Rickey Gard Diamond Nominated for Gender Equality Prize

The advisory board of An Economy of Our Own recently announced that Montpelier resident Rickey Gard Diamond has been nominated for the International Gender Equality Prize, established in 2017 by the government of Finland to celebrate its 100 years of Independence. The prize is awarded biennially to a distinguished defender and builder of equality.

An Economy of Our Own has been dedicated to advancing a feminist economy, flipping the script on a male-dominated economy and calling for broader prosperity and real progress in creating an economy that wages restoring and regenerating life rather than an economy that wages actual wars of extraction and consumption. It was inspired by Diamond’s award-winning book, “Screwnomics: How Our Economy Works Against Women and Real Ways to Make Lasting Change,” her award-winning journalism as founding editor of Vermont Woman newspaper, her longtime work in community action, her work as a professor, her series column in Ms. Magazine, and her service to the Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom. Diamond is also a fiction author of books published by HarperCollins and Rootstock Publishing.

Downtown Construction Update

Work continues on the State and Main Street Reconstruction Project in downtown Montpelier as crews move from State Street onto Main Street for the next phase of stormwater infrastructure upgrades.

Construction is focused on the area around 79 Main Street, by the Zutano Outlet store. A manhole will be installed there, followed by the installation of approximately 200 feet of storm drain and three new manholes. Two crews will work simultaneously in opposite directions, one heading toward Capitol Stationers and the other toward the corner of East State and Main streets.

Main Street businesses remain open during construction. Please continue to support your favorite local shops, restaurants, and services. Pedestrian access is being maintained, and signage will help guide you safely around active work areas.

Lead Construction Inspector Justin LaPerle is available on-site daily and can assist with any questions. Email him at jlaperle@montpelier-vt.org. For the updates, visit montpelieralive.com/navigatingconstruction.

Friends Plan Heritage Days Book/Jewelry Sale

Barre Heritage Days are right around the corner, and the Friends of the Aldrich Public Library are busily boxing and sorting books for the ever-popular summer book sale, which this year will also include gently used, clean costume jewelry. Stock up early and bring a bag(s) for the best selection of summer reading.

The sale will be held on Friday, July 25, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturday, July 26, from 8 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. All books and jewelry will be for sale under tents on the library lawn at 6 Washington Street in Barre.

Children’s books and audio-visual materials will be priced at $0.25. Adult paperbacks will sell for $0.50 to $1 depending on size, and adult fiction and nonfiction will be $1 each. As has become traditional, all leftover books will be available at noon on Saturday for “a buck a bag.”

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Credit cards will be accepted, thanks to the generosity of the Barre Social Club. New this year, the Friends, led by President Pamela Murphy, have also been collecting, repairing, and cleaning used costume jewelry — earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and pins — in preparation for the sale, when they will be priced as marked.

Plainfield Flood Forums Coming Soon

Following the anniversaries of intense flooding to much of Vermont including Plainfield, another storm event in the Northeast Kingdom has caused significant damage. With this stark reminder of repeated flooding events as the backdrop, all Plainfield community members are invited to gather at the Haybarn Theater at The Creative Campus at Goddard on Monday, July 28, for a free community dinner and the opportunity to be an active participant in sharing and developing ideas for the future vitality, quality of life, and prosperity of Plainfield.

The Vermont Council on Rural Development in partnership with local volunteers invites all members of the Plainfield community, including those displaced from the 2023 and 2024 flooding, to come together for community forums and a free community dinner.

The July 28 event, the first of three, will begin with a community conversation and visioning for the future. A dinner with live music will follow, and attendees will engage in smaller interactive forums to discuss what is working well, identify challenges in the community, and offer ideas and opportunities to take action.