By Anne Wallace Allen/VTDigger When it comes to liquor purchases made in the first weeks of quarantine, Vermonters went for quantity over quality, buying more 1.75-liter bottles of inexpensive brands, and less of the artisanal spirits that have defined their purchasing habits in the past. Liquor sales from state stores increased by 14% in March over…

With all the sacrifices Vermonters are making to keep themselves and others healthy during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is taking extra steps to ensure that no one has to wonder if their water is safe to drink, according to an April 10 news release. DEC is working with drinking water…

The Vermont Department of Labor has implemented an alphabetized structure for the intake of weekly claims and inquiries based on the first letter of their last name.  The structure took effect on Sunday, April 12. The structure is: Sunday (everyone), Monday (A-E), Tuesday (F-L), Wednesday (M-R), Thursday (S-Z), and Friday (Everyone) Those with questions about…

By Art Woolf The state processed a record 16,474 claims for unemployment insurance for the week ending April 4, according to the weekly report, Thursday, April 9. The previous record was set two weeks prior when the state processed 14,700 applications. In a normal week, about 500 people apply. Since the economic shutdown began in mid-March,…

Legislation leads to unintended consequences By Anne Wallace Allen/VTDigger As he ponders a future where online orders are dropping and the opening of a new store in Connecticut has been delayed, Danforth Pewter CEO Bram Kleppner is also wrestling with another unexpected problem: Workers who leave their posts are eligible for more than $1,100 a week—…

Action hopes to expand the pool of care providers available during COVID-19 emergency Health care professionals can now quickly become temporarily licensed to provide care during the COVID-19 public health emergency, according to a news release April 13. Gov. Phil Scott signed Act 91 on March 31, granting emergency authority to expedite temporary licensure for…

By Kit Norton/VTDigger Days after dropping out of the presidential race, Sen. Bernie Sanders endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden in a campaign livestream discussion between the two men, Monday, April 13. “I’m asking every Democrat, I’m asking every independent, I’m asking a lot of Republicans to come together in this campaign to support your candidacy,…

By Sen. Alison Clarkson The Legislature’s priority focus during this unusual time is providing relief to Vermonters who face serious life challenges as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. As we are all discovering, a surprising number of the needs of everyday life are affected by having to “stay safe, stay home.”  From reducing people’s…

By Rep. Jim Harrison This past Friday, April 10, Governor Scott extended Vermont’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order until May 15. The extension was not a surprise given that he had been messaging for a week that an extension was likely. And when asked about returning activity to “normal,” he indicated it would be gradual,…

By Senator Dick McCormack The present policy of the state, per court order, is to allow physically present visitation between foster children and their natural parents, despite the COVID epidemic. I support a change in policy to require applicable families to honor the Governor’s isolation protocol, allowing for exceptions. My thinking is as follows: The…

Vermont’s Congressional delegation (Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders and Congressman Peter Welch) announced Thursday, April 9, that the state’s 11 federally qualified health centers received a total of $8.7 million for COVID-19 relief. This federal funding was provided to community health centers as a result of the CARES Act, the federal stimulus enacted last…

As the U.S. COVID-19 health crisis continues, many businesses, organizations, and schools adapt to utilizing temporary telework arrangements. Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns video conference app users of recent “Zoom-Bombing” where hijackers infiltrate the Zoom session. Zoom’s founder and CEO Eric Yuan said in a blog post Wednesday, April 1, that the company went from…

  Governor Phil Scott and the Agency of Education (AOE) announced Monday, April 6, a partnership with Vermont PBS to provide educational content to supplement remote learning for Vermont students and school districts during the COVID-19 outbreak. This initiative will give over 83,500 Vermont students access to free, high-quality educational resources via television broadcast and…

U.S. Senator and presidential candidate from Vermont Bernie Sanders announced the end of his presidential campaign on Wednesday, April 8. He sent the following email to his supporters:   I want to express to each of you my deep gratitude for helping to create an unprecedented grassroots political campaign that has had a profound impact…

By Rep. Jim Harrison, Bridgewater, Chittenden, Killington & Mendon In less than a month, our way of life has abruptly changed. The new (and hopefully very temporary) norm for many of us, is staying home where we may be working remotely, enjoying family time, helping children with their schoolwork, or catching up with spring cleaning…