Schools tackle year two of COVID with hope

ADDISON COUNTY — The start of the school year always sees a mixture of trepidation and excitement. For primary and secondary school students in Addison County, that jumble of fear and exhilaration was intensified this year as both pupils and educators were coming off the pandemic year when COVID-19 forced profound changes in schools.So with a year of lessons on how to teach and learn in a pandemic, many people returned to schools this fall with hopeful optimism, despite the rise of the Delta variant of COVI … (read more)

Midd grad and her female students flee Afghanistan

MIDDLEBURY — On Aug. 20, as thousands of Afghans desperate to leave the country converged on the airport in Kabul — and Taliban fighters, who had taken over the city just five days before, tried to stop them with threats and violence and hastily erected c … (read more)

School district merger committee delays deadline

BRISTOL — The ANWSD-MAUSD Merger Study Committee has given itself eight extra months to complete its work.The committee voted unanimously at its Tuesday night meeting to extend its workplan deadline from Town Meeting Day, March 1, to Election Day, Nov. 8, … (read more)

Clippings: 1966 series was a labor of love

I’ve become an archive nerd.I know there are some people who will read this and cheer, but for the other 99.9%, I’ll explain.A couple of years ago, in attempt to understand the finer points of various discussions in the Mount Abraham Unified School Distri … (read more)

In education, what does ‘local control’ mean?

Editor’s note: This is the seventh in a series about the growing pains of Addison County schools in 1965-66 and the Vermont Commissioner of Education’s ambitious plan to address them. Read the entire series here.ADDISON COUNTY — Upon completion of a recen … (read more)

Starksboro grows impatient with MAUSD

BRISTOL — During an interview of two Bristol residents who had applied to fill a vacancy on the Mount Abraham Unified School District Board Tuesday night, Starksboro representative Steve Rooney jokingly asked the candidates how they felt about attending f … (read more)

Bristol considering ARPA fund choices

BRISTOL — Bristol officials have begun brainstorming ways to spend the $1,148,473 in federal COVID relief funding the town has been designated to receive through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).ARPA is a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package passed … (read more)

Field Days plowed through COVID

NEW HAVEN — After a one-year pandemic-induced hiatus, Addison County Fair and Field Days returned in full force last month.The Aug. 10-14 fair attracted 40,000 visitors despite concerns about the resurgent coronavirus, according to Field Days Business Man … (read more)

Tree-killing beetle spreads to Middlebury

MIDDLEBURY — A second Addison County town has confirmed the presence of the emerald ash borer.Last month a trap hanging from an ash tree on the Middlebury town green showed evidence of the invasive species, and was subsequently confirmed by state official … (read more)

MAUSD seeks to fill citizen input panel

BRISTOL — The Mount Abraham Unified School District is seeking residents to serve on a committee that will help evaluate various long-range facilities proposals.According to a district announcement last week the Community Input Committee, or CIC, will wor … (read more)

MAUSD board to appoint Bristol rep

BRISTOL — The Mount Abraham Unified School District board is looking to fill a school board seat vacated by Bristol resident Annie Denny last month.Denny, who was elected to the board in 2020, resigned on Aug. 23, citing work-life balance issues.“I will a … (read more)

Clippings: 9/11: What 20 years has done to ‘never forget’

I will never forget how I stepped out of the shower and heard people down in the street screaming, or how it was Carolyn who heard them screaming and called me to the window.How my parents in Virginia called us, frantic, telling us about the Pentagon and … (read more)

Mount Abe district seeks Bristol resident for school board seat

BRISTOL — The Mount Abraham Unified School District board is looking for a Bristol resident to fill the school board seat vacated by Annie Denny last month.Denny, who was elected to the board in 2020, resigned on Aug. 23, citing work-life balance issues.“ … (read more)

Bristol PD patches to benefit local charities

BRISTOL — Many Bristol residents will tell you their police officers put their hearts into their work, greeting folks and listening to community concerns while out on patrol, offering friendly smiles during school drop-off or pickup, helping people get he … (read more)

New Haven advances plan to move depot

NEW HAVEN — The campaign to save the 19th-century New Haven Junction Train Depot, by picking it up and moving it roughly 1.5 miles east to North Street, has nearly come to fruition — thanks in part to state and federal help.New Haven has received two sign … (read more)

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