Last Tuesday, the National Weather Service issued a flood watch that set off a cascade of preparations across Vermont. 

On that same day, Vermont Department of Mental Health announced that it had received an extension of funding for its Starting Over Strong program to support the mental health of flood-affected Vermonters.

Two days later, reports revealed that the rain and snowmelt had caused little damage to Vermont homes and infrastructure. But the mental health department’s deputy commissioner, Samantha Sweet, said it is exactly these repeat flooding events that could cause continuing struggles for Vermonters who have been hit hard by previous storms. 

“The rain hitting their roof in years past used to be soothing and comforting to people, and they enjoyed hearing (the) sound, and now it causes them incredible anxiety,” Sweet said. 

The state’s repeat flooding disasters was also part of the reason the program has been extended. The department initially received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration after the July 2023 flood to operate the program through October 2024. But after the July 2024 flood, the program’s funding was extended through July 2025. 

The core purpose of the program is to provide outreach and connect flood-affected Vermonters to a variety of mental health services from regional providers. The program operates a hotline at 802-651-1767 and has reached out to Vermonters in a variety of other ways — from door-to-door knocking to booths at local farmers markets, Sweet said. 

The program has interacted with 14,000 Vermonters so far. That includes Vermonters who have reached out on behalf of a loved one or friend, Sweet said. 

“As these services are going door to door and just telling people about the service, they’re hearing a lot, ‘well, I’m okay, but my neighbor three doors down is really struggling,’” she said. “It’s truly a Vermont way.”

Sweet added via email that of those 14,000 Vermonters, about 1,150 have had more in-depth visits from the program and 1,000 have attended support groups run by some regional providers. 

Program staffers can also connect Vermonters to more long-term mental health support and other community resources like their local food shelf, Sweet said. 

However, the program does not provide mental health crisis support. Sweet urged Vermonters in crisis to call the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 

The program is completely free, Sweet said. The sole eligibility criteria is location: You must be in one of the counties that had a declared disaster, which includes Chittenden, Washington, Addison, Lamoille, Essex, Caledonia and Orleans counties. 

The level of support someone receives from the program is up to them, she said. 

“It can be just touching base with someone and connecting and sharing their story and having someone listen to how things have been for them,” she said. “All the way up to, visiting with them three or four (times), and they’re having that short term support to kind of get their story out and and receive the support that they need.”

CNN
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The University of Vermont earned its first-ever NCAA Division I national championship in a team sport in dramatic fashion on Monday.

The unseeded Catamounts upset No. 13 Marshall University 2-1 in overtime in men’s soccer at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.

Vermont was down 1-0 after Marshall senior forward Tarik Pannholzer scored in the 67th minute. But the Catamounts showed their fighting spirit.

Forward Marcell Papp drew the game level for the underdogs in the 81st minute as the match would eventually go into overtime. In the extra period, Vermont forward Maximilian Kissel got free on a long ball and scored the game-winner.

“This is the place that I wanted to be. This is the place to win the national championship. This is best team in this country. I’m just happy that we could prove it,” Kissel said after the game. “This is no Cinderella. This is no underdog. This is not luck. It’s will. It’s skill and … talent.”

Both the Thundering Herd and Catamounts knocked out two of the tournament favorites in the semifinals to reach the Cup final.

Marshall blanked No. 1 Ohio State 1-0 while Vermont came from behind to down No. 3 Denver in penalties.

Vermont also defeated No. 2 Pittsburgh 2-0 in the quarterfinals and is the third team to oust two top-four seeds in the same tournament in the last decade.

“We’re the toughest team,” Vermont head coach Rob Dow said. “To rally back again, the cardiac cats, we did it. … It’s been really hard for everyone but the best things in life are also the hardest things.”

Vermont, who was appearing in its first-ever team sport national championship game, has won individual national titles in men’s and women’s skiing.

The Thundering Herd were seeking their second title in the last five years.

WOLCOTT, Vt. (WCAX) – Cal Spinelli and Kyle Schlosser are a crafty couple who met at the University of Vermont. Nowadays, though, their roots are in Wolcott.

“After moving away for a few years and coming back into this particular space, it really feels like home,” said Schlosser, who was born and raised on Wolcott’s Sandiwood Farm. The family business grows and sells organic vegetables, wood-boiled maple syrup and hosts events.

Now, Schlosser and his long-term partner are starting a new venture for the next generation.

“It started with taking a pottery class together and then, you know, as our interest grew, it’s kind of grown into what it is now,” Schlosser said.

Nestled in a new studio, Deep Woods Pottery is the latest addition to the working landscape. Using intentionally sourced clay and glazes, Spinelli says these pieces boast a slightly higher price point, but for good reason.

“We try to cater toward people that really care about where their products are coming from, supporting small artists that they’ve met before,” said Spinelli.

She worked as a food photographer before this venture but says the dinnerware market left something to be desired.

“Not being able to find those really simple, minimalist but organic-looking pieces that you kind of see in magazines and blogs and things like that,” she explained. That, and the couple’s mutual love of handmade ceramics led them to the freshly minted studio, making pieces to reflect the aesthetic of Vermont’s landscape.

“Minimalist, it’s simple, it’s elegant, it’s clean and organic,” says Spinelli. But more than just the look, Spinelli says the goal is practicality. “Mainly, we want to be making pieces that can be like multifunctional, that people can use for many different uses, that they’ll reach for every day.”

What’s more, Schlosser is a talented woodworker. While they’re focusing on production and working through custom orders, which come with a six-week turnaround time, they’re hoping to expand their offerings down the road.

“I get a lot of reward out of working with my hands, to be able to produce something and make something is really rewarding in itself,” Schlosser said.

With their feet now under them, Spinelli and Schlosser are excited to bridge the land’s agritourism potential with their products, taking farm-to-table quite literally. They dream of hosting community dinners with their plates on the table and welcoming more people into the studio for pottery classes.

“We are hoping to just be able to kind of bring this full circle with growing organic vegetables, having local food and being able to eat that food that we grew off of our own plate or dinnerware,” said Spinelli.

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