When COVID-19 hit, internet affordability issues loomed large, especially for families with local students who didn’t have internet at home.

The "digital divide" is now even more of a stark reality in rural areas that have historically struggled with woeful internet or cell phone service - or no service. With many working or studying from home amid the health crisis, those shortcomings have morphed into glaring gaps, and Vermont lawmakers say the urgency is building to fix them.

As the need increases every day for relief, some local funds have been created in Vermont towns to help fill the gaps, such as Woodstock Area Relief Fund, or WARF.

Uplifting messages are at the heart of Omni Reporter. Even when the difficult news hits, there’s a chance to provide a note of hope.

Whether it comes from the state or the federal level, businesses throughout the country now await the financial assistance they applied for, while some are struggling to get into the pipeline. On the other end, government workers are rushing to deal with an ever-increasing tsunami of applications, as COVID-19’s financial impact deepens.

Uncertainty and confusion are among the many hurdles business communities are facing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but chambers of commerce are working to help during these rapidly changing times.

Notes of gratitude have never been more important, and they can keep us going, even while taking on the toughest of times.

So much has changed in the world, and one of those things is time. For many people, the days blend together; there’s just being.

The word sanctuary is almost always connected with religion, but its basic meaning in the Oxford dictionary is worth pondering these days: "a place of refuge or safety."

Downtown bookstores have a long history. For decades, they’ve fueled local creative economies, unlocked new ideas, and been the place where locals gather for an intellectual boost and some good reads.

The pillars of our daily lives underwent a swift re-vamp amid the current world crisis, and we may be seeing a renewal of faith across the globe.