MONTPELIER—Vermont officials said in a Dec. 28 press conference that the state expects an increase in COVID-19 cases due to holiday gatherings and the omicron variant. The omicron variant, a relatively new mutation of the coronavirus, was first identified in South Africa in November, and is more contagious than previous variants. It has already been […]
ORFORD—At the Orford Selectboard meeting on Dec. 22, a proposal to purchase property was an item being considered as a warrant article for the March 2022 town meeting agenda. Looking ahead to Orford’s future growth, the selectboard is putting forth a plan to purchase a property rich with sand to meet the town’s current and […]
NEWBURY—An overnight fire destroyed the Sillycow Farms building in the Newbury Industrial Park. “We’re in crisis mode right now,” said Sillycow Farms CEO Keith Lemnios on Tuesday afternoon. There were no injuries. Nobody was working inside the building at the time of the fire, but Lemnios said the fire came at the worst time of […]
FAIRLEE—The Fairlee Selectboard opted against a mask mandate after discussion on Monday night. Instead, town officials said they will recommend that businesses ask patrons and employees to wear a mask in public indoor settings. After a special legislative session in November, Gov. Phil Scott signed a law permitting municipalities to require face coverings and masks […]
EAST TOPSHAM—Abby Driscoll, daughter of Steve and Deb Smith, grew up around cows and spent hours in the barn alongside her father. As she grew, so did her herd of 20 cows that she would one day relocate from Vermont to Florida. It all began a little over 20 years ago when, at milking time, […]
VERSHIRE—After decades of study and funding uncertainty, the long-awaited cleanup of the Ely Mine appears to be closer . Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that $1 billion in funding from the first distribution of the infrastructure bill signed into law by President Biden in November will be used to clear the backlog […]
WOODSVILLE—Haverhill Cooperative School Board members repealed its targeted masking policy on Monday night, opting instead to recommend that students wear masks on the three district campuses. Board members voted 3-2 after wrestling with the wording on several motions. The new policy went into immediate effect on Dec. 14.
NEWBURY—An Upper Valley company wants to turn the former Newman Lumber Mill in the Newbury Industrial Park into a wood pellet plant. The Newbury Development Review Board will hold a public hearing later this month on the proposal by PK Wood Pellet.
BRADFORD—A survey conducted earlier this year found that Bradford and Newbury residents like the small class sizes and dedicated teachers in its public schools while lamenting their high cost and lack of communication. The survey results were shared on Dec. 8 in a Zoom presentation by the Oxbow Unified Union School District’s strategic planning committee.
BRADFORD—It is a long way off and nothing is set in stone, but the Bradford Selectboard signed off on a plan to develop a public dog park on Memorial Field last week. The board approved a preliminary proposal to develop a dog park on an unused northeast section of Memorial Field near Bugbee Landing. The […]