Vermont has gone up during the pandemic, which is welcome news for organic farmers, particularly after a three-year period without growth in consumption. Cooperatives such as Organic Valley,  the largest farmer-owned organic cooperative in the United States, have responded by allowing some farmers to increase production. The cooperative…

By Emma Cotton/VTDigger Outdated internet services, exacerbated by the pandemic, have plagued residents in rural Rutland County towns. Now, a new feasibility study provides a path forward for them. Last spring, Meghan Hill, who teaches English at Fair Haven Grade School, taught classes remotely from her home in Benson, a community with no access to cable or…

In collaboration with the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Dept. of Public Service (PSD) conducts a regular survey of local heating fuel retailers in order to collect a sample of unit prices charged to Vermont customers. The Heating Fuel Price Survey (HFPS) is conducted weekly during the heating season, from October to March, and…

By Jim Harrison At this point, we generally have a good idea of what the major issues will be for the new legislative session. But this year is different in so many ways. At least the first two months will be conducted remotely (and potentially the entire session), which may make tackling complicated or contentious…

The U. S. Mint America the Beautiful (ATB) Quarters Program is a multi-year initiative to honor 56 national parks and other national sites in each state. Five new reverse designs have been released for the quarter coin each year beginning in 2010 and will continue through 2021. The America the Beautiful (ATB) Quarters are legal…