Author Archive for Shawn Cunningham
No Covid-19 in water: Chester among 690 Vermont systems ordered to chlorinate water State director says mandate aids vulnerable population
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Under state orders, Chester has begun adding chlorine to its town water supply, something that it had previously only done as a precaution after a water main break or when bacteria is detected during routine weekly testing. The state mandate, Bryan Redmond, director of the Drinking Water […]
Telegraph Pandemic Digest for April 10
© 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Feds OK Vermont request for disaster funds President Donald Trump has approved Gov. Phil Scott’s request for federal disaster funds to assist the state of Vermont in its response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The funds can reimburse up to 75 percent of the costs incurred by the state and towns […]
Funding at heart of startup Ludlow private school
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC A new private, independent high school in Ludlow will be pushing hard to raise the funding it needs to open in the coming school year, according to its board chair Sean Williams. The task is made doubly difficult by the effect of a global pandemic on the […]
‘First’ extension of stay at home to be announced Friday
By Shawn Cunningham © Telegraph Publishing LLC Gov. Phil Scott announced Wednesday that on Friday he will announce the “first extension” of his stay-at-home orders that have closed shops, restaurants and schools and kept many people at home. During his Wednesday press conference, Scott also said that the administration would also provide an update on […]
Telegraph Pandemic Digest: Tuesday, April 7
© 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Between press conferences, daily updates, press releases and other advisories, covering the Covid-19 pandemic can be daunting for a small staff. To keep you informed without going down a rabbit hole with every story, we’ll offer you a news digest of information that doesn’t make it into regular news articles. […]
Health Dept. rolls out new Covid-19 dashboard More detailed demographic information available
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Vermont’s Department of Health today rolled out a new Covid-19 activity dashboard that gives the public much more detailed information than has been available to date. There are still totals of tests, infections, hospitalizations and deaths and there’s still a map, but now a visitor to the […]
Victim advocates unsettled by drop in help hotline calls during stay-at-home order
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Advocates for victims of domestic violence are seeing a significant drop in the number of calls to help hotlines since the state mandated stay at home orders in mid-March. And they find that drop “unsettling.” On Monday, Vermont Public Safety Commissioner Michael Schirling said that overall 911 […]
In reversal, health department recommends wearing masks But save medical grade masks for those on the front lines
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing, LLC Vermont’s Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine stepped out ahead of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today saying that Vermonters should wear cloth masks in public even if they have no symptoms. But his remarks were not without caveats and qualifiers. “At this moment in time, […]
TRSU offers superintendent position to Fierman
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last night, the Two Rivers Supervisory Union board offered Green Mountain High School Principal Lauren Fierman a two-year contract to replace Meg Powden as superintendent beginning on July 1, 2020. Powden resigned from the post on Jan. 13 effective June 30, 2020, opting not to complete the […]
Hance named Chester town manager Financially distressed urged to call town over taxes, bills
Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC In the 15 years that Julie Hance has worked for Chester town government, she has been assistant town clerk, assistant town treasurer, zoning administrator, executive assistant and assistant town manager. On Wednesday, April 1, the Chester Select Board unanimously named her town manager and gave her a one-year […]
State’s Covid-19 modeling shows peak mid-April to early May
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC In a lengthy Zoom news conference Thursday afternoon, members of the Scott administration explained that modeling done to predict the course of the coronavirus in Vermont is showing that the isolation and distancing measures ordered by the governor are working and that the peak of the infections […]
More medical surge sites announced for Vermont 50-bed medical trailers for Brattleboro, Mt. Ascutney
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Scott administration today announced that two more medical surge sites will be established — one in Rutland and one in Essex Junction — as the state prepares for a large increase in the number of Covid-19 cases. In a press release today, Gov. Phil Scott said […]
Springfield Medical Systems manages under Covid-19 changes
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC The ongoing response to the coronavirus pandemic has meant that health care systems have had to make changes to the way they work on a day-to-day basis while coping with shortages in gear and uncertain finances that can be difficult for rural providers and all the more […]
Testing reveals more cases; infections jump by 37
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing, LLC The expanded testing regime announced by Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine seems to be turning up more new cases than were found when screening was limited to only the very sick. On Friday, Levine said that by having received a larger stockpile of test kits, the state […]
Gov. Scott: If you don’t need to come to Vt., don’t New restrictions on lodging, mandated quarantine for travelers
By Shawn Cunningham ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC In an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Phil Scott today ordered restrictions on travelers arriving in Vermont and ordered the lodging industry — including Airbnbs and others offering short-term rentals as well as campgrounds and RV parks — to close and stop taking reservations. […]
Covid-19 testing kicks off at Landmark College Statewide testing increases by 56 percent from yesterday, 24 new cases, no new deaths
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Just before 8 a.m. Sunday morning, in a chilly drizzle, Lt. Col. Miles Trudell and his crew of National Guard soldiers were putting the finishing touches on a drive-through testing operation at Landmark College’s parking lot D. The tents for registering and testing patients and processing specimens […]
Guard sets up Covid-19 testing site in Putney Opens Sunday; health-care provider referral required
© 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Vermont Department of Health announced this evening – Saturday, March 28, that the state’s National Guard is setting up a Covid-19 testing facility at a building on the Landmark College campus in Putney that will open on Sunday morning. (The state has since altered its plan and the testing […]
State Covid-19 total surpasses 200; 2 more die No new cases recorded in Windsor, Windham
© 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Vermont Health Department today announced that the number of positive results for the coronavirus jumped from 183 to 211, from a total of 2,374 people tested. The number of patients who have died also rose by two to 12. There were no new cases in Windsor and Windham counties, […]
Levine touts ‘full-court press’ to ease testing rules Covid positives up by 26 from yesterday, 2 more patients die
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC While the nominal purpose of Gov. Phil Scott’s press conference this morning was to talk about his order to dismiss schools for the remainder of the year, that was overshadowed by the announcement of relaxed requirements for testing Vermonters for Covid-19, the increase in positive tests by […]
Gov. Scott: Schools won’t reopen this school year Distance learning will continue with AOE guidance
© 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Gov. Phil Scott today directed schools to remain closed through June, but continue distance learning. This extends the previous directive closing Pre-k-12 schools from March 18 to April 6. The decision, according to a press release, was made to slow the spread of coronavirus, which causes Covid-19, the disease that […]
