This photograph of two signs allegedly displayed on the Barnard town garage was supplied to The Vermont Standard by Tim Johnson. The photo has been edited to conceal an obscenity on the original posters. Johnson claims that the Barnard Selectboard is not acting with due diligence in investigating the incident.

At last Wednesday’s Barnard Selectboard meeting, Barnard resident and former Selectman Tim Johnson accused one or more members of the town road crew of misconduct. During the public comment portion meeting, Johnson recounted an incident that, he says, came to his attention the day after town meeting in March. Johnson claimed that one or more members of the Barnard road crew had posted handmade signs around the town garage that read: “Anyone but Tim Johnson for Selectman 2022” followed by a vulgar epithet. 

Johnson, an incumbent who had been a selectman for more than 20 years, lost his seat to Richard Lancaster by 10 votes in this year’s election. 

At the Wednesday meeting, Johnson expressed frustration with the pace of the town’s investigation and disciplinary process related to the offensive signage and said that he felt that he had not received timely and adequate communication from the selectboard. 

Regarding the timeframe of the investigation, Selectman Rock Webster said: “We apologize for the length of time, but we meet every other week.” He explained that because Johnson’s original letter of complaint mentioned legal action, the town needed to seek legal counsel. “We’re not qualified to handle this ourselves without a lawyer,” he said. He thanked Johnson for bringing the issue to the board’s attention and stated that it was “on the docket” to be finalized at that night’s meeting. 

See the May 12 edition of the Vermont Standard for more on this story

The Woodstock Town Selectboard and Village Trustees have signed a separation agreement with now-former Municipal Manager William H. “Bill” Kerbin. The separation contract, which was signed by Kerbin on May 2 and by Town Selectboard Vice-Chair Ray Bourgeois and Village Trustees Chair Seton McIlroy on May 3, took effect on Monday, at the end of a seven-day period during which Kerbin could have rescinded his agreement to the pact. Acting Municipal Manager David Green made the full text of the agreement available to the Standard shortly after noon on Tuesday.

Under the terms of the agreement, which is binding upon both parties, Kerbin agreed to voluntarily resign from his employment with Woodstock Town and Village. The two governing bodies agreed to accept that resignation effective 5 p.m. on Monday, May 2. Town officials agreed to provide Kerbin with “a letter of recommendation in a form mutually acceptable to all parties.” In addition, the Selectboard and Trustees agreed that “all references regarding the Manager will be directed to the Chair of the Village Board of Trustees… who will confirm that [the] Manager voluntarily resigned from his employment for his own reasons, and not because of any misconduct or performance deficiencies, and provide Manager’s salary history with the Town/Village and will not say or suggest anything that might tend to reflect poorly on [the] Manager or his personal or professional reputation.”

Read more in the May 12 edition of the Vermont Standard.

The Bridgewater Selectboard on Tuesday evening approved a long-term lease for the newly built Bridgewater Volunteer Fire Department Station adjacent to the Town Office and Community Center. The unanimous action on the lease comes in the wake of the new firehouse being cleared of any concerns about groundwater contamination detected in an initial test conducted at a station tap earlier this year that indicated the presence of unacceptable levels of chemicals known as volatile organic compounds in water at the facility. Final tests of the water at the new station and four neighboring locations two weeks ago, overseen by Otter Creek Engineering of East Middlebury on behalf of state regulators, revealed no contamination. Bridgewater Volunteer Department member Bruce Maxham told the selectboard Tuesday that the department is ready to move fire trucks, equipment, and personnel into the facility shortly, pending the resolution of several minor punch list items with contractors. The projected date for those issues to be resolved is May 17.

Read more in the May 12 edition of the Vermont Standard.

At Tuesday night’s Woodstock Board of Village Trustees meeting, the trustees, responding to citizens’ concerns about the $138,000 deficit from FY21, announced a plan to prevent such a deficit from occuring again, and voted to use one part of the village’s federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to make up for the shortfall. The deficit was made public after the village’s annual audit draft was released. According to the trustees, part of the deficit was due to a lower than expected revenue from the parking meters during the pandemic, and the other part came from an incorrect accounting of the revenue that was available when the village purchased the parking meters. At the meeting, Trustee Chair Seton McIlroy explained in more detail: “Part of it was our understanding that there was money in a parking fund that there was not. The other part of it was that in the budget, we had anticipated a much higher parking revenue than we actually received.” As to what lay behind that miscalculation, McIlroy said, “We have since discovered an issue about why we weren’t aware of the parking fund and we have since remedied it.”

Read more in the May 12 edition of the Vermont Standard.

A report released last month by the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) spotlighted the deteriorating conditions of aging school buildings throughout the state. Of particular concern to seven Upper Valley communities, the “Vermont School Facilities Inventory and Assessment” called special attention to an Upper Valley supervisory union for the declining status of its school infrastructure.

The Windsor Central Supervisory Union (WCSU), which serves students in grades pre-K through 12 from the towns of Barnard, Bridgewater, Killington, Plymouth, Pomfret, Reading, and Woodstock, has the second-worst school building conditions in Vermont, according to the AOE report, which was compiled by Bureau Veritas, a consulting firm that specializes in building inspection and certification. Only the Orange Southwest School District fared worse than WCSU in the statewide facilities assessment.

The results reflected in the report, which was presented to the Vermont House and Senate Committees on Education by AOE Secretary Daniel French on April 13, are based on surveys completed by local school officials (rather than in-person inspections of school facilities statewide). WCSU officials reacted to the report last Friday and referenced the school union’s five-year capital improvements plan, adopted by the WCSU School Board last December, as the framework for the district’s ongoing response to declining school infrastructure across the seven-town district.

“The AOE report is significant. There’s a lot there that must be communicated because it’s really important for our communities,” WCSU Superintendent Sherry Sousa offered. “Our communities do not understand the depths of the challenges of our school buildings. If you drive by our schools, we’re doing a really good job with the exteriors, so people might ask why there should be such concern. But in terms of everything from the roofs on buildings, the windows and doors, full systems, and more — we have major issues. The middle school and high school are of particular concern — we have issues with the heating and water systems, electricity, sewage, and more. Within the next six to nine months, we’ll begin to communicate to our communities where we are with all our facilities.”

Read more in the May 12 edition of the Vermont Standard.

The significant reinvention of the building at 61 Central Street that houses Mangalitsa restaurant got underway last week with the start of a major construction and renovation effort that is expected to wrap up in September.

Peace Field Farm owner/developer John Holland and Peace Field farmer Matt Lombard, who is also the Mangalitsa owner, purchased the Central Street building in January and then steered their building plans through several successive meetings of the Woodstock Village Design Review and Development Review boards before gaining approval from the development review panel in mid-February. As part of the process, Holland made a concession to the Village Development Review Board that he would paint a new facade of the Central Street building white instead of the red color proposed in the original plan. Development Review Board Chair Jane Soule had expressed strong opposition to the proposed red facade as not in keeping with the historic and aesthetic character of Woodstock Village, Holland noted on Sunday.

The new, white facade, which will front a 13-by-30-foot foyer complete with Americans-with-Disability-Act-compliant stairs and a lift, is far from the most noteworthy change to the building that currently houses Mangalista, Lombard’s recently opened Decant Wine Shop, and, on the first floor, the vacant space previously occupied by the seafood-and-pasta eatery The Daily Catch. 

Holland spoke effusively last weekend about the construction and renovation efforts that will continue through the summer, resulting in the projected September opening of a new, bistro-style restaurant called “Santé” on the ground floor of 61 Central Street; an expanded Mangalitsa with added dining room space, a renovated kitchen, and the Decant Wine Shop on the second floor; and three existing apartments to be maintained on the top floor of the three-story building. For now, Holland said, Mangalista and the wine shop are closed for the renovations until September.

Read more in the May 12 edition of the Vermont Standard.

Students from the Queer Straight Alliance (QSA) Club at Woodstock Union High School and Middle School organized a walkout on March 31, the International Transgender Day of Visibility. Across the state, students have joined the nationwide walkout for LGBTQ+ rights. The walkout is an opportunity for students to act, voice their concerns, and show support for each other. 

According to Eighth Grade English teacher and club co-advisor Erin Hanrahan, the school gave permission for students to join the walkout voluntarily. Hanrahan said, “It really came from the students, and they deserve all the credit for pulling it off. We always try to put them in charge as much as possible. They have been talking about recent events, and they are a very socially aware group, well educated. Everyone pitched in. Some of them wrote things, and some of them made posters.” Even though the event was not mandatory, a sizable group of students gathered in front of the school entrance at 1 p.m last Thursday. Students gave speeches, read poems, and left the floor open for an open mic. 

The walkout started with a statement from the students. Club member Lylah Zeitlin said, “We are here because number one, it is Transgender Day of Visibility; and number two, because recently, a bill was passed in Florida, HB 1557, more commonly referred to as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill. I, the people surrounding me, and many others were disgusted. Florida governor Ron DeSantis claimed it was entirely inappropriate to discuss sexual orientation and gender identity with primary school children. He is wrong. Every single child has a right to be themselves to learn about real people, people similar to them and people different from them. Pretending the LGBTQ+ community isn’t real isn’t making anyone or anything disappear. This is why we fight; we fight for love. Acceptance saves lives.”

The Woodstock baseball team went into their Tuesday road contest with Green Mountain with some confidence. Boasting a 3-2 record, Coach Jason Tarleton was pleased with the progress of his young squad. However, as is the case with all high school sports seasons, the road to success is not always as smooth as one would hope. The Wasps learned this lesson the hard way on Tuesday afternoon when they dropped their road contest to the Chieftains 13-3.

“Today was a little uncharacteristic,” said Tarleton. “When you play a good team like Green Mountain, you can’t have the mental errors we had and expect to win.”

The contest started with much promise. Starting pitchers, Jackson Martin and GM’s Kagan Hance traded two straight scoreless innings that hinted to the large contingency of fans, enjoying the mild, sunny afternoon that they may be home early for dinner. 

The Wasps would get on the board first in the third. Hance ran into some control issues and the Wasps did not give him any free outs, as they worked 3 walks, that gave Memphis Begin an RBI opportunity, which he immediately capitalized on, ripping a single to left field to give Woodstock the early 1-0 lead.

The lead would be short-lived. GM would put up three runs in the bottom of the frame, two of them unearned, and one of them as a result of a failed rundown between third and home that had Tarleton especially perplexed.

“That failed rundown was a big momentum changer,” said Tarleton.

Regardless of the defensive miscues, the Wasp offense would respond to the crooked number posted by Green Mountain, scoring two runs in the top of the fourth off a 2-run single from Alex Rice.

Martin would grind out one more inning for Woodstock, giving up one run. However, as Martin was coming off the mound, he looked to be having shoulder discomfort, which had Tarleton take the cautious route so he could protect his sophomore.

“I had hoped Martin would go 7 for us today,” said Tarleton. “I took him out because we did not want to take any chances.”

The Chieftains would immediately jump on the Wasp bullpen, scoring 4 in the bottom of the fifth that was aided by 5 walks, a hit batter and 2 passed balls.

After the Wasps failed to score in the top of the sixth, the Chieftains were able to close out the 6 inning contest by adding another 5 runs off of 3 hits and two walks.

Along with pitching four innings, Martin added two hits for the Wasps on the afternoon, including an extra-base knock. Rice added two RBIs and Memphis Begin chipped in with one hit and one RBI.

Despite the result, which drops the Wasps to 3-3 on the season, Coach Tarleton likes how his team is progressing and hopes his boys can quickly respond to the bump in the road when they travel on Thursday, May 12 for a 4:30 p.m. showdown with the Mill River Minutemen.

“This was a setback,” said Tarleton. “But I still like where we are at this point in the season.”

Read more in the May 12 edition of the Vermont Standard.

James (Jim) Carlyle Gomo, died in Chester, VT, on May 6, 2021.  Jim was born on December 20, 1942 in Burlington, VT. Jim was predeceased by his mother, Elizabeth Loop Gomo, and his father, Carlyle Edward Gomo.  He leaves behind his son Gregory Gomo and wife Tara (Emeillia, Tyson, Hannah, and Jameson) of Chester, VT, son Aaron Gomo and wife Amy (Sonoma) of Plainfield, NH as well as his brother Daniel and sister Betsey.

Jim served as a Vermont State Fish and Game Warden for over 20 years, the job allowed Jim the opportunity to combine work with his love of conservation, hunting, trapping, and fishing.  Jim was an active Palma shooter, which took him to matches throughout the United States and abroad.  He spent much of his free time enjoying the woods, usually scouting out where to find next year’s deer, turkey, or spots to fish. Jim did small things with great love; like surprising his kids with planted daffodil bulbs or erecting bluebird boxes. One of his favorite things was spending time watching Emeillia ride her horses, or by the pond fishing with Sonoma.

BRIDGEWATER CORNERS

Lloyd C. Cook Jr.  “Cookie”

On Wednesday, April  27, 2022, Lloyd C. Cook Jr.  “Cookie” 94 years old of Bridgewater Corners passed away at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center after a brief illness.

Lloyd (Cookie) was born on November 29, 1927 to Lloyd C. Cook and Hazel (Harlow) Cook of Wareham, Mass.

After graduating High School in Apponaug, RI, he left home and enlisted in the Military. He served in the Merchant Marines, the U.S. Army, and the Army National Guard from 1943 to 1956. He left the service with an honorable discharge as an SFC E-6  having served in World War II and the Korean War.

In 1954 he met and married his wife, Ruth (Kasper) they settled in New Canaan, Connecticut, and together they had 2 children; Lloyd and Nancy.

Cookie began his career as a New Canaan Police officer in 1956 and was a proud member of the force, as it showed with numerous commendations he received during his years of service.

Cookie was one of the first officers to attend the Recruit training school. He was one of the first EMT’s in the New Canaan Police Department. He was inducted into the New Canaan Rotary Club, he was a member of the New Canaan Grange, and also a member of the Harmony Lodge No. 67 AF and AM; he later became the Master of Harmony Lodge.  He was a scoutmaster of Troop 70, and a member of the Connecticut Police Square Club.  His activities in the Police department also included coaching the boy’s football and softball teams sponsored by the P.A.L. and the Babe Ruth League for boys. He continued to give back to the community after his retirement in 1977 from the police dept. by driving the “Getabout” van for many years.

Cookie always enjoyed his time with family and friends: He enjoyed the annual Scottish Games and participated in the caber toss, family trips to Florida, a summer in Europe with family, relatives, and friends, trips to Aruba, and mostly, all the time in Vermont, camping, hunting, hiking, and snowmobiling, and building his future home. He was an avid UConn girls’ basketball fan and the Boston Red Sox. He enjoyed his daily trips to the local diner for breakfast and visits with friends. Cookie was also a direct descendant of Sgt. William Harlow of the Mayflower.

He was predeceased by his father, Lloyd; his mother, Hazel; his wife, Ruth (Kasper) Cook, his sisters Glenna Stanton and Beverly Ackerly.  He is survived by his children, Lloyd Cook (Jill) and Nancy Owens (Mark) and his sister Charlotte Pellegrino and many nieces and nephews, and extended family.

A Celebration of life will be planned for a later date in New Canaan.  The family would prefer a donation to a local organization that supported Cookie instead of flowers. The Thompson Senior Center;  Woodstock, VT.   Woodstock Fire & Rescue, and the Bridgewater Fast Squad.

An online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com

SOUTH WOODSTOCK

Nancy Gillett Lewis October 28, 1928 – April 23, 2022

Nancy Gillett Lewis, 93 died on Saturday evening April 23^rd at Woodstock Terrace surrounded by her family.

Nancy was born on October 28, 1928 in Westfield, MA to Edgar and Hazel (Cooley) Gillett.  She lived in Westfield until age four when her family moved to Canton, MA.  where her father served as Commissioner of Agriculture and Commissioner of Parks and Recreation for the State of Massachusetts.

Nancy attended Canton schools, Brimmer & May, and Chandler School for Women in Boston.

Her love of animals started early, riding horses beginning at age two and receiving her first dog as a sixth birthday gift.  Horses brought the Gilletts to Vermont.  Nancy rode in her first 50-mile ride in 1939 and eventually completed eleven 100-mile trail rides.  In 1945, her parents bought a summer home, “The Farm” in South Woodstock, and went on to live for the rest of their lives in a home in the village.

Nancy was on horseback with friends when she met Robert Lewis whose family had also moved to South Woodstock in 1945.  They were married on her birthday, October 28, 1951.  In 1955, Bob and his father opened a new manufacturing plant in West Woodstock, binding bibles and other religious books for over four decades as Rob’t F. Lewis, Inc.

In addition to raising two sons and two daughters, they bred and raised horses.  There were always dogs in the house, sometimes four or five at a time.  Summers often found the entire family on horseback.  Later, Nancy and Bob drove a pair of horses literally thousands of miles over back roads.  They played tennis, skied, loved to dance and to entertain friends.  After retirement, they traveled extensively.

Nancy and Bob were both very community-minded.  She lent her support to Mt. Ascutney Hospital, the VNA, and the development of the Thompson Senior Center.  In South Woodstock, she served for years on the boards of the fire department, Community Club, the church, and the Green Mountain Horse Association.  She was on the Recreation Center Board, a member of Kings Daughters and the Garden Club.  Nancy was a Ski Runners instructor, a Girl Scouts leader, and a longtime Glad Rags committee member.

After 63 years of a wonderful life together, Bob passed away in 2014.  Nancy moved to Woodstock Terrace assisted living in 2019 where she renewed old friendships and grew new ones as well.

Nancy was predeceased by her husband, her parents, two brothers and three sisters, a nephew and two nieces.  She is survived by her children, Courtland and Barbara of Farmington, CT, Susan of Woodstock, Darwin and Karen of Hartland, and Sarah and David of South Pomfret.  Her six grandchildren and their partners as well a great-granddaughter, Matthew (Vanessa/Corinne), Elisabeth (Matthew), Benjamin (Deirdre), Jameson (Rosa), Spencer, and William were a source of great joy for her.

The family is grateful to the staff and residents of Woodstock Terrace who became her friends, for their thoughtful and caring support over three and a half years, especially through the last difficult months.

Contributions in Nancy’s memory can be made Guiding Eyes for the Blind and the Thompson Senior Center.

Her service will be held at the South Chapel in South Woodstock on April 30, 2022 at 11 AM (please wear masks).  Her burial will be private.

An online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com

Donna Porter May 9, 1951 to April 18, 2022

Donna Porter passed away on April 18 at The Hospice Center at St. Claire HealthCare in Morehead Kentucky.  Donna was surrounded by her family.  She was formerly of Weathersfield, Vermont.  Donna had lived in Owingsville, Kentucky for the past 15 years.

She was born on May 9, 1951 in Claremont, New Hampshire.  She was the daughter of Marjorie Stillson and Ralph Pardy.  Donna was preceded in death by her mother, father, brother Robert and nephew Cody.

Donna is survived by her daughter Allbrea (Joe), son Trevor (Nina), granddaughters Mya Porter and Elidi Chajkowski, brother Robert Foster, and sisters Karen Foster and Janet Peterson.

Donna loved nothing more than her grandchildren, horses, and her farm.  All we have heard since her passing is how sweet she was and how much she taught people about horses.  She would be very pleased to know how much her love of horses was shared with others.

Donna worked for the United States Postal Service for more than 30 years in Vermont, Florida, and Tennessee.  She retired to care for her mother who was suffering from a recurrence of breast cancer.

No services will be held at this time.  In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Old Friends Equine Retirement (www.oldfriendsequine.org) or the American Cancer Society.  A private message of sympathy for the family can be shared at www.northcuttandson.com.

James R. Hock, 55, died Monday morning April 4, 2022 at his home in Hartland, Vermont.

Jamie was born on May 9, 1966 in Greenwich, CT the son of Doris (Moore) and Nicholas G. Hock. He graduated from Darien High School, Darien, Ct in 1986 and worked at Palmer’s Market, Darien through a state program for disabled adults. He spent time living in Englewood, CO before moving to Woodstock, VT, and then to Hartland, VT.

Jamie had a great attitude and zest for life. He enjoyed skiing, golfing, tennis, sailing, and weight lifting. He also found enjoyment in participating in Special Olympics. His smile and great attitude were always on display when he was spending time with his friends at Zack’s Place in Woodstock.

Jamie is survived by five siblings: Elizabeth R Hock, Karin H Baker, Meridith H Bjork, George A Hock, Christopher C. Hock, two nephews, and two nieces, plus their extended families. He is predeceased by his parents.

A celebration of Jamie’s life will be held at Zack’s place on a date to be announced.

Those wishing may make memorial donations to Zack’s Place, P.O. Box 634, Woodstock, VT 05091

An online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com

By Dan Cotter, Vermont Standard publisher  

Like at most newspapers, times have been tough at the Standard.

­­­But unlike most newspapers, our situation doesn’t appear to be hopeless. In fact, it’s quite hopeful.

As I’ve chronicled in these pages in the past, the Standard now only generates about half as much revenue from the sale of advertising as it used to. In large part, that’s due to changes in the way people buy and sell things. Big box retailers and chain stores that don’t advertise in community newspapers attract most of the customers, which comes at the expense of smaller independent stores that tend to be the most loyal newspaper advertisers. And the rapid consumer shift today towards purchasing from Amazon and other online retailers has negatively impacted many local stores, and therefore local newspapers. When businesses struggle or cease to exist, they no longer advertise in the paper.

In addition, much of the classified advertising that used to be found in newspapers has now moved instead to online help-wanted, real estate and auto sales platforms. Plus, many local businesses now spend more of their marketing budgets on digital ads with giants like Google, Facebook and others.

The bottom line is that the math no longer adds up for the Standard to count on local advertising dollars alone to fund a quality news operation.

The hopeful part is that the Standard still has a very loyal, highly engaged audience that truly values the journalism we provide for the communities we serve. The Standard has not experienced the dramatic circulation decline that so many other newspapers around the country have endured, and our complementary audience on our news update website is substantial.

It’s gratifying, and no surprise then, that in the past few weeks so many of our readers have stepped up to offer well wishes and make a contribution to our 2021 Annual Appeal. Please accept our heartfelt thanks and our pledge to use your gifts wisely to fund the local journalism you deserve!

TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE  CLICK HERE

TO MAKE A GIFT TO THE VERMONT STANDARD ANNUAL APPEAL CLICK HERE

By Dan Cotter, publisher  

If ever there was an industry in which people are the product, it’s got to be newspapers.

Think about it. Each edition of a newspaper is essentially a compilation of the best efforts of a bunch of different people, all with complementary roles and responsibilities, who invested their time, talent, and creativity to produce their piece of a report that briefs you on the latest news in the community. Especially at a small paper like the Standard, there’s very little redundancy – everyone has a distinct job to do and they are counted upon to perform it to the best of their ability, under the pressure of deadlines, for a quality finished product to come together.

A community newspaper is sometimes referred to as “the weekly miracle,” because each week papers like the Standard start out with a blank page, and by deadline there’s a completely hand-crafted, finished local news report in your hands or available on your screen. It’s unique each week; full of content that is fresh and different from any of the earlier editions of the paper in its 168-year history.

Nearly all of the content in the Standard is reported, written and photographed from scratch by our own journalists and contributors.

Unlike most other media, we don’t simply pass along AP news stories or syndicated articles. We are the only news organization that is dedicated to serving our communities with original reporting about news that either happens here or directly affects the people who live here.

So, when you make a contribution to our 2021 Annual Appeal, you’re actually supporting the day-to-day efforts of a sizeable group of deeply committed individuals who collaborate every week to produce the Standard. Nearly 40 people, both paid and volunteers, play a role in keeping you informed about the news that affects you most – local news.

The people who produce the Standard are your neighbors. When you support the paper, you’re supporting them.

TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE  CLICK HERE

TO MAKE A GIFT TO THE VERMONT STANDARD ANNUAL APPEAL CLICK HERE

To Our Readers,

They say that old friends are the best friends.

Old friends have your back when the going gets tough. They help you carry on when you’re not strong.

After serving Woodstock and its surrounding towns for 168 years, you could say that the Standard and this community go way back. We hope we’ve made some friends along the way, and this month we’re leaning on our friends, both old and new, as we launch our first Annual Appeal fundraising effort.

We sincerely thank you for reading the Vermont Standard. Striving to produce a quality local news report that keeps you informed and engaged in our community is a critically important mission, and we’re quite honored to be entrusted with that assignment.

As we explained in the article that appeared in this space last week, we urgently need your support to help us bridge the gap between our declining advertising revenue and the expenses required to produce the local journalism that you need, want and deserve.

TO READ THE FULL LETTER CLICK HERE

TO MAKE A GIFT TO THE VERMONT STANDARD ANNUAL APPEAL CLICK HERE

For 168 years, the town of Woodstock and its surrounding communities have relied upon the Vermont Standard to report the local news.

The paper’s mission each week has been to keep residents abreast of the latest happenings; let readers know what’s going on; give them something to talk about; tell them when someone is born or when someone dies, and everything in-between. We tell you who won, who lost; whether there’s reason to celebrate or to mourn; whether there is cause to be skeptical or reason to go all in; whether to be optimistic or cautious. Good news or bad, the Standard’s audience simply wants to know, “What’s new around here, what’s the latest?”

No other news media covers this particular slice of Vermont. Sure, regional news providers, such as TV stations, online sites, or daily papers from other towns, touch on our area and report some of the bigger stories that occur, but our communities aren’t their main focus or primary concern. At the Standard, though, our own communities are our only concern.

And the “little” stories are often just as important as the “big” ones to those who call this place home. Like we do.

We think ours is a noble mission. We’re proud to be entrusted to keep our communities informed and connected. We tell residents about local subjects that may interest them, affect them, entertain or inspire them. Independently owned, we work on behalf of the people, businesses and organizations of this area.

And readers look forward to the paper each week. Whether in print or digital, they read it, they trust it, and they have conversations with family and friends about the information they find in it.

That’s the way it was so many years ago when the Standard began and throughout all those decades since. That’s the way it remains to this very day.

Since 1853, the communities we serve have needed us. Right now, we need them.

Today the Standard is launching its first Annual Appeal.

TO READ THE FULL STORY CLICK HERE

TO MAKE A GIFT TO THE VERMONT STANDARD ANNUAL APPEAL CLICK HERE

Throughout the country newspapers are in a fight for their lives.          Here too.

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