2023-02-09 E-Edition

What Goes Into Your Tax Rate?

Complicated Calculations Add Up to Taxes

Before voters on Town Meeting Day say “yes” or “no” to proposed local and education taxes for the coming year, the numbers they see on the agenda go through a labyrinth. On the surface, with everything going right, it seems simple. First officials look at past budgets and see where expenses exceeded previous limits. Maybe a harsh winter required more […]

RUHS Among Vt. Schools Hit by Hoax Threat

Police Respond To 20+ Schools Over False Reports

Randolph Union High School was one of at least 21 schools across Vermont that were part of a hoax in which reports of active shooters sent law enforcement scurrying to schools Wednesday morning. As has happened in New Hampshire and Maine in recent months, the calls were made to police departments who scrambled to find there were no problems at […]

New O.C. Sheriff Finds Disarray

FREE Staff, Budget Shortages Abound

When George Contois took office Feb. 1 as sheriff he found what remains of the Orange County Sheriff Department in tatters. The newly elected sheriff said he feels like he’s been set up to fail, with no transition into the position and left with hardly any resources to run a sheriff department. As rumors and published reports have promised since […]

Randolph Looks To Rebuild Police Dept.

Sheriff Pulls Out Of Contract For Lack of Deputies

Suffering from a lack of staff, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department pulled out of its 120-hour-perweek patrol contract with the town of Randolph this week. Now, the town is looking to establish its own police department to fill the void, bringing on staff “as early as Monday,” according to Trini Brassard, the town’s selectboard chair. “It’s not going to take […]

Gifford to Vt. Legislature: Workforce, Safety Key Concerns


Last week, Gifford Health Care’s Ashley Lincoln, the vice president of development and public relations, sent out a missive to legislators summarizing some of the organization’s concerns and highlighting key pieces of legislation after a meeting with legislators in January was called off due to inclement weather. This year Gifford’s list of concerns includes problems with workforce availability, threats of […]

VLGS Panel Highlights Justice Reform Push


Students and community members packed into Vermont Law and Graduate School’s (VLGS) Chase Center for a screening of the documentary film “To Be Fair: Sarah Fair George and the Fight for Justice in Vermont” about the contested Chittenden County State’s Attorney race in 2022. The event painted the race between old-guard, “tough-on-crime” candidate Ted Kinney, and progressive Sarah George as […]

House Bill Would Give Leave for Sexual, Domestic Violence Recovery


House Democrats’ latest push for a paid leave bill comes with a new addition: It would provide paid time off for people experiencing sexual or domestic violence. The bill, H.66, would require employers to offer paid leave, separate from the traditional categories of medical and family leave, for survivors of sexual or domestic abuse. That would allow survivors or their […]

Water Boatmen: Aquatic Insects Foraging Beneath the Vermont Ice

The Outside Story

If you get a chance this winter, take a peek through the icy window of a pond surface. You may see water boatmen (order Hemiptera: Family Corixidae) clinging to the pond floor. Long oarlike hind legs propel these insects, inspiring their common name. Shorter, scoop-like front legs are used for feeding and singing. This largest aquatic family of true bugs […]

RSUD School Board Discusses Financial Reports, Tuition Rate

The Rochester-Stockbridge Unified District School Board held a regular meeting Monday, Jan. 2 at the Rochester Campus and via Google Meet. Amy Wildt was appointed board chair, with Bill Edgerton as vice chair, and Patrick Hudson as a WRVSU full board member. The minutes of the previous regular meeting held Thursday, Dec. 8 were approved. The board and administration discussed […]