Mountain Times - Volume 49, Number 14: April 1-7, 2020
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M<br />
MOU NTA I N TI M E S<br />
<strong>Volume</strong> <strong>49</strong>, <strong>Number</strong> <strong>14</strong> Your community free press — really, it’s FREE! <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong><br />
Behind the jokes<br />
Pranks, practical jokes<br />
and various goofs are<br />
Hallmarks of <strong>April</strong> 1st,<br />
<strong>April</strong> Fools’ Day — a<br />
tradition that dates<br />
back several centuries.<br />
Media has been a<br />
prime vehicle for some<br />
<strong>April</strong> tomfoolery over<br />
the years, too. Here are<br />
a few favorites:<br />
In 1957, the BBC told<br />
viewers there was a<br />
great spaghetti crop in<br />
Switzerland that year<br />
due to the disappearance<br />
of the spaghetti<br />
weevil.<br />
Goggles For Docs, a idea<br />
that sparked a solution<br />
By Lisa Lynn, VT Ski & Ride<br />
On the night of March 10, Jon Schaefer read<br />
an article about the spread of COVID-19. He<br />
turned off the lights and went to sleep. “Five<br />
minutes later, I woke up and knew what we had to<br />
do,” he said.<br />
Schaefer runs Berkshire East (the ski area in northwestern<br />
Massachusetts that his family has owned or<br />
operated since 1977) and Catamount, a neighboring<br />
ski area. He shut them both down on March 12. They<br />
were the first ski areas to close in the Northeast and,<br />
possibly, the country, due to the pandemic.<br />
Schaefer said, “I’d been talking with a friend of<br />
mine who is the anesthesiologist who intubated the<br />
first person to be diagnosed with coronavirus in Vermont. My<br />
wife is a physician’s assistant at Berkshire East Medical Center.<br />
I knew it was the right thing to do.”<br />
This past Friday, March 27, another light bulb went off. “A<br />
friend who is a physician in New York emailed me asking for ski<br />
goggles for the health care workers there. That email went out<br />
to six of us,” he said. “Within 20 minutes, I was getting that<br />
Goggles > 27<br />
$2 trillion coronavirus<br />
relief package is passed,<br />
Leahy secured $2 billion<br />
for Vermont<br />
Legislation includes small business<br />
aid, direct payments to individuals and<br />
increased unemployment compensation<br />
Staff report<br />
President Trump<br />
signed a $2 trillion<br />
economic stimulus bill<br />
Friday afternoon, March<br />
27, after the House passed<br />
it earlier that day. The<br />
package provides aid to<br />
help individuals, families,<br />
small businesses and<br />
hospitals mitigate the<br />
impact of the coronavirus<br />
pandemic.<br />
“This bill will quickly<br />
provide much needed<br />
assistance to families who<br />
are struggling to make<br />
ends meet, small businesses<br />
trying to figure out<br />
how to keep the lights on,<br />
and our medical providers<br />
who are caring for our<br />
loved ones and neighbors,”<br />
said U.S. Representative<br />
Peter Welch. “We<br />
have more work to do to<br />
pull us out of this unprec-<br />
Relief > 10<br />
National Public Radio<br />
did a piece on how<br />
Richard Nixon was going<br />
to run for president<br />
in the 1992 race and<br />
used a voice of a man<br />
who sounded like him.<br />
Many were outraged.<br />
The popular dating app<br />
Tinder a few years ago<br />
announced they put<br />
an end to men lying<br />
about their height with<br />
a “height verification<br />
feature.”<br />
In 2016 National Geographic<br />
got in on the<br />
fun by announcing “the<br />
media group will no<br />
longer degrade animals<br />
by showing photos of<br />
them without clothes.”<br />
Those who clicked saw<br />
“<strong>April</strong> Fools” and photos<br />
of adorably dressed<br />
puppies and kittens.<br />
This <strong>April</strong> Fools’ Day<br />
have some lighthearted<br />
fun and make someone<br />
laugh.<br />
Scott strengthens executive order on travel<br />
Calls for <strong>14</strong>-day home-quarantine for anyone coming from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut<br />
On Monday, March 30, Governor Phil Scott<br />
ordered additional restrictions on travelers<br />
arriving in Vermont and announced additional<br />
guidance for the lodging industry to enhance<br />
compliance with his “Stay Home, Stay Safe”<br />
order.<br />
The measures under the order, effective<br />
March 25, were implemented in consultation<br />
with the Commissioner of the Vermont Department<br />
of Health to minimize all unnecessary<br />
activities outside the home to slow the spread of<br />
the COVID-19 virus and protect the public.<br />
Monday, Governor Scott took additional<br />
action to encourage compliance with newly<br />
released CDC guidance around interstate travel<br />
from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut,<br />
which advised residents of those states to refrain<br />
from non-essential domestic travel for <strong>14</strong> days.<br />
K-12 and state colleges<br />
will not resume this spring<br />
Castleton University cancels graduation<br />
Staff report<br />
On Thursday afternoon, March 26, Governor Phil Scott directed schools to remain<br />
dismissed through the end of the 2019-<strong>2020</strong> school year. K-12 schools will stay closed for<br />
in-person instruction and be required to implement continuity of learning plans for remote<br />
learning. This extends the governor’s previous directive dismissing preK-12 schools from<br />
March 18 to <strong>April</strong> 6.<br />
This decision was made in consultation with the Vermont Department of Health and the<br />
Agency of Education in the continued effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. To minimize<br />
disruption to students’ learning, the governor’s order directs school districts to come up with<br />
plans for distance learning by <strong>April</strong> 13.<br />
“The education of our students and the bonding and learning experiences they have at<br />
schools are tremendously important, so I fully appreciate the impact and difficulty of this<br />
decision,” said Governor Phil Scott. “I also recognize it will be challenging for some schools to<br />
implement remote learning through the end of the year. But I’m encouraged by the creativity<br />
I’ve seen from administrators, educators and parents already, which is why I know, together,<br />
they can rise to the occasion.”<br />
Two days prior, Vermont State College System Chancellor Jeb Spaulding wrote a letter to<br />
students, on March 24, stating that Castleton State University, Northern Vermont University<br />
and Vermont Technical College will not resume on-site classes in <strong>April</strong>, as originally planned,<br />
Schools close > 10<br />
In light of the significant risk posed by the<br />
further spread of this dangerous virus to Vermonters<br />
and the viability of Vermont’s health<br />
care system, this new order directs residents and<br />
non-residents coming from outside the state<br />
for anything other than an essential purpose<br />
to home-quarantine for <strong>14</strong> days and strongly<br />
discourages travel to Vermont by those located<br />
in COVID-19 “hot spots.” Details and exemp-<br />
Travel order > 5<br />
Good<br />
news?<br />
While Vermont<br />
continues to see<br />
more coronavirus<br />
cases each day, the exponential<br />
growth is rate<br />
is not as steep as some had<br />
feared. Experts expect social<br />
distancing will continue to<br />
work and broader testing will<br />
allow contact-tracing, which<br />
will help identify those who<br />
may be contagious.<br />
For daily local news<br />
about the pandemic<br />
in Vermont visit<br />
mountaintimes.info.<br />
Courtesy of the Vermont Department of Health
2 • The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong><br />
thebus.com<br />
802.773.3244<br />
MVRTV<br />
PRESS RELEASE - FOR<br />
IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />
MARCH 23, <strong>2020</strong><br />
Rutland, VT – Due to the rapidly changing COVID-19 pandemic,<br />
please see below for changes in service effective Tuesday,<br />
March 24, <strong>2020</strong>.<br />
Commuter Routes<br />
Fair Haven Route: 5:30am and 3:30pm running. Monday through Sunday. All<br />
other runs suspended.<br />
Fair Haven Expansion: 7:40pm running. No weekend service. All other runs<br />
suspended.<br />
Ludlow Route: 7:00am and 4:00pm running. No weekend service. All other<br />
runs suspended.<br />
Manchester Route: 6:30am and 3:00pm running. Monday through Saturday.<br />
All other runs suspended.<br />
Middlebury Connector: 5:30am and 4:15pm running. No weekend service. All<br />
other runs suspended.<br />
Proctor Route: 8:00am and 4:30pm running. Monday through Friday. All other<br />
runs suspended.<br />
City Fixed Routes<br />
North Route: Beginning at 8:30am and will run hourly. The last run of the day<br />
will leave the Transit Center at 4:30pm. All city fixed will be shutting down from<br />
12:00pm to 1:00pm daily. Monday through Saturday.<br />
South Route: Beginning at 8:00am and will run hourly. The last run of the day<br />
will leave the Transit Center at 4:00pm. All city fixed will be shutting down from<br />
12:00pm to 1:00pm daily. Monday through Saturday.<br />
Hospital Route: Beginning at 8:00am and will run every half hour. The last run<br />
of the day will leave Transit Center at 4:30pm. All city fixed will be shutting<br />
down from 12:00pm to 1:00pm daily. Monday through Saturday.<br />
West Route: Beginning at 8:30am and will run hourly. The last run of the day<br />
will leave the Transit Center at 4:30pm. All city fixed will be shutting down from<br />
12:00pm to 1:00pm daily. Monday through Saturday.<br />
South Extension: Beginning at 8:00am and will run hourly. The last run of the<br />
day will leave the Transit Center at 4:00pm. All city fixed will be shutting down<br />
from 12:00pm to 1:00pm daily. Monday through Saturday.<br />
Rutland Killington Commuter: 9:15am, 11:15am, 3:15pm and 5:15pm running.<br />
All other runs suspended. Monday through Sunday.<br />
Transit Center:<br />
Due to being fare free and no<br />
need to purchase passes, the<br />
gate will be closed and there<br />
will not be any staff available.<br />
If you have any questions,<br />
please call 773-3244 ext. 117.<br />
GoFundMe launched to help<br />
small businesses, employees<br />
By Katy Savage<br />
As soon as area businesses were shut<br />
down due to coronavirus concerns, Pamela<br />
Martin started asking the community for<br />
help.<br />
Martin, who moved to Killington from<br />
New York three years ago, started a Go-<br />
FundMe, called Killington Strong, to help<br />
businesses that closed and laid off service<br />
workers.<br />
Martin created the GoFundMe on March<br />
21. By Monday, March 30, about 50 people<br />
had donated close to $4,000.<br />
“I was beyond<br />
surprised,” Martin<br />
said. “The first<br />
day we hit $1,000,<br />
the third day we<br />
hit $3,000.”<br />
Martin said she was inspired after she<br />
saw Killington Resort giving two tractor<br />
trailers full of food on March 17 and 18 to<br />
employees who had been laid off.<br />
“In my mind’s eye, I can still see the<br />
picture of [resort president] Mike Solimano,<br />
surgical mask over his face, standing outside<br />
on a raw day handing out that food,”<br />
Martin said. “That provided the basis of my<br />
idea and it definitely helped inspire me.”<br />
Martin said people from all over the<br />
valley and those who don’t live in the community<br />
but consider Killington home have<br />
donated.<br />
People from several organizations,<br />
including the Killington Pico Area Association,<br />
Killington Rotary Club, Sherburne Memorial<br />
Library and Church of Our Saviour<br />
at Mission Farm met on a conference call<br />
on Monday to come up with a distribution<br />
plan for the funds.<br />
Mike Coppinger, who is president of the<br />
KPAA and the rotary club, said the group<br />
decided to give the funds to the Rotary Club<br />
to later distribute.<br />
Coppinger estimated more than 400<br />
people in the area have been laid off from<br />
work. “This whole pandemic has totally<br />
changed the landscape,” Coppinger said.<br />
He said people who were never food insecure<br />
in the past are now. Coppinger said<br />
many people have come to him looking for<br />
ways to help.<br />
“What Pam has done is remarkable in,<br />
honestly, a very short amount of time,” he<br />
said.<br />
Nate Freund, the owner of Sushi Yoshi,<br />
immediately got involved in the GoFund-<br />
Me.<br />
“We’re going to use it for a few different<br />
things—one will be a social media contest<br />
to win gift cards to local businesses,”<br />
Freund said.<br />
“It’s going to help people in<br />
Part of the<br />
money will also<br />
the community who got laid<br />
go to local food<br />
off get a meal,” Freund said. shelves so service<br />
workers can get<br />
meals. Freund said the details of the plans<br />
were still being worked out.<br />
“It’s going to help people in the community<br />
who got laid off get a meal,” Freund<br />
said.<br />
Freund, who has three restaurant locations<br />
in Killington, Stowe and New York,<br />
said he’s been taking 5-20 take-out orders a<br />
day in Killington, but that number of take<br />
out-orders doesn’t come close to matching<br />
his expenses. He said he’s lost about 90% of<br />
the business he would usually see this time<br />
of year, but his expenses haven’t changed.<br />
“It’s a big building,” he said.<br />
It’s unclear when businesses will be able<br />
to reopen again. On Sunday, March 29,<br />
President Donald Trump extended social<br />
distancing guidelines, limiting groups to<br />
10 people through the end of <strong>April</strong> and said<br />
the guidelines could be extended further<br />
through the end of May. Vermont Governor<br />
Phil Scott ordered all non-essential businesses<br />
in Vermont to close and everyone<br />
was ordered to “stay home, stay safe,” on<br />
March 25 until at least <strong>April</strong> 15. A similar<br />
order is in effect in New Hampshire until<br />
May 4.<br />
Martin said all the money donated<br />
through the GoFundMe will stay within the<br />
Killington community.<br />
G.E. Aviation in Rutland is<br />
supporting two employees who<br />
tested positive for COVID-19<br />
By Ed Larson<br />
In an update to employees, released March 26, General Electric stated it is supporting<br />
two employees at Plant #1 who have tested positive for COVID-19. G.E. indicated<br />
in the update that the company could not identify the employees involved or discuss<br />
specifics of their conditions due to privacy laws.<br />
The plant had been closed for cleaning but reopened on Thursday, March 26 — one<br />
day later than originally planned.<br />
G.E. indicated it was partnering with public health officials on contact tracing and<br />
notification of “impacted people” at the site. G.E. added that it is contacting employees<br />
who had close contact with these employees and are asking them to self-quarantine.<br />
The action being taken in conjunction with public health officials and is consistent<br />
with G.E. guidance.<br />
Employees were advised that a deep cleaning and disinfection of the impacted areas<br />
of the facility was completed using cleaning protocols defined by the U.S. Centers<br />
for Disease Control.
The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong> • 3<br />
How does Vermont’s COVID-19 response compare to other states?<br />
By Erin Petenko and Xander Landen/VTDigger<br />
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott issued a “stay home” order on<br />
March 24 (effective March 25), then strengthened that order<br />
on March 30 with <strong>14</strong>-day self-quarantining measures<br />
for those traveling in from outside the state. It’s the latest<br />
in a series of closures, bans and restrictions intended to<br />
keep people at home, away from the risk of spreading<br />
COVID-19.<br />
He’s not the only governor taking strong action to combat<br />
the epidemic.<br />
Every state in New England has imposed rules on the<br />
size of gatherings and limited restaurant use. Deeper<br />
analysis has found that on the whole, Vermont timed its<br />
increasing closures at the same time or earlier than its<br />
neighbors.<br />
In many cases, Vermont announced changes on the<br />
same day as New Hampshire.<br />
Both declared a state of emergency on March 13, closed<br />
public schools on March 15, and limited the size of gatherings<br />
on March 16.<br />
Then, the Green <strong>Mountain</strong> State’s stay-at-home order<br />
came two days earlier than the Granite State. Compared<br />
to the date of both states’ first cases, Vermont was ahead<br />
in taking action — borrowing from the steps that states<br />
further along in their outbreaks had taken.<br />
Both Vermont and New Hampshire were faster in taking<br />
action than Massachusetts, where cases had appeared<br />
far earlier. It was one of the first states to report cases in<br />
February.<br />
“The beauty of our federal system is that each state can<br />
take action without necessarily endangering the actions<br />
of the other,” said Jared Carter, a Vermont Law School professor.<br />
“And that doesn’t work perfectly in the context of a<br />
pandemic because obviously a virus knows no border, but<br />
it does allow us to learn from each other and improve.”<br />
Dr. Tim Lahey, an infectious disease physician at UVM<br />
Medical Center, said that the differences between many<br />
states responding to the crisis including Vermont, New<br />
York and Massachusetts are “generally subtle.”<br />
But some states in the South stand out for reacting to<br />
the virus more slowly, he said.<br />
He commended Scott’s response to the virus in Vermont.<br />
“I think he’s made a call to action and I think he’s<br />
tried to base his recommendations on science,” Lahey<br />
said. “So I think he’s been doing the best he can with the<br />
resources he has.”<br />
Lahey said that in general the United States did not act<br />
fast enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19 when it<br />
first learned of it in January.<br />
He pointed to South Korea, which has done a better job<br />
of slowing the spread. The government there has prioritized<br />
aggressive testing and conducted contact tracing for<br />
those who were infected earlier.<br />
Ideally, “stay-in-place” orders would have come<br />
down when governments initially detected community<br />
spread. Lahey said that state governments are reaching<br />
the limits of what they can do to combat the pandemic,<br />
and that now the federal government — and the military<br />
in particular — needs to step up to help hospitals build<br />
surge capacity.<br />
Last week, the Vermont National Guard set up medical<br />
“surge” sites in Burlington, Barre and St. Albans and<br />
this week added a pop-up testing location in Putney to<br />
help hospitals manage an anticipated influx of patients.<br />
However, Lahey said a bigger response is likely needed.<br />
“It’s great to see the National Guard getting involved, but<br />
I suspect without a huge wartime mobilization of the size<br />
of World War II in Europe that bad things are going to happen<br />
in cities around the country.”
4 • The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong><br />
Town of Killington<br />
2706 River Road<br />
Killington, Vermont 05701<br />
802-422-3243<br />
www.killingtontown.com<br />
NOTICE FROM THE SELECTBOARD<br />
RE: COVID-19 - REVISED March 16, <strong>2020</strong><br />
The Town of Killington Selectboard is monitoring the development<br />
of the COVID-19 outbreak. In response, Killington is reviewing<br />
information from the Vermont Department of Health, the Centers<br />
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Vermont Emergency<br />
Management (VEM).<br />
Effective March 20, <strong>2020</strong> at 3:00pm, the Town of Killington will limit<br />
activities and meetings at the Town Office to essential municipal<br />
operations only. Public Access will be limited to the hours of 12:00 pm to<br />
3:00 pm daily (BY APPOINTMENT ONLY). Employees will be working<br />
remotely whenever possible. As a result, the best way to reach staff will<br />
be via email. You can find all contact information on the website. We<br />
will be monitoring voicemail regularly and ask for patience as we will<br />
get back to you as soon as possible. Most Town records are available<br />
electronically or can be emailed to you. All visitors will be required<br />
to wash hands and limit contact with surfaces. The Selectboard,<br />
Planning Commission, Recreation Commission, and Zoning Board of<br />
Adjustment will postpone meetings for the rest of the month of March<br />
and resume meetings in <strong>April</strong> as required. We are planning to make<br />
future meetings accessible electronically, when applicable, and will<br />
provide log-in information prior to each meeting. Non-essential Town<br />
activities, events, and meetings will not be allowed until further notice.<br />
If you have symptoms of COVID-19 i.e. fever, cough and/or difficulty<br />
breathing, please DO NOT come into the Town Office. If you need<br />
assistance check our website at killingtontown.com or if you are unable<br />
to find what you need please contact the Town Office at 802-422-3243<br />
or lucrecia@killingtontown.com to assist in transacting your town<br />
business.<br />
Dog licenses are due before <strong>April</strong> 1, <strong>2020</strong>. Consider obtaining your license<br />
by mail instead of coming into the Town Office. Rabies certificates can<br />
be emailed by your veterinarian to lucrecia@killingtontown.com of<br />
faxed to 802-422-3030.<br />
Please monitor the town’s website www.killingtontown.com for the<br />
most up to date information regarding the operations of municipal<br />
government and events.<br />
For the most up to date information about COVID-19 go to the State<br />
of Vermont Department of Health websitewww.healthvermont.<br />
gov/covid19 or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<br />
websitewww.cdc.gov/covid19<br />
If you cannot find the answers to your questions on these websites,<br />
contact 211 or www.vermont211.org<br />
EVERYDAY PREVENTIVE MEASURES<br />
Person-to-person spread of the virus is thought to occur mainly via<br />
respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or<br />
sneezes. Much is still unknown about how the virus spreads. Take these<br />
everyday preventive actions to help stop the spread of germs:<br />
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If<br />
soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.<br />
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.<br />
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.<br />
• Stay home when you are sick.<br />
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the<br />
trash.<br />
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.<br />
Police visit hotels to assess<br />
compliance with “Stay Home,<br />
Stay Safe” executive order<br />
By Polly Mikula<br />
After promoting a “Stay to Stay” pro gram<br />
for the last two years and creating other<br />
incentives to get people to come to Vermont<br />
and relocate, Governor Phil Scott issued an<br />
executive order — and then an amendment<br />
strengthening that order —calling for visitors<br />
to, essentially, not visit.<br />
The Department of Tourism underscored<br />
the fact that the only lodging rooms<br />
that should be rented out right now are<br />
those for people working on the front lines<br />
of fighting the COVID-19 epidemic.<br />
This directive includes private rentals<br />
as well as licensed lodging establish ments.<br />
“No new arrivals or reservations for immediate<br />
extension of stay are permit ted<br />
after 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25<br />
through <strong>April</strong> 15,” it stated.<br />
Many hotels and other lodging<br />
establishments had already shut<br />
down, preemptively. “We closed the<br />
Woodstock Inn in mid-March and<br />
are not planning on opening until May 1,”<br />
said Courtney Lowe, the marketing director<br />
for the prestigious inn that was once a Rockefeller<br />
property.<br />
Vermont State Police and other lawenforcement<br />
agencies were tasked with<br />
visiting hotels, bnbs and motels to assess<br />
compli ance with the order.<br />
Law enforcement visited roughly 295<br />
lodging establishments on Saturday, March<br />
28, and then the remaining 20 sites on Sunday,<br />
March 29. The purpose of the visits was<br />
to evaluate compliance.<br />
Of the more than 300 hotels, motels and<br />
BnBs, 88 were found to be open, and 41<br />
were non-compliant.<br />
There were eight in Rutland and Wind sor<br />
counties that received letters of non-compliance.<br />
They include:<br />
• Highlander Motel, Rutland<br />
• Travel Inn, Rutland<br />
• Rodeway Inn Rutland (North Main<br />
Street), Rutland<br />
• Rodeway Inn Rutland (Woodstock<br />
Avenue), Rutland<br />
• Quality Inn Rutland, Rutland<br />
• Weathervane Motel, Manchester<br />
• Econo Lodge Manchester, Manchester<br />
Center<br />
• Holiday Inn Express, Springfield<br />
However, for many Airbnb hosts and<br />
smaller establishments, the order came as<br />
a surprise and compliance is<br />
tougher to enforce.<br />
“I wasn’t really aware of<br />
this,” said one Stowe property<br />
owner who asked not<br />
to be identified. “We got an<br />
inquiry from a couple from<br />
New York wanting to rent<br />
for two months. It’s come at<br />
a time when we needed the<br />
money as our business is<br />
closed and the people who<br />
clean ours and other rental<br />
properties really need the income<br />
now too — this is their<br />
only way to make money.”<br />
The New York couple had booked, paid<br />
and had planned to spend the months of<br />
<strong>April</strong> and May in Stowe. “Once we heard<br />
about the executive order, we had to ask<br />
them to cancel and refund their money,”<br />
the homeowner said.<br />
On March 31, Airbnb send out a notice<br />
to all hosts supporting them with cancelations,<br />
but not requiring them to do so.<br />
“When a guest cancels an accommodation<br />
reservation due to a COVID-19 related<br />
circumstance, with a check-in between<br />
March <strong>14</strong> and May 31, we will pay you<br />
25% of what you would normally receive<br />
through your cancellation policy. This applies<br />
retroactively to all COVID-19 related<br />
Fines of up to $10,000 and jail<br />
time of up to six months could<br />
be imposed on violators.<br />
cancellations during this period. This cost<br />
will be covered entirely by Airbnb.”<br />
The state, however, will be able to see<br />
who is in violation of the order retroactively,<br />
based on tax returns that Airbnb or homeowners<br />
are required to send directly to<br />
them. It is unclear at this point if or how the<br />
state will hold these violators accountable.<br />
But the directive is clear: visitors from<br />
anywhere — inside or outside the state —<br />
are being asked to return home. The governor’s<br />
order directs everyone to stay at home,<br />
leaving only for essen tial reasons, critical to<br />
health and safety.<br />
At a press conference Monday, March 30,<br />
Attorney General TJ Donovan noted that<br />
if necessary, fines of up to $10,000 and jail<br />
time of up to six months could be im posed<br />
on violators who allow bookings during this<br />
order.<br />
The ban does not require Vermont<br />
police to actively stop either Vemonters or<br />
those entering Vermont from a “hot-spot”<br />
state.<br />
Gov. Scott stressed that strenuous<br />
efforts to keep out-of-staters out of Vermont<br />
should not be pursued with an “us<br />
against them” mentality, say ing: “We’re<br />
all in this together.”<br />
Lisa Lynn contributed to this report<br />
and a portion of this story was published<br />
March 26, <strong>2020</strong>, at vtskiandride.com.<br />
Submitted<br />
All lodging establishments including short-term rentals<br />
have been ordered to close.
The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong> • 5<br />
Vermont jobless claims spike,<br />
surpassing record highs<br />
By Art Woolf<br />
The Vermont state labor department received <strong>14</strong>,784<br />
claims for unemployment for the week ending March 21.<br />
The huge spike in claims came in the wake of coronavirus-related<br />
layoffs.<br />
Michael Harrington, interim commissioner, told<br />
lawmakers Thursday, March 26, that the total number of<br />
claims — processed and unprocessed — is an all-time<br />
record.<br />
In fact, the number of people applying for unemployment<br />
insurance is three times higher than the previous<br />
record.<br />
Officially, the number of Vermonters who lost their<br />
jobs and applied for unemployment insurance was<br />
3,667, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But<br />
that number is not the full picture, said Department of<br />
Labor Commissioner Michael Harrington. He explained<br />
that the department’s Unemployment Insurance Claims<br />
Center was still processing as many as 11,000 additional<br />
online claims when that number was reported.<br />
“The numbers we publish today are preliminary numbers,”<br />
Harrington said. “That’s only counting the people<br />
who could get through and get into the system.”<br />
There have been only three weeks where applications<br />
exceeded those number, and they happened when retail<br />
employees were laid off at the end of the holiday shopping<br />
season.<br />
To put last week’s applications in perspective, during<br />
the week ending March <strong>14</strong>, applications totaled 659,<br />
less than the weekly average of the past 35 years. At the<br />
peak of the Great Recession in 2008-2009 there were only<br />
two weeks when just over 2,000 Vermonters applied for<br />
unemployment insurance.<br />
Vermont is not alone in seeing the steepest rise on<br />
record. Nationally, 3.3 million people applied for unemployment<br />
insurance. The previous week’s number was<br />
282,000. That increase breaks all records.<br />
Vermont’s increase, as reported by Harrington, was<br />
22 times higher than last week’s claim rate. Nationally,<br />
the increase was 11.5 times greater. However, many<br />
states like California and New York were swamped like<br />
Vermont and have not reported the actual number of<br />
claims. Next week, the numbers will likely swell.<br />
The week ending March 21 was just the beginning of<br />
large numbers of layoffs. When this week’s number is<br />
Travel order: Further restrictions in place to keep Vermonters safe<br />
><br />
from page 1<br />
tions are outlined in Addendum 7,<br />
which can be read in full at governor.<br />
vermont.gov.<br />
“We all must do our part to slow<br />
the spread of COVID-19 to minimize<br />
infections — particularly for those<br />
who are elderly or have underlying<br />
chronic health conditions — and<br />
prevent it from overwhelming our<br />
healthcare facilities,” said Governor<br />
Scott. “I understand there will<br />
be some who need to travel from<br />
other states to return to a home in<br />
Vermont or support a vulnerable<br />
family member. But we need anyone<br />
entering Vermont to abide by this<br />
<strong>14</strong>-day self-isolation directive, and<br />
then follow Vermont’s “Stay Home,<br />
Stay Safe” order while here. We must<br />
work together to slow the spread of<br />
this virus.”<br />
The governor’s order also provides<br />
additional guidance to lodging<br />
providers to ensure compliance with<br />
the order, which suspended lodging<br />
operations.<br />
The order makes clear that lodging<br />
facilities – which includes hotels,<br />
motels, bed and breakfasts, inns,<br />
short term rentals (e.g. VRBO, Homeaway,<br />
Airbnb, etc.), and all public<br />
and private camping facilities and<br />
RV parks – are to be closed except for<br />
stated exemptions when supporting<br />
the state’s COVID-19 response. Additionally,<br />
the governor has suspended<br />
online lodging reservations.<br />
Under this order, the Vermont<br />
State Police and local law enforcement<br />
will monitor lodging providers<br />
for compliance and work with<br />
the Attorney General’s Office on<br />
additional compliance measures if<br />
needed.<br />
Addendum 7 provides lodging<br />
operations with additional details<br />
on requirements, and state agencies<br />
will also be reaching out to these<br />
tabulated and released on Thursday, we’ll see thousands<br />
more people applying for unemployment insurance and<br />
that high number may continue for a third week.<br />
The number of new applications is likely to be higher<br />
for several reasons. First, more workers were laid off<br />
this week due to Governor Scott’s announcement of<br />
additional emergency closures. Second, the Vermont<br />
Department of Labor has been swamped with electronic<br />
applications for unemployment insurance, as has every<br />
other state. They are still working through last week’s<br />
backlog and that will no doubt continue through this<br />
week and possibly next.<br />
There are some bright spots—or maybe some lessdark<br />
spots.<br />
Many of the laid off workers are eligible for state<br />
Claims > 7<br />
Courtesy of Vermont Department of Labor<br />
Unemployment claims have skyrocketed as COVID-19<br />
takes hold. The Department of Labor officially reported<br />
3,700 processed insurance claims for the week ending<br />
March 21, but the total number of claims was far higher<br />
—<strong>14</strong>,800.<br />
businesses directly.<br />
“These are incredibly difficult<br />
times, but the more closely we can<br />
follow all of the CDC and Health<br />
Department guidance, the more<br />
effectively we can slow the spread<br />
and save lives,” said Governor Scott.<br />
“I know we’re asking a lot of business<br />
owners, workers, school employees,<br />
parents, students and all Vermonters.<br />
But your sacrifice is not for<br />
nothing. If we do this now, we can<br />
slow the spread of this deadly virus<br />
and keep many of our neighbors and<br />
loved ones alive and healthy.”<br />
The “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order<br />
and Monday’s updated travel and<br />
lodging order are in effect until <strong>April</strong><br />
15, <strong>2020</strong>, though may be extended or<br />
shortened as needed.<br />
For the latest information and<br />
guidance relating to Vermont’s<br />
COVID-19 response, visit healthvermont.gov/covid19.<br />
Table of contents<br />
Local News ................................................................ 2<br />
State News ................................................................. 6<br />
Opinion ..................................................................... 8<br />
News Briefs ............................................................. <strong>14</strong><br />
Puzzles..................................................................... 15<br />
Silver Linings .......................................................... 16<br />
Food Matters ........................................................... 18<br />
Ski Shop Showcase ................................................. 20<br />
Pets .......................................................................... 22<br />
Mother of the Skye .................................................. 23<br />
Columns .................................................................. 24<br />
Rockin’ the Region .................................................. 26<br />
Service Directory .................................................... 28<br />
Classifieds ............................................................... 30<br />
Real Estate ............................................................... 31<br />
MOU NTA I N TI M E S<br />
is a community newspaper covering Central<br />
Vermont that aims to engage and inform as well as<br />
empower community members to have a voice.<br />
Polly Lynn-Mikula ............................. Editor & Co-Publisher<br />
Jason Mikula ......................... Sales Manager & Co-Publisher<br />
Lindsey Rogers ..................................... Sales Representative<br />
Krista Johnston ...........................................Graphic Designer<br />
Brooke Geery ....................................... Front Office Manager<br />
Katy Savage<br />
Julia Purdy<br />
Curt Peterson<br />
Cal Garrison<br />
Buy Sell Trade<br />
MID-STATE GUNS LLC<br />
Dom Cioffi<br />
Mary Ellen Shaw<br />
Paul Holmes<br />
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Flag photo by Richard Podlesney<br />
976 VT Rt. 12S<br />
Randolph, VT 05060<br />
midstateguns@myfairpoint.net<br />
©The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • P.O. Box 183<br />
Killington, VT 05751 • (802) 422-2399<br />
Email: editor@mountaintimes.info<br />
mountaintimes.info<br />
Ray & Carol Burke<br />
Tel 802.728.3100<br />
Fax 802.728.4300<br />
Dave Hoffenberg<br />
Ed Larson<br />
Vivian Finck<br />
Nate Lucas
6 • The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong><br />
E FROM THE SELECTBOARD RE: COVID-19<br />
NOTICE FROM THE SELECTBOARD<br />
RE: COVID-19<br />
March 16, <strong>2020</strong><br />
The Town of Chittenden Select Board<br />
is monitoring the development of<br />
the COVID-19 outbreak. In response,<br />
Chittenden is reviewing information<br />
from the Vermont Department of Health,<br />
the Centers for Disease Control and<br />
Prevention (CDC) and Vermont Emergency<br />
Management (VEM).<br />
Effective March 16, <strong>2020</strong>, the Town of Chittenden will limit activities<br />
and meetings at the Town Office to essential municipal operations only.<br />
The Select Board will continue to meet as scheduled until further notice<br />
or action is required. Non-essential activities and meetings will not be<br />
allowed at the Town Office until further notice. Dog licenses are due by<br />
State law by <strong>April</strong> 1, <strong>2020</strong>. Consider obtaining your license by mail instead<br />
of coming into the Town Office. Rabies certificates can be emailed by your<br />
veterinarian, upon request, to chittendenvt@comcast.net. Dump stickers<br />
are also due <strong>April</strong> 1, <strong>2020</strong>. Please consider purchase of these by mail, also.<br />
lect Board is monitoring the development of the COVID-19<br />
tenden is reviewing information from the Vermont Department of<br />
ase Control and Prevention (CDC) and Vermont Emergency<br />
he Town of In Chittenden addition, the will Select limit Board activities has taken and the following meetings actions: at the Town<br />
al operations • only. to extend The Select the late Board fee for will dog licenses continue until to May meet 1. as<br />
ce or action is required. Non-essential activities and meetings will<br />
Office until further notice.<br />
• to waive the use of punch cards until May 1. There is to be no<br />
te law by <strong>April</strong> 1,<br />
loitering<br />
<strong>2020</strong>.<br />
at<br />
Consider<br />
the transfer<br />
obtaining<br />
station.<br />
your license by mail<br />
own Office. Rabies certificates can be emailed by your veterinarian,<br />
vt@comcast.net.<br />
<strong>April</strong> 1, <strong>2020</strong>. Please consider purchase of these by mail, also.<br />
• to extend the date for purchase of new dump stickers until May 1.<br />
• to suspend public use of all town buildings until further notice,<br />
except for the Chittenden Volunteer Fire Department and the Town<br />
Office as necessary.<br />
Group meetings for Meals for Seniors is cancelled. Home deliveries<br />
will be made to those who reserve as usual with Marilyn at 773-6308 by<br />
Wednesday evening to reserve your meal. If called, Meals on Wheels will<br />
make home deliveries to elderly or medically compromised, even if the<br />
individuals are not part of the Seniors group.<br />
d has taken the following actions:<br />
e for dog licenses until May 1.<br />
r purchase of new dump stickers until May 1.<br />
punch cards until May 1. There is to be no loitering at the transfer<br />
If you have symptoms of COVID-19, i.e,. fever, cough and difficulty<br />
breathing, please DO NOT come into the Town Office. Contact the Town<br />
Office at 483-6647 or chittendenvt@comcast.net to assist in transacting<br />
your town business. Recommendations to follow to lessen the chance of<br />
getting and spreading Covid-19 may be found at www.healthvermont.gov/<br />
covid19 .<br />
e of all town buildings until further notice, except for the Chittenden<br />
rtment and the Town Office as necessary.<br />
Please monitor the town’s Facebook Page<br />
(search on Facebook for townofchittenden) or<br />
Emergency Management (search on Facebook for<br />
chittendenvtemergencymanagement) websites or<br />
www.chittendenvt.org for the most up to date<br />
information regarding the operations of municipal<br />
government and events.<br />
or Seniors is cancelled. Home deliveries will be made to those who<br />
yn at 773-6308 by Wednesday evening to reserve your meal. If called,<br />
home deliveries to elderly or medically compromised, even if the<br />
he Seniors group. @ChittendenVT<br />
OVID-19, i.e,. fever, cough and difficulty breathing, please DO NOT<br />
. Contact the Town Office at 483-6647 or chittendenvt@comcast.net<br />
town business. Recommendations to follow to lessen the chance of<br />
d-19 may be found at www.healthvermont.gov/covid19 .<br />
For the most up to date information about COVID-19 go to the State of<br />
Vermont Department of Health website www.healthvermont.gov/covid19<br />
or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website www.cdc.gov/<br />
covid19<br />
If you cannot find the answers to your questions on these websites,<br />
contact 211.<br />
acebook Page (search on Facebook for townofchittenden) or<br />
earch on Facebook for chittendenvtemergencymanagement) websites<br />
r the most up to date information regarding the operations of<br />
events.<br />
Everyday Preventive Measures Person-to-person spread of the virus<br />
is thought to occur mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an<br />
infected person coughs or sneezes. Much is still unknown about how the<br />
virus spreads. Take these everyday preventive actions to help stop the<br />
spread of germs:<br />
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20<br />
seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcoholbased<br />
hand sanitizer.<br />
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed<br />
hands.<br />
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.<br />
• Stay home when you are sick.<br />
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue<br />
in the trash.<br />
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.<br />
Writing the rules as we go<br />
Over the past few weeks, we have seen<br />
addendum after addendum to Governor<br />
Phil Scott’s Emergency<br />
Declaration<br />
that was issued<br />
on March 13.<br />
What was allowed<br />
yesterday may not<br />
be true today. The<br />
situation is changing<br />
daily. Last week<br />
saw the governor<br />
By Rep. Jim<br />
Harrison<br />
This week the Vermont<br />
Legislature passed three<br />
significant<br />
measures,<br />
embodied in<br />
two bills, H.742<br />
and H.681, to<br />
improve life<br />
for Vermonters<br />
in response to<br />
the COVID-19<br />
crisis. After a<br />
week of working<br />
remotely,<br />
17 of the 30<br />
Senators met<br />
on Tuesday, March 24, in<br />
the Statehouse, and with<br />
plenty of social distancing,<br />
passed these amended bills<br />
back to the House. The next<br />
day, the House, under more<br />
dramatic circumstances,<br />
passed the bills as well.<br />
In H.742 we help Vermont<br />
to deal with the CO-<br />
VID-19 crisis by expanding:<br />
1) the capabilities of our<br />
health care system to respond<br />
to our urgent needs,<br />
and 2) the unemployment<br />
insurance program to<br />
issuing orders to<br />
stay home, close<br />
non-essential businesses,<br />
including<br />
lodging and short term rentals, and extend<br />
the school closures. On Monday, March 30,<br />
the governor’s order directs residents and<br />
non-residents coming from outside the<br />
state for anything other than an essential<br />
purpose to home-quarantine for <strong>14</strong> days.<br />
The COVID-19 pandemic is unlike anything<br />
that we have lived through. And while<br />
it is our hope that the measures put in place<br />
will soon be unnecessary, the reality is that<br />
we don’t know the timetable ahead of us.<br />
The Legislature is also in uncharted<br />
territory. Back on March 13, lawmakers adjourned<br />
for 10 days. When it became clear<br />
we couldn’t do business under the dome in<br />
the normal sense, committees began meeting<br />
via conference calls and now through<br />
video platforms.<br />
Discussions on bills dealing with the<br />
Legislative update: Two bills pass in<br />
response to COVID-19<br />
By Sen. Alison<br />
Clarkson<br />
provide more benefits for<br />
employees and experience<br />
rating relief for<br />
businesses.<br />
The health<br />
care provisions<br />
create flexibility<br />
in licensing<br />
requirements<br />
for nurses<br />
and doctors,<br />
expand<br />
telemedicine<br />
opportunities<br />
for coronavirus<br />
and other<br />
health concerns, extend<br />
prescriptions and create<br />
more flexibility for what<br />
pharmacists can prescribe<br />
during this crisis. It also<br />
provides for the creation<br />
of emergency hospital facilities<br />
for COVID-19 treatment<br />
and relaxes provider<br />
tax payment requirements<br />
for hospitals and doctors.<br />
This bill also expands<br />
our unemployment insurance<br />
program to allow<br />
Vermonters who have been<br />
temporarily laid off, or<br />
pandemic that passed the House on the<br />
13th, continued in the Senate remotely.<br />
Senators returned to the State House with<br />
barely a quorum to approve changes to the<br />
House version. The House, with 150 members,<br />
was a little more problematic with the<br />
need for social distancing.<br />
New rules were drawn up with leaders<br />
of all parties and independents to allow for<br />
remote voting during the emergency. A plan<br />
to reconvene the House on Wednesday,<br />
March 25, with a small number of members<br />
present to adopt the rules backfired<br />
when Rep. Cynthia Browning, D-Arlington,<br />
questioned if a quorum was present (it was<br />
not), which effectively stopped any business<br />
from taking place. (Under our rules,<br />
quorums are assumed unless questioned.)<br />
Urgent calls for House members to return<br />
to the State House were made and some<br />
80-90 of us got in our cars immediately and<br />
headed to Montpelier. The new rules and<br />
emergency bills were passed in short order.<br />
As part of a test group for remote voting,<br />
I can tell you the technology certainly<br />
works, but will take some time before it goes<br />
smoothly for all. As for the video platform,<br />
the good news is that committee meetings<br />
can be streamed on YouTube, allowing<br />
for more transparency. However, it also is<br />
a bit more cumbersome to have an open<br />
discussion about various bills, especially if<br />
there is any controversy. Debating or asking<br />
questions on bills with 150 House members<br />
remotely could be challenging.<br />
Harrison > 12<br />
those who have voluntarily<br />
left their jobs, to qualify for<br />
unemployment benefits if<br />
they leave: 1) to self-isolate<br />
or quarantine at the recommendation<br />
or directive<br />
of a healthcare provider,<br />
public health authority, or<br />
the governor because the<br />
person has been diagnosed<br />
with, symptomatic for,<br />
exposed to, or is in a high<br />
risk category with respect<br />
to, COVID-19; 2) due to<br />
an unreasonable risk that<br />
the individual could be<br />
exposed to or become<br />
infected with COVID-19<br />
at work; 3) to care for a<br />
family member who is<br />
self-isolating or quarantining<br />
for similar reasons; or,<br />
4) to care for a child under<br />
18 years of age because the<br />
child’s school or child care<br />
has been closed or the child<br />
care provider is unavailable<br />
due to COVID-19. Normal<br />
work search requirements<br />
will be waived during this<br />
period and all layoffs and<br />
resignations related to CO-<br />
Clarkson > 12
The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong> • 7<br />
Superintendent to leave<br />
Windsor Central School District<br />
Staff report<br />
Mary Beth Banios, superintendent of<br />
the Windsor Central Union School District,<br />
announced that she will be leaving<br />
the district in an email to school board<br />
members, Wednesday, March 25.<br />
Banios told the board that she had gotten<br />
the job as superintendent at Hamilton-Wenham<br />
Regional School District, in<br />
Wenham, Massachusetts, and would be<br />
starting there on July 1, <strong>2020</strong>.<br />
Banios has been superintendent of the<br />
Windsor Central Supervisory Union in<br />
Woodstock for the past three years. She<br />
was among four finalists for the position<br />
at Hamilton-Wenham. She found out she<br />
had been selected for the job on Tuesday<br />
night, March 24.<br />
“I have deeply appreciated the opportunity<br />
to serve this district over the past<br />
three years, and have great respect for all<br />
the invested and committed individuals<br />
who are working so hard on behalf of<br />
our students,” Banios wrote to the board.<br />
“Please know that I will continue to focus<br />
on my work here at WCSU and serving<br />
our communities through the end of the<br />
school year. There is also an amazing<br />
leadership team in place in this district<br />
which is well poised to help to successfully<br />
navigate this transition.”<br />
Banios’s contract would have ended<br />
June 30, <strong>2020</strong>, according board members,<br />
but at one point a contract had been<br />
floated for years longer.<br />
><br />
Claims: Record unemployment numbers seen across the state, country<br />
from page 5<br />
unemployment benefits. And the federal<br />
stimulus bill, passed in the wee hours<br />
of last Thursday, March 26, added $600<br />
per week in additional benefits—more<br />
than doubling current UI payments in<br />
Vermont, which are capped at $513 per<br />
week. The bill also expands eligibility in<br />
several ways, including making self-employed<br />
workers eligible for benefits. That’s<br />
a very big deal for many Vermonters.<br />
The sharp employment decline comes<br />
on top of an economy<br />
that basically<br />
has been becalmed<br />
in the water for the<br />
last four years, at<br />
least when we look<br />
at the employment<br />
numbers.<br />
Each year in<br />
March all 50 state<br />
labor departments<br />
revise their estimates<br />
of jobs and<br />
unemployment for<br />
the past few years<br />
based on better and more complete data.<br />
For Vermont, those revisions showed the<br />
state had a record 316,100 jobs in 2019.<br />
But that was up a scant 100 jobs from<br />
2018. Moreover, the 2019 job count was<br />
revised down by 900 jobs, not a huge<br />
amount, but an indication that what we<br />
thought was going on last year was better<br />
The federal stimulus<br />
bill...added $600 per<br />
week in additional<br />
benefits—more than<br />
doubling current UI<br />
payments in Vermont,<br />
which are capped at<br />
$513 per week.<br />
Board elects new chair<br />
After some internal gamesmanship, the<br />
WCSD board successfully elected Bryce<br />
Sammel as chair of the Windsor Central<br />
Modified Unified Union School District<br />
Board and Pamela Fraser as vice chair at<br />
the Monday board meeting, March 23.<br />
Both will serve until March 2021, when<br />
their chairmanships end.<br />
Sammel was elected unanimously by the<br />
board. Fraser won the vice chair position<br />
over Ben Ford, of Woodstock, in a 10-5 vote.<br />
The board briefly considered, then<br />
rejected, a motion to do away with the vice<br />
chair position or to have two vice chairs.<br />
Sammel and Fraser are both from<br />
Barnard and are mid-way through serving<br />
their three-year terms for that town. Sammel’s<br />
term end in 2021; Fraser’s in 2022.<br />
The election followed resignations from<br />
two other board members: former chair<br />
Patti Kuzmickas of Pomfret, who had been<br />
elected chair March 9, and Malena Agin<br />
of Woodstock. Their open seats will be<br />
filled by the Select Board from each of their<br />
towns.<br />
Kuzmickas stepped down as chair the<br />
day after being elected amid claims of a<br />
flawed nomination process from a few<br />
fellow board members. On March 11, she<br />
resigned from the board altogether. Agin<br />
gave her resignation from the board shortly<br />
afterward as a result of Kuzmickas’ treatment<br />
and a fair election that was foiled.<br />
than the reality.<br />
In 2016 Vermont’s total employment<br />
was 313,300, which means Vermont<br />
employers added 2,800 jobs in total in the<br />
past three years. To put that in perspective,<br />
the state’s job count increased by<br />
more than 3,000 each year from 1993 to<br />
2001.<br />
So, the nearly <strong>14</strong>,000 people who lost<br />
their jobs and applied for unemployment<br />
insurance during the week ending in<br />
March 21 more than<br />
eats up all those<br />
gains.<br />
However long<br />
the current economic<br />
shutdown<br />
lasts, it is sure to<br />
mean that the<br />
U.S. and Vermont<br />
economies are in a<br />
recession. Even if<br />
the shutdown ends<br />
at the end of <strong>April</strong>, it<br />
will take months for<br />
economic activity<br />
to recover.<br />
Vermont’s total <strong>2020</strong> job count will be<br />
less than the 2019 numbers. That will be<br />
the first time that’s happened in a decade.<br />
Art Woolf recently retired as an associate<br />
professor of economics at the University<br />
of Vermont. He is a columnist for<br />
VTDigger.<br />
Courtesy SVMC<br />
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center clinicians are performing drive-up coronavirus<br />
testing with an order from a primary care provider.<br />
State expands COVID-19 testing<br />
At a press conference on Friday, March<br />
27, Governor Phil Scott and Health Commissioner<br />
Mark Levine, M.D., announced<br />
that aggressive procurement of supplies<br />
has allowed the state to broaden the scope<br />
of its testing efforts.<br />
Until now, limited supplies required<br />
restricting prioritized testing to high risk<br />
patients. Dr. Levine said health care providers<br />
are now able to include people with<br />
mild to moderate symptoms in making<br />
clinical referrals for priority testing.<br />
Hospitals and federally qualified Health<br />
Centers throughout Vermont have been<br />
at the forefront of the state’s COVID-19<br />
response and are receiving these newly<br />
available supplies for specimen collection.<br />
“Early and broad testing is a proven<br />
strategy to limit the spread of this virus,”<br />
said Dr. Levine. “Vermont is still early<br />
enough on the curve of positive cases that<br />
increased testing can have a large impact<br />
on our ability to flatten that curve.”<br />
The Vermont Department of Health,<br />
in collaboration with the medical division<br />
of the National Guard Civil Support<br />
Team, announced they set up an additional<br />
COVID-19 patient test site at Landmark<br />
College in Putney. This site was established<br />
to provide additional testing capacity<br />
for people who have a referral from their<br />
health care provider.<br />
The Landmark College site is the latest<br />
addition to the increasing number of temporary<br />
pop-up, drive-through and other<br />
facilities being established to help ensure<br />
as many Vermonters as possible can be<br />
tested.<br />
The Landmark College testing site<br />
began to see referred patients on Sunday,<br />
March 29, and will operate from 8 a.m. to 3<br />
p.m. throughout the week. The hours and<br />
days open will depend on the availability of<br />
testing supplies.<br />
Health officials emphasized that people<br />
cannot simply show up at a testing site or<br />
drive-through location. Everyone must still<br />
talk with their health care provider and be<br />
formally referred for testing.<br />
“Our overall strategy is to test, to counsel<br />
and isolate those who test positive,<br />
conduct contact tracing, and quarantine<br />
as clinically appropriate,” said Dr. Levine.<br />
“We are all counting on each other to do everything<br />
we can to meet this public health<br />
crisis head on.”
Opinion<br />
8 • The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong><br />
OP-ED<br />
Virus is hurting<br />
the public’s right<br />
to know<br />
By John Flowers, Addison Independent<br />
After 35 years in reporting, I thought I’d been through a<br />
lot as a journalist:<br />
Martial law in the Philippines; a couple of natural disasters<br />
— the big ice storm and rampant flooding in Addison<br />
County — in 1996; a double-murder/suicide; a visit by the<br />
Dalai Lama; local soldiers deploying (and returning) from<br />
wars in the Middle East; a major downtown renovation<br />
project: the Middlebury rail bridges project that is still in<br />
progress; a train derailment.<br />
I’m now adding a new one to the list: COVID-19. The<br />
first, and hopefully last, worldwide pandemic I’ll ever have<br />
to cover.<br />
It is the biggest reporting challenge I’ve ever experienced.<br />
The news changes by the hour; your latest update story<br />
can become “old news” 10 minutes after you file it. I wince<br />
every time I “refresh” the Vermont Department of Health<br />
website, fearing the tally of Addison County coronavirus<br />
cases will spike. And everyone hopes that neither they —<br />
The coronavirus has<br />
more angles than a<br />
Picasso painting.<br />
nor a loved one<br />
— becomes one<br />
of those statistics.<br />
My wife’s a<br />
nurse, my son’s an<br />
advanced EMT<br />
and my daughter is a social worker, all on the front lines. I’m<br />
in constant fear that one or all of my family members will be<br />
banished to self-quarantine at best, or a ventilator at worst.<br />
The newspaper industry has been navigating challenging<br />
financial waters for several years, and now there’s a<br />
veritable storm brewing at a time when the public needs us<br />
most.<br />
There’s no shortage of stories to cover these days, just<br />
fewer journalists to take them on. The coronavirus has<br />
more angles than a Picasso painting. There are the health<br />
impacts, the economic toll, the countless stories of generosity<br />
and perseverance, and of course the effect on public<br />
education. You file four stories and go to bed feeling like<br />
you’ve left 16 more on the table.<br />
As reporters, our currency is equal parts trust and access.<br />
You earn trust over time, which gets you more sources to tell<br />
Covering corona > 13<br />
Vermont goes to war<br />
against COVID-19<br />
By Meg Hansen<br />
Public health and the economy are two sides of the<br />
same coin. Yet, as the number of COVID-19 cases escalates<br />
and an economic implosion looms, crisis managers feel<br />
compelled to pick either heads or tails. President Trump,<br />
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Texas Lt. Governor<br />
Dan Patrick are eager to reopen the economy. Vermont<br />
Governor Phil Scott, in contrast, foresees a protracted shutdown<br />
in response to the pandemic. On Tuesday, he issued<br />
a “stay at home” order that lasts until <strong>April</strong> 15, and could be<br />
extended.<br />
We are told that the pandemic could overwhelm our<br />
healthcare system, as it has in Italy, resulting in the rationing<br />
of beds and ventilators. The UK’s National Health<br />
Services decided that it would ration cancer services to<br />
patients with the highest chance of survival, if the surge of<br />
coronavirus patients becomes too high.<br />
The state has a total of 961 hospital beds (of which 500<br />
are available for COVID-19 patients), 99 intensive care unit<br />
War on virus > 13<br />
LETTERS<br />
F-35s over ventilators<br />
Dear Editor,<br />
While Vermont communities<br />
were watching<br />
for signs the federal<br />
government would help<br />
them weather the current<br />
public health issues,<br />
130 federal legislators<br />
had their sights set on<br />
something else. These<br />
members of Congress<br />
had the audacity to jointly<br />
petition the House<br />
Armed Services Committee,<br />
just four days<br />
after the White House<br />
declared a state of emergency,<br />
asking to once<br />
again use taxpayer dollars<br />
to purchase 98 more<br />
F-35 nuclear bomber<br />
military jets, which will<br />
cost a minimum of $78<br />
million up to possibly<br />
$100 million each.<br />
In the 21st Century<br />
the federal government<br />
has chosen to invest<br />
massive amounts of<br />
money into preparing<br />
for and waging endless<br />
phoney wars for endless<br />
military/industrial<br />
corporation profits while<br />
neglecting public health,<br />
education, and other<br />
domestic priorities.<br />
In the regular budget<br />
cycle for fiscal year<br />
<strong>2020</strong> the Pentagon got<br />
an insane $738 billion<br />
for their budget. Compare<br />
that to Health And<br />
Human Services department<br />
which got $94<br />
billion, while the Center<br />
For Disease Control and<br />
Prevention received $8<br />
billion in program funding.<br />
These misguided<br />
budget priorities come<br />
at a huge cost and we are<br />
now seeing the effects<br />
firsthand when government<br />
misallocates<br />
money into war.<br />
It is criminal that so<br />
many of our elected officials<br />
would continue to<br />
aggressively support the<br />
corrupt military/industrial<br />
machine especially<br />
when larger investment<br />
in the healthcare sector<br />
would create twice the<br />
number of jobs as the<br />
same amount of investment<br />
in the defense<br />
industry.<br />
Climate change, inadequate<br />
infrastructure<br />
and education, environmental<br />
pollution, lack<br />
of universal healthcare;<br />
these are the real threats<br />
to global well-being and<br />
peace.<br />
Ralph Corbo,<br />
Wallingford<br />
Bad Break by Steve Sack, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, MN<br />
Mass logging must be<br />
stopped in GMNF<br />
Dear Editor,<br />
Unless activists stop the<br />
plan, thousands of acres of<br />
Green <strong>Mountain</strong> National<br />
Forest near Killington and<br />
Mount Snow will be logged.<br />
“They are coming hard<br />
with the chainsaws to<br />
Green <strong>Mountain</strong> National<br />
Forest,” said Chris Matera,<br />
a civil engineer and<br />
founder of Massachusetts<br />
Forest Watch, a citizens<br />
group formed to protect<br />
New England public<br />
forests. “What a sorry sight<br />
it will be to look down from<br />
the top of Mount Snow and<br />
see clear-cuts instead of<br />
that beautiful intact forest<br />
we see now.”<br />
Matera was the main<br />
subject of a New York <strong>Times</strong><br />
article about logging. To<br />
get an idea of what this<br />
logging will look like, see<br />
“before and after” photos<br />
that he took in 2017 in New<br />
Hampshire at maforests.<br />
org/WMNF.pdf.<br />
Activists are focusing on<br />
stopping logging on publicly<br />
owned land. Banning<br />
clear-cut logging, or all logging,<br />
there would result in<br />
logging companies buying<br />
more land, which in turn<br />
would keep that land from<br />
being converted to vacation<br />
houses, roads, parking<br />
lots and strip malls.<br />
Banning logging in<br />
Green <strong>Mountain</strong> National<br />
Forest would be one of the<br />
best things Vermont could<br />
do to stop climate change,<br />
Michael Kellet said. According<br />
to the Lowell Sun<br />
daily newspaper, Kellett<br />
was a “key player” in the<br />
creation by President<br />
Obama of the 87,400 acre<br />
Katahdin Woods and Waters<br />
National Monument in<br />
Maine. Logging is banned<br />
in national monuments.<br />
Kellet runs a group that has<br />
the website restore.org.<br />
In recent years, the<br />
group 350 Vermont has<br />
used non-violent civil disobedience<br />
to fight climate<br />
change. In California in<br />
1996 about 1,000 people<br />
were arrested for nonviolent<br />
civil disobedience<br />
to stop logging in the privately-owned<br />
Headwaters<br />
forest. The protesters won<br />
when the federal government<br />
bought 7,000 acres<br />
and permanently banned<br />
logging there.<br />
Eesha Williams,<br />
Dummerston
The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong> OPINION • 9<br />
CAPITOL QUOTES<br />
On doing good in the face of<br />
COVID-19...<br />
“Throughout this incredibly<br />
challenging time, two of our absolute<br />
priorities have been, and will continue<br />
to be, the health and wellbeing<br />
of our employees and mountain<br />
communities. What makes our resorts so<br />
special is where they’re located and the<br />
passionate people who live there.”<br />
LETTERS<br />
Killington Active Seniors thanks<br />
community for support<br />
Dear Editor,<br />
On behalf of the Killington<br />
Active Seniors, I would<br />
like to thank the many people<br />
who have reached out<br />
to offer help and support to<br />
us in these unusual times.<br />
I would particularly<br />
like to acknowledge the<br />
Killington Locals Group on<br />
Facebook who contacted<br />
me early on. I remember<br />
thinking that we should<br />
be helping them as many<br />
have young children and<br />
are trying to work and hold<br />
their families together.<br />
A big thank you also<br />
goes out to the Lookout<br />
who prepared hot takeout<br />
dinners for our entire<br />
group. Not only did we all<br />
have a great dinner that<br />
night but because of the<br />
social distancing in place<br />
we had a chance to at least<br />
wave to each other as we<br />
drove by in our cars.<br />
Our town employees,<br />
Sherburne Library and<br />
Search and Rescue Squad<br />
have also stayed in touch<br />
and we thank you.<br />
As I speak to all of<br />
the seniors, there is one<br />
thing we all agree with:<br />
We are so happy that we<br />
live in Killington. Again, I<br />
sincerely thank all of you<br />
for keeping us in your<br />
hearts and watching out<br />
for us. It is very comforting<br />
in these challenging times.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Gerrie Russell,<br />
Killington<br />
Said Vail Resorts’ CEO, Rob Katz, March 30. Katz<br />
donated $2.5 million to provide immediate support for<br />
both Vail Resorts employees and the mountain towns<br />
where the Company operates, including Okemo.<br />
“As of this week, over a billion children are out<br />
of school worldwide because of closures linked<br />
to coronavirus. Many children depend on the<br />
care and nutrition they receive during school<br />
hours, including nearly 22 million children<br />
in America who rely on food support. No Kid<br />
Hungry is making resolute efforts to reach as<br />
many of those children as possible,”<br />
Said Angelina Jolie, who donated $1 million to No Kid<br />
Hungry.<br />
“I decided I’m gonna read to you and your<br />
children or just you, depending on what you<br />
prefer. I’m not gonna pass judgment right now<br />
since the world is a little bit of a hot mess. I’ll<br />
try to provide at least 10 minutes of daycare to<br />
you and your families a night while we’re going<br />
through this unprecedented global event. I love<br />
you all.”<br />
Said “Frozen” actor Josh Gad, pledging to livestream<br />
himself reading children’s books through the<br />
pandemic.<br />
By Robin Alberti<br />
A lunch recently delivered to two teenage students at their home in Killington.<br />
Thank you WUMHS teachers, staff<br />
Dear Editor,<br />
Everyone is having to<br />
deal with disruptions to<br />
their daily lives in light of<br />
the COVID-19 crisis. Many<br />
of us are out of work, or<br />
adjusting to working from<br />
home.<br />
Families of schoolaged<br />
children especially<br />
are going through major<br />
changes right now. Parents<br />
are having to be teachers<br />
as well as moms and dads<br />
— and employees, if they’re<br />
lucky enough to still have<br />
a job at all. It is stressful on<br />
everyone.<br />
I have two teenagers<br />
at home, who attend<br />
Woodstock Union Middle<br />
and High School. I want to<br />
recognize what an amazing<br />
job the teachers, administrators<br />
and support staff<br />
of WUMHS are doing in<br />
supporting students and<br />
their families during this<br />
trying time. I want our<br />
community to know some<br />
of the extraordinary things<br />
that are happening to make<br />
this transition to at-home<br />
learning a little easier on<br />
families. Not only have I<br />
received email communication<br />
from the school,<br />
but individual teachers<br />
and special educators have<br />
also reached out via email<br />
and personal phone calls<br />
to check in and make sure<br />
my kids have what they<br />
need to continue learning<br />
from home. The school has<br />
made sure that every child<br />
has access to the internet,<br />
and if they do not have<br />
computers at home the<br />
school has made Chromebooks<br />
available to students<br />
so they can complete their<br />
school work.<br />
We have also been<br />
receiving deliveries of food<br />
from the school. Every<br />
school day breakfast and<br />
lunch is safely left on our<br />
porch, and Friday’s delivery<br />
came with some extras for<br />
the weekend. I have been<br />
impressed with the quality<br />
of food, and the healthy<br />
variety of fresh fruits and<br />
vegetables that comes with<br />
every meal. Wraps and rolls<br />
have been whole wheat,<br />
and milk has been included<br />
every day. Everything has<br />
been safely packaged.<br />
It has taken the burden<br />
of fixing extra meals on<br />
school days away from me<br />
so I have more time to help<br />
my children stay on task<br />
to get their school work<br />
done, and be able to continue<br />
working from home<br />
myself. This is a wonderful<br />
service the school is offering<br />
to families during this<br />
time.<br />
We should all be proud<br />
of our school and the staff<br />
there. They are making sure<br />
that no child is left hungry<br />
or not able to continue<br />
learning while the doors to<br />
the building are closed. I<br />
am very thankful to live in<br />
a community with a school<br />
that has so many caring<br />
and dedicated individuals<br />
that are doing their best<br />
to support the physical,<br />
mental and intellectual<br />
well-being of their students<br />
from a “socially distant”<br />
standpoint. Thank you<br />
Woodstock Union High<br />
School and Middle School.<br />
Keep up the great work.<br />
From a grateful parent of<br />
two students,<br />
Robin Alberti,<br />
Killington
10 • The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong><br />
><br />
Schools close: Students will not return to class this spring<br />
from page 1<br />
and will continue remote classes through<br />
the end of the spring semester.<br />
The letter noted that the Vermont<br />
Department of Public Safety and Vermont<br />
Emergency Management have made a<br />
request of college officials that they prepare<br />
for the possibility of using residence halls<br />
and other facilities to accommodate overflow<br />
relating to COVID-19.<br />
“To the extent we are not using our residential<br />
facilities, they can be of critical use<br />
to our neighboring communities during<br />
this crisis. They need us to help our neighboring<br />
communities see the pandemic<br />
through,” Spaulding wrote.<br />
Spaulding said decisions were still being<br />
made about graduation, commencement<br />
ceremonies and the awarding of degrees.<br />
However, Castleton has already decided<br />
to cancel its graduation ceremony in the<br />
spring. Others are likely to follow suit.<br />
In a message to students on March 24,<br />
Castleton University President Dr. Karen M.<br />
Scolforo wrote: “In order to keep everyone<br />
safe, we will not be holding Commencement<br />
at Castleton University this year.<br />
Seniors, your degrees will be conferred<br />
pending completion of graduation requirements.<br />
We want to celebrate your success,<br />
and we do not want you to miss out completely<br />
on this tradition. We plan to offer a<br />
separate ceremony for <strong>2020</strong> graduates in<br />
the spring of 2021. I am so sorry to share<br />
this news, as I recognize how important<br />
celebrating your significant accomplishment<br />
is to you and your families. I hope<br />
that you are able to find ways to mark this<br />
moment until we are able to join together in<br />
your honor.”<br />
Scolforo letter also noted that for the<br />
spring semester, students may convert up<br />
to three undergraduate courses to a Pass/<br />
No Pass option and that pro-rated adjustments<br />
for room and board will be adjusted<br />
back to March 16, when students were<br />
asked to depart from residence halls.<br />
Relief: Government stimulus aims to bring relief<br />
><br />
from page 1<br />
edented crisis, but this bill is an important<br />
step to help us get there. Vermonters<br />
know that we are all in this together.”<br />
Highlights of the Coronavirus Aid,<br />
Relief, and Economic Security (CARES)<br />
Act (H.R. 748), include:<br />
• Provides direct payments of<br />
$1,200 to individuals making up<br />
to $75,000 a year, or $2,400<br />
for couples making up to<br />
$150,000. Families would<br />
receive $500 for each dependent<br />
child.<br />
• Increases unemployment<br />
compensation benefits for<br />
recipients by an extra $600 per<br />
week. Eligibility is extended to<br />
self-employed and independent<br />
contractors.<br />
• Provides $100 billion for hospitals<br />
and health care providers on the<br />
front lines of this crisis.<br />
• Makes $367 billion worth of loans<br />
and grants available to small businesses.<br />
• Provides $9.5 billion to support<br />
farmers.<br />
• Creates a $150 billion state relief<br />
fund to help states address this<br />
pandemic. Vermont will receive<br />
$1.25 billion.<br />
• Stabilizes the SNAP program with<br />
$15.8 billion.<br />
Vermont U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy<br />
announced that Vermont is poised<br />
to receive nearly $2 billion in federal<br />
resources from the emergency spending<br />
package. Leahy, as the vice chairman of<br />
the Senate Appropriations Committee,<br />
is a lead negotiator of provisions in the<br />
bill that will direct formula funding to the<br />
state to combat the spread of COVID-19<br />
and support those on the front lines caring<br />
for the sick.<br />
Chief among the federal resources<br />
coming to the state will be $1.25 billion<br />
through the Coronavirus Relief Fund,<br />
established to support state and counties<br />
that are addressing the economic devastation<br />
brought about by the virus. Leahy<br />
pushed for a small state minimum for the<br />
$150 billion fund, ensuring that Vermont<br />
would receive sufficient support.<br />
Leahy said: “Vermont is already reeling<br />
from the impacts of the spread of the<br />
coronavirus. I have heard from hundreds<br />
of small businesses and entities across<br />
the state, struggling to<br />
support their employees<br />
and maintain their<br />
businesses. Meanwhile,<br />
our healthcare<br />
workers and first<br />
responders are dealing<br />
with supply shortages<br />
and management of care. Vermont had<br />
a front seat in writing and negotiating<br />
this bill. I am pleased that Vermont will<br />
receive this critical assistance, and know<br />
more will need to be done.”<br />
Vermont’s $2 billion in federal<br />
assistance will include:<br />
• $5.4 million to support public<br />
health preparedness and response<br />
activities through the<br />
Centers for Disease Control;<br />
Unemployment eligibility is<br />
extended to self-employed<br />
and independent contractors.<br />
• $4.7 million in Community Development<br />
Block Grant (CDBG)<br />
funding to support the expansion<br />
of community health facilities,<br />
child care centers, food banks,<br />
and senior services;<br />
• $5 million in Community Service<br />
Block Grants to address the consequences<br />
of increasing unemployed<br />
and economic disruption;<br />
• $4.3 million in Child Care Development<br />
Block Grants to support<br />
child care assistance to health<br />
care sector employees, emergency<br />
responders, sanitation workers<br />
and other works deemed essential<br />
during the corona virus response;<br />
• $4.6 million for housing assistance<br />
grants through the Department<br />
of Housing and Urban<br />
Development;<br />
• $4.1 million in the Low Income<br />
Home Energy Assistance Program<br />
(LIHEAP);<br />
• $20 million to support public<br />
transportation emergency relief;<br />
• $9.6 million to support the state’s<br />
airports;<br />
• $3 million in election assistance<br />
grants;<br />
• $2 million to support state and<br />
local law enforcement and corrections<br />
through the Byrne-Justice<br />
Assistance Grant (JAG) program;<br />
• $826,000 through the National<br />
Endowment for the Arts and the<br />
National Endowment for the<br />
Humanities to support museums,<br />
libraries and other organizations<br />
that have been forced to shut their<br />
doors due to the virus;<br />
• $175,000 to support small- and<br />
medium-sized manufacturers recover<br />
from the economic impacts<br />
of COVID-19 through the Manufacturing<br />
Extension Partnership<br />
program; and<br />
• $862,000 in Emergency Preparedness<br />
Grants through the Federal<br />
Emergency Management Administration<br />
(FEMA).<br />
“Patrick Leahy did<br />
what he has always<br />
done, delivered real<br />
results for Vermonters,”<br />
said Terje<br />
Anderson, chair of the<br />
Vermont Democratic<br />
Party. “With this funding,<br />
those working on the front lines of this<br />
outbreak, workers, and families impacted<br />
by this crisis will get the much needed<br />
resources they so urgently need.”<br />
Individuals will begin to receive funds<br />
within the next three weeks, legislators<br />
claim. Those already enrolled in unemployment<br />
will receive their additional $600<br />
either by check or direct deposit. All qualified<br />
individuals will receive the $1,200 plus<br />
$500 for dependents automatically, too.<br />
Provides direct<br />
payments of $1,200<br />
to individuals making<br />
up to $75,000 a year.
STATE NEWS<br />
The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong> • 11
12 • The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong><br />
><br />
Harrison: Senators are taking things day by day and sometimes writing the rules as they go<br />
from page 6<br />
Going forward during this emergency period may require<br />
that bills not dealing with the COVID-19 crisis and the<br />
various state budgets may have to take a backseat, especially<br />
if they require new funding or new responsibilities from<br />
various agencies. That didn’t stop the House Government<br />
Operations Committee from advancing a bill on campaign<br />
financing for the 2022 elections last week. So what is important<br />
and timely may still be in the eyes of the beholder.<br />
More controversial measures, like a bill imposing new<br />
firearm restrictions, will be put on hold for now according<br />
to House Speaker Johnson. What is less clear is the fate of<br />
significant measures relating to climate change, amendments<br />
to Vermont’s Act 250 law and the regulation of cannabis<br />
among others.<br />
The Legislature approved and sent to the Governor two<br />
bills last week dealing with various COVID-19 related<br />
measures:<br />
H.742 – Allows certain health agencies to waive or<br />
modify certain regulatory requirements for flexibility in<br />
staffing; directs the state to consider measures to expand<br />
health insurance coverage; allows pharmacies to extend<br />
maintenance prescriptions; allows relicensing of retired<br />
health care professionals; expands insurance coverage for<br />
telemedicine; and allows the Commissioner for Children<br />
and Families to use additional funds for child care assistance.<br />
H.742 also contained changes to Vermont’s unemployment<br />
program, including waiving of the one week delay<br />
for COVID-19 UI claims; and alleviates employer experience<br />
rating due to increases in certain situations where<br />
employees were laid off or needed to leave their jobs due<br />
to COVID-19.<br />
H.681 — allows electronic and remote meetings during<br />
the emergency for public bodies; allows changes to our<br />
<strong>2020</strong> elections, including potential for mail in balloting;<br />
flexibility on municipal deadlines; and allows the Department<br />
of Fish & Wildlife to conduct its area meetings<br />
remotely while reducing the number of them.<br />
Meanwhile, emergency federal legislation has been<br />
enacted that promises help to individuals as well as businesses.<br />
Several links are listed under my resource section<br />
below and/or you can reach out to our Congressional<br />
delegation (Rep. Welch, Senators Leahy and Sanders) for<br />
more details.<br />
We may have to continue to adjust some of the rules<br />
as we proceed, but we will get through this and hopefully<br />
soon! Stay safe and healthy. To quote President Lincoln,<br />
“Let us hope that these times that we are now facing will<br />
appeal to the better angels of our nature.”<br />
For a touch of humor on our current stay home situation<br />
enjoy this YouTube video.<br />
youtube.com/watch?v=k0ci5EYb9qA&app=desktop<br />
Congratulations are in order to David Fox, whom the<br />
governor appointed to become Rutland County sheriff,<br />
replacing retiring Sheriff Stephen Benard. Fox has been a<br />
member of the sheriff’s office since graduating from the<br />
Vermont Police Academy in 2004.<br />
Additional Resources<br />
Call 211 (the Vermont 211 database) for Covid-19 assistance<br />
or visit: healthvermont.gov/covid19<br />
Vermont Executive Orders: governor.vermont.gov/<br />
document-types/executive-orders<br />
Health Connect: Uninsured Vermonters can sign up<br />
for Vermont Health Connect until <strong>April</strong> 17, no matter how<br />
long you’ve been uninsured. Apply by calling 1-855-899-<br />
9600. For free help, call 1-800-917-7787 or visit: vtlawhelp.<br />
org/vhc-coronavirus<br />
Unemployment information: labor.vermont.gov<br />
New tax deadlines: tax.vermont.gov/coronavirus<br />
Resources for businesses: accd.vermont.gov/covid-<br />
19-guidance<br />
Public Wi-Fi map and information on access in Vermont:<br />
publicservice.vermont.gov/content/public-wifihotspots-vermont<br />
><br />
Clarkson: COVID-19 bills passed<br />
from page 6<br />
VID-19 will not adversely<br />
impact the employer’s<br />
experience rating.<br />
The second bill, H.681,<br />
creates temporary provisions<br />
addressing elections,<br />
the open meeting<br />
law, and deadlines for<br />
municipal corporations.<br />
The elections provisions<br />
are designed to protect<br />
Vermonters’ health and<br />
safety while continuing<br />
to ensure the integrity of<br />
our democratic institutions.<br />
It eliminates the<br />
requirement to collect<br />
voter signatures to run for<br />
office in the primary or<br />
general election, or a local<br />
election, and shortens the<br />
time period to file candidate<br />
consent forms. Further,<br />
it permits flexibility<br />
in elections procedures<br />
to protect people’s health<br />
and welfare. And the bill<br />
allows the Secretary of<br />
State to authorize towns<br />
that don’t currently use<br />
Australian ballots to vote<br />
to do so during this crisis.<br />
It also creates flexibility<br />
in our open meeting<br />
laws to allow for electronic<br />
meetings. During<br />
the COVID-19 crisis<br />
public bodies can meet<br />
electronically without<br />
designating a physical<br />
location for the meeting<br />
or requiring the presence<br />
of members or staff at a<br />
physical location. Ideally,<br />
School Board and Select<br />
Board meetings will be<br />
recorded. It also permits<br />
municipalities to extend<br />
deadlines for licenses,<br />
permits, programs and<br />
plans and it prohibits<br />
municipal corporations<br />
from disconnecting water<br />
or wastewater systems<br />
(similar to the prohibition<br />
for utilities).<br />
This week also saw significant<br />
federal legislation<br />
enacted – the CARES Act.<br />
The Vermont Legislature<br />
is hard at work analyzing<br />
its provisions and coordinating<br />
our programs with<br />
its framework. Stay tuned.<br />
Sen. Clarkson can be<br />
reached by email: aclarkson@leg.state.vt.us<br />
or by<br />
phone at 457-4627. To get<br />
more information on the<br />
Vermont Legislature, and<br />
the bills which have been<br />
proposed and passed,<br />
visit: legislature.vermont.<br />
gov.<br />
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The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong> • 13<br />
><br />
War on virus: Changes are needed to ensure healthcare for all who need it, we must be watchdogs of how our tax dollars are spent and the results they get<br />
from page 8<br />
beds, and 210 ventilators.<br />
Vermont officials have committed to aggressive mitigation,<br />
but we begin this battle with two serious handicaps.<br />
First, administrators impose a slew of draconian regulations<br />
that have restricted the supply of health resources for<br />
years. Second, healthcare rationing has been taking place<br />
since the creation of Vermont’s All- Payer Accountable Care<br />
Organization (ACO) model in 2016.<br />
Regulating healthcare capacity<br />
Thirty-five states including Vermont enact Certificate<br />
of Need (CON) laws that are designed to curtail costs by<br />
artificially limiting the supply of health resources.<br />
In practice, CON laws lead to rationing. The government<br />
often denies requests for new facilities to stifle<br />
economic competition and protect the monopoly held<br />
by the politically powerful UVM Health Network.<br />
Vermont imposes the highest number of CON laws<br />
(more than double the national average). A 2017 study by<br />
the Mercatus Center showed that it could have had six more<br />
hospitals without these regulations. The crony laws also<br />
prevent nonhospital settings from offering medical imaging<br />
technologies, which has led to lower utilization rates of<br />
CT scans and MRIs.<br />
Fewer hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers, especially<br />
in rural areas, coupled with reduced access to medical<br />
imaging will thwart Vermont’s ability to take care of all<br />
COVID-19 patients requiring medical attention, hospitalization,<br />
and respiratory support. Recently, North Carolina<br />
allowed hospitals to add beds without state permission.<br />
Vermont should likewise suspend its counterproductive<br />
CON program.<br />
CON laws are but one part of the state’s regulatory labyrinth.<br />
A <strong>2020</strong> Mercatus Center report ranks Vermont 43rd<br />
in overall healthcare openness and access. We place 47th<br />
in the nation because of our restrictions related to health<br />
insurance, and 45th for imposing operational constraints<br />
on hospitals, payers, and pharmacies. The latter distinction<br />
can be attributed to the All-Payer ACO model – the first of its<br />
kind in the nation.<br />
Managed by a private organization called OneCare Vermont,<br />
this model aims to reduce costs using a two-pronged<br />
strategy: 1) Transition all payers (Medicare, Medicaid, and<br />
The government often denies requests for<br />
new facilities to stifle economic competition<br />
and protect the monopoly held by the<br />
politically powerful.<br />
commercial insurers) from fee-for-service to value-based<br />
reimbursement; and 2) Promote a population health<br />
approach in place of the traditional biomedical model. A<br />
population-based approach targets the local health needs<br />
of a population to improve overall health outcomes.<br />
To this end, OneCare has spent hundreds of millions of<br />
dollars in developing health information technology and<br />
complex care coordination programs.<br />
My prior investigations, while leading Vermonters<br />
for Healthcare Freedom, demonstrated that the clinical<br />
database used for OneCare’s analytics is inaccurate and<br />
incomplete. During the most recent budget deliberations,<br />
OneCare admitted that they still lack access to reliable records.<br />
Moreover, the state auditor and health care advocate<br />
reported that OneCare could not prove it had conducted<br />
community programs for which it received funds. Nonetheless,<br />
health administrators approved the organization’s<br />
<strong>2020</strong> budget of $1.42 billion.<br />
Rationing underway<br />
In 20<strong>14</strong>, then Governor Peter Shumlin announced that<br />
his plan to implement a single payer system had failed.<br />
The model’s cost growth exceeded Vermont’s annual GDP<br />
growth, which broke the model. With the ACO All-Payer<br />
project, state authorities have been trying to create a new<br />
cost containment mechanism that will achieve what the<br />
Shumlin Administration could not. As a result, they have<br />
insisted on capping the growth of healthcare costs at<br />
3.5%. This stringency comes at the cost of Vermonters’<br />
health. Data from the Department of Vermont Health<br />
Access shows a decline in the usage rates of primary care<br />
physicians and specialists, as well as the overall healthy<br />
rate across the state between 2013 and 2016.<br />
Additionally, analyst Susan Aranoff writes that OneCare<br />
scored worse on seven out of 10 Medicaid quality measures<br />
in 2018 as compared to 2017. Worsening healthcare<br />
quality indicators, reduced visits to doctors, and growing<br />
evidence of long waiting lines to receive treatment indicate<br />
that rationing has been occurring, under the aegis of the<br />
All-Payer ACO model, to limit healthcare costs.<br />
We thus confront our invisible enemy at a significant disadvantage.<br />
The answer then to mounting the most effective<br />
response is straightforward – increase the state’s healthcare<br />
capacity. This strategy requires the political will to let go of<br />
regulations and ideological experiments. A pandemic without<br />
precedent in living memory demands the impossible.<br />
Meg Hansen trained as an MBBS and is the former executive<br />
director of Vermonters for Health Care Freedom, a health<br />
policy think tank. She is also a <strong>2020</strong> Lt. Governor candidate<br />
in Vermont.<br />
Covering corona: A new challenge<br />
><br />
from page 8<br />
your story. But we’ve all been able to depend on Vermont’s<br />
Open Meeting Law to provide basic guarantees to public<br />
information at the state and municipal levels.<br />
But it looks like COVID-19 is about to make that tougher.<br />
The Senate Committee on Government Operations<br />
earlier this week met to finalize “emergency legislation”<br />
to relax open meeting law procedures in response to<br />
COVID-19.<br />
The Senate panel, among other things, has been debating<br />
a requirement that all public municipal/school meetings<br />
have a phone number available for the public to dial<br />
into. The Vermont League of Cities and Towns has objected<br />
to that requirement, contending small towns would struggle<br />
with that technology requirement. So the committee<br />
settled on requiring a call-in number “whenever feasible”<br />
to allow the public access, or other electronic means.<br />
Committee members also jousted about whether Select<br />
Boards and School Boards should have to record their<br />
meetings. They ultimately decided in favor of such a mandate<br />
“except in extraordinary situations that would make it<br />
impossible.”<br />
Sounds pretty subjective to me and to other members of<br />
the Vermont Press Association (VPA) board.<br />
The panel also recommended relaxing the current timeframe<br />
for boards to release meeting minutes. The current<br />
limit is five business days; the revised policy is 10 days.<br />
What’s the big deal about that, you ask? If a board pitches<br />
a major zoning change or tax hike, how long do you want<br />
to wait for that news? Reporters can’t cover every meeting,<br />
so in many cases we have to depend on board minutes in<br />
learn about actions that lead to news stories.<br />
The VPA has worked hard over the year to win these concessions<br />
— not only for journalists, but also for the public’s<br />
right to know.<br />
Open government isn’t always easy. But it’s essential to<br />
our way of life.<br />
John Flowers is a past president of the Vermont Press<br />
Association and a reporter for the Addison Independent, a<br />
sister paper to the <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong>.
<strong>14</strong> • NEWS BRIEFS<br />
The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong><br />
Health officials caution against using<br />
non-approved drugs for COVID-19<br />
<strong>April</strong> 1-7 is Medication<br />
Safety Week and as reports<br />
appear in the news of<br />
certain drugs being potentially<br />
used for treatment or<br />
prevention of COVID-19,<br />
the Vermont Department of<br />
Health urges caution.<br />
At this time, the U.S.<br />
Drug Administration has<br />
not approved any drugs<br />
specifically for the treatment<br />
of patients with<br />
COVID-19, the state said in<br />
a news release March 26.<br />
Though the anti-malarial<br />
drugs chloroquine<br />
and hydroxychloroquine,<br />
among others, have been<br />
widely discussed as potential<br />
treatments, the Centers<br />
for Disease Control and Prevention<br />
has said there are<br />
no data currently available<br />
from randomized clinical<br />
trials that would inform<br />
how these drugs could be<br />
used to treat COVID-19.<br />
In fact, there are significant<br />
potential risks to<br />
taking such drugs, including<br />
death.<br />
Health officials remind<br />
Vermonters that most<br />
people who get COVID-19<br />
can manage their symptoms<br />
at home with rest,<br />
drinking fluids and taking<br />
fever-reducing medication.<br />
Providers should only<br />
prescribe drugs for diagnosed<br />
conditions, not prevention,<br />
to help maintain<br />
the supply for Vermonters<br />
who need them.<br />
Prohibition on utility disconnects now includes water<br />
On Friday, March 27, the Vermont Public<br />
Utility Commission (PUC) expanded the<br />
moratorium on utility disconnections to<br />
include non-residential ratepayers and regulated<br />
water companies. A previous order,<br />
issued on March 18, had directed utilities to<br />
stop any disconnection of residential utility<br />
service due to nonpayment of electricity,<br />
natural gas, and telecommunication bills.<br />
In Friday’s order, the commission expands<br />
the same protection to non-residential<br />
ratepayers (commercial and industrial<br />
customers) and to certain water companies<br />
under the commission’s jurisdiction. This<br />
expanded moratorium will last until at least<br />
<strong>April</strong> 30. It applies to the 21 regulated water<br />
companies in Vermont. Not all water companies<br />
(for example, fire districts) are under<br />
the commission’s jurisdiction.<br />
Governor Phil Scott urged anyone with a<br />
disconnect notice to call the state’s hotline<br />
at 2-1-1.<br />
With this second order, the commission<br />
recognizes that commercial and<br />
industrial customers and the customers of<br />
water companies will also endure financial<br />
constraints, and that involuntary disconnections<br />
due to nonpayment of bills would<br />
put them at risk.<br />
The proceeding was opened in response<br />
to a March 16, petition from Vermont Legal<br />
Aid “on behalf of the low-income, disabled,<br />
and elderly residents of the state.”<br />
For more info visit epuc.vermont.gov.<br />
Courtesy Killington Elementary School<br />
Lia Gugliotta, age 12, won the most creative poster award from the NSAA.<br />
Killington student wins<br />
poster contest for creativity<br />
KILLINGTON—On March 25, Mary Guggenberger, principal of Killington Elementary<br />
School, shared the following good news with the KES community via their<br />
newsletter. She reported that she had heard from John Duke at Killington Resort who<br />
said “I’m happy to let you know that Lia Gugliotta won the most creative poster award<br />
for the NSAA (National Ski Area Association) Safety Poster Contest. In addition to the<br />
$200 gift certificate from Killington, she will receive a new helmet from the NSAA. The<br />
poster will be published in the NSAA Journal.”<br />
Congratulations, Lia.
The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong> PUZZLES • 15<br />
WORDPLAY<br />
‘Customer’ Word Search: Find the words hidden vertically, horizontally, diagonally and backwards.<br />
AGENT<br />
ATTENTION<br />
BUSINESS<br />
CONSISTENCY<br />
CUSTOMER<br />
ESCALATION<br />
ETIQUETTE<br />
EXPERIENCE<br />
FOLLOW-UP<br />
IMPACT<br />
IMPROVE<br />
LOYALTY<br />
MANAGEMENT<br />
METRICS<br />
PERCEPTION<br />
PERFORMANCE<br />
PRIORITY<br />
QUALITY<br />
REPEAT<br />
RESOLUTION<br />
SATISFACTION<br />
SERVICE<br />
SHOPPING<br />
SUPPORT<br />
Guess Who?<br />
CROSSWORD PUZZLE<br />
Solutions > 29<br />
SUDOKU<br />
Solutions > 29<br />
CLUES ACROSS<br />
1. Bond villain<br />
Mikkelsen<br />
5. A team’s best<br />
pitcher<br />
8. French river<br />
12. <strong>Mountain</strong><br />
nymph (Greek)<br />
<strong>14</strong>. City of Angels<br />
airport<br />
15. Military force<br />
16. Scrawny<br />
18. Value<br />
19. One billionth of<br />
a second (abbr.)<br />
20. Highly<br />
seasoned sausage<br />
21. Trouble<br />
22. Prong<br />
23. Showing<br />
varying colors<br />
26. Cloaked<br />
30. Renters sign<br />
one<br />
31. Acquires<br />
32. Type of<br />
language (abbr.)<br />
33. Partner to pains<br />
34. Third portion of<br />
the small intestine<br />
39. Excessively<br />
theatrical actor<br />
42. Infraction<br />
44. Classical music<br />
for the stage<br />
46. Slogged<br />
47. One who<br />
terminates<br />
<strong>49</strong>. Breakfast is an<br />
important one<br />
50. Moved earth<br />
51. Medical<br />
procedures<br />
56. Genus of clams<br />
57. Not well<br />
58. Comparative<br />
figure of speech<br />
59. Covered thinly<br />
with gold<br />
60. Principle<br />
underlying the<br />
universe<br />
61. A parent’s<br />
sisters<br />
62. Professional<br />
engineering group<br />
63. Coniferous tree<br />
64. Impudence<br />
CLUES DOWN<br />
1. Female parents<br />
2. Region<br />
3. Transaction<br />
4. Heroic tale<br />
5. Of algae<br />
6. Luminous<br />
intensity unit<br />
7. Uncovers<br />
8. French<br />
commune name<br />
9. Poisonous gas<br />
10. Pearl Jam’s<br />
bassist<br />
11. Horse groom in<br />
India<br />
13. Destroyed<br />
17. A way to alter<br />
24. Promotional<br />
materials<br />
25. American state<br />
26. Extinct flightless<br />
bird of New<br />
Zealand<br />
27. “Modern<br />
Family” network<br />
28. Last or greatest<br />
in an indefinitely<br />
large series<br />
29. Exercise<br />
system __-bo<br />
35. Type of bulb<br />
36. Opposite of<br />
beginning<br />
37. Utilize<br />
38. Type of student<br />
40. Deficiency of<br />
moisture<br />
41. Areas of the<br />
eye<br />
42. Select<br />
43. Sheets of<br />
floating ice<br />
44. Priests who act<br />
as mediums<br />
45. Roof of the<br />
mouth<br />
47. Unnatural<br />
48. Illuminated<br />
<strong>49</strong>. There are three<br />
famous ones<br />
52. Large, fast<br />
Australian birds<br />
53. “Dracula”<br />
heroine Harker<br />
54. Subsititutes<br />
(abbr.)<br />
55. Tax<br />
How to Play<br />
Each block is divided by its own matrix<br />
of nine cells. The rule for solving Sudoku<br />
puzzles are very simple. Each row,<br />
column and block, must contain one of<br />
the numbers from “1” to “9”. No number<br />
may appear more than once in any row,<br />
column, or block. When you’ve filled the<br />
entire grid the puzzle is solved.<br />
made you look.<br />
imagine what space<br />
can do for you.<br />
Mounta in <strong>Times</strong><br />
802.422.2399 • mountaintimes.info
theSilverLining<br />
16 • The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong><br />
This week’s infusion of hope and positivity.<br />
By Carol Geery<br />
Sprouts rise tall aided by artificial light indoors. Most can be easily transplanted in May.<br />
By Carol Geery<br />
Tiny green lettuce sprouts begin to appear scattered in the soil of a warm greenhouse.<br />
By Carol Geery<br />
Start your seeds indoors with grow lights to help them properly germinate.<br />
Get your garden started early this spring<br />
By Brooke Geery<br />
The old idiom about waiting until after Memorial Day<br />
to plant a garden here in Vermont, doesn’t have to apply<br />
if you start your garden indoors!<br />
In this uncertain world, there has never been a better<br />
time to get your hands dirty and plant a vegetable<br />
garden. Even minimal success will provide you with<br />
some joy (and additional food security) over the coming<br />
summer, and homegrown veggies just taste better. In<br />
addition to the obvious benefit of edibles, gardening is a<br />
great activity for your mental and physical health. It gets<br />
you outside and in touch with the natural world in a way<br />
you may otherwise miss.<br />
All you really need to garden is some soil, water and a<br />
sunny spot. Don’t have a yard? No problem! Vegetables<br />
such as tomatoes, peppers and even potatoes can be<br />
grown with great success in pots. In this region, it is still<br />
too early to plant most things in the ground. However,<br />
it’s not too soon to get started and set yourself up for<br />
success.<br />
Starting seeds indoors.<br />
Certain vegetables have a long maturity cycle, so to<br />
fully take advantage of Vermont’s summer months, it’s<br />
important to get them started now. This includes things<br />
such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and squash. You<br />
will need a light source— seedlings require 16-18 hours<br />
of light to properly germinate and grow. This can be<br />
By Carol Geery<br />
Two types of spinach sprout in a greenhouse. The new green is a sure sign of spring.<br />
accomplished using official grow lights or any full-spectrum<br />
bulb, even the one in your fishtank! Use a nutrientrich<br />
potting mixture and small pots to start. You’ll want<br />
to establish a decent root system before moving things<br />
to the ground in a month or two (depending on your<br />
location). Another option is to purchase starters from a<br />
nursery, although this can quickly get expensive.<br />
Preparing your soil<br />
Again, you will want to wait to plant things until the<br />
ground has warmed up some. However, it is not too early<br />
to till the soil and add fertilizers to get it ready. Step one<br />
is to clear the area. If there hasn’t been a garden before,<br />
clearing involves digging out all the grass and “native”<br />
plants (weeds). You can hire someone to come and till<br />
the garden and get deliveries of top soil. For a small area,<br />
a spade will work and you can buy bags of garden soil<br />
and compost at the local garden supply store. Before tilling,<br />
pick up any brush, twigs, branches, rocks, or other<br />
debris and get them all out of the way.<br />
For a garden that’s been established, it’s just clearing,<br />
turning the soil and raking, then add soil amendments<br />
or plant foods. If you live near a farm (especially a horse<br />
farm), you may be able to get a a load of manure, but it<br />
should be dried for at least a year. Otherwise, just add<br />
bags of manure (Moo Doo is a great local brand from<br />
Middlebury). Use all purpose organic fertilizer according<br />
to planting directions.<br />
Things you can plant directly in the ground<br />
Many plants do not like to be transplanted, or sprout<br />
and mature quickly, so starting them indoors is unnecessary.<br />
This includes peas, lettuce, radishes and other<br />
root vegetables. Radishes are a personal favorite of mine<br />
as they can handle colder temperatures and mature<br />
quickly— time from planting to harvest can be under<br />
a month. You can use the bitter greens in salads or as a<br />
quick cooked side, and the peppery radishes are a great<br />
addition to salads or even guacamole!<br />
When you can plant really depends on the location of<br />
the garden, drainage and exposure to the sun. Plan on<br />
mid-<strong>April</strong> for colder-season plants, and you can plant<br />
earlier if you’re using plastic coverings (I have lettuce<br />
coming up, peas, carrots and beets planted). You can also<br />
plant onions, potatoes and cabbage out in the beginning<br />
to middle of May if the days are sunny. For tomatoes,<br />
squash, and other heat-loving plants, wait until the end<br />
of May. If you’re in a cold location, such as Killington, you<br />
should probably wait until the first week in June.<br />
Gardening is as much as art as a science, so don’t<br />
blame yourself entirely for lack of success. Trial and error<br />
is a great method, and over time, you’ll learn what likes<br />
it where and what you have the most luck with! Happy<br />
gardening.
The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong> THE SILVER LINING • 17<br />
Courtesy of Vermont Fish and Wildlife<br />
A wild brook trout with its brilliant spots is many anglers’ quest this spring.<br />
Go fishing! Angling is a great<br />
form of social distancing<br />
Vemont is full of lakes, ponds and<br />
streams teeming with fish, and fishing<br />
is a great form of social distancing. Now<br />
that spring is here, the opportunities are<br />
abundant and varied, and conditions<br />
will only improve in the coming weeks.<br />
Fish species that are open to year-round<br />
angling include pike, pickerel, bullhead,<br />
catfish, and panfish species like perch,<br />
bluegill, pumpkinseed, and crappie.<br />
Bullhead is a favorite springtime<br />
species of many anglers, and can be<br />
readily caught with a simple hook, worm<br />
and bobber around culverts and the<br />
mouths of streams where they flow into<br />
lakes. With the same setup, you can catch<br />
catfish, perch, crappie and sunfish while<br />
casting from the bank to areas near vegetation<br />
like bulrushes and cattails.<br />
There’s nothing better than a fresh<br />
meal of perch, crappie, bullhead or<br />
Friday, <strong>April</strong> 3 at 12:30 p.m.—<br />
QUECHEE— Just because we are<br />
spending more time at home and distancing<br />
ourselves from others doesn’t<br />
mean the learning has to stop. Check<br />
out this virtual engagement opportunity<br />
from VINS to reinvigorate your<br />
at-home learner.<br />
On Friday, <strong>April</strong> 3, join VINS for a<br />
reptile encounter. It’s an important time<br />
catfish caught in our local waters. They<br />
make for an excellent, healthy, locallysourced<br />
meal for your family. You can<br />
even make a biology home-school lesson<br />
out of your adventure.<br />
Vermont also offers year-round trout<br />
fishing. You don’t have to wait for the<br />
open season for trout (<strong>April</strong> 11 – Oct. 31),<br />
there are several stream sections open<br />
year-round for catch and release trout<br />
fishing.<br />
Lake Champlain is consistently recognized<br />
as a top bass destination in the<br />
country and while bass fishing is great<br />
during the whole season, truly exceptional<br />
Champlain bass fishing occurs in the<br />
early spring. Bass Catch & Release in other<br />
lakes and ponds around the state open<br />
on <strong>April</strong> 11, <strong>2020</strong>. For more information<br />
and to purchase your fishing license ($28<br />
per year) visit vtfishandwildlife.com.<br />
Courtesy of VINS<br />
Visit VINS reptiles on Facebook live<br />
of year for herps (reptiles and amphibians).<br />
Join in for a close encounter to<br />
learn more about their life history, what<br />
makes each species unique, and more<br />
specialties of the reptiles that live at<br />
VINS during this Facebook Live, where<br />
they will answer all your questions in<br />
real-time. Visit Facebook to vote for the<br />
reptile you want to see up close, facebook.com/events/3060555233956504.<br />
Vermont Dance Alliance<br />
offers online dance classes<br />
As everything moves<br />
into online communication<br />
and connection,<br />
Vermont Dance Alliance<br />
(VDA) is pleased to offer a<br />
new online dance series,<br />
every Saturday in <strong>April</strong>.<br />
These classes are free for the<br />
public (donations to VDA<br />
graciously accepted) and<br />
led by VDA members.<br />
There are many wonderful<br />
online offerings, ranging<br />
from ballet to zumba to<br />
general movement, posted<br />
by VDA members on vermontdance.org.<br />
The Vermont Dance<br />
Alliance is a foundation<br />
for Vermont dancers and a<br />
public platform for dance in<br />
Vermont. The alliance cultivates<br />
deeper relationships<br />
between its members, and<br />
helps to foster a thriving artistic<br />
community throughout<br />
the state.<br />
The project began in<br />
June, 2016 as a volunteerrun<br />
effort to gain insight<br />
When the snow starts melting and the<br />
temperatures get warmer, most of us<br />
want to get outside and hike! But, mud<br />
season is not a good time for hiking in<br />
certain areas. Rain and melting snow at<br />
higher elevations are keeping many of<br />
Vermont’s hiking trails wet and muddy.<br />
When hikers tramp on saturated soils,<br />
they cause soil compaction and erosion<br />
as well as damage to the trail and<br />
surrounding vegetation. Please help<br />
protect the fragile trails this time of year<br />
by staying off muddy trails.<br />
Higher elevation soils take longer to<br />
dry out. And after heavy snowfall this<br />
winter and following spring rains, the<br />
trails will take longer than normal to dry<br />
out. A trail may be dry at the trailhead,<br />
but is muddy at a higher elevation this<br />
time of year. If you notice this happening,<br />
please turn around! Trails at lower<br />
elevations, dirt roads, and recreation<br />
paths provide excellent places for early<br />
spring walking.<br />
Along with the warmer weather, there<br />
are many aspects of nature beginning<br />
into what was happening<br />
in dance in Vermont. Because<br />
of the interests of the<br />
participating volunteers,<br />
the focus was primarily<br />
on contemporary dance.<br />
After a year of successful<br />
Courtesy of Vermont Dance Alliance<br />
networking, gathering, and<br />
producing as a team, the<br />
vision expanded to include<br />
all dance forms that are<br />
represented here in the<br />
state. For more info visit<br />
vermontdance.org.<br />
Hiking tips for mud season survival<br />
to emerge for us to enjoy. Thank you for<br />
helping to preserve our beautiful natural<br />
resources!<br />
Guidelines to follow when<br />
hiking this time of year<br />
If a trail is so muddy that you need to<br />
walk on the vegetation beside it, turn<br />
back and seek another place to hike.<br />
Plan spring hikes in hardwood forests<br />
at lower elevations.<br />
Avoid spruce-fir (conifer) forest at<br />
higher elevations and on north slopes<br />
before late May and from the end of<br />
October until frozen or snow covered.<br />
Camels Hump and Mt Mansfield<br />
trails are closed from <strong>April</strong> 15 through<br />
the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend.<br />
Please do not hike here. Stay below<br />
3,000 feet during these times of year.<br />
Staying away from certain places during<br />
mud season makes them ready to<br />
enjoy this summer.<br />
For more information, and other<br />
mud season hiking options, check out<br />
greenmountainclub.org/mud-seasonarrived.
Food Matters<br />
18 • The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong><br />
Vermont<br />
Gift Shop<br />
Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner<br />
LARGEST SELECTION OF ICE CREAM TREATS!<br />
GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE!<br />
Mid-way up<br />
Killington Access Rd.<br />
vermontsushi.com<br />
802.422.4241<br />
(802) 773-2738<br />
Open Daily 6:30 a.m.<br />
MEALS TO GO-GO<br />
TAKE OUT<br />
& DELIVERY<br />
11AM - 10PM DAILY<br />
GROCERY<br />
MEATS AND SEAFOOD<br />
beer and wine<br />
DELICATESSEN<br />
BAKERY PIZZA CATERING<br />
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner To Go<br />
Hours: OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK<br />
6:30 a.m. - 8 p.m.<br />
2023 KILLINGTON ROAD<br />
802-422-7736 • Deli 422-7594 • ATM<br />
Please check our FB page @KillingtonMarket<br />
& Website for our daily specials.<br />
www.killingtonmarket.com<br />
Specials<br />
Daily<br />
KILLINGTON, Celebrating VT our 74th year! KILLINGTON, VT<br />
GROCERY<br />
@<br />
(on the access road)<br />
GAS BEER CAVE<br />
For Convenience Store purchases, use our on-line<br />
ordering system for a convenient pickup option. Sorry,<br />
OPEN 7 DAYS no deli or pizza orders at this OPEN time. 7 DAYS<br />
2384 Killington Rd • mountainmerchantvt.com 2384 Killington Rd • mountainmerchantvt.com<br />
mountainmerchantvt.com<br />
802.422.CAVE<br />
@<br />
(on the access road)<br />
OPEN 7 DAYS<br />
802.422.CAVE (2283)<br />
Market & Gas Station Everyday 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.<br />
802.422.CAVE<br />
Conveniently located on the Killington Access Road<br />
2384 Killington Road, Killington<br />
WE’RE HERE<br />
TO HELP!<br />
ALL<br />
STOCKED<br />
UP!<br />
Chef Claude’s (not-so) secret recipes<br />
At Chef Claude’s Choices Restaurant in Killington,<br />
Chef Claude is a master of fine cuisine. Visitors to his<br />
restaurant enjoy a variety of items including rotisserie<br />
meats and handmade pastas. Unfortunately, the<br />
restaurant is closed due to COVID-19, but never fear!<br />
Chef Claude has been sharing a few of his recipes on<br />
Facebook, complete with hacks for making due with<br />
low supplies. One of the best examples of this, an easy<br />
flat bread.<br />
Easy Flat Bread<br />
Combine 1 cup flour, dash salt, 2 tablespoon oil,<br />
100ml warm milk, cover and rest 15 minutes.<br />
Add 1 tablespoon of oil, mix, cover with wet cloth,<br />
rest 20 min.<br />
Form balls, roll out with flour, heat pan with salt and<br />
water, cook a couple of minutes each side.<br />
I was able to fit two in pan at a time. Makes 8.<br />
Sauces<br />
Any well-cooked meat or veggie can be a meal, but if<br />
you really want to take your quarantine cooking to the<br />
next level, it’s all about the sauces. Chef Claude offers a<br />
couple of choices of varying complexity.<br />
Red Curry Coconut Sauce<br />
“This Red Curry Coconut sauce is an easy versatile<br />
recipe. Works great for chicken, seafood, fish, or vegetarian,”<br />
Chef Claude said.<br />
• 2 cans coconut milk<br />
• 1/4 cup loosely packed brown sugar<br />
• dash of cinnamon<br />
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar<br />
• 2 tsp Red Curry paste<br />
• zest and juice of one lime<br />
• 1/2 tsp chopped garlic<br />
• 1 tbsp fresh-grated ginger<br />
• 1 tbsp soy sauce<br />
Combine all ingredients in a stainless steel pot and<br />
simmer for about 5 minutes. Add 2 tbsp chopped cilantro<br />
when cooled.<br />
Easy Balsamic Reduction Glaze<br />
• 1 pint quality balsamic vinegar<br />
• 2 tbsp honey, maple syrup, or 1/3 cup sugar<br />
In heavy-bottomed pot bring vinegar to boil, reduce<br />
to simmer for 15 min or until syrupy. Use wooden<br />
spoon and reduce ‘til it coats spoon. Sauce will<br />
thicken as it cools.<br />
RUTLAND<br />
CO-OP<br />
grocery<br />
I<br />
household goods<br />
77 Wales St<br />
Full Service Vape Shop<br />
Humidified Premium Cigars • Hand Blown Glass Pipes<br />
Hookahs & Shisha Roll Your Own Tobacco & Supplies<br />
CBD Products • Smoking Accessories<br />
131 Strongs Avenue Rutland, VT<br />
(802) 775-2552<br />
Call For Shuttle Schedule<br />
produce<br />
health and beauty<br />
Like us on<br />
Facebook!<br />
By Chef Claude<br />
Chef Claude’s easy flat bread browning on the skillet.<br />
Creole Chicken<br />
By popular demand, here is the recipe for Creole<br />
Chicken. This dish is a favorite at Choices. Chef Claude<br />
offers the recipe with this advice, “Be creative using<br />
what you have on hand. I’m going to try to make my own<br />
blackening seasoning and sub vegetables for shrimp/<br />
andouille.”<br />
• 60 oz skin on, boneless chicken breast<br />
• sliced onion and bell peppers<br />
• Andouille sausage<br />
• Two jumbo shrimp<br />
• Blackening seasoning<br />
• 1/2 cup chicken broth<br />
• Salad oil to cover the bottom of the pan<br />
• chopped garlic<br />
• a couple pinches of flour<br />
Heat your skillet ‘til hot with just enough oil so the<br />
breast doesn’t stick. Have your exhaust fan on high!<br />
Add pre-seasoned breast, skin side down and turn heat<br />
down to a slow sizzle. When halfway done, add onions,<br />
bell pepper, three slices of andouille and brown.<br />
Add a couple of pinches of flour and stir slowly on low<br />
heat. After a couple minutes, slowly add 1/4 cup broth.<br />
Simmer, covered, keeping an eye on the amount and<br />
Recipes > 25
Food Matters<br />
EVERY<br />
SATURDAY<br />
The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong> • 19<br />
THRU MAY 2nd<br />
251 West St<br />
10am-2pm<br />
Rutland<br />
vtfarmersmarket.org<br />
Summer<br />
Market<br />
STARTS<br />
May 9!<br />
Due to the “Stay Home. Stay Safe” order, the Winter Market is closed. Stay<br />
in touch via social media & our website for regular updates. Until we are<br />
allowed to re-open please visit our vendors at their farms or online!<br />
BAKED GOODS:<br />
3 BEARS BAKERY<br />
Bearly-sane@hotmail.com<br />
BOMOSEEN BREAD BASKET<br />
Facebook.com/bomoseenbreadbasket<br />
MENDON MTN ORCHARDS<br />
1894 Route 4, Mendon<br />
802-775-5477<br />
RAYS OF SUNSHINE<br />
802-779-7578<br />
STORYTIME FOODS<br />
storytimevermont@aol.com<br />
DAIRY & EGGS:<br />
BRIDPORT CREAMERY<br />
802-758-6800<br />
bridportcreamery.com<br />
ICEHOUSE FARM<br />
Icehousefarmvt.com<br />
LARSON FARM<br />
661 South Street, Wells<br />
802-645-0865<br />
NORTH MEADOW FARM<br />
726 North Rd, Manchester<br />
northmeadowfarms.com<br />
WINDY MEADOWS<br />
12362 NY22, Whitehall, NY<br />
Porkandeggs.com<br />
SPECIALTY FOODS:<br />
BROWNS’ FAMILY FARM<br />
240 Hulett Hill Rd, Benson<br />
802-537-4474 (call first)<br />
CHAGA MOON<br />
Chagamoon.com<br />
ELNICKI PICKLE CO.<br />
Elnickipickles.com<br />
GRANDPA JIMS HOT SAUCE<br />
vermonthotsauce.com<br />
K RUANE MAPLE FARM<br />
802-353-0873<br />
MORRILL MOUNTAIN FRUIT FARM<br />
mmffvt.com<br />
STEWART MAPLE<br />
5444 VT Route 103, Cuttingsville<br />
stewartmaple.com<br />
VERMONT BARREL AGED<br />
vermontbarrelaged.com<br />
PRODUCE etc:<br />
BOARDMAN HILL FARM<br />
802-683-5791<br />
BROWN’S ORCHARD & FARMSTAND<br />
1083 Route 30 South, Castleton<br />
802-468-2297<br />
CHAMPLAIN VALLEY MUSHROOMS<br />
193 Young Rd, Orwell<br />
champlainvalleymushrooms.com<br />
DUTCHESS FARM<br />
87 North Rd, Castleton<br />
dutchessfarmvt.com<br />
EVENING SONG FARM<br />
680 Shunpike Rd, Shrewsbury<br />
FLOWERBROOK MEADOWS<br />
Jorobinson1007@gmail.com<br />
PLEW FARM<br />
1966 Healdville Rd, Mount Holly<br />
plewfarm.com<br />
RADICAL ROOTS FARM<br />
Farm stand off Creek Rd, Rutland Town<br />
radicalrootsvt.com<br />
SQUIER FAMILY FARM<br />
12 McNamara Rd, Tinmouth<br />
YODER FARMS<br />
426 Danby <strong>Mountain</strong> Rd, Danby<br />
MEAT:<br />
BROOKSIDE STOCK FARM<br />
Brooksideestate.com<br />
BUR-GER FARM<br />
1077 Stage Rd, Benson<br />
burgerfarmvt.com<br />
DAVIS FARM<br />
231 Gorham Rd, West Rutland<br />
802-779-5625<br />
MTN VIEW BISON<br />
234 Stratton Rd, Rutland<br />
802-342-0429<br />
MOSE FARM<br />
Mosefarmvt.com<br />
CBD PRODUCTS:<br />
CHAMPLAIN VALLEY ORGANICS<br />
Vermontpurecbd.com<br />
DANCING BAREFOOT FARMS<br />
dancingbarefootfarms.com<br />
GRATEFUL MTN RELIEF<br />
Gratefulmountainrelief.com<br />
WINE & SPIRITS:<br />
SPRING BROOK HOLLOW FARM<br />
Springbrookhollow.com<br />
WHISTLEPIG RYE<br />
whistlepigwhiskey.com<br />
WHALEBACK VINEYARD<br />
Whalebackvinyard.com<br />
ARTISAN CRAFTS:<br />
DESTINY DARLINGS<br />
etsy.com/shop/destinydarlings<br />
ESSENTIAL SUDS<br />
essentialsuds.com<br />
FELTED FOREST<br />
feltedforestvt.com<br />
FILTHY FARM GIRL<br />
filthyfarmgirl.com<br />
MOMMA MARIE DOG TREATS<br />
dogsjustlovethem@gmail.com<br />
SUSAN LEADER POTTERY<br />
susanleader@vermontel.net<br />
THE POTTER STONE<br />
thepotterstone.com<br />
THE QUILTED JARDIN<br />
thequiltedjardin.com<br />
SCRUMPH<br />
cydw@aol.com<br />
SIMPLY ANN CRAFTS<br />
simplyanncrafts.net
20 • The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong><br />
By Lisa Lynn, VT Ski & Ride<br />
On March 24, Governor Phil Scott issued<br />
an executive order directing Vermonters<br />
to stay at home or in their place<br />
of residence, leaving only for essential<br />
reasons such as: personal safety; groceries<br />
or medicine; curbside pick-up of goods,<br />
meals or beverages; medical care; exercise;<br />
care of others; and work, as set forth<br />
further.<br />
So the question that everyone was asking<br />
was: does this mean we can still skin<br />
and ski?<br />
At a press conference, Gov. Scott said:<br />
“Outdoor activities like dog walking or<br />
cross-country skiing are fine, but it is<br />
critical people keep a social distancing of<br />
six-feet apart, minimum.”<br />
What that means has been a topic that’s<br />
lit up the internet, pitted locals against<br />
out-of-towners and caused some areas to<br />
put up concrete barriers to keep skiers out<br />
of the access roads or parking lots.<br />
“I skin every day,” said Michael Christopher<br />
Owens, director of alpine touring<br />
at Magic <strong>Mountain</strong> in the winter and a regular<br />
competitor of the Northeast Rando<br />
circuit. “But I stay within 30 miles of my<br />
home. I don’t ski on trails or in conditions<br />
where I think I might get hurt and I practice<br />
social distancing.”<br />
When we caught up with Owens<br />
he had just returned from a skin at a<br />
nearby ski area. “However, it’s crazy<br />
there — there were cars parked all over<br />
the place — probably 60% of them with<br />
out-of-state plates. There were people<br />
hiking up in regular ski boots — and it’s<br />
really icy now. People come<br />
to these ski areas expecting<br />
the trails to be like they<br />
were during the winter and<br />
groomed and that’s not the<br />
case now. And when they<br />
are heading up the mountain,<br />
they are not practicing<br />
social distancing. I had a<br />
guy skin right up to me on<br />
a skin track and start chatting. He looked<br />
stunned when I asked him to move<br />
away.”<br />
Owens has also had to deal with<br />
people from out of state asking where<br />
Yes, but can we still ski?<br />
Not at resorts, not if you have to travel to ski or ride<br />
they could rent AT gear. “I told this one<br />
dude from Connecticut who reached out<br />
to me on a Facebook group, ‘No, you can’t<br />
rent gear here and you should stay home.’<br />
He just didn’t get it. Then he said “Well,<br />
I’ll just come up and ride my mountain<br />
bike.” I know people have second homes<br />
up here but the whole point is not to<br />
move around, not to drive across three<br />
states or to have to stop at a gas station.<br />
Honestly, it’s gotten so bad I’m leaving a<br />
lot of these Facebook groups that focus<br />
on skiing. ”<br />
At Pico <strong>Mountain</strong>, a group of skiers<br />
from the Boston area had to be rescued<br />
Saturday, March 21, after one of the guys<br />
fell about 700 feet after slipping on the<br />
icy snow. They were also walking up in ski<br />
boots and the conditions were extremely<br />
firm, according to sources at Killington<br />
Search and Rescue who lead the rescue effort.<br />
The man that fell reportedly severely<br />
hurt his hand trying to self-arrest on the<br />
ice, but was otherwise ok.<br />
Killington Resort and Pico <strong>Mountain</strong><br />
officially closed the uphill travel season,<br />
Tuesday, March 24.<br />
“I’m not surprised,” said Murray<br />
McGrath, KSAR member and owner of<br />
Inn at the Long Trail. “They have to worry<br />
about the liability associated with being<br />
an attractive nuisance.” But he added<br />
that he was personally upset by the closure<br />
as he enjoyed skinning up the trails<br />
regularly, as did many responsible locals.<br />
Jay Peak and others have faced a similar<br />
appeal. Shortly after Jay closed on March<br />
area, the Middlebury College Snow Bowl<br />
this week.<br />
“It wasn’t so much that people were<br />
not obeying the social distancing measure,<br />
but more that we wanted to avoid<br />
them simply getting in their car and driving<br />
up here. That takes gas and at some<br />
point, they’ll have to go to a gas station,”<br />
said the Snow Bowl’s general manager<br />
Mike Hussey. “Also, there’s no ski patrol<br />
here, no chance of an immediate rescue<br />
and even if there was, we would be<br />
exposing others. The added load on the<br />
emergency services is an unnecessary<br />
burden on a group of folks that are working<br />
really hard to get ahead of this virus.”<br />
Sugarbush Resort’s president<br />
Win Smith has been posting<br />
about skinning and wrote this<br />
on his blog: “We are still permitting<br />
uphill travel as has been our<br />
<br />
<br />
policy, but we ask everyone to do<br />
it in a responsible fashion. If we<br />
<br />
find this is not the case, we will<br />
be forced to stop uphill travel. ”<br />
<br />
Craftsbury Outdoor Center<br />
13, it erected barriers across its access <br />
had closed its facilities but continued<br />
road.<br />
to groom its trails and allow skiers to<br />
Middlebury College, <br />
the first college in use them last week. “We’re not open,<br />
Vermont to send students home in early but we’re grooming the core trails and<br />
March, shut down the parking lot to its ski Ruthie’s and Sam’s,” said Sheldon Miller<br />
“ We appear to be attracting folks from<br />
outside our VT community and this does<br />
not seem like a good idea at this time... We<br />
do this in the best interest of the health of<br />
the COC community. Stay healthy!”<br />
By Polly Mikula<br />
Out-of-state cars parked at the base of Superstar at Killington Resort, Saturday, March 28.<br />
<br />
<br />
of the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, on<br />
Friday, March 20. “We sealed up the 2021<br />
manmade pile for November the other<br />
day too,” he noted, referring to the novel<br />
way Craftsbury has developed to keep<br />
piles of snow frozen over the summer by<br />
covering them with wood chips and then<br />
using that snow as an early season base.”<br />
Yet, by the next day, things had<br />
changed. A new notice appeared on the<br />
Craftsbury web site, effective Sunday,<br />
March 22:<br />
We had hoped to keep some trails<br />
groomed as long as the snow allowed,<br />
but we now feel forced to close for the<br />
following reasons: Skiers are not keeping<br />
‘social distancing’ (6 feet) from each other.<br />
This is critical behavior for all of us to<br />
follow at all times. Skiers are gathering in<br />
groups to socialize. Even a group smaller<br />
than 10 people is at increased risk of<br />
sharing germs. We appear to be attracting<br />
folks from outside our VT community<br />
and this does not seem like a good idea at<br />
this time. So, effective Sunday, March 22,<br />
we will no longer groom our trails and we<br />
ask you not to come to ski. We do this in<br />
the best interest of the health of the COC<br />
community. Stay healthy!”<br />
This story was originally published<br />
March 26, <strong>2020</strong>, at vtskiandride.com.<br />
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RAISED AND HARVESTED IN RUTLAND, VERMONT
The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong> SKI SHOP SHOWCASE • 21<br />
Without getting in a car, we<br />
made a gazillion memories<br />
climbing the mountains in our<br />
backyard and playing in the<br />
streams that ran off of them.<br />
Solid Waste Transfer Station<br />
Location: 2981 River Road (Behind Town Garage)<br />
Phone <strong>Number</strong>: (802) 422-4<strong>49</strong>9<br />
Winter (Nov. 2, 2019 to March 30, <strong>2020</strong>)<br />
SAT.& MON. (8 A.M.- 4 P.M.) & SUN. (8 A.M.-12 P.M.)<br />
Collection & transfer of solid waste deposited by residents and property owners of<br />
the Town. (Windshield sticker & punch card needed) Recycling Center for residents<br />
and property owners of the Town. (Free with windshield sticker) If you need to<br />
dispose of solid waste outside the normal operating hours of the Transfer Station<br />
or have construction & demolition debris or other non-acceptable waste, residents<br />
and property owners of Killington can go to the Rutland County Solid Waste District<br />
Transfer Station & Drop-off Center located on Gleason Road in Rutland.<br />
Summer hours begin Sat., <strong>April</strong> 4, <strong>2020</strong>. (Sat. & Mon. 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.)<br />
Exploring with youthful eyes<br />
When I was young, my mom used to feed<br />
us breakfast and send us out the door with<br />
instructions not to return home until 5 p.m.<br />
to get ready for dinner. I didn’t<br />
have a backpack or money or<br />
anything except the complete<br />
and utter feeling of freedom<br />
to create and imagine and<br />
dream. I would have a bathing<br />
suit on underneath my clothes<br />
and a beach towel draped<br />
over my right shoulder and a<br />
chapter book hidden in my<br />
armpit. Opening that rickety<br />
screen door and stepping onto<br />
the crushed rock patio was like<br />
stepping out into a world like<br />
none other. A world where I<br />
could do anything as long as my little thick<br />
legs could carry me there. I was free to<br />
explore the world available to me or just sit<br />
on the beach and read for hours.<br />
It was an amazing time, full of crayfish<br />
hunts, sandcastle building and “expositions,”<br />
all in the same day. There was a<br />
beach within walking distance, but you<br />
could never just walk straight there — every<br />
day you had to follow a different journey,<br />
perhaps get your heart racing by taking the<br />
hidden Snake Path or choosing the long<br />
way through Mrs. Kiss’s blueberry bushes,<br />
around the Split Rock behind the outhouse<br />
and then over the rickety wooden bridge<br />
built before the Second World War.<br />
I spent so many hours on that bridge,<br />
hidden from the sun by the thick canopy,<br />
and dangling my legs over the side as I met<br />
friends both real and imaginary.<br />
Without getting in a car, we made a gazillion<br />
memories climbing the mountains in<br />
our backyard and playing in the streams<br />
that ran off of them. We would cut through<br />
the woods until we thought we might be far<br />
enough to get into trouble and then turn<br />
around. We would walk south one day and<br />
then west the other, never having a real goal<br />
in mind. Usually, we just thought about<br />
Livin’ the<br />
Dream<br />
By Merisa<br />
Sherman<br />
By Merisa Sherman<br />
what kind of trouble we could get into that<br />
our parents would never know about. But<br />
then somehow, they always seemed to<br />
know everything by dinner.<br />
How did they do that?<br />
The moment uphill travel<br />
was shut down, we were sitting<br />
in the car getting ready to head<br />
up to the mountain. I literally<br />
burst into tears and felt my<br />
whole world slipping away. The<br />
snow was melting quickly<br />
around our house and unless<br />
I wanted to cross-country ski<br />
on the fast grass, it was time to<br />
move on.<br />
But then we heard from the<br />
Green <strong>Mountain</strong> Club, who<br />
recommended walking out your door and<br />
exploring your neighborhood. So, every<br />
afternoon this week, after finishing our<br />
chores, the BF and I would pull on our<br />
muck boots and walk out the back door of<br />
our house to see what our beautiful neighborhood<br />
has in store for us. And I quickly<br />
realized that I haven’t changed that much<br />
since my childhood.<br />
With no destination in mind, we would<br />
promise ourselves we wouldn’t come<br />
home until the light began to fade and our<br />
tummies started to rumble. Instead of just<br />
a towel and a book, we’ve got a backpack<br />
full of hiking tools and emergency supplies,<br />
but the mission remains the same. We just<br />
let our childhood selves guide us. There<br />
is so much hidden in our little world. Just<br />
this week, we “discovered” a dangerously<br />
steep ravine, several waterfalls, a swamp<br />
that could be very scary at dusk, a waterway<br />
that we just might be able to paddle, and of<br />
course, all the hidden beauty of our Green<br />
<strong>Mountain</strong>s. All just by walking out our back<br />
door and exploring.<br />
We even found the perfect super secret<br />
location for the massively awesome fort<br />
that we’re gonna build.<br />
It’s, like, gonna be the coolest thing ever!<br />
To our valued healthcare partners, patients, friends and employees:<br />
To our valued healthcare partners, patients, friends and employees:<br />
Regional Ambulance Service, Inc.’s mission for the past 38 years has been<br />
Regional dedicated Ambulance to saving and Service, protecting Inc.’s lives. mission At this time for the when past the 38 news years is has been dedic<br />
to saving dominated and by protecting Coronavirus, lives. I wanted At this to personally time when reach the out news and is let dominated you by<br />
Coronavirus,<br />
know that we<br />
I wanted<br />
are vigilantly<br />
to personally<br />
and continuously<br />
reach<br />
implementing<br />
out and let you<br />
enhanced<br />
know that we are vigila<br />
protocols to ensure your safety.<br />
and continuously implementing enhanced protocols to ensure your safety.<br />
We are participating in daily calls and meetings internally and externally<br />
We to are remain participating informed and in daily prepared calls based and on meetings the most internally current information and externally to remai<br />
informed and guidance and prepared provided by based state and on the federal most officials current as well information as the World and guidance pro<br />
by Health state and Organization federal officials and the Centers as well for as Disease the World Control. Health Our Organization main and the Ce<br />
for focus Disease to Control. ensure we Our meet main customer focus needs is to while ensure doing we our meet part customer keep needs while<br />
our you, part our to employees, keep you, and our our employees, communities and safe. our communities safe.<br />
Here’s what we’re doing:<br />
Here’s<br />
•<br />
what<br />
We are<br />
we’re<br />
implementing<br />
doing:<br />
enhanced dispatch protocols to prescreen<br />
for suspected exposure or viral epidemiology.<br />
● • We We are continue implementing to follow CDC enhanced guidelines dispatch and sanitize protocols our vehicles to prescreen for suspe<br />
exposure after each or transport. viral epidemiology.<br />
● • We We continue are ensuring to follow that our CDC employees guidelines have access and sanitize to the proper our personal<br />
protective equipment to minimize their risk of exposure.<br />
vehicles after each<br />
transport.<br />
● • We We are are ensuring cleaning our that facilities our employees frequently with have recommended access to the sanitizing<br />
products.<br />
proper personal<br />
protective equipment to minimize their risk of exposure.<br />
• In addition, we are taking steps to ensure the welfare of our employees.<br />
● We are cleaning<br />
This includes<br />
our facilities<br />
instructing<br />
frequently<br />
employees<br />
with<br />
who<br />
recommended<br />
feel ill to stay<br />
sanitizing pro<br />
● In home addition, and consult we are their taking healthcare steps providers. to ensure We the are welfare also urging of our employees. T<br />
includes all employees instructing to be vigilant employees about frequent who feel hand ill to washing. stay home and consult their<br />
We want healthcare to reassure providers. you that we We are are doing also everything urging all we employees can to promote to be vigilant abo<br />
a safe frequent and secure hand environment washing. for your needs. We are very grateful for<br />
our dedicated employees. They will be there to meet the community<br />
We<br />
needs<br />
want<br />
during<br />
to reassure<br />
this time.<br />
you that we are doing everything we can to promote a safe<br />
secure Your environment health and safety, for and your that needs. of our patients We are is very our grateful highest priority for our and dedicated emplo<br />
They we will truly be appreciate there to the meet trust the that community you place in needs our team during and our this company. time.<br />
Your<br />
Best<br />
health<br />
regards,<br />
and safety, and that of our patients is our highest priority and we tru<br />
appreciate Paul Kulig, the trust that you place in our team and our company.<br />
President<br />
Best regards,<br />
Paul Kulig,
22 • PETS<br />
The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong><br />
Rutland County Humane Society<br />
KEANU<br />
Handsome husky waiting to love you!! Keanu is 2<br />
yrs old. He is looking for someone that loves the great<br />
outdoors as much as he does! Walks, hikes, or just laying<br />
in the sunshine all make him a very happy boy! He needs<br />
a fenced in yard and a home as an only pet.<br />
This pet is available for adoption at<br />
Springfield Humane Society<br />
401 Skitchewaug Trail, Springfield, VT• (802) 885-3997<br />
*Adoptions will be handled online until further notice.<br />
spfldhumane.org<br />
AZREAL - 3-year-old.<br />
Neutered male. Domestic<br />
Short Hair. Gray. I’m a mellow<br />
man, who will liven up<br />
for some affection.<br />
ALLAY - 10-year-old.<br />
Spayed female. Husky<br />
mix. Grey/White. At my<br />
age I think I would like to<br />
be the only pet in the home<br />
then I can get all your attention.<br />
PJ - 1-year-old. Neutered<br />
male. Domestic Short<br />
Hair. Orange Tabby. My<br />
new family will want to be<br />
patient with me while I am<br />
adjusting to my new home.<br />
BLAZE - 2-year-old. Neutered<br />
male. Bullmastiff<br />
mix. Red. I am one big guy<br />
but a little on the shy side<br />
when meeting new people.<br />
LUCIUS<br />
MIMI - 1-year-old. Spayed<br />
female. Domestic Short<br />
Hair. Calico. If you’re looking<br />
for a sweet southern<br />
lady to cuddle up with and<br />
time to listen to a story—<br />
I’m your gal.<br />
PRIMETIME<br />
9-month-old. Spayed female. Pit Mix. Brindle. I<br />
have a bubbly personality with a ton of energy.<br />
WHISKERS - 5-year-old.<br />
Spayed female. Domestic<br />
Short Hair. Dilute Tortie.I<br />
am a very calm cat. I will<br />
make any place in the<br />
house that is warm my<br />
place to take a nap.<br />
Hi! I’m a 3-year-old neutered male. My last home didn’t<br />
quite work out for me, so now I’m here at the shelter looking<br />
to find my new home. I’m a pretty confident guy, and I really,<br />
really like to play, especially when catnip is involved, as<br />
it is one of favorite things in the whole, wide world! I can get<br />
a little over-excited at times, so I do also like the quiet. I find<br />
it quite calming, or “quiet/calming” as I like to say! I think it<br />
brings a good balance in life, let’s say. Speaking of balance,<br />
I’d prefer to be an “only cat”– so no other cats in the home<br />
(or children for that matter!), but I do like the company of<br />
some dogs. Anyway, that is me. A confident and fun-loving<br />
kitty! If you’d like to meet me, make an appointment and<br />
come say hello. Who knows, I may just be your perfect pet!<br />
This pet is available for adoption at<br />
Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society<br />
4832 VT-44, Windsor, VT • (802) 484-5829<br />
*(By appointment only at this time.) Tues. - Sat. 12-4p.m.<br />
& Thurs. 12-7p.m. • lucymac.org<br />
ABEL - 1-year-old. Neutered<br />
male. Domestic<br />
Short Hair. Black. It takes<br />
me a little bit to warm up to<br />
other cats since I enjoy being<br />
the center of attention.<br />
All of these pets are available for adoption at<br />
Rutland County Humane Society<br />
765 Stevens Road, Pittsford, VT • (802) 483-6700<br />
Tues. - Sat. 12-5p.m. Closed Sun. & Mon. • www.rchsvt.org<br />
RCHS and COVID-19: In light of the recent and ongoing<br />
concerns about COVID-19, the Rutland County Humane<br />
Society (RCHS) will implement new procedures to ensure<br />
the safety and well-being of our staff, volunteers, adopters,<br />
supporters and the public. Beginning immediately new<br />
policies are in place. Appointments will need to be made to<br />
adopt or visit an animal or to surrender an owned animal.<br />
Please call if you are bringing in a stray animal. We are currently<br />
not accepting donations of items to the shelter. We<br />
have been, and will continue to, use the appropriate cleaning<br />
guidelines so our staff can safely care for the animals<br />
at RCHS and themselves. Please call us or email with any<br />
questions. We appreciate your support and understanding.<br />
KAYLA - 8-year-old.<br />
Spayed female. Siamese.<br />
Torti Point. If you have a<br />
problem with rodents, I am<br />
the one for you.<br />
BROOKLYN - 6-year-old.<br />
Spayed female. Pit mix.<br />
Brindle. I love to go on nice<br />
slow walks and enjoy the<br />
fresh air and scenery.<br />
RIZZA - 8-year-old. Neutered<br />
male. Domestic Short<br />
Hair. Black and White.I am<br />
a very low-key cat. I enjoy<br />
spending my time at the<br />
highest point in the room.<br />
ROVER - 3-year-old. Neutered<br />
male. Pitbull. Tan &<br />
White. I am a gentle giant,<br />
and I just love being with<br />
people.<br />
CHLOE - 7-year-old.<br />
Spayed female. Domestic<br />
Short Hair. Black. I am currently<br />
making friends with<br />
the visitors who have been<br />
coming in to see me.
The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong> MOTHER OF THE SKYE • 23<br />
Aries<br />
March 21 - <strong>April</strong> 20<br />
You’re holding steady under a raft of<br />
considerations that keep you awake at<br />
night. On the one hand you’re pretty strong<br />
but when you look at what’s right in front<br />
of your nose, it’s a good thing that part of<br />
your being knows enough to soft-peddle<br />
the truth when it’s too much to take. On<br />
some level it’s time to get your act together<br />
and focus on what taking care of yourself<br />
really means. You pride yourself on being<br />
self-sufficient; to what extent is this true?<br />
What I see is that you would be a hell of<br />
a lot happier if you could figure out what<br />
it will take to handle things on your own.<br />
Taurus<br />
<strong>April</strong> 21 - May 20<br />
You have all the patience in the world.<br />
Most of the time it stands you in good<br />
stead, but right now, you’ve had it up to<br />
here with a person or a situation that is<br />
making you nuts. If it’s a person, you have<br />
no choice but to love them through their<br />
madness and let them figure it out for themselves.<br />
If it’s a situation, you can change it,<br />
any time you want. Don’t be afraid to cut<br />
the cord and go your own way. Any attachment<br />
you have to things that aren’t working<br />
for you anymore, needs to be examined<br />
in light of the fact that it’s either bring you<br />
down or holding you back.<br />
Gemini<br />
May 21 - June 20<br />
keep thinking of that song from The<br />
I Wizard of Oz; “You’re out of the woods,<br />
you’re out of the dark, you’re out of the<br />
night…” From what I can see it’s been a<br />
long haul. Part of you is still reeling from<br />
what it feels like to be wielding a doubleedged<br />
sword, always waiting for the other<br />
shoe to drop. As the next few weeks unfold<br />
everything will come full circle, and whatever<br />
this has cost you will finally be worth<br />
it. What’s next will probably include more<br />
time for yourself, and more time for the<br />
ones you love, along with enlightening opportunities<br />
and new projects.<br />
Leo<br />
July 21 - August 20<br />
You are up in the air, wondering which<br />
way things will go. Getting squared<br />
away has tested all of your reserves. At an<br />
impasse, it’s always hard to take action, one<br />
way or another. There is more to this than<br />
you can see, so give it time to work its way<br />
to the surface and do whatever it takes to reclaim<br />
yourself. The truth about what’s happening<br />
will reveal itself soon. Even though<br />
resistance is natural in situations like this,<br />
keep a close eye on what it does to you.<br />
Lose your strategies and let your control issues<br />
surrender to the part of you that came<br />
here for this lesson.<br />
Virgo<br />
August 21 - September 20<br />
How to proceed is the issue. If you<br />
thought having all your ducks in a<br />
row would get this to fly, you “have another<br />
think coming.” Neatly arranging<br />
one’s future interferes with any input from<br />
the universe, which in turn, buttons up the<br />
realm of possibilities. Yes my dear, it’s time<br />
to color outside the lines and wing it for a<br />
change. What happens from here on out<br />
will work best if you figure out how to birth<br />
what’s next from your guts. As this happens<br />
clearing the decks will call you to reckon<br />
with mountains of grief and a willingness<br />
to release the unspoken sorrows of the past.<br />
Libra<br />
September 21 - October 20<br />
You’ve got a bunch of “stuff” coming<br />
up for review. The rest of your life<br />
hinges on the choices you are making right<br />
now. If you’re in a relationship it’s time to<br />
lighten up enough to talk about what you<br />
really want your lives to look like; it can<br />
be whatever you want it to be. If you’re<br />
single, the same holds true. Your openness<br />
to change is all important, and so is the desire<br />
to live a real kind of life. Your blind<br />
spots are the only thing that stands between<br />
you and fulfillment. The old stories and the<br />
developmental issues keep ringing in your<br />
ears. Don’t let the past stand in your way.<br />
Copyright - Cal Garrison: 2019: ©<br />
Sagittarius<br />
November 21 - December 20<br />
Grace under pressure is where it’s at,<br />
right now. You are an expert when it<br />
comes to dispensing unconditional love.<br />
In your current situation, there are needs to<br />
be 100% there for someone or something.<br />
This has got you wondering why you put<br />
yourself through it. Many of you are in a<br />
state of suspended animation, waiting for<br />
things to rise or fall, with no clue how they<br />
will unfold. What can I say? All of us are<br />
here to bear witness to our circumstances<br />
and accept “what is.” Yes this moment is<br />
huge. There are no words, and any prescription<br />
you find must be written from<br />
within.<br />
Capricorn<br />
December 21 - January 20<br />
Getting down to the heart of the matter<br />
is the best, and perhaps the only way<br />
to rectify what until now has been shoved<br />
under the rug. If you’ve finally figured this<br />
out, you’re a lot better off than those of you<br />
who have chosen to look the other way.<br />
Waking up to the things that matter, or to<br />
the issues that are at stake, will allow you to<br />
eliminate every ounce of fear; this, in turn<br />
will open the way to another reason for living.<br />
If you’re still struggling with the fact<br />
that you don’t want to see what you don’t<br />
want to see, life will probably shake you up<br />
a few more times until you get it.<br />
Aquarius<br />
January 21 - February 20<br />
You’ve always been operating outside<br />
the lines. At this point in time it looks<br />
like you’re ready to find the gift in what<br />
marching to the beat of a different drum<br />
yields at the end of the day. Hard pressed<br />
to know if showing your true colors will<br />
get you into trouble or add meaning to your<br />
life, do your best to keep your ego in check.<br />
What lies up on the road ahead is a test.<br />
It’s one of those free will moments where<br />
what you choose to do matters more than<br />
usual. Keep things simple, stay humble, but<br />
remain strong enough to recognize yourself<br />
and let whatever the gift is, come to light.<br />
Have you lived up to<br />
your revolutionary<br />
potential?<br />
By Cal Garrison a.k.a. Mother of the Skye<br />
This week’s Horoscopes are coming out under the light<br />
of a Gemini Moon, that will turn Void-of-Course on March<br />
30, and remain in that mode until it crosses the Cancer<br />
Cusp on the last day of the month. We could talk about the<br />
virus and the world-wide lockdown, but let’s skip it; I don’t<br />
know about you but I’ve had enough, and heard enough; it<br />
would be great if we could find something else to discuss.<br />
Looking at the movements of the moon, I notice that it<br />
will be conjuncting my natal Uranus and hitting my Cancer<br />
Horoscopes > 29<br />
Karen Dalury<br />
3744 River Rd. Killington, VT<br />
802-770-4101<br />
KillingtonYoga.com<br />
@KillingtonYoga<br />
Live classes via Zoom.<br />
Online Schedule for next<br />
week, starting <strong>April</strong> 6.<br />
Monday 8:15 - 9:15 am Vinyasa<br />
Tuesday 5:30 - 6:30 pm Basics<br />
Thursday 5:00 - 6:00 pm Vinyasa<br />
Friday 10:00 - 11:00 am Basics<br />
Healing at Heart<br />
Programs & Services:<br />
• Habit Change Coaching<br />
• Individual and Group<br />
• Clear the Kitchen<br />
• On Your Trail<br />
Susan Mandel • Certified Health Coach • 802.353.9609<br />
healingatheart.com • fab50healthcoach@gmail.com<br />
Cancer<br />
June 21 - July 20<br />
The last few weeks have pumped a lot<br />
of wind in your sails. You’re flying<br />
higher than ever. As life opens up and leads<br />
you forward, a whole new set of variables<br />
will present you with situations that cause<br />
you to rethink everything. When one thing<br />
changes, everything changes: keep that in<br />
mind. Feeling better than ever will continue<br />
for a while. Sooner or later the “pink<br />
cloud” will disperse and give way to considerations<br />
that attend any growth process.<br />
Make hay while the sun shines, but keep<br />
your umbrella handy, because your real<br />
growth will begin when it starts to rain.<br />
Scorpio<br />
October 21 - November 20<br />
God knows how long this will take? You<br />
could speed things up but it would be<br />
better if you let everything run its course.<br />
There could be many reasons why you’re<br />
being called to wait it out, so the question<br />
is; what will you do in the mean time? You<br />
need to understand that this is a golden<br />
opportunity to wrap up, or clean up, what<br />
high levels of interference have brought to<br />
a head. You know better than anyone what<br />
I am getting at. Between the people that still<br />
have a problem with you and your up and<br />
down financial affairs, you’ve got plenty to<br />
distract you until all of this gets resolved.<br />
Pisces<br />
February 21 - March 20<br />
am here to tell you that it’s safe to get on<br />
I with the show. This could include, letting<br />
go, starting all over again, and/or taking the<br />
bull by the horns and going for it. Don’t let<br />
fear and money considerations stand in the<br />
way. If there appear to be blocks, know that<br />
they are there to test your ability to trust the<br />
guidance that you are receiving from within.<br />
Joy is the operative word these days.<br />
The sense that you need any further proof<br />
before you let go and let God, is insane. It’s<br />
definitely time to ’86 every ounce of negativity<br />
and make room for your truer visions<br />
to take off.<br />
133 East <strong>Mountain</strong> Road, Killington, VT • trailswithinpilates.com<br />
RUTLAND’S PREMIERE<br />
YOGA & PILATES STUDIO<br />
Mother of the Skye<br />
Mother of the Skye has 40 years of experience as an astrologer and tarot consultant. She may be reached by email to cal.garrison@gmail.com<br />
22 WALES STREET, RUTLAND, VERMONT<br />
Go online to see our full schedule:<br />
@trueyogavt<br />
trueyogavermont.com
Columns<br />
24 • The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong><br />
What to see, hear, and do outdoors:<br />
A treasure hunt for early spring<br />
This is such a disorienting time,<br />
when all our lives have been turned<br />
upside down and shaken. One of<br />
the ways my<br />
own family<br />
is coping is<br />
by spending<br />
time outside<br />
every day. We<br />
stage nature<br />
treasure<br />
The Outside<br />
Story<br />
By Elise Tillinghast<br />
hunts in<br />
the woods<br />
behind our<br />
house. The<br />
kids work as<br />
a team, with<br />
points awarded for number of species<br />
identified, and chocolate doled<br />
out after every 10 points. It’s fun for<br />
the kids. For my husband and me,<br />
it’s a chance to escape a swarm of<br />
worries and enjoy such basics as<br />
spring light and birdsong.<br />
You don’t need specialized<br />
knowledge to get outside and have a<br />
treasure hunt of your own. Below is a<br />
simple list of common sights in early<br />
spring, and suggestions for handson<br />
activities. For those who have the<br />
time and interest to go deeper, the<br />
online version of this essay that’s<br />
posted at the Northern Woodlands<br />
website (northernwoodlands.org)<br />
has links to related articles.<br />
And here’s a great outdoor<br />
learning resource: the Upper Valley<br />
Teaching Place Collaborative<br />
(uvtpc.org), supported by the New<br />
Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s<br />
Wellborn Ecology Fund, is serving<br />
as a hub for outdoor learning<br />
opportunities, bringing together<br />
online resources from environmental<br />
education groups around the<br />
region. Bookmark their site! Then<br />
get outside.<br />
Yellow-bellied sapsucker<br />
holes:<br />
Look for lines of tiny<br />
holes in old apple trees<br />
and other common tree<br />
species. The birds drill<br />
these, then used their<br />
bristle tipped tongues to<br />
lap sap. Fun fact: as spring progresses,<br />
hummingbirds will follow<br />
sapsuckers around, taking advantage<br />
of the freshly-drilled feeding<br />
stations.<br />
Red maple bud bouquets:<br />
Red maples are a common, earlyblooming<br />
tree with easy-to-identify<br />
raspberry-shaped buds. Cut a stem<br />
with a couple of buds and stick this<br />
in a jar of water on a sunny windowsill<br />
to force an early bloom. Try other<br />
early-blooming stems as well.<br />
Insect galleries:<br />
Pull the bark off a log or dead tree,<br />
and you’re likely to find intricate<br />
patterns chiseled underneath.<br />
These are made by tunneling<br />
insects, probably beetle larvae. See<br />
if you can find different patterns underneath<br />
the bark of different logs.<br />
Moon close encounter:<br />
On <strong>April</strong> 7, the moon will make<br />
its closest approach to Earth for the<br />
entire year: a mere 221,773 miles<br />
away. And lucky us, this occurs on a<br />
full moon night. Get the binoculars!<br />
Chickadees:<br />
Listen for their dee dee dee alarm<br />
call, as well as their love song, fee bee.<br />
Ditch your dignity, and try making<br />
a loud, repeated “pshpshpshhhh”<br />
sound. This is likely to lure them to<br />
fly closer to investigate. This trick<br />
works on many other songbirds, as<br />
well.<br />
Chipmunk burrows:<br />
See if you can identify one or<br />
more burrow entrances. Leave a<br />
seed offering and wait to see if it’s<br />
gathered. Yes, I know – it’s inadvisable<br />
to feed wildlife. I’m willing to<br />
corrupt a few chippies.<br />
Spring ephemerals:<br />
It’s still early for wildflowers,<br />
but under<br />
the ground, they’re<br />
already racing to<br />
sprout, bloom,<br />
and set seeds<br />
before the<br />
tree canopy<br />
closes in.<br />
Keep<br />
an eye<br />
out for their emergence, and in the<br />
meantime, look for early nonnatives<br />
coming out of the ground<br />
now, including snowdrops, daffodils<br />
and crocuses. If you have access to<br />
wetlands, look for the bizarre seacreature-from-outer<br />
space purple<br />
spathes of skunk cabbage – a plant<br />
that gets a jump on spring by generating<br />
its own heat.<br />
Pileated woodpecker feeding holes:<br />
These are large, shallow gouges,<br />
with wood chips piled at the bottom<br />
of the tree. Sometimes you can find<br />
the bird’s scat there. A fun project for<br />
the non-squeamish: use your phone<br />
or a hand lens to magnify this, and<br />
inspect all the undigested carpenter<br />
ant bits.<br />
Woolly bears:<br />
Those fuzzy, brown-and-black<br />
banded caterpillars are active again.<br />
Their markings show past, not<br />
future, weather; as a rule, the milder<br />
the past autumn, the broader the<br />
middle brown band. See if you can<br />
find a woolly and “read” its past.<br />
Vernal pools:<br />
They’re still icy now, but repeated<br />
trips to these small, seasonal pools<br />
in the woods will reveal constant<br />
change over the next month, as amphibians<br />
arrive for mating season.<br />
Peepers and wood frogs start off the<br />
spring chorus. One peeps, the other<br />
chuckles. Can you hear them both?<br />
Jelly fungus and other fungi:<br />
Look for these globby fungal<br />
forms on logs and dead trees. Bright<br />
yellow-to-orange witch’s butter is<br />
easy to spot. You can also find turkey<br />
tail and other shelf mushrooms, and<br />
old puffball mushrooms (some can<br />
still be stomped to create a modest<br />
puff).<br />
Elise Tillinghast is the executive<br />
director of the Center for Northern<br />
Woodlands Education. The illustration<br />
for this column was drawn by<br />
Adelaide Tyrol. The Outside Story<br />
is assigned and edited by Northern<br />
Woodlands magazine and sponsored<br />
by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of New<br />
Hampshire Charitable Foundation:<br />
wellborn@nhcf.org.<br />
Important birthdays over 50<br />
Most children stop being “and-a-half” somewhere<br />
around age 12. Kids add “and-a-half“ to make sure everyone<br />
knows they’re closer to the<br />
next age than the last. When you<br />
are older, “and-a-half” birthdays<br />
start making a comeback. In fact,<br />
starting at age 50, several birthdays<br />
and “half-birthdays” are<br />
critical to understand because<br />
they have implications regarding<br />
Money<br />
Matters<br />
By Kevin Theissen<br />
your retirement income.<br />
Age 50<br />
At age 50, workers in certain<br />
qualified retirement plans are<br />
able to begin making annual<br />
catch-up contributions in addition<br />
to their normal contributions. Those who participate<br />
in 401(k), 403(b), and 457 plans can contribute an<br />
additional $6,000 per year in 2019. Those who participate<br />
in Simple IRA or Simple 401(k) plans can make a<br />
catch-up contribution of up to $3,000 in 2019. And those<br />
who participate in traditional IRAs can set aside an additional<br />
$1,000 a year.<br />
Age 59½<br />
At age 59½, workers are able to start making withdrawals<br />
from qualified retirement plans without incurring<br />
a 10% federal income-tax penalty. This applies to<br />
workers who have contributed to IRAs and employersponsored<br />
plans, such as 401(k) and 403(b) plans (457<br />
plans are never subject to the 10% penalty). Keep in<br />
mind that distributions from traditional IRAs, 401(k)<br />
plans, and other employer-sponsored retirement plans<br />
are taxed as ordinary income.<br />
When you are older, “and-a-half”<br />
birthdays start making a comeback.<br />
Age 62<br />
At age 62 workers are first able to draw Social Security<br />
retirement benefits. However, if a person continues to<br />
work, those benefits will be reduced. The Social Security<br />
Administration will deduct $1 in benefits for each $2<br />
an individual earns above an annual limit. In 2019, the<br />
income limit is $17,640.<br />
Age 65<br />
At age 65, individuals can qualify for Medicare. The<br />
Social Security Administration recommends applying<br />
three months before reaching age 65. It’s important to<br />
note that if you are already receiving Social Security<br />
benefits, you will automatically be enrolled in Medicare<br />
Part A (hospitalization) and Part B (medical insurance)<br />
without an additional application.<br />
Age 65 to 67<br />
Between ages 65 and 67, individuals become eligible<br />
to receive 100% of their Social Security benefit. The<br />
age varies, depending on birth year. Individuals born<br />
in 1955, for example, become eligible to receive 100%<br />
of their benefits when they reach age 66 years and 2<br />
months. Those born in 1960 or later need to reach age 67<br />
before they’ll become eligible to receive full benefits.<br />
Age 70½<br />
Under the SECURE Act, in most circumstances, once<br />
you reach age 72, you must begin taking required minimum<br />
distributions from a Traditional Individual Retirement<br />
Account (IRA) and other defined contribution<br />
plans. You may continue to contribute to a Traditional<br />
IRA past age 70½ under the SECURE Act as long as you<br />
meet the earned-income requirement.<br />
Understanding key birthdays may help you better<br />
prepare for certain retirement income and benefits. But<br />
perhaps more importantly, knowing key birthdays can<br />
help you avoid penalties that may be imposed if you<br />
miss the date.<br />
Kevin Theissen is the owner of HWC Financial in<br />
Ludlow.
The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong> COLUMNS • 25<br />
The “Greatest Show on Earth”<br />
When I was a very young child, my mother<br />
took me to see the Ringling Bros. Barnum<br />
& Bailey Circus. It was an event<br />
that had a profound influence on me<br />
for many years.<br />
My mother used to vacation with<br />
her parents in Florida each February,<br />
and for<br />
several years I<br />
accompanied<br />
her. We stayed<br />
in a small villa<br />
located adjacent<br />
to the ocean,<br />
spending most<br />
days swimming,<br />
The Movie<br />
Diary<br />
By Dom Cioffi<br />
building sandcastles,<br />
searching<br />
for seashells and<br />
shark teeth, and<br />
eating out at the<br />
multitude of restaurants.<br />
On occasion, we would also make a day<br />
trip somewhere. We went to Disney World<br />
one year and periodically visited orange<br />
groves and other beaches. But my all-time<br />
favorite excursion was the year we went to<br />
the circus.<br />
In the early 1970s, Ringling Bros. was<br />
still a profitable venture. Started in 1871,<br />
the organization ran shows continuously<br />
until 2017 when their tents finally came<br />
down due to weakening attendance, pressure<br />
from animal rights activists, and high<br />
operating costs.<br />
I remember the circus being a grand affair. The<br />
clowns were strange and funny, the trapeze artists and<br />
stunt shows were mesmerizing, and the animal acts<br />
were a world of wonder with their constant flow of<br />
exotic beasts.<br />
I was a huge fan of all the animal acts, but nothing<br />
captured my attention quite like the tigers. I vividly<br />
remember watching these enormous beasts with a<br />
combination of love and terror. Deep down, I wanted<br />
nothing more than to walk up and pet one.<br />
I took my love of tigers home with me after that experience.<br />
I began to draw tigers incessantly, even winning<br />
a school art contest with one of my tiger depictions. I<br />
also decided that the Detroit Tigers were my favorite<br />
baseball team (much to the chagrin of a family of Red<br />
Sox fans).<br />
I even went so far as to ask for tiger apparel. I remember<br />
owning one shirt that had a<br />
giant tiger screen printed on the front.<br />
I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing that<br />
shirt today, but at 10 years old, I thought<br />
it was the coolest thing on earth.<br />
But the one thing I always wanted to<br />
do was pet a tiger. I envied the trainers<br />
who were inside the cages running the<br />
animals through their acrobat routines.<br />
I wanted that experience, but living in<br />
the northeast climate, my opportunities<br />
were nonexistent.<br />
Unfortunately, it never happened. To<br />
this day, given the chance (and knowing<br />
I would be completely safe), I would<br />
love to nuzzle up to a big cat.<br />
I suppose I appeased this desire by getting a house cat<br />
when I got my first apartment. When everyone else was<br />
buying or adopting a dog, I went for a feline pet. I’m sure<br />
part of it was my affinity for tigers, but another part had<br />
to do with how much easier cats are to care for.<br />
I named that cat Sam and treated her like the queen<br />
she believed she was. She was a part of my life for 18<br />
“Tiger King”<br />
is the talk of<br />
the world right<br />
now and the<br />
most watched<br />
streaming<br />
program in the<br />
United States.<br />
years, bringing me immense love and joy until the day<br />
she passed away.<br />
I would have another cat today if it weren’t for my<br />
son’s allergies. We’ve even tried to get a hypo-allergenic<br />
dog and it never works. The kid breaks out in rashes and<br />
his eyes and nose swell up horribly. But as soon as he<br />
moves out, my first stop is the pet store or rescue farm to<br />
get another feline to have around.<br />
So, it’s probably not surprising that when I was sniffing<br />
around Netflix this past weekend looking for something<br />
to watch, that my eyes caught the title of a new<br />
docu-series called, “Tiger King.” And like everyone else<br />
on the planet, it took all of 10 minutes of the first episode<br />
to get me hooked.<br />
Since the movie theaters are closed and the studios<br />
are not releasing many films online, I’ve opted for a different<br />
form of entertainment for this week’s review. And<br />
it does not disappoint!<br />
“Tiger King” is the talk of the world<br />
right now and the most watched<br />
streaming program in the United<br />
States. And for good reason. It’s got<br />
everything you could ask for: unbelievable<br />
characters, an all-consuming<br />
storyline, and more twist and turns<br />
than you can imagine. In fact, if this<br />
were a fictitious movie, you might pass<br />
it by because it’s too unrealistic.<br />
Strange times call for strange<br />
entertainment choices. While the<br />
subject matter may not be of interest to<br />
everyone, I’m confident anyone who<br />
watches this will be intrigued by the<br />
over-the-top span of events. It’s “Making<br />
a Murderer” meets “Duck Dynasty” times 2.<br />
Give one episode a try and I’m confident you’ll finish<br />
the series. Plus, you don’t want to feel left out when you<br />
have your next Facetime group chat over the weekend.<br />
A ferocious “A-” for “Tiger King.”<br />
Got a question or comment for Dom? You can email<br />
him at moviediary@att.net.<br />
><br />
Recipes: Making do with what you have<br />
from page 18<br />
thickness of the sauce. You may need to add more broth.<br />
Remove chicken, keep warm. Add shrimp to the pan<br />
and simmer in the sauce adding more stock as necessary.<br />
Check for doneness and serve over rice.<br />
Dessert<br />
And of course, no meal is complete without something<br />
sweet. Pot de Creme is a loose French dessert custard,<br />
which is made easily with just a few ingredients. As<br />
supplies may be dwindling, Chef Claude’s latest version<br />
used a little creativity. “I’m going to sub milk for half &<br />
half, honey for sugar, and skip caramelizing cups. I’m<br />
using only items I have already.”<br />
Chef Claude’s Pot de Creme<br />
• 2 cups half & half<br />
• 3 oz sugar<br />
• 1/2 cap vanilla<br />
• 2 eggs<br />
• 2 yolks<br />
• 1 tsp nutmeg<br />
1. Caramelize cups (Claude recommends skipping<br />
this step as there is a high chance of burning yourself in<br />
the process!)<br />
2. Heat half & half; mix with eggs and sugar over a<br />
double boiler<br />
3. Pour in cups in water bath heated to 325 degrees<br />
Bon appetite!<br />
For more information visit Chef-Claudes-Choices-<br />
Restaurant on Facebook.<br />
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26 • ROCKIN’ THE REGION<br />
The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong><br />
Submitted<br />
A Sound Space is a do-it-yourself rehearsal and studio in Rutland owned and operated by George Nostrand who has welcomed many musicians in to continue to create music.<br />
Rockin’ the Region with Ben Fuller at A Sound Space<br />
In Don McLean’s “American Pie” he sang<br />
about “The day the music died.” When<br />
Governor Phil Scott ordered all bars and<br />
restaurants to close, the music around here<br />
kind of did. This region has such a great variety<br />
of live music you can go see, well could<br />
go. Musicians now are doing Facebook live<br />
shows from their living rooms.<br />
Local musician George Nostrand is taking<br />
that many steps further and has put together<br />
a series of online concerts that were<br />
produced at A Sound Space, his rehearsal<br />
space and DIY studio in Rutland. With the<br />
YES, WE’RE OPEN!<br />
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Concierge Auto Service<br />
current state of affairs they have started a<br />
weekly series enabling bands to perform,<br />
get their music out and try to recoup a small<br />
portion of the monies lost due to cancellations.<br />
If you can, sign up to become a<br />
member at patreon.com/asoundspace.<br />
Membership levels start at $5.<br />
“We’re just trying to all help each other.<br />
We’re in this as a family and a community,”<br />
Nostrand said. He and some music industry<br />
friends were at his space when they heard<br />
Gov. Scott’s message and they realized they<br />
were all out of work. Nostrand said, “We<br />
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have this space, this talent and professional<br />
sound, light and video guys. Let’s put on a<br />
concert and make an event out of it.”<br />
It turned into a huge project. They<br />
started on Thursday, March<br />
19, filmed bands right through<br />
Saturday and have been in<br />
production ever since.<br />
The first concert, released<br />
this past Saturday, March 28,<br />
was with the Krishna Guthrie<br />
Band. They are a hard rockin’,<br />
folk-and-blues band comprised<br />
of Krishna Guthrie and<br />
Bobby Maguire, Nicky Fitz, Josh<br />
LaFave and Josh Cote. Each of<br />
their individual styles blends<br />
together to give you something<br />
truly unique.<br />
Guthrie said, “People are starved for<br />
music. Maybe there’s not much money<br />
in it now but you as an artist need to play<br />
music, there’s something in you that dies a<br />
little if you’re not.”<br />
Cote said, “The more music we make,<br />
the more we can bring people together and<br />
as long as we’re bringing people together,<br />
we’ll get through whatever gets thrown<br />
at us. Now more than ever, play music.<br />
Whether you’re sitting at home live streaming<br />
with the ukulele or you’re able to come<br />
do things like this, whatever you can do, do<br />
it. Contribute and keep the art alive.”<br />
A Sound Space has everything a band<br />
could want. Instead of just recording on<br />
your cell phone, you get a fully produced<br />
concert. The patron gets to watch a concert<br />
while sitting in their living room.<br />
Nostrand’s production team consists of<br />
himself, Jared Johnson and Cote, Magnum<br />
PA audio; Jason Bayne, Chrome Yellow<br />
Audio; Mike Mitrano, Dark Shadows Entertainment<br />
and Guthrie.<br />
Nostrand said, “None of this would be<br />
possible without Jared and Krishna has<br />
definitely been more than ‘The Talent.’<br />
Mike is an amazing lighting guy that travels<br />
the country. One night he may be doing<br />
a Michael Franti show and then The Ice<br />
Capades.”<br />
This coming Saturday’s concert, <strong>April</strong><br />
4, is with Ben Fuller, a country singer from<br />
Perkinsville,Vermont, who recently moved<br />
Rockin’ the<br />
Region<br />
By DJ Dave<br />
Hoffenberg<br />
to Nashville. I saw him last summer at the<br />
Brandon Carnival and, although I’m not<br />
a big country music fan, I thoroughly enjoyed<br />
his show. His music is powerful and<br />
there’s a message in every song.<br />
Fuller said he has set out to<br />
tell the truth and does that with<br />
his music: “I’ve set this bar for<br />
myself to be completely real<br />
and completely transparent.”<br />
He speaks openly about his<br />
sobriety and his faith in God.<br />
“I’ve been able to reach people<br />
through honesty. It’s amazing<br />
how relatable you can be telling<br />
such a selfish story of the stuff<br />
I’ve been through.”<br />
Fuller enjoyed his experience<br />
at A Sound Space. He said,<br />
“It was laid back, simple. It’s all ready to go.<br />
It was easy. It’s really catered to the artist.<br />
They were super kind. I really love what<br />
they’re doing with this kind of thanksgiving<br />
approach to music now. They clearly have<br />
a huge passion to music. They’re making it<br />
easier for all of us to get a little something<br />
in our pockets so we can all eat.”<br />
Fuller was home to play some CD<br />
release shows as he just released his first,<br />
“Witness,” which he’s been working on for<br />
11 months. Nostrand said, “He’s amazing.<br />
He came in and kind of blew our doors off.<br />
We shot him right before they announced<br />
the Stay at Home thing.”<br />
The following two weeks will be with<br />
Discavus and Nostrand. Somewhere between<br />
the virtuosity of the likes of George<br />
Duke and Billy Cobham and the groove<br />
based funk of Vulfpeck lies Discavus.<br />
“We don’t need producers and million<br />
dollar ad campaigns to make you dance.<br />
We provide our audiences with a truly<br />
unique musical journey from the first<br />
downbeat to the last,” said members Josh<br />
Cote on guitar, Nicky Fitz on drums and<br />
Josh Rodgers on bass.<br />
Nostrand is a singer-songwriter<br />
through and through. Sit back on your<br />
porch and have a beer. He will be right<br />
there with you. His colloquial, storytelling<br />
style is relatable and popular across<br />
genres of folk, bluegrass, country and rock<br />
listeners.
The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong> • 27<br />
Submitted<br />
The Rutland Office of SVCOA is coordinating meal drop-offs for seniors in need.<br />
Rutland County Meals on Wheels is in<br />
need of volunteer delivery drivers<br />
RUTLAND — Southwestern Vermont<br />
Council on Aging (SVCOA), administrators<br />
of the Rutland County Meals on Wheels<br />
program, issued an urgent call for volunteer<br />
support on March 25 to assist with Meals<br />
on Wheels deliveries to homebound older<br />
Vermonters throughout the area.<br />
“We’ve seen a drastic decline in the<br />
number of volunteer deliver drivers as the<br />
COVID-19 issue has progressed, coupled<br />
with a significant rise in demand for meals,”<br />
said Courtney Anderson, Nutrition Director<br />
with SVCOA. “As a result, we’ve had to alter<br />
delivery schedules and maximize staffing<br />
resources as best as possible. We are in great<br />
need of new drivers and hope that anyone<br />
who is interested or able will join the effort.”<br />
Anyone who is interested in volunteering<br />
as a Meals on Wheels delivery driver<br />
should contact Penny Jones at 802-775-<br />
0133 as soon as possible.<br />
SVCOA and Rutland County Meals on<br />
Wheels have implemented a number of<br />
thorough and stringent precautionary<br />
protocols for delivery drivers as directed by<br />
the Vermont Department of Health (VDH)<br />
and Vermont Department of Disabilities,<br />
Aging and Independent Living (DAIL). “We<br />
want to make it very clear to folks that there<br />
are significant protective measures in place<br />
that remove all in-person contact and that<br />
ensure the health and safety of delivery<br />
drivers, as well as meal recipients,” said Anderson.<br />
“This is a critical service for so many<br />
homebound individuals in our region, and<br />
we ask for your help.”<br />
For more information about SVCOA,<br />
visit svcoa.org.<br />
><br />
Goggles: Middlebury College alumni find healthful solution with goggles<br />
from page 1<br />
same email forwarded to me from<br />
other friends. All I could think of is,<br />
jeez, this doctor is going to get 10,000<br />
pairs of Smith goggles sent to his house<br />
and that’s not a very efficient use of<br />
resources.”<br />
That’s how Goggles for Docs was<br />
born.<br />
Schaefer started a Google sheet and<br />
a contact list. Pretty soon, the list of<br />
hospitals signing up went from one<br />
to six. The next day he woke up to 500<br />
emails.<br />
Schaefer, a former Middlebury<br />
College Div. 1 ski racer, reached out to<br />
Greg Blanchard who works at Inntopia,<br />
a Stowe-based ski resort software<br />
Submitted<br />
company run by another Middlebury Jon Schaefer, general manager of Berkshire<br />
College grad, Trevor Crist. Earlier this East and Catamount Ski Areas and founder of<br />
month, Inntopia modified its resort Goggles for Docs — pictured with sunglasses.<br />
booking software so it could be used to<br />
book COVID-19 tests.<br />
can be transmitted with, say a direct<br />
“Greg and I started fleshing out a cough to the eyeball, and second, that<br />
website on a phone call. The site went they can take care of disinfecting and<br />
online at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Even as we distributing them.”<br />
were on the phone building this, three While Schaefer’s wife is not currently<br />
more hospitals signed up.”<br />
wearing goggles, Schaefer said that<br />
As of Monday morning, more than Berkshire Medical Center has put in an<br />
7,000 pairs of ski goggles –used and order for 400 and will be receiving 60 on<br />
new—were being promised to hospitals Monday, March 30.<br />
in seven states and requests have come “I didn’t wake up this week thinking<br />
in from hospitals as far away as New I was going to be the COVID Goggle<br />
Zealand and Spain.<br />
Guy — we have a lot to take care of at<br />
“I’m not sure how it works on their our businesses now, too,” said Schaefer.<br />
end, but doctors have told me two things: “It was just one thing that we as a ski<br />
first, that they need goggles as COVID-19 industry could do to help.”<br />
COVID-19: Your Drinking Water is Safe.<br />
The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation wants residents<br />
to know that their public water supply is safe. Generally, you are served by a<br />
public water system if you receive a water bill. You can continue to use and<br />
drink water from your tap as usual.<br />
• Vermont’s public drinking water systems are designed to deliver<br />
safe drinking water, especially during times of crisis like the one<br />
we’re in.<br />
• Drinking water operations are an essential function during this<br />
declared state of emergency. Drinking water operators continue to<br />
do all the required testing to ensure public water remains safe.<br />
• In the face of COVID-19, DEC is taking extra steps to ensure<br />
drinking water is safe and free of pathogens by working with<br />
drinking water operators to disinfect the water out of an<br />
abundance of caution. Water is disinfected through a process called<br />
chlorination were chlorine is added to the water in low doses to<br />
kill pathogens that can affect human health. This process can also<br />
occur using ultraviolet disinfection.<br />
• While COVID-19 is not transmitted through drinking water, it is<br />
important to make sure drinking water is free of other pathogens<br />
that can make you sick. Disinfecting systems now will safeguard<br />
drinking water and provide additional protections for people with<br />
compromised immune systems.<br />
• Disinfecting the water could reduce the potential for follow-up<br />
sampling needed to be performed, which will allow the water<br />
system personnel to focus on core job duties. Disinfection will<br />
also keep operators from needing to go into additional locations to<br />
collect extra samples, keeping the community protected.<br />
For more information, please see the Drinking Water and Groundwater<br />
Protection Division’s COVID-19 response page at:<br />
https://dec.vermont.gov/water/COVID-19-Response-and-Resources
SERVICE DIRECTORY<br />
Service Directory<br />
28 • The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong><br />
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Meeting in the time<br />
of Coronavirus<br />
Zoom video conferencing becomes<br />
the new normal<br />
By Curt Peterson<br />
Municipal and School Boards are adapting to social<br />
distancing regulations that are evolving at a steady rate.<br />
In a March 30 press release Secretary of State Jim<br />
Condos announced “temporary changes to Vermont’s<br />
Open Meeting Law…in response to the COVID-19 global<br />
pandemic.”<br />
H.681 eliminates requirement that public meetings be<br />
in a physical location. Instead, official bodies may execute<br />
meetings “remotely” using technologies, telephones and<br />
video recordings to give Vermont residents access to their<br />
proceedings.<br />
The Windsor Central Unified School District Board held<br />
its first remote meeting on March 23 using Zoom, a system<br />
allowing board members and public to interface from<br />
individual locations, centrally moderated at the Administration<br />
offices. Five attendees actually met in the conference<br />
room, and approximately 40 people, including board<br />
members, appeared as thumbnails on a large screen.<br />
When each added input his/her face would fill the screen.<br />
Complicated, but for a first-run it went very smoothly.<br />
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The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong> SERVICE DIRECTORY • 29<br />
><br />
Horoscopes: Understanding Cancer and Uranus, new paradigms lead us back to the “tribe”<br />
from page 23<br />
Ascendant first thing on Tuesday morning. I would like to<br />
talk about that from my own personal perspective.<br />
The Moon enters Cancer once a month. She feels right<br />
at home in this sign because she rules this stretch of the<br />
zodiac. Most astrologers will tell you that people with<br />
prominent Cancer placements, whether it’s the Sun, Moon,<br />
or Rising Sign, will display strong domestic, nurturing,<br />
home-body, security oriented tendencies. It’s never a good<br />
idea to layer rigid stereotypes over any of the astrological<br />
archetypes. Up to a point the motherly, home-body imagery<br />
holds true with Cancer, but not all the time: those traits<br />
are by no means all there is to it. If you study astrology for<br />
any length of time, you discover that the deeper meaning<br />
of any sign is way more interesting than what’s written in<br />
the textbooks.<br />
On the most mundane level Cancer expresses itself according<br />
to the description above. What we term “maternal<br />
characteristics” are sometimes part of her deal. Dissecting<br />
the sign from a more esoteric perspective we soon find out<br />
that the Cancerian archetype goes way back in time. At its<br />
core, all the “Mommy” stuff derives its essence from the<br />
great matriarchal cultures that thrived on this planet in<br />
times past. Remnants of those traditions still exist. What is<br />
intrinsic to all of them is that they were tribal in nature.<br />
So, what do we mean by tribal? We have lost the thread<br />
to this concept. To a certain extent it is still alive and well<br />
among the indigenous people – but the powers that be have<br />
been hard at work trying to exterminate the indigenous<br />
ones for so long, our tribal memories might as well be on<br />
life support, at this point. If nuclear family constructs have<br />
pre-empted our connection to the human tribe, in the act<br />
of isolating ourselves in tiny boxes that contain Mom, Dad,<br />
and 2.5 kids, we have lost sight of the fact that we are all<br />
connected. The great matriarchal cultures embodied the<br />
idea that we are mother, father, sister, brother, daughter,<br />
and son to all of our relations – including our four legged<br />
friends, the creatures that swim in the sea, all of the winged<br />
ones, as well as the five elements.<br />
We diminish the Cancer archetype by keeping her down<br />
on the farm, barefoot and pregnant. At rock bottom, in its<br />
highest expression, the hand that rocks the cradle rules the<br />
world because Cancer is the matriarch. Anyone with heavy<br />
doses of this sign in their chart, whether they be male or<br />
female, has incarnated at this point in the Earth’s evolution<br />
to remind all of their relations how to return to the ways of<br />
The Tribe. This becomes super important at this moment<br />
in time because yes, indeed, we are about to “find our way<br />
back to the Garden.”<br />
Now that we have beamed in on Cancer, what does<br />
Uranus have to do with it? I was born with Uranus in Cancer<br />
on my Ascendant, so for me, it has a lot to do with it. Once a<br />
month I am reminded of how much it has to do with it. I can<br />
hear you say, “Well she must be quite a motherly gal’”– yes<br />
and no – not in the traditional sense. Why? Because all of<br />
my Cancer energy is pouring through a Uranian filter – and<br />
Uranus is eccentric. Unlike every other planet in the solar<br />
system, it rotates on a horizontal, as opposed to a vertical<br />
axis. Needless to say, my maternal nature is definitely there<br />
– but it has always been off the wall.<br />
Uranus is also the ruler of astrology. Part of the reason I<br />
got to be Charles Jayne’s apprentice is because on the day<br />
that I took my first class with him, he looked at my chart<br />
and said, “You came to this planet to be an astrologer.” It<br />
was my Uranus-Ascendant conjunction that prompted<br />
those words, and it was my time with him that started me<br />
off on this path. When my work in the field got walking and<br />
talking, I became known as “Mother of the Skye.” In my<br />
case, layering the Cancer piece over the Uranian piece, my<br />
purpose has always involved using my astrological gifts to<br />
remind people how to return to the ways of the tribe.<br />
So, enough about me. Uranus was transiting Cancer<br />
from 1948 to 1956. During that eight-year time frame, everyone<br />
on the planet was born with this placement. We are<br />
the ones who came to be known as the Baby Boomers. With<br />
this in mind, how about we play “astrologer” and put<br />
2 + 2 together?<br />
It is well known that Uranus revolutionizes whatever<br />
it touches. The Baby Boomers were raised during the late<br />
40s and the first half of the 50s. We were born and bred on<br />
the post-war American Dream, of God, Mom, and Apple<br />
Pie. Ironically, whatever we were supposed to cull from our<br />
early childhood programming gave birth to what evolved<br />
into the dysfunctional family. Little did we know that<br />
Uranus’s passage through Cancer was meant to throw a<br />
Molotov cocktail into our nuclear family constructs, so that<br />
by the time our own children came of age they would be<br />
well prepared to return to the ways of the tribe.<br />
Now Baby Boomers are in their 70s, or pushing 70, and<br />
have just about come full circle. In the time that has passed<br />
since we were born, Uranus has moved into Taurus and is<br />
currently forming a 60-degree angle to the position it held<br />
at the end of WWII. This is what is known as a sextile; it is a<br />
positive, constructive aspect.<br />
This means that the Baby Boomers have either lived up<br />
to our revolutionary potential, or not. Many of us have sold<br />
out along the way, but just as many have not. Those of us<br />
who are still walking our talk in the face of all the external<br />
pressure to turn into a shopaholic, or just another “Muggle,”<br />
are beginning to see that the dysfunctional energy we<br />
stirred up along the way, and the bombs that we dropped<br />
on all of those nuclear family constructs, had a purpose.<br />
That purpose is unfolding as we speak.<br />
The ones who are being born into the current generation<br />
have incarnated with Uranus in Taurus. On the surface,<br />
Taurus has a strong materialistic flavor. Many astrologers<br />
say it is about money, things, and all of the physical delights.<br />
With the latest wave of souls under the influence of Uranus<br />
in Taurus, we can assume that they are here to toss lightning<br />
bolts into every single one of those thought forms. Now that<br />
the Federal Reserve has been shut down, who knows? We<br />
could already be right over the target.<br />
Digging deeper into the mystery, I have come to realize<br />
that Taurus is about what we value, or what is lasting and<br />
permanent. It has to do with that which is intrinsic to the<br />
Earth, that which is authentic and real, that which is eternal<br />
and everlasting and that will be here at the end of the day,<br />
long after the banks and the machines and the technoculture<br />
have gone up in smoke.<br />
The little ones who are learning to walk and talk at this<br />
moment in time, are “The Ones We Have Been Waiting For,”<br />
the ones who have come to help us remember who we are<br />
and what really matters when it’s all said and done. Are we<br />
ready to go there? I don’t know about you, but I sure am. Let<br />
me leave you with that and invite you to take what you can<br />
from this week’s ‘scopes.<br />
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30 • The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong><br />
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info@vthomes.com. As the<br />
name implies “We perform<br />
for you!”<br />
PRESTIGE REAL ESTATE<br />
of Killington, 2922 Killington<br />
Rd., Killington. Specializing<br />
in the listing & sales of Killington<br />
Condos, Homes, &<br />
Land. Call 802-422-3923.<br />
prestigekillington.com.<br />
SKI COUNTRY REAL ES-<br />
TATE, 335 Killington Rd., Killington.<br />
802-775-5111. Ski-<br />
CountryRealEstate.com – 8<br />
agents servicing: Killington,<br />
Bridgewater, Mendon, Pittsfield,<br />
Plymouth, Stockbridge,<br />
Woodstock areas.Sales &<br />
Winter Seasonal Rentals.<br />
Open Monday-Saturday: 10<br />
am – 4 pm. Sunday by appointment.<br />
WHITE CAP REALTY Sole<br />
proprietor serving buyers<br />
and sellers throughout the<br />
Killington Valley. Contact<br />
Jake Pluta at 802-345-5187<br />
or jake@realwhitecap.com<br />
FOR SALE<br />
CARGO TRAILER- 7x16,<br />
7000lb cargo capacity white<br />
trailer. Great condition, no<br />
rust. $4000 obo. 503-708-<br />
8922<br />
2017 TOYOTA HIGHLAND-<br />
ER Hybrid for sale. Great<br />
condition! $28,000 or best<br />
offer. Call Brooke 971-801-<br />
5788<br />
MOVING SALE- <strong>14</strong>2 Old<br />
Coach Road, Killington.<br />
Furniture, numerous power<br />
tools, chainsaw. 40” TV,<br />
DVD and stand. For info call<br />
802-772-7326<br />
FARM MACHINERY- over<br />
20 years old harrowers,<br />
rakes, tenders $20 each,<br />
2004 Kaufman utility trailer<br />
$150. 802-457-2613<br />
FREE<br />
FREE REMOVAL of scrap<br />
metal & car batteries. Matty,<br />
802-353-5617.<br />
FREE PLANTS with Services.<br />
jeff@hgvtpro.com 802-<br />
882-7077<br />
FREE – FIRST COME, first<br />
serve. Call 802-422-5<strong>49</strong>9.<br />
2 – Dog quality dog runs w/<br />
hardware, Triangle fabric<br />
dog sun protector, 2- Ceiling<br />
speakers (NIB) 6 ½”<br />
woofer, 40 watts (never<br />
used), Several electrical<br />
(12/<strong>14</strong> gauge) ext. chords,<br />
drop light, Elec. Splitter box,<br />
2- New Kwikset Deadbolts<br />
w/keys (brand new), 2- Pressure<br />
washer nozzles (rated<br />
up to 2500 PSI), 2 Gals.<br />
Muriatic Acid (concrete etching),<br />
Liquid pressure washer<br />
concrete cleaner, Numerous<br />
lengths of airplane cable and<br />
chains, Set of snow blower<br />
tire chains, 10 paint trays<br />
(metal & plastic liners) &<br />
paint tarps.<br />
WANTED<br />
HIGHEST PRICES PAID<br />
- Back home in Vermont<br />
and hope to see new and<br />
returning customers for the<br />
purchase, sale and qualified<br />
appraisal of coins, currency,<br />
stamps, precious metals in<br />
any form, old and high quality<br />
watches and time pieces,<br />
sports and historical items.<br />
Free estimates. No obligation.<br />
Member ANA, APS,<br />
NAWCC, New England Appraisers<br />
Association. Royal<br />
Barnard 802-775-0085.<br />
EMPLOYMENT<br />
KILLINGTON RESORT<br />
Banquet Captain- Oversee<br />
daily operations of banquet<br />
events and setups executed<br />
by Hotel Food & Beverage<br />
Department. Visit Killington.com/jobs<br />
to view the<br />
complete job listing or our<br />
Welcome Center at 4763<br />
Killington Rd.(800)300-9095<br />
EOE<br />
KILLINGTON RESORT<br />
Banquet Servers- Perform<br />
service and setup of banquet<br />
events executed by Hotel<br />
Food & Beverage Department.<br />
Visit Killington.com/<br />
jobs to view the complete<br />
job listing or our Welcome<br />
Center at 4763 Killington<br />
HEAD HOUSEKEEPER:<br />
Seeking an energetic, responsible,<br />
take charge individual<br />
to join our team.<br />
Candidate must be a team<br />
player while overseeing all<br />
our housekeeping needs to<br />
ensure guests’ comfort. Reliable<br />
transportation required.<br />
Position is year-round Basic<br />
housing option available.<br />
This is a key position at our<br />
popular Killington Inn. Call for<br />
details: 802 422 3407 Email:<br />
snowedinn@vermontel.net<br />
ALPINE BIKE WORKS in<br />
Killington Vermont is seeking<br />
full and part time bicycle technicians.<br />
We are a full service<br />
bicycle shop at the base of<br />
Killington Bike Park specializing<br />
in mountain and gravel<br />
bikes and stock a large inventory<br />
of bikes, parts and<br />
accessories. We offer a great<br />
working environment with a<br />
friendly atmosphere. Work<br />
includes all types of services,<br />
including bicycle suspension,<br />
drive train, wheels, tires<br />
and brakes. Compensation<br />
relative to experience.<br />
Thinking of relocating? We<br />
can help! Please send resume<br />
to info@alpinebikeworks.com<br />
for consideration.<br />
SERVICES<br />
BEAUREGARD PAINTING,<br />
30 years experience, 802-<br />
436-1337.<br />
EQUAL<br />
HOUSING<br />
OPPORTUNITY<br />
ALL REAL ESTATE and rentals<br />
advertising in this newspaper<br />
is subject to the Federal<br />
Fair Housing Act of 1968 as<br />
amended which makes it illegal<br />
to advertise “any preference,<br />
limitation or discrimination<br />
based on race, color, religion,<br />
sex, handicap, family status,<br />
national origin, sexual orientation,<br />
or persons receiving<br />
public assistance, or an intention<br />
to make such preferences,<br />
limitation or discrimination.”<br />
This newspaper will not knowingly<br />
accept any advertisement<br />
which is in violation of the law.<br />
For more info call HUD toll-free<br />
at 1-800-669-9777.<br />
Submit a<br />
classifi ed<br />
Email classifieds@<br />
mountaintimes.info or call<br />
802-422-2399. Rates are 50<br />
cents per word, per week;<br />
free ads are free.<br />
Courtesy of Zoom<br />
Video conferences are being held to conduct official business<br />
in towns and school districts across the region.<br />
Zoom: Local meetings go digital<br />
><br />
from page 28<br />
3, have been cancelled, according to WCUSD Board chair<br />
Bryce Sammel.<br />
“There will be a new Zoom link for the <strong>April</strong> 6 [Board]<br />
meeting which will be included in the [agenda and attachments],”<br />
Superintendent Mary Beth Banios said.<br />
Brooke Olsen-Farrell, superintendent of the Slate Valley<br />
Unified School District, told the Mt. <strong>Times</strong> their March 23<br />
board meeting also utilized Zoom.<br />
“It was a pretty efficient meeting,” Olsen-Farrell wrote.<br />
“We did have some members of the public join the meeting<br />
virtually, which seemed to go fine.”<br />
“Each [future] meeting will have its own link on the top<br />
of the warned agenda,” Olsen-Farrell added. “It is certainly<br />
a learning experience but so far we are not having too<br />
much trouble instituting virtual meetings.”<br />
Select Boards are also adapting.<br />
Hartland Town Manager David Ormiston has a Microsoft<br />
Teams networked meeting scheduled for <strong>April</strong> 6.<br />
“I’ve been using<br />
[Teams] the last week<br />
in preparation for the<br />
meeting,” Ormiston<br />
said. “I’ve now used<br />
Teams, Zoom and<br />
GoToMeeting. I find<br />
them all to be pretty<br />
similar.”<br />
The Hartland<br />
“The public will be<br />
asked not to come<br />
in person but ... by<br />
video conference,”<br />
Bristow said.<br />
meeting agenda will include a phone number and a link for<br />
participating.<br />
Barnard Select Board’s <strong>April</strong> 1 meeting will be held in<br />
person, according to Select Board Assistant Rob Ramrath.<br />
The meeting “will have the members plus me in person<br />
at the town hall (of course, no one sick and at a social<br />
distance) with the public dialing into a conference call,”<br />
Ramrath wrote. Instructions are included in the posted<br />
agenda.<br />
Preston Bristow, Killington Select Board administrator,<br />
said the board will hold its first virtual meeting <strong>April</strong> 7 using<br />
Zoom moderated from the Sherburne Memorial Library.<br />
“Town Manager Chet Hagenbarth will be at the Library,<br />
and it will be up to each individual Select Board member<br />
whether he will attend in person or by video conference,”<br />
Bristow said. “The public will be asked not to come in person<br />
but to participate only by video conference.”<br />
A short-term rental regulation hearing on <strong>April</strong> 21 will<br />
also be conducted remotely.<br />
Plymouth is bucking the technology tide – Town Clerk<br />
Sandie Small wrote, “There is a [Select Board] meeting<br />
scheduled for <strong>April</strong> 6, which will be held in the usual manner<br />
in our Town Hall. Frankly, we rarely have visitors, and<br />
since no one is on the Agenda, I doubt there will be [any<br />
public] attending.”<br />
“If we were to use some tech in the future,” Small added,<br />
“Zoom seems like the likely winner.”
The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong> REAL ESTATE • 31<br />
Grow Your Life in Killington<br />
KILLINGTON VALLEY REAL ESTATE<br />
Bret Williamson, Broker, Owner<br />
Celebrating<br />
30 years!<br />
802.775.5111 • 335 Killington Rd. • Killington, VT 05751<br />
FALL LINE CONDO - SKI HOME & SHUTTLE OUT<br />
• 3BR/3BA beautifully renovated<br />
• End Unit. Panoramic Views!<br />
• New granite, stainless appliances<br />
• Cherry cabinets. Gas fireplace<br />
• On-site: indoor pool<br />
• Furnished & equipped: $299K<br />
MTN GREEN - BLDG 1<br />
THE LODGES - SKI IN & OUT<br />
• 1-LVL 3BR/3BA, Furnished &<br />
equipped, Wash/Dryer, patio<br />
• Gas fplc, gas range, gas heat<br />
• Mud-entry w/ cubbies+bench<br />
• Double vanity, jet tub,<br />
• Common: Indr pool<br />
• End unit, $439K<br />
KILLINGTON CTR INN & SUITES<br />
72 658 Windrift Tanglewood Ridge Road, Drive, Killington Killington $ 575,000 $459,000<br />
This Great unique, private Killington 3 bdrm , location, 3 bath, custom modern stone home, work situated throughout<br />
on the a exterior, wooded heated lot garage, overlooking VT castings nearby wood Pico stove, <strong>Mountain</strong> hot tub,<br />
Ski open area, floor offers plan and unexpected a large living privacy room with and valley stunning views from the<br />
mountain wall of windows. views.<br />
4552 Prior VT Drive, Route Killington 107, Stockbridge $1,200,000$129,000<br />
Many Exquisitely opportunities detailed Tudor for this style home located in a private minutes 20 acre to I-89<br />
and Killington 20 min location. drive to Spacious Killington. gourmet Excellent kitchen, rental arched history, doorways,<br />
recently high end fixtures, renovated carefully improvements crafted trim and including moldings a new throughout.<br />
standing Truly unique seam property. metal roof, windows, doors, and more.<br />
<strong>Mountain</strong> 298 Prior Drive, Green, Killington Killington $ 1,2000,000 $1<strong>49</strong>,500<br />
2-bedroom, This <strong>49</strong>34 square 2-bath foot, corner exquisitely unit Mtn Green detailed building Tudor 1. Sold style furnished,<br />
home updated is in a class appliances, by itself. outdoor A five pool bedroom views, shuttle home, route &<br />
wood surrounded burning by fireplace. the grandeur Cable, internet, of the plowing, green mountains. refuse removal<br />
and shuttle service included in quarterly fee.<br />
Cricket Hill, $<br />
Lodges, Killington $459,000 555,000<br />
Ski-in, This 4-bedroom, ski-out from this 4-bath 3-bedroom, home with 3-bath inground furnished pool top floor is a<br />
Lodges ten minute unit with drive trail from views Killington of Bear <strong>Mountain</strong>. Resort with Owners stunning enjoy all<br />
the views Sunrise of Pico amenities <strong>Mountain</strong>. including The spa, competitively pool, hot tub priced and gym. home,<br />
is being sold furnished.<br />
View all properties @killingtonvalleyrealestate.com<br />
Office 802-422-3610 ext 206 Cell 802-236-1092 bret@killingtonvalleyrealestate.com<br />
NOTE TO READERS:<br />
The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> is closing its office to the public as of March 18, <strong>2020</strong>.<br />
We will continue to cover local news in print as well as online, through<br />
social media and via our newsletter (sign up at mountaintimes.info).<br />
You can also reach us at 422-2399 or editor@mountaintimes.info.<br />
• Shuttle Service<br />
• Furnished & equipped<br />
• OnSite: In&Outdr Pools,<br />
• Whirlpl, Laundry area<br />
• 1BR @ $129K<br />
MTN GREEN – MAIN BLDG (#3)<br />
• 2BR/2BA w/lockout $162K<br />
• STUDIO: $95K<br />
• 1BR Bldg 3! $126K - 150K<br />
• Onsite: Indoor & Outdoor Pools,<br />
Whirlpl, Restaurant, Ski & Gift<br />
Shops, Pilate Studio, Racquetball/basketball;<br />
Shuttle Bus<br />
KILLINGTON GATEWAY- TOP/END UNIT<br />
• furnished & equipped<br />
• gas heat & fplc, tiled kitch &BA flrs<br />
• Cath ceiling w/ sky lt, open flr plan<br />
• Cherry kitchen cabinets, AC<br />
• Covered deck, private ski locker<br />
• 1 BR/1BA: $81K; 2BR/1BA, $125K<br />
JUST OFF KILLINGTON RD<br />
• 4 Oversized BR’s, 2.5BA,<br />
4,227 sq.ft.<br />
• 10 person hot tub, laundry room<br />
• Llarge deck & bar room<br />
• Furnished & equipped $599K<br />
• Completely Renovated 2BR/3BA<br />
w/one LOCK-OFF unit<br />
• Stone-faced gas f/plc, W/Dryer<br />
• Tiled floor to ceiling shower<br />
• Outdr Pool. Short walk to shuttle &<br />
to restaurant. Furnished $222K<br />
KILLINGTON TRAIL VIEWS<br />
• 6BR/3BA , 2 acres,<br />
2,600 sq.ft.<br />
• Walk-out lower level<br />
• Detached storage garage<br />
• New septic system<br />
• Furnished & equipped<br />
• $379K<br />
MOUNTAINSIDE DEVELOPMT HOME<br />
• 3 en-suite bedrooms + 4 ½-baths<br />
• Living Rm floor to ceiling stone fplace<br />
• Family gameroom w/ fireplace<br />
• Chef’s kitchen,sauna, whirlpl tub<br />
• 3 extra separately deeded lots incl.<br />
• www.109mountainsidedrive.org<br />
• $1,195,000<br />
WINTER VIEWS OF SUPERSTAR!<br />
• On cul-de-sac, great LOCATION!<br />
• 4BR, 2.5BA 3,470 sf, a/conditioning<br />
• Ctl vac, chef’s kitch, butler’s pantry<br />
• Cedar closet, office, master suite<br />
• 3 car garage, storage, screened porch<br />
• Deck, unfinished basemt,++<br />
$789,500<br />
We sincerely thank local businesses, towns, organizations and individuals for helping<br />
us to cover the news as well as support those efforts financially. As more businesses<br />
close and people are laid off, community support will be more important than ever<br />
for the health of our organization and for all of our neighbors.<br />
To support local journalism, visit mountaintimes.info<br />
Lenore<br />
Bianchi<br />
‘tricia<br />
Carter<br />
Meghan<br />
Charlebois<br />
Merisa<br />
Sherman<br />
Pat<br />
Linnemayr<br />
Chris<br />
Bianchi<br />
Katie<br />
McFadden<br />
Over <strong>14</strong>0 Years Experience in the Killington Region REALTOR<br />
Michelle<br />
Lord<br />
Kerry<br />
Dismuke<br />
MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE<br />
MLS<br />
®<br />
PEAK<br />
PROPERTY<br />
G R O U P<br />
AT<br />
802.353.1604<br />
VTPROPERTIES.NET<br />
IDEAL PROPERTIES CLOSE TO<br />
KILLINGTON, OKEMO OR WOODSTOCK!<br />
HOMES | CONDOS | LAND<br />
COMMERCIAL INVESTMENT<br />
PRIME DEVELOPMENT OPP<br />
W/7 LOTS FOR HOME SITES<br />
OR TOWNHOMES OF 8 UNITS!<br />
BASE OF THE KILLINGTON RD!<br />
ONE OF THE BEST SPOTS<br />
IN KILLINGTON!<br />
Retail Property 17 acres consists of a<br />
main building w/11,440 sq. ft. on 3 levels<br />
w/elevator. Direct to xcountry trails.<br />
Immediate access to 20 miles of MTN<br />
bike trails on Base Camp<br />
& Sherburne Trails! $1,350,000<br />
RARE OPPORTUNITY! ULTIMATE RETREAT! Ideal Short Term Rental<br />
Property! 27+ acres w/amazing views abutting National Forest Land,<br />
2 spring fed swimming ponds, gazebo w/power & end of road location.<br />
Special property has a main farmhouse, 3 level barn, guest house, an<br />
enchanting seasonal cottage, 3 car detached garage & so much more!<br />
$699K<br />
Marni Rieger<br />
802.353.1604<br />
Tucker A. Lange<br />
303.818.8068<br />
Marni@PeakPropertyRealEstate.com<br />
59 Central Street, Woodstock VT<br />
505 Killington Road, Killington VT<br />
STRONG RENTAL INVESTMENT & BUSINESS<br />
OPP CLOSE TO KILLINGTON, SUGARBUSH<br />
& MIDDLEBURY SNOWBOWL! 7 unit property<br />
located in the center of the village in Rochester.<br />
Building is 7,216 sq ft. Main level is a local landmark<br />
& home to the Rochester Café (45 person licensed<br />
restaurant) & Country Store. 3 rental apts onsite,<br />
one which is used as Airbnb. 2 rentable open studio<br />
units. Last unit is rented cold storage space. All the<br />
real estate & business $5<strong>49</strong>,900<br />
ONE OF A KIND PROPERTY MINUTES TO PICO<br />
OR KILLINGTON. Post & Beam home 4bed/ 4 bath<br />
w/ 2 car garage. 2 bed/1 bath apt to rent out for extra<br />
income. 3 level barn, outbuilding w/ heat. Inground<br />
pool & cabana to enjoy in summer months. So close<br />
to skiing & Rutland. Come see. $389,900<br />
DIRECT ACCESS TO SNOWMOBILING &<br />
HIKING TRAILS! Minutes to Killington, Okemo or<br />
Woodstock. Soak in the amazing mountain views<br />
from this totally renovated & turn key 5 bed/2 bath<br />
Chalet. Great open floor plan w/gorgeous pine<br />
floors & wall of glass to enjoy the views! New<br />
roof. Strong rental potential. Must see this gem!<br />
$319,900
32 • The <strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Times</strong> • <strong>April</strong> 1-7, <strong>2020</strong><br />
MORE CARING<br />
The quicker we flatten the curve, the quicker<br />
we can get back to playing on the mountain.<br />
• Stay home<br />
• Keep a safe distance<br />
• Wash your hands<br />
• Take care of one another<br />
Looking forward to seeing you soon.<br />
For the latest updates, please visit killington.com.