
Dr. Levine: Elders getting COVID-19 vaccines ‘helps us look ahead with hope’
Waterbury and Stowe each logged five new COVID-19 cases in the past week while thousands of older Vermonters have made appointments to get their first dose of the vaccine.
Vermont native charged with spreading misinformation, impeding right to vote
Prominent far-right Twitter troll Douglass Mackey, a Vermont native known online as “Ricky Vaughn,” was arrested Wednesday in West Palm Beach, Fla. He was charged with conspiring in a misinformation campaign aimed at Black voters during the 2016 presidential election.

Keeping a winter tradition: Mushing at Little River with October Siberians
Winter recreation is popular in Waterbury but a recent search for something beyond the ever-popular skiing, ice skating and sledding led to Little River State Park to see a niche sport that’s centuries old. This is the sport of dog sledding, otherwise known as mushing.

Fire at Stowe’s Trapp Lodge under investigation; admitted arsonist charged in federal court
Investigators are working to determine the cause of yet another pair of fires in Stowe just as the man who has admitted to setting eight fires in that community has now been charged in federal court.

2021 Town Meeting Day ballot coming into focus this week
The Town Meeting Day ballot that Waterbury voters will consider will come into focus this week as town and school officials finalize budgets and various special articles, and candidates register to run for a variety of local offices.

Next up for COVID vaccine: Vermonters 75+; Waterbury’s cases climb
State officials on Friday announced plans to begin vaccinating Vermonters aged 75 and older against COVID-19 just as new Vermont Department of Health data show another significant uptick in virus cases in Waterbury in the past week.

Supreme Court hears arguments in wrong-way crash murder case
MONTPELIER – The Vermont Supreme Court heard arguments this week in the appeal by a Williston man seeking to overturn his convictions on five counts of second degree murder after the wrong-way crash on Interstate 89 that killed five area teenagers in 2016.

In a rocky Zoom session, select board unites to adopt anti-racism declaration
Meeting on the evening of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Waterbury Select Board voted unanimously Monday to adopt an anti-racism declaration as an official statement of the town government.

COVID update: Local cases tick upward; next vaccines aimed at 75+; school sports scrimmages OK’d
As Vermont settles in to daily triple-digit increases in COVID-19 cases, the state’s top health official Friday forecasted that the pandemic’s total will surpass 10,000 cases by next week.

‘Town Meeting without the meeting’
Nearly a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, virtually every aspect of daily life has adapted to minimize spreading the virus and Town Meeting Day soon will be added to that list.

Arrest made in 8 Stowe arson fires
Security camera footage from yet another arson in Stowe on Jan. 7 led to the arrest this week of a 62-year-old man who confessed to setting eight fires in his community since March 2019.

Peaceful local alternative offered to counter possible armed protests ahead of inauguration
With tension running high after last week’s attack on the U.S. Capitol and warnings of armed protests in all 50 states ahead of the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration, Vermont’s law enforcement agencies are on alert going into this weekend.

Voicemail threat to Ben & Jerry’s gets state police response
State police responded to Ben & Jerry’s Waterbury ice cream factory last weekend after a threatening voicemail left at its scoop shop worried staff.

Waterbury’s indoor and outdoor rinks open with cautions, rules for skaters
A turn of the calendar and a recent “turn of the spigot” regarding Vermont state COVID-19 restrictions on winter recreation has managers of local indoor and outdoor skating rinks proceeding cautiously this week with opening their ice to the public.

Session begins: Governor delivers distanced address with pandemic, D.C. riot as a backdrop
Gov. Phil Scott on Thursday delivered his third inaugural address with a heavy focus on the impact COVID-19 has had on the state during much of the past year and a look ahead to how the state will recover.

Gov. Phil Scott’s inaugural address (transcript)
“My fellow Vermonters: Good evening. I’m honored to speak with you tonight, to have earned your trust through challenging times and to serve as Governor of the state I love.”

Lt. Gov. Molly Gray’s inaugural address (transcript)
Members of the Vermont Senate, distinguished guests and fellow Vermonters, good morning. I want to begin by thanking the people of Vermont for their faith and trust in me and for the privilege to serve our State.
New leadership to address senior center’s financial stability, transparency
For the Waterbury Area Senior Citizens Association, operational and financial challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic have only compounded growing worries about its management.

Gov. Scott temporarily eases gathering ban, encourages recreation, says youth sports may practice
With the Christmas and New Year’s holidays at hand, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott this week announced several steps to relax public health restrictions, but couched them in cautions regarding risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus.

No ticket lines: Vt. Tourism, Higher Ground team up for online concert series
The Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing has teamed up with Higher Ground Music to produce a special five-part virtual concert series through Jan. 16 featuring Vermont musicians alongside regional and national recording artists familiar to Vermont stages.