COLLEGE NEWS
Grant funding
U.S. Department of Agriculture State Director for Rural Development in Vermont and New Hampshire, Sarah Waring, announced $765,211 in grant funding for two Twin State institutions. The University of New Hampshire Center for Digital Health Innovation received $129,746, and Vermont State University, $635,465, to improve and diversify remote access to health care and education through the Distance Learning & Telemedicine grant program.
To benefit more than 5,500 students, VTSU will invest the DLT funds and its $96,600 contribution to enhance teleconferencing equipment. Instructors at multiple VTSU campuses — including Castleton in Rutland County, Johnson in Lamoille County, Lyndon in Caledonia County, Randolph in Orange County — will deliver instructional content for more than 75% of the offered programs, including science, nursing and dual-enrollment courses for rural high school students.
AROUND TOWN
Post-flood legal clinics
SOUTH ROYALTON — Vermont Law and Graduate School’s Entrepreneurial Legal Laboratory and Legal Services Vermont will offer monthly legal clinics for Vermonters impacted by the July floods.
Since October, the organizations have hosted six clinics in areas severely impacted by the floods. The first round of clinics focused on Vermonters’ needs during the initial recovery period, including assisting with answering questions regarding FEMA and/or Small Business Association applications, requests for reasonable accommodations for late FEMA and SBA applications as result of disability, unemployment insurance and Disaster Unemployment Assistance.
The next phase of the clinics will focus on long-term relief efforts, including FEMA appeals, landlord-tenant assistance, and other ongoing legal challenges of flood recovery. The next clinic will be held in Barre on Dec. 14. Monthly clinics will then rotate through Ludlow, Waterbury, Hardwick, then back to Barre to follow the same order.
— Barre Clinic, 2 to 5:45 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, Milne Common Room, Aldrich Public Library, 6 Washington St., Barre.
— Ludlow Clinic, 1 to 4:45 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, Fletcher Memorial Library, 88 Main St., Ludlow.
— Waterbury Clinic, 1:45 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, SAL Room, Waterbury Public Library, 28 North Main St., Waterbury.
— Hardwick Clinic, 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday, March 14, Hardwick Memorial Building, 20 Church St., Hardwick.
Individuals can come prepared with:
— Pictures of before and after the flood if accessible.
— Receipts of repairs, replacement items and lodging if displaced from flooding.
— Insurance information, including a reply or settlement from insurance after claim was submitted.
— Household income information.
— Any documents sent to or received from FEMA or the SBA.
— Log-in information for FEMA Disaster Relief account (if you have one).
— Any additional notes about damages, losses and impacts from flooding.
Nutcracker
BARRE — The Green Mountain Nutcracker, a Vermont interpretation of the classic holiday tale set in the 1970s with a local twist, will hold two shows, 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, at Barre Opera House.
Now in its 17th year, this Moving Light Dance production features an all-ages, 68-member cast of professional company dancers and local students, all-original choreography by Christine Harris, Chloe Reynolds, Bridget Wheeler and Willow Wonder, set to both Tchaikovsky’s familiar score and original music by Vermont musician, Colin McCaffrey, as well as an array of locally made sets and costumes.
Tickets are $30/$16 or $32/$18 at the door. To order tickets, visit barreoperahouse.org or call 802-476-8188. Visit movinglightdance.com for details.
AROUND VT
Protect bees
Join the Vermont Bee Lab and UVM Extension at 1 p.m. Dec. 15 to learn about FieldWatch, a free-to-use mapping tool enabling communication as required by Vermont’s new rule for the protection of bees. The Bee Lab will introduce the different FieldWatch registries, including DriftWatch, BeeCheck and CropCheck, and request feedback. This program qualifies for 1.0 Vermont pesticide recertification credits; enter your Pesticide Applicator ID Number at registration. Visit agriculture.vermont.gov for more information.
Flood relief
Vermont Community Foundation announced it has granted or committed $11.8 million of the nearly $12.4 million in flood relief funds it has raised so far to help the state recover from one of the worst weather events in Vermont history. The VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund 2023 has now awarded $6.2 million in grants and committed another $5.6 million to assist Vermont through the next phases of recovery.
State appointee
Gov. Phil Scott and Agency of Digital Services Secretary Denise Reilly-Hughes announced the appointment of Andrea DeLaBruere as the new deputy secretary of ADS, effective Dec. 18. DeLaBruere was appointed commissioner of the Department of Vermont Health Access in December 2021, and previously as an executive director for the Agency of Human Services, assisting with coordinating the work of the departments, participating in the pandemic response, and leading agency efforts on communications and legislative affairs.
Prior to coming to AHS, DeLaBruere worked in health information technology, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. She is originally from the Northeast Kingdom and currently lives in central Vermont.
Regional forester
USDA Forest Service Chief Randy Moore announced the appointment of Tony Dixon as regional forester for its Eastern Region. Dixon will oversee management of more than 12 million acres of the National Forest System lands in the Northeast and Midwest, including 17 national forests and one national tall-grass prairie.
He is currently serving as the deputy chief for business operations. Dixon began as a cooperative education student on the Routt National Forest in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He has served in a variety of positions and geographical locations, including as deputy regional director of public affairs in the Southern Regional Office and held several other positions in the National Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Dixon will succeed Gina Owens, who retires Dec. 29 following her 34-year career with the Forest Service.
Essay contest
Since 2008, Appalachia, the mountaineering and conservation journal published by the Appalachian Mountain Club, and The Waterman Fund, have joined to sponsor an annual essay contest for emerging writers.
Writers who have not published a book-length work of fiction or narrative nonfiction on topics of wilderness, wildness or the ethics and ecology of environmental issues, are eligible. The Waterman Fund provides prize money of $3,000 for the first-place essay selection and $1,000 for a runner-up.
The deadline for submissions is March 1. Personal, scientific, adventure or memoir essays describing a single moment in the wilderness that profoundly changed you. Fiction, poetry or songs are not eligible for this contest. Submissions should be 2,000 to 3,000 words. Email essays@watermanfund.org for more information.
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