We are two weeks away from Vermont’s Primary Elections, and on Thursday the Secretary of State shared information with voters while warning about scams and misinformation.

Secretary of State Sarah Copeland-Hanzas and Vermont’s Elections Director Sean Sheehan want to make sure voters are prepared for August 13th. They shared plenty of information, and wish to remind everyone that early voting is open right now.

Sheehan said that “Just over 8,000 have been returned, so over 8,000 people have already voted.”

Thousands of ballots have already been cast, and there are still thousands more to go as we close in on the Vermont Primary Elections.

Polls will open between 5-10 a.m. on Tuesday, August 13th, and they’ll close at 7 p.m. statewide.

“Up for election is one of our United States Senate seats, our United States House seat, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, Secretary of State,” said Copeland-Hanzas

One person running for re-election is Sarah Copeland Hanzas herself.

Anyone using absentee ballots to vote might want to fill them out and mail them, or even drop them off in person soon to avoid postal service delays.

Copeland-Hanzas said that “If you’ve already requested an absentee ballot and you have one in your kitchen sitting on the table waiting to be filled out, it might be a good idea to make a plan to drop it back off in person at your clerk’s office while they’re open.”

On top of making sure your vote gets in, Sheehan says that some people have already been dealing with phone and email scams.

“Some have to do with political donation scams. The second one is fake surveys and polls, and a third is voter registration scams,” said Sheehan.

Individuals are notified about voter registration issues from their town clerk, not any other person or persons.

If you want more information on voting, you can visit the Secretary of State website. Election results will be visible on August 13th on this website.

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An alpine resort with a cedar plunge pool, onsite cocktail lounge, and standalone cabins is opening in Stowe, Vermont this week.

The 35-room AWOL Stowe from Lark Hotels opens Friday, and includes six A-frame cabins with floor-to-ceiling windows and private patios. The property is tucked beside Cady Hill Forest near an onsite trout pond and is a short stroll from Stowe Village.

Lark Hotels bills itself as a lifestyle hotel company with boutique properties in iconic destinations throughout the United States.

“AWOL Stowe offers guests the feeling of being immersed in nature while surrounded by comfort and low key, untamed luxury,” according to a press release.

Resort guests can relax on a nordic spa deck with three offerings situated in a traditional Scandinavian-style triangle layout so folks can use them one after the other: a seven-foot cedar cold plunge pool kept at 50 degrees, an outdoor hot tub, and a cedar sauna.

The spa treatments are “the ultimate rejuvenating experience, surrounded by the mountains and lush forest in this quintessential ski town,” wrote the property.

The hotel’s rooms range from king deluxe accommodations with forest views and private baths to the signature Lark Suite with two bedrooms, a full living room with a central wood burning fireplace, full kitchen, and private outdoor porch overlooking the pond.

Designed by Elder & Ash, the rooms and suites are finished in grecian plaster to connote the raw earth, according to a press release, and sport monochromatic tones, wide pine rustic floors and nature decor that includes handcrafted clay pottery, dried branches and fronds, and sculptural sticks.

“Each room features original art inspired by the shapes and seasons of Stowe, and hand painted on birch board, incorporating raw materials like tree bark and pine needles from the forest outside,” according to the property.

The six standalone cabins offer the resort’s most private accommodations. The one-bedroom cabins are found along the pond and feature a king sized bed, high ceilings, gas fireplaces, and a separate living room with floor-to-ceiling windows. Each has a private porch and the bathrooms include a walk-in shower and private bath.

Hungry guests can dine at an exclusive onsite restaurant and four-seat bar that serves craft cocktails and light bites such as deviled eggs with trout roe or
crispy prosciutto, local sausage, and an alpine board with local cheeses, cured meats, and seasonal accoutrement.

For breakfast, AWOL offers a complimentary artisanal toast bar with toppings such as cream cheese, hummus, granola, and bacon bits, as well as housemade spreads, organic yogurt, fresh fruit, coffee, and tea.

Those traveling with children should note that the resort is “adult-oriented.”

“While children and infants are not specifically prohibited, most of our rooms have a single king bed and can only accommodate two persons, including children and infants,” the property indicates on its website.

Other AWOL properties are located in Provincetown, Mass. and Kennebunkport, Maine. Lark Hotels and sister brand, Bluebird by Lark, now have four properties in Stowe: Field Guide Lodge, Bluebird Cady Hill Lodge, Tälta Lodge, a Bluebird by Lark, and AWOL Stowe.

The starting summer rate for AWOL Stowe is $279, depending on the room type and time of stay. Several ADA-accessible rooms are available and pets are welcome for a $50 fee.

In December, Stowe was named among the 20 best ski resorts in the world by Conde Nast Traveler and one of the best ski towns in North America by USA Today.

Vermont residents awakened Thursday to a quieter weather forecast with no flood warnings following another round of destructive storms, as a U.S. senator from the state asked Congress to pass a disaster aid package that would help communities across the country dealing with wildfires, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes.

There were downpours Wednesday night in parts of Vermont and New Hampshire. St. Johnsbury, Vermont, which got more than 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain on Tuesday, saw less than an inch of rain Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said at a news conference Wednesday that the latest storms to hit the state have undone much of the cleanup and recovery work from its last major bout of flooding only weeks ago, and he called on residents to “stick together.”

“This time, it’s especially bad after workers spent the past three weeks working furiously to recover from the last flooding, ” Scott said. “It feels much worse than a punch or a kick. It’s simply demoralizing. But we can’t give up. We’ve got to stick together and fight back against the feeling of defeat.”

State officials said preliminary information indicated that 50 homes were destroyed or suffered significant damage. More than half a dozen roads were closed, a lightning strike knocked out water for part of the town of St. Johnsbury, and flooding had contaminated several wells that serve the village of Lyndonville.

In Washington, Democratic U.S. Sen. Peter Welch asked Congress to pass a supplemental disaster aid package.

“We can’t recover without that federal help,” he said in a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday night. “I just can’t stress this enough. We need Congress to step up. And we need the help of all of us here because well, it’s Vermont this time, it may be New Hampshire next time. It may be Texas next month. And I believe all of us have to help one another when an event occurs causing such harm to people we represent. And it’s through no fault of their own.”

Vermont experienced major flooding earlier in July caused by what was left of Hurricane Beryl. The flooding destroyed roads and bridges and inundated farms, and it came exactly a year after a previous bout of severe flooding hit Vermont and several other states.

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McCormack reported from Concord, New Hampshire.