Good morning, Burlington.

Taft Lodge, a 105-year-old shelter on Mount Mansfield, closed for repairs on September 8 and will remain closed through the end of October; hikers can use Butler Lodge 3.5 miles south, Twin Brooks Tenting Area 4.7 miles south, or Sterling Pond Shelter 5.9 miles north.

The Vermont National Guard Charitable Foundation unveiled a new Community Support website in Essex Junction yesterday to connect Vermonters with Guard families needing meals, child care & other services.

Volunteers will review offers and match them to meet family needs.

Taft Lodge, the oldest shelter on the Long Trail near Mount Mansfield, has been closed for repairs since Sept.

8 and will stay closed until the end of October, Green Mountain Club said. Hikers must use other shelters since tenting and hammocking outside the site are not allowed.

Seven Days thrives with longtime staff and new grads fusing decades of loyalty and fresh energy to produce the paper.

The newspaper remains committed to quality as it adjusts its business model amid changing funding sources & evolving media partnerships.

Vermonters Feeding Vermonters celebrated its one-year anniversary as law that funds local farms and fresh produce across 14 counties.

Managed by the Agency of Agriculture, the program invested $10M over eight years and supported farms like Jericho Settlers Farm (which produced 250,000 lbs of root vegetables to upgrade equipment).

Sarah O’Sullivan, a longtime UVM employee, and her son died in a propane explosion at a Granville family birthday party Saturday night — police said the blast, triggered by a propane leak, injured three others.

Eligible first-year and transfer students from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island can receive a UVM tuition break starting fall 2027, saving over $18,000 on select majors in agriculture, education and the environment; the discount sets tuition at about $30,240 per year.

Soren Stelma-Leonard, a Craftsbury Academy grad, received early acceptance to UVM to study environmental studies so he can become a game warden.

He planned every step with guidance from his VSAC GEAR UP counselor (Amanda Frattaroli) to secure financial aid for college.

NOAA’s forecast shows a strong El Niño will bring warmer + wetter winter conditions to Vermont beginning in December, with the National Weather Service predicting above-normal temperatures and increased precipitation in most areas.

Vermont Guard families received a boost with a new Family Readiness Center offering legal, financial and mental health services at Camp Johnson in Colchester.

The $6.6 million facility (federally funded) broke ground Wednesday and is built to ease deployment-related challenges.

Airmen from the 158th Fighter Wing returned home on Sept.

6 to the Vermont Air National Guard base in South Burlington after months overseas supporting U.S. Central Command. They now begin reintegration with support programs for families (and local employers) as they adjust to community life.

The Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity withdrew its plan for a 100-bed homeless shelter on Williston Road when South Burlington officials raised concerns over increased crime, strained services, and transit issues.

The agency is now searching for a new site with communities willing to partner on providing shelter (CVOEO).

Vermont hospitals have reduced local birthing options as centers closed in recent years and one center will close on December 31, leaving expectant parents traveling farther for care.

Rural families may now face drives over 30 minutes (a condition some say could impact community health) as local maternity services contract.