STRAFFORD, Vt. —

A woman is recovering after she was attacked by a bear while walking her dogs on Saturday in Vermont.

The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife said Susan Lee, 61, of Strafford, was walking her Jack Russel terrier and a labradoodle on her property when the dogs moved out of sight.

As Lee recalled the dogs, she heard a loud noise and discovered a bear was charging her.

Lee told officials she tripped on a stone wall and the bear managed to bite her on her left leg. However, the Jack Russell terrier was able to distract the bear by barking, allowing her and the dogs to get away.

She was able to call 911 and a neighbor took her to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries including the bite and multiple scratches between two and nine inches long on her sides.

Vermont Fish and Wildlife officials investigated the site of the attack and determined that the bear was a female with cubs, and was likely provoked when Lee and her dogs surprised the group.

They were unable to locate the bear.

Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife Bear Biologist Jaclyn Comeau said bear attacks are extremely rare in Vermont, with only three prior attacks on record.

Related video above: 90-year-old woman speaks out after being attacked by a bear

"At this time of year black bears are moving in family units and mothers will be protective of their cubs," Comeau said. "If confronted by a bear, it is essential to remain calm and back away slowly, and to fight back immediately if attacked.”

The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife has received more than 700 reports of bear conflicts just this year. That number has quintupled the number from a decade ago, the department said.

Vermont's bear hunting season is set to begin on Sept. 1 and continues through Nov. 11.

Related video above: Woman uses 'teacher voice' to coax bear off North Carolina porch deck

JOHNSON, Vt. — It's hard for me to express the amount of admiration I have for Dawn and Greg Tatro.

After losing their daughter to an overdose, Dawn and Greg Tatro set out to not only help people in recovery but also change how it's done.

The organization, Jenna's Promise, is named in honor of their daughter.

"One just said to me again tonight, he goes, 'I used to come to Johnson (Vermont) for drugs.' Now, he goes, 'I come to Johnson for recovery.' He goes, 'It's pretty awesome," Dawn said.

The Tatros' dreams of expanding how they help people have expanded over the course of a year. They now have a café that employs their residents and a health center.

"Once you get that veil of addiction off their, off their, face and you see the real person come out, it's incredible," said Greg.

The best part they say is how the town has embraced its residents. By going to the cafe, the people are actively participating in their recovery. It's a true, "It takes a village" mentality, playing out in real-time.

"It's cleaning the town up," said Dawn. "It's helping people and, uh, and it's creating this community."

Will Eberle is the executive director of the Vermont Association of Mental Health and Recovery.

"Unfortunately, we're still tracking at a very high rate of overdose deaths in Vermont. Currently, we have, according to our latest statistics, 151 overdose fatalities in Vermont through August of this year, and around 80% of those have included fentanyl," Eberle said.

There's no national data out yet for 2022, but with the prevalence of fentanyl across the nation, experts like Eberle are expecting it to be another year of tragically high numbers nationwide.

However, just like Dawn and Greg have seen, Will says the good news is that he's seeing less stigma as communities step up.

"Over time, it's starting to become sort of the community's business to work on these things more than the recovery sectors business, which is very heartening to see," he said.

The Tatros and Eberle believe the only way to completely flip the script on addiction and overdose deaths is for everyone to realize they have a role and to invest in the people and the places impacted.

They're hoping next year, even more communities see the value in the people working to make their lives better.

"It seems so simple, but to believe in someone, it's sometimes really what they need," said Dawn.

A growing number of state legislatures are considering bans on cosmetics and other consumer products that contain a group of synthetic, potentially harmful chemicals known as PFAS.In Vermont, the state Senate gave final approval this week to legislation that would prohibit manufacturers and suppliers from selling or distributing any cosmetics or menstrual products in the state that have perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, as well as a number of other chemicals.The products include shampoo, makeup, deodorant, sunscreen, hair dyes and more, said state Sen. Terry Williams, a Republican, and member of the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare.“Many known toxic chemicals are used in or found as contaminants in personal care products, including PFAS, lead and formaldehyde," Williams said in reporting the bill to Senate colleagues.California, Colorado and Maryland passed similar restrictions on cosmetics that go into effect in 2025. Other proposals are under consideration in Washington and Oregon while bills have also been introduced in Illinois, Rhode Island and Georgia.According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, studies have linked PFAS exposure to increased cancer risk, developmental delays in children, damage to organs such as the liver and thyroid, increased cholesterol levels and reduced immune functions, especially among young children.Like in Colorado and California, the proposed Vermont crackdown on PFAS — known as “forever chemicals” for their persistence in the environment — goes beyond cosmetics. The bill, which now must be considered by the Vermont House, would extend the ban to apparel, including outdoor apparel for severe wet conditions, athletic turf, clothing, ski wax and textiles, including upholstery, draperies, towels and bedding that intentionally contain PFAS. The bill has been referred to a House committee and the chairwoman said Friday that she's not sure if the panel will get to it this session. The legislation gives various timelines for the phaseouts."We must stop importing dangerous chemicals like PFAS into our state so we can prevent the harms they are causing up and down the supply chain — from their production and use to their disposal,” Lauren Hierl, executive director of Vermont Conservation Voters, said in a statement.In March, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed the first federal limits on the chemicals in drinking water, saying the protection will save thousands of lives and prevent serious illnesses, including cancer. The chemicals had been used since the 1940s in consumer products and industry, including in nonstick pans, food packaging and firefighting foam. Their use is now mostly phased out in the U.S., but some still remain. Pressure is also growing to remove PFAS from food packaging.A study by University of Notre Dame researchers released in 2021 found that more than half the cosmetics sold in the United States and Canada were awash with a toxic industrial compound associated with serious health conditions.Researchers tested more than 230 commonly used cosmetics and found that 56% of foundations and eye products, 48% of lip products and 47% of mascaras contained fluorine — an indicator of PFAS.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says on its website that there have been few studies of the presence of PFAS in cosmetics, and the ones published found the concentration is at very low levels.The Personal Care Products Council, which represents the cosmetics industry, says in 2020 it supported California legislation to phase out certain ingredients, including 13 PFAS in cosmetics, and identical legislative language in Maryland the following year. The group called for states to pass uniform laws to avoid confusion.As for bans on apparel containing the chemicals, the American Apparel & Footwear Association supports the bill passed unanimously in the Vermont Senate and appreciates that amendments were made to align with phase-out timelines in existing PFAS restrictions in California and New York, said Chelsea Murtha, AAFA’s director of sustainability, in a statement.The Outdoor Industry Association, based on Colorado, said overall it supports the Vermont bill, also noted the current version more closely matches the timeline for compliance with California's.“We are also appreciative of the exemption for outdoor apparel severe wet conditions until 2028, as our industry is diligently working to move toward non-regrettable alternatives that will not compromise consumer safety or the quality of the product,” said association President Kent Ebersole in a statement.

The sun has just risen over the mountains surrounding Maple Hill Cemetery in Dorset, Vermont, giving the headstones here a kind of warmth that only comes in late fall.

Some of these graves date back to the 1700s, and many are worn and covered in moss, unreadable and unrecognizable to most people who come here to visit loved ones.

But amidst the quiet, the sounds of scrubbing can be heard. Caitlin Abrams has just gotten to work.

"There's no shortcuts to any of this," Abrams said as she pumped the small handheld pressure washer she used to keep the marble stones wet.

Abrams is on a mission to restore old headstones.

After she scrapes and scrubs, she then covers the headstone in a restorative solution used by conservationists at Arlington National Cemetery. The labors of her work often take time to appreciate, as the cleaning solution slowly brightens up over the course of weeks and months.

"I like cleaning the ones you can't read because it feels like you're giving that person their name back and a piece of their story back," she said.

But while she is often out in these cemeteries alone, Abrams has amassed a massive following on the internet.

This 35-year-old, who once mocked TikTok, now has 1.8 million followers on the platform. She's known as "Manic Pixie Mom," and her videos have been viewed around the world.

"The nature of the [TikTok] algorithm is that someone might come across my video without being a follower and might not be interested in gravestones and now they are," she added.

But for Abrams, this isn't just about cleaning up some old headstones. In each video, she narrates a story about the life of the person whose headstone she's cleaning, bringing them back to life for the first time in centuries.

Abrams, a mother of two young kids herself, is drawn toward the stories of headstones belonging to children.

"It puts into perspective the difficulty of 19th and 18th-century life, for a lot of families, one disease would wipe out all five children in a matter of days or weeks," Abrams said.

Abrams sees each TikTok video as an opportunity to teach younger generations about the past.

"I do feel like I'm giving them a side of history you don't get in school," she said.

Vermont, USA —

Vaccinated Americans who want to take a trip to Canada starting on Aug. 9 need to follow a list of requirements.

Anyone over the age of 5 needs a negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of travel.

Make sure to bring the test with you when you cross the border.

Travelers must also upload vaccination details on the ArriveCan app, which is required to cross the border.

The app will ask several questions about travel plans and give people a receipt once everything checks out on the app.

It's important to note that when returning to the U.S., the Vermont Dept. of Health is strongly encouraging travelers to get tested again.

"We would recommend that within three to five days after someone comes back from any international travel that they be tested three to five days after they return. and also just self monitor for any symptoms," said Kelly Dougherty, deputy commissioner with the Vermont Dept. of Health.

The Vermont Dept. of Health said it's seeing an increase in testing over the past several weeks.

The organization said it doesn't know if it's because more people are traveling or if it's because of the delta variant.

BURLINGTON, Vt. —

For some young children, half of their lives have been spent in quarantine — living through the pandemic.

As COVID-19 restrictions are slowly loosening, many families are finding their children get anxious leaving the house.

Dr. Matthew Saia says there are some things you can bring with you to make it less stressful on your toddler, like a security blanket or favorite stuffed animal that can provide comfort for many children who aren’t used to leaving the house.

Doctors say it is important that younger children are getting outside during this time and being exposed to other people to form socializing skills.

They say parents can also play a key role in influencing how their child reacts when leaving the house.

“If parents are nervous then children can feel nervous and stressed, too, and that can make temper tantrums happen more often and separation anxiety a little worse,” explained Saia.

He says it’s up to the caregiver to set the example and remain calm as you’re going out to places where you haven’t been in a while.

In February 2020, Elle Purrier was on top of the track world. “The Millrose Mile, when I broke the American Record was a huge stepping stone. A turning point in my career. And then after that the whole world just kind of stopped,” Purrier said.When the Tokyo Olympics were postponed, Purrier seemed to be on the path all Olympic hopefuls aspire to – peaking ahead of the trials. However, one record was no peak.“Honestly, I feel like it is just kind of better, I feel like a much better athlete now. I have a whole year of training and mileage under my belt,” Purrier said.In the extra time, Purrier added the 2-mile indoor American record to her resume, as well as the world’s best 1500-meter time this season. However, the accolades here in the United States are not what she’s locked in on. “Medaling in the Olympics would be the ultimate goal. I really think I can do it if It’s the right day and the right race,” Purrier said.Growing up on a Vermont dairy farm, a young Purrier didn’t always talk about Olympic medals. “I feel like as a young kid I didn’t ever think that I would be a runner, especially at this level. It’s kind of funny to think back to that. Honestly, I am still getting used to this ‘Elle’ the confidence has come over a long period of time,” Purrier said. Purrier accredits her newfound confidence to physical and mental toughness, as well as staying in her own lane. “I have had a different path to get to where I am as compared to all the people that I am competing against, so me not comparing myself to them,” Purrier said.She’s confident, yet grounded. With hopes to truly experience her Olympic moment.“It would be the ultimate goal to represent my country, and I hope I can really enjoy those moments, if I make it there, you know, just really be there,” Purrier said.A place that only a small percentage of people can say they have ever been.

The Summer Olympics are fast approaching. The games are returning to Tokyo for the first time since 1964. Jed Graef from Vermont won a gold medal in the 200-meter backstroke in the 1964 Olympics. Despite the games taking place 57 years ago, Graef remembers every moment, and movement, from his race for gold. "I had probably my best start, I was gone with the gun...that was pretty much the race right there on the start," Graef said. On just the third day of the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Graef, an American swimmer, made history."It was actually harder to make the team than to make the finals in Tokyo just because we were so dominant," Graef said.Proven by a final touch of the pad, and a look up at the leaderboard. "I saw next to my name, I saw a ‘1’ and an ‘NW’ for ‘New World Record,’" Graef said.A world record, meant a gold medal – followed by a USA sweep of the 200-meter Backstroke. Graef defeated Silver Medalist Gary Dilley by two-tenths of a second."Now two-tenths is about 'tap tap,' I had noticed after we started training together out in Palo Alto after the Olympic trials, whenever he did a start on the go, he would pull himself up and the go on the release. He was giving away time on that, I sort of felt mildly guilty over the years that I didn’t tell him about it, I mean it was a glaring flaw," Graef said.Divided in the pool by lanes, unified on the podium by the flag., the two were joined by American teammate and Bronze Medalist Bob Bennett. "That was right after the race, this is the three of us," Graef said. "An amazingly emotional experience standing there for that ceremony."Once Graef was etched into Olympic history in his lone event, to him, the more meaningful part began."To me the fondest memory is living in the Olympic Village, that was the height of the Cold War, but you got 5,000 athletes from all over the world, nobody cares about politics," Graef said.The world was a lot different then. Yet the advice Graef gives to gold medal hopefuls still rings true."It’s really just a matter of maintaining that focus and not getting distracted," Graef said.