August in Addison County started out on a dry note, and local residents continued to battle drought throughout the month. Jon Lucas of Lucas Dairy in Orwell reported hauling 5,000 gallons of water each day for his cows, noting the dry conditions were affecting farmers across the region. Local municipalities and state officials looked to help keep residents cool and prevent human-caused fires.

County officials were also exploring ways to contend with extreme heat and support residents during hotter stretches, particularly as warmer days are becoming increasingly hotter and more frequent as a result of climate change. Towns pointed to some of the challenges they faced in those efforts, such as when it came to staffing cooling stations.

In Middlebury, Porter Medical Center was feeling the impact of layoffs of 77 employees network-wide announced by the University of Vermont Health Network. The medical center in Middlebury expected to see four jobs cut as a result of the layoffs, and improvements to the emergency room at Porter were also anticipated to be postponed as part of the network’s effort to reduce spending through deferring capital projects.

At another Middlebury institution, Rachel Lee was getting ready to step down from her role as executive director of the Counseling Service of Addison County. Her future plans called for building and administering a new foundation that would offer grants to entities looking to make a difference in the fields of health care, children and families, education and the environment.

Also in Middlebury, the Turning Point Center of Addison County was gearing up for an expansion and renovation of its new headquarters at 79 Court St. That project included a 750-square-foot addition that would allow the team to better host group meetings, as well as renovations to the main building and former garage space.

Construction — albeit further down the road — was also on the minds of other community members. Addison County Regional Planning Commission officials in August were working with local residents and town leaders to update the housing and land-use sections of the county’s regional plan. That process was being informed by two new state laws aimed at tackling Vermont’s housing crisis and boost its housing stock.

In Addison, Michelle Bishop was bringing her 27 years’ worth of experience serving in various early education roles to a new endeavor — opening a childcare and preschool program in the Addison Community Center, which was once Addison Central School. The Growing Tree opened its doors on Aug. 4 and planned to offer full-day, center-based childcare to children ages 32 months to five years.

Vermont artists weighed in on U.S. Sen. Peter Welch’s Transparency and Responsibility for Artificial Intelligence Networks (TRAIN) Act. The legislation would require that artificial intelligence developers document copyrighted material used in training and develop transparency standards intended to protect artists without stifling innovation, among other things. Artists pointed to the various questions and issues that arise with the use of AI in the arts, such as when it comes to transparency.

Back in Middlebury, a Manchester-based company announced plans to build a 4.125-megawatt solar project on 22 acres of land off Middle Road South, and the town’s planning commission held a public meeting on the proposal.

Middlebury selectboard members in August overwhelmingly endorsed a citizen-initiated resolution that asked the board to show “unwavering” support for the principles of due process and to “unequivocably condemn” any governmental attempts to target individuals based on race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, social class and citizenship status.

Addison County business owners were trying to navigate shifting tariffs created by President Donald Trump. Anthony Gerakos, co-owner of Little Seed Coffee Roasters in Middlebury, noted his business had made changes to cope with tariffs imposed on coffee, though the unpredictability of the trade policies made it challenging for businesses to plan.

Volunteer fire departments around the county were also facing some challenges, particularly in recruiting and retaining firefighters. Local fire chiefs pointed to some of the factors hindering those efforts, such as declining volunteerism and a high cost of living prompting young Vermonters to leave the state.

And as another school year kicked off in Addison County, the Mount Abraham Unified School District Board identified several options for educational delivery in the district that it wanted to explore further. The action marked a step forward in the district’s effort to contemplate options for the future of the school district amid ongoing challenges to offer the educational experience it seeks to at a cost that’s suitable to taxpayers.

A local fifth- grader had his ultimate wish granted in August. Eleven-year-old Will Gillespie of Middlebury, who has a rare seizure disorder and nonverbal autism, spent the afternoon exploring the new sensory garden constructed in his backyard by the non-profit Make-a-Wish Vermont and Northern New York. The garden, constructed in Will’s backyard, incorporates natural elements and considers Will’s sensory needs to create a unique space for him and his family.

After the successful run of another Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival, a camera crew set up shop in Town Hall Theater. The theater was filled not with actors on stage, but with 86 ordinary Middlebury residents and students trying their hand at movie magic. Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Matt Valdez and Collin Davis needed people to sit in the theater’s seats and applaud on command while the directors filmed the scene for a movie they had all but completed. Valdez and Davis had shot a film about a musician, but they needed a scene in which an enthusiastic audience in an old theater reacted to the culminating performance. Said one unpaid extra: “I think it was a really great experience.”