BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Early risers scoped out savings in Vermont’s Black Friday blitz.

Church Street isn’t a Black Friday hub, but we have seen lines outside box stores like Best Buy and Target over the years. Still, many shoppers would rather scroll for sales than stand outside.

U.S. holiday shoppers could nearly $990 billion this season, and Black Friday makes up a significant chunk of sales.

The Vermont Retail & Grocers Association says shopping is well underway with sales similar to last year’s in the leadup to Black Friday.

Still, many will forego in-person sales to score online, a growing trend in recent years.

“We never go out on Black Friday. I might buy a few things online but we really don’t go out to the masses on those days,” said Nina Mazuzan of Burlington.

A Capitol One study estimates Black Friday shoppers like Mazuzan are nearly 19% more likely to shop online than in-store. If that’s you, the Vermont Retail & Grocers Association encourages you to shop local Black Friday deals when you can.

Copyright 2024 WCAX. All rights reserved.

CHARLOTTE, Vt. (WCAX) – More than four months after devastating flooding this summer, some Vermont roads are still under construction. The Champlain Valley’s heavily traveled Spear Street still has a chasm in Charlotte forcing drivers to detour.

“We certainly have heard from a lot of locals and a lot of business owners that you know they would like to see this project move forward as quickly as we could get it done,” Charlotte Town Administrator Nathaniel Bareham said.

A massive 10-foot culvert was blown out during flooding on July 10.

Within days, the town began assessing what needed to happen, not just to repair the road, but to prevent a similar washout in the next deluge.

“We worked closely with the engineers to ensure that this would withstand the next storm of a similar nature. It’s not only capacity for a water flow, but it’s also the ability for it to weather debris. Debris was the biggest issue that we saw here,” Bareham said.

The repair plan will nearly double the capacity of the culvert and include a debris catch.

The town has worked for months on the planning, engineering and funding process to ensure construction would be covered by state and federal funding. Construction is now set to begin in early December on repairs that could cost $1 million.

“We are aiming to have everything completed before April 6th. And if we’re able to do that, that would be no cost to the town. So everything would be fully covered. That is our goal and we’re working steadily toward that,” Bareham said.

We weren’t able to get a number from the state on how many other local roads around Vermont are awaiting repairs from this summer’s flooding.

VTrans tells us no state and federal roads remain impassable, but there are nine heavily damaged areas yet to get a permanent fix.

“It is a lot more engineering to go into these larger structures and we want to whatever fix we design for these repairs, we want them to be resilient, which a lot of times that means take a step back, really look at what has changed, what we need to plan for so that our permanent fix will withstand any future events that occur,” said Ashley Atkins, the VTrans district maintenance deputy director.

The state says some projects are so large that permanent fixes won’t be finished for months or even years.

Copyright 2024 WCAX. All rights reserved.

KILLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – It was over the river and through the snow for many people in our region on Thanksgiving.

Wet, heavy snow fell in Killington, as skiers and World Cup fans started to arrive. They braved the snow like many Vermonters, running off calories before the big feast.

“Well, I have been told, and the quote is ‘They’re Vermonters’ most of them and they’re used to this, this is their backyard, this is what they’re used to. And anybody coming up here, this is what they want, this is a dream. So, it’s actually a win-win,” said Kasie Munson of Connecticut.

Wet, heavy snow blanketed much of the Killington area on Thanksgiving. Those headed to the mountain for dinner dealt with heavy snow but it didn’t stop the festivities.

“They’re coming up from New York and they’re gonna have a bit more travel time but slow things down and get to where you gotta be safely, doesn’t really change plans at all,” said Klaus Weirether of Killington.

Many snowboarders and skiers hit the slopes instead of the dinner table, giving thanks for the great conditions.

“Turkey sandwiches for dinner tonight,” said Walter Perez of New York. “I’m here celebrating how thankful I am about snow and nature and all the good things.”

Visitors like Perez flocked to some of the Northeast’s only open mountains ahead of the busy FIS World Cup weekend.

“I stay to the local mountains like Mountain Creek in New Jersey and the Poconos. There’s no snow there now, so I’ve been watching the snow report all week and Vermont was the only place that had good trails open. So I said, you know what? Let’s do it,” Perez said.

But it wasn’t all fun and games with the heavy snow. Fire officials say West Hill Road was closed for hours due to car accidents and a downed utility pole. Residents say the power was out for a few hours.

Regardless, for seasoned Vermonters, the weather is just another part of the holiday fun.

“Snow never really puts a wrench in our plans. We always welcome the snow, make things look really bright and white, puts a positive spin on the whole holiday weekend,” Weirether said.

The FIS World Cup at Killington this weekend will bring some of the top skiers in the world to Vermont.

All eyes will be on skiing star and Burke Mountain Academy graduate Mikaela Shiffrin, up for her 100th World Cup win.

Copyright 2024 WCAX. All rights reserved.