By Katy Savage Gov. Phil Scott addressed the healthcare crisis on Wednesday, April 6 in front of a crowd of about 100 people during the Rutland Regional Medical Center’s annual meeting at the Paramount Theatre. Scott praised the staff at […]
Tag: pandemic
Businesses offer housing incentives to attract workers
By Katy Savage Like most business owners, Chris Karr has struggled to find employees in the aftermath of the pandemic. Karr, the owner of six restaurants in Killington, usually employs up to 150 people in the peak season, but when […]
School district’s respond to new guidance, many are ready to ditch masks, mandates
By Peter D’Auria/VTDigger and Polly Mikula When Vermont Gov. Phil Scott announced that the state would no longer recommend that students wear masks in schools after March 14, a variety of responses flooded through school districts and communities. Among about 50 […]
Old fashioned hobbies
By Mary Ellen Shaw We pretty much know that in this day and age “screen time” takes up a good portion of a person’s day…even in their spare time. But how did people spend their free time back in yesteryear? […]
Pandemic spurs short-term rental market bed nights increase, but so do full-time residents
By Katy Savage Since the pandemic started, an influx of people from cities have come to small Vermont towns, and while housing inventory is low, the short-term rental market is busier than ever. Guests are staying longer, they’re booking further […]
The “new norm” is not a return to the past
What citizens, workers have learned in the pandemic and what it means By Kevin Ellis Editor’s note: Kevin Ellis, a partner in Ellis Mills, a communications consulting firm in Montpelier. We are not returning to normal. Almost two years since […]
Downtown Rutland businesses begin to emerge from pandemic economy
By Tom Kearney/VTDigger Ibjar Meneses wasn’t expecting to open a brick-and-mortar business downtown during the pandemic. He started selling tamales out of a local church where he volunteers, and when locals started asking if he also made tacos or enchiladas, he […]
The Mary Jane letter
By Rep. Jim Harrison A clear sign we are entering the final days of the 2021 session was the initial meeting on Friday, May 7, of the House-Senate budget conference committee. When the budget is done, the Legislature is done. […]
Work-search requirement reinstated May 9 for people seeking unemployment benefits
By James Finn/VTDigger A requirement that laid-off workers must actively seek work if they want to qualify for unemployment benefits is being reinstated, Labor Commissioner Michael Harrington announced at Gov. Phil Scott’s press conference Tuesday, April 27. The work-search requirement was […]
‘Once-in-a-generation opportunity’: Covid relief brings half-billion to Vermont schools
By Lola Duffort/VTDigger At the start of the pandemic, state and education officials worried that Covid-19 would be a financial catastrophe for the pre-K-12 system. Instead, the opposite happened. With three major federal relief packages approved by Congress since the start of the […]