Like so many other events in the age of COVID-19, the first Democratic gubernatorial debate of the 2020 campaign on May 11 got moved into the virtual realm.
For 90 minutes, former Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe, Bennington attorney Pat Winburn, and Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman discussed the issues and took viewer questions in an online forum presented by the Windham County Democratic Committee.
County Committee Chair John Hagen was the moderator, and the questions directed to the candidates covered health care, education, and economic development.
While all the candidates praised Republican Gov. Phil Scott in their opening statements for the job he has done in responding to the COVID-19 crisis, they also agreed that he is not the person who should be leading the state after the crisis passes.
Brattleboro taxes, utilities due May 15 BRATTLEBORO - The fourth installment of the 2019 real estate and personal property taxes and the utility billing will both be due on Friday,. May 15 by 5 p.m. Payments made after that date will incur an additional 1-percent interest, as well as...
Local, regional, and statewide partners have given Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA) funding to provide critical services to local residents who need help to alleviate the negative effects of COVID-19 and achieve or re-establish financial security, whether or not they were previously eligible for SEVCA's services. According to a...
Early and cautious estimates show the town ending the financial year in good health, despite the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 global pandemic. According to Town Manager Peter Elwell, it appears the municipality will close the fiscal year on June 30 with revenues and expenses approximately $500,000 below budgeted amounts. “I want to be really, really clear that everything that comes after this sentence comes with a really large asterisk attached to it,” said Elwell in an update on the...
Sandglass Theater has created 25 productions since its founding in 1982. Most of these were recorded for archival purposes. The local puppet theater company plans to release a few of the videos over the next few months, beginning with Isidor's Cheek, a family favorite by Ines Zeller Bass. Some of the recordings are better than others, although none is even close to the quality of a good high-definition multi-camera shoot that would be used for broadcast today. Nevertheless, these recordings...
Scott Farm's new general manager, Simon Renault, thinks in systems and sees the almost-300-year-old farm as an ecosystem charged with caring for the community that cares for it. “For me, it's all about relationships,” said Renault. “It's relationship with the self; it's relationship with nature, the outside, the soil; and it's relationship with the community. “So that's very much what I'm about - cultivating relationships,” he said. “I actually think it's at the core of sustainability.” Upheavals such as COVID-19...
Due to the current directive on social distancing from the state, the Community Center will remain closed to regular activities. However, coordinator John Marinelli continues to provide some services. Marinelli staffs the center are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from noon to 3 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon. He has set up a curbside protocol for people to purchase meat and eggs from Bonvue Farms. The center's food-to-go items are also available by donation. Typical fare includes vegetarian...
The COVID-19 pandemic has stressed many of Vermont's systems to the point of breaking. Yet, while the virus has disrupted the community and the economy, it has also spurred creativity. Thanks to a new partnership between the Vermont Community Foundation and the Vermont Foodbank, raw milk slated for disposal will instead be funneled to hungry households. As COVID-19 has disrupted supply chains and businesses across the country, changing how often, when, and from whom consumers buy their groceries, Vermont dairy...
Food assistance available to residentsDUMMERSTON - Dummerston Cares wants to make sure everyone knows that the Putney Foodshelf provides supplemental food to people in need, including residents of Dummerston. The Foodshelf is open on Saturdays, 9 to 11 a.m., for drive-up service at the Putney Community Center, 10 Christian Square. For more information check the Foodshelf website, putneyfoodslhelf.org, call 802-387-8551, or email Putneyfoodshelf@gmail.com. The Putney Foodshelf is a tax-exempt, tax-deductible non-profit organization and relies on donations and volunteers. Town seeks...
Obituaries • Deanna May (Quelch) Alexander, 51, of Londonderry. Died May 1, 2020 at her home, surrounded by family and friends. Deanna was born on April 11, 1969, in Springfield, Vt., to the late Gordon and Viola (Paul) Quelch; she was one of eight daughters. She attended schools in Springfield and graduated in 1987. She graduated from New England School of Hair Design in 1988. Deanna married John Alexander in 2000 but they had been partners in life for 25...
As weather begins to warm and people head outside for fresh air and exercise while remaining physically distant, Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) urges people to use caution when swimming, boating, or fishing in rivers. In addition to dangers posed by rivers swollen from spring rain and snowmelt, E. coli bacteria and coronavirus exposure from untreated sewage in rivers threaten people engaging in recreation. Luckily, the CRC said in a news release, “there's one easy thing to keep in mind that...
Opioid-related fatalities in the state have decreased for the first time since 2014, the Vermont Department of Health announced last week. Newly released preliminary data show a 15 percent decline in the number of deaths attributed to opioid misuse - down from 130 in 2018 to 111 in 2019. In a news release, Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said that the state's strategies to meet this public health challenge are making a difference, “but even a single death tied to...
The trustees of Marlboro Music have canceled the festival's 2020 season due to the COVID-19 outbreak. According to a news release, the trustees said “this decision was made to protect the health and safety of our musical community, our audiences, and our southern Vermont neighbors.” Trustees said this decision “was especially difficult because this was to be our 70th anniversary season. Every summer since 1951, we have formed an extended family of musicians, staff, spouses, and children from around the...
In the last two months, nearly every aspect of daily life has been altered in some way by the health crisis brought on by COVID-19. The Vermont Judiciary is no exception. Vermont courts, however, have made every effort to remain accessible to Vermonters while also balancing the need to protect the immediate health and safety of the public and the courthouse staff. To that end, the Vermont Supreme Court issued an administrative order that took effect on March 17. This...
In the two weeks since a new joint emergency relief fund for Vermont arts and cultural organizations was created, more than 100 museums, performing arts venues, libraries and other cultural centers have applied, collectively projecting an estimated $13.9 million shortfall due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first round of funding for the COVID-19 Cultural Relief Grant program awarded $195,000 in aid to 28 cultural organizations. The grants, jointly administered by the Vermont Arts Council and Vermont Humanities, provides $5,000 to...
Farms are slow businesses. An apple takes a season to grow, whether or not people are staying home during a pandemic. According to Scott Farm's general manager, Simon Renault, the COVID-19 crisis has affected only some parts of the farm's business. Most of the impact has been felt on the agritourism side of the business, he said. Because it closed down its reservation system early in the COVID-19 crisis, the hospitality and lodging-based Landmark Trust USA felt the hit sooner...
Time. Patience. Consistency. It's a trio of words that resurfaces for me frequently. Initially, they came to me when I asked one of my Army colleagues his secret for maximizing physical fitness. That was his answer, and I've found it increasingly applicable. Under quarantine, it's become a mantra. In late March, isolating with my family, I was struck by how unaffected I seemed to be. I ordinarily work from home, and I keep infrequent, even rare, social engagements. The biggest...
In what he called “in a way, not a difficult decision but a sad one,” State Rep. Nader Hashim, citing economic pressures, has announced that he will not seek reelection as one of the two lawmakers representing the Windham-4 district in Montpelier. In an announcement released on Facebook on Monday, the first-term Democrat said that he and family members have experienced the abrupt and unanticipated economic crunch that has accompanied the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. As a response, political newcomer Michelle...
It's as if spring didn't want to arrive. The skies still so gray; I watched snow flurries fall yesterday morning. From my apartment window, Mount Wantastiquet still looks brown. No signs of new green; only the old deep-green of scattered evergreens. And in the Harmony Parking Lot, the maples are absent of their annual tiny red buds. The late light does not match the empty, silent streets. Where are the kids running in the park? Where are the outside cafés...