2022-01-06 E-Edition

Three Principals To Leave WRVSU

Schools To Begin Leadership Hunt

Three principals from two districts will be leaving the White River Valley Supervisory Union, which comprises eight member districts, at the end of the school year. Michael Livingston and Mark Blount, principals of Tunbridge and Chelsea schools, respectively, announced in a joint letter on December 7 that they would be leaving their schools. The next day, Reed McCracken, principal of […]

New COVID Dashboard

COVID test pickup dates took place in Rochester and Royalton on December 30 and 31. On December 30, WRVSU Supt. Jamie Kinnarney posted a letter online “to provide our community with an update on where things currently stand across the WRVSU in regards to COVID-19, and specifically, the omicron variant. We have and continue to align our COVID-19 protocols/procedures with […]

COVID-19 Complications Hound Area EMS Squads

Expenses, Recruiting Woes Amplified By Dragging Pandemic

Between high demand for personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning supplies, and longtime staffing challenges, area ambulance and emergency medical crews are feeling the pinch as the region settles in for the second winter amid the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Matthew Parrish of the White River Valley Ambulance (WRVA) service based in Bethel, the rising demand, and cost, of PPE and […]

Schools Adapt To Murky Guidelines

Districts Often Last To Learn About Changes In State Policy

Students returned to school this week, and once again the guidance for COVID-19 protocols has shifted. About halfway through the holiday break, administrators learned that state quarantine requirements would be changing again—namely quarantine time for those who test positive or are unvaccinated close contacts has been halved. “I think there’s a couple things going on that are leaving people unsettled,” […]

Caregiver Shortage Takes Toll On Seniors

Families Try To Juggle Life, Work, Elder Care

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wear on, health care providers of almost every field and background have seen new problems emerge or, in some cases, watched as longstanding issues grow more complicated and more challenging. Among these is the state’s chronic shortage of in-home caregivers—personnel who provide a range of household and personal services to seniors requiring additional assistance. […]

Garden Resolutions for the New Year


As we head into winter, you may find yourself thinking about the warmth of summer and getting back into the garden again. This daydreaming is a good opportunity to reflect on the past growing season and set goals for next year’s garden by making some New Year’s resolutions. Here’s some inspiration. • Spend time reflecting on the gardening season that […]

Rochester House Fire Considered ‘Suspicious’


A fire that burned a log home to the ground at 233 Bindrum Lane off Bethel Mountain Road in Rochester on Thursday, Dec. 30 has been deemed “suspicious” by the state fire marshal, according to Rochester Fire Chief Terry Severy. The house, which belonged to Jeremiah Bindrum, had also contained his recording studio. The Rochester Volunteer Fire Department was called […]

New Year, New Baby

Happy parents Skye Currier and Jordan Roberts welcomed their daughter, Carter Adele, on January 1, 2022 at 3:36 p.m. at Gifford Medical Center in Randolph. Little Carter was the first baby of the year born at Gifford. (Provided)

Weatherwise


Other than the sharp cold front last Sunday, which broke the mild pattern we were under last week, the temperature regime Tuesday through Saturday was rather mundane, with clouds and fog dominating and daytime highs in the 30s. Sunshine was limited as predicted last week; this was atypical year-end weather. The light rain and showers reduced our snow cover some […]