BRATTLEBORO-What happens when you work in social services for 30 years, then retire and start your own social services agency, only to be met by the Trump Administration's attempt to cut Social Security off at the knees?
Just ask Brattleboro's Leo Schiff.
Schiff, 64, a licensed clinical social worker and drug and alcohol counselor, holds a master's degree in social work from the University of Vermont. He worked for the former Morningside Shelter (which became part of Groundworks Collaborative) for five years, then moved to the state Division of Vocational Rehabilitation - now called HireAbility Vermont - for 25 years.
Last year, he retired from running that organization and three months ago started a new business, Schiff Social Services, designed to help people apply for social service benefits.
The small state of Vermont has, believe it or not, 187 libraries. "From my perspective, libraries are as American as apple pie," Catherine Delneo, the Vermont state librarian and commissioner of libraries, told The Commons. She described the state's libraries as "a vital piece of our of our community,
BRATTLEBORO-Fear, worry, anger, and confusion over the recent actions by the federal government and the intentions of President Donald J. Trump were the emotions expressed in full force at a Town Hall meeting held by state Treasurer Michael Pieciak on March 15. Pieciak, a Brattleboro native who still has...
BRATTLEBORO-The Legislature is in the middle of a fraught and unusual session, with the midpoint approaching in the form of "crossover day" on Friday, March 14 - the day when bills that start in the House pass to the Senate, and vice versa. Lawmakers are deep into committee and caucus work, all the while dealing with a newly empowered governor and the unease that comes from not knowing what will be coming down the pike from Washington, D.C. "We are...
BROOKLINE-In Vermont, it seems that every generation is concerned about the future of the working land. And with good reason. The original settlers grew their own food, yet profited from the making and selling of potash. Merino sheep owners flooded the state when potash was no longer a usable commodity. Dairy farmers produced milk - sometimes too much milk - along with butter and cheese. Organic farming came about in the 20th century. From today's makers of award-winning bespoke products...
BRATTLEBORO-She was in the room where it happened. She was in the room where, on Jan. 20, 2025, Donald J. Trump was once again inaugurated as president of the United States. In the room where, four years ago, the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection happened. When rioters spread feces on the walls and where one man gouged out the eye of a police officer. And she was there not because she had to be, but because she wanted to be. Hometown...
BRATTLEBORO-Vermont is among the top states in the nation in terms of civic engagement, but only because the rest of the nation is doing worse. That was the crux of the message that Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas and members of her staff brought to Brooks Memorial Library on Jan. 15 on the first stop of their Civic Health Index Tour. The Civic Health Index measures the health of a state's civic engagement by dividing it into into...
DOVER-Even though she lost her courageous challenge to become speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives for the new biennium, Rep. Laura Sibilia, I-Dover, says she is glad she ran. "It really was necessary," Sibilia said. "It was clear to us that the situation on the ground was such that something had to change. And I absolutely am certain that, as a result of me running, I already see changes that are happening. And I'm happy for that." In a...