The Addison County River Watch Collaborative will hold a training session for prospective volunteers on Saturday, March 16, from 9 -11:30 a.m. at the Addison County Regional Planning Commission offices at 14 Seminary St. in Middlebury. The collaborative depends on a network of well-trained and hardy volunteers to collect samples from area rivers and streams once per month from April to September. Volunteer river monitors are needed to help sample on the Otter Creek, Middlebury River, Lemon Fair River, New Haven River, Lewis Creek, and Little Otter Creek. If you have an interest in the health and well-being of our local watersheds, and would like to assist in collecting samples, please join. For more information, contact Managing Director Matthew Witten at 802-434-3236, or email [email protected].
 
Reminder: Town of Middlebury property taxes are due in the treasurer’s office on or before Friday, March 15. The office will be open extended hours on March 14-15, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., to accommodate taxpayers. Town officials remind residents that postmarks are not accepted as timely payment. There’s a payment box located between the municipal building at 77 Main St., and the adjacent Ilsley Library.
 
An “Eagle Grand Slam Cornhole Tournament” is scheduled for Sunday, March 17, beginning at the Mount Abraham Union High School gym. Proceeds will benefit the Mount Abe baseball and softball programs. Cost: $30 per two-person team. Early rounds will be timed, with round robin play. A plaque will be awarded to the first place team. To pre-register, email team name and players names to [email protected]. There will be food, silent auction and 50/50 raffle.
 
The Vermont Department of Labor this week reported a statewide unemployment rate of 2.5 percent for the month of January, reflecting a decrease of one-tenth of one percentage point from the revised December rate. At 2.5 percent, this is the lowest monthly estimate for the seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate for Vermont since the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics online historical series started in 1976. The Middlebury area’s jobless rate was placed at 2.8 percent for January. State officials placed the county’s labor force at 18,178, of which 501 are currently looking for work.
 
The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department reminds anglers that fishing shanties must be removed before the ice becomes unsafe or loses its ability to support the shanty out of the water, or before the last Sunday in March (which falls on March 31 this year), whichever comes first. All contents, debris, wood, and supports must also be removed so they do not become a hazard to navigation in the spring. The fine for leaving your ice fishing shanty on the ice can be $1,000, and shanties may not be left at state fishing access areas.