Local News
Bill Vines and Jay Hickory win special election
May 28, 2025
On Wednesday, May 28, Killington residents voted to fill two new seats on its Select Board. Voters approved expanding the board from three to five members on Town Meeting Day. Bill Vines beat David McComb for the two-year seat (253-55 with 4 write-ins) while Jay Hickory beat Jon Wysocki for the one-year seat (190-124 with…
Meg Budusky’s Grounded Yoga Studio has a stretch goal for everyone
May 28, 2025
By James Kent MENDON — A new yoga studio has quietly opened its doors along Route 4 in Mendon, already creating waves of calm and community. Grounded Yoga Studio, founded by longtime local Meg Budusky, officially opened May 5 and offers a welcoming alternative to the more intense fitness-driven yoga environments. Grounded Studio is located…
Community breaks ground on Maplewood Commons: 30 permanently affordable apartments coming to Rutland
May 28, 2025
RUTLAND — Local officials, nonprofit leaders, and community members gathered in Rutland on Wednesday, May 21, to celebrate the groundbreaking of Maplewood Commons Apartments. This new 30-unit housing development will provide permanently affordable homes for families. The project is a joint effort by Cornerstone Housing Partners and Evernorth, two nonprofit organizations dedicated to creating and…
Killington Select Board candidates call for financial audit to move forward
May 28, 2025
By Polly Mikula On Wednesday, May 28, Killington residents will head to the polls to vote on who will fill two new seats on its Select Board. Voters approved expanding the board from three to five members on Town Meeting Day. Bill Vines and David McComb are running for the two-year seat while Jon Wysocki…
Killington Resort gets an early start on construction
May 28, 2025
Staff report Progress is well underway on the Superstar chairlift replacement project, Killington Resort reported in its May 22 Insider Blog post. “We have completed removal of the old chair, including removing the chairs, haul line and towers and completed demolition of the top and bottom lift terminals and operator enclosures,” the resort stated. “We…
Opinions/Columns
Audit needed in Killington?
May 28, 2025
Dear Editor, Someone should advocate for a town auditor given the constant rumors of ethical lapses and financial irregularities. Vito Rasenas, Killington
School spending
May 28, 2025
Dear Editor, All of this school spending, better referred to as overspending, is now coming home to roost. Had there been corresponding results in outcomes, there may have been different mindsets to be under discussion. Remember now, the voters went to the polls and spoke loudly and clearly on the education money issues that are…
Education reform: Trust Vermont values
May 28, 2025
By David F. Kelley Editor’s Note: David Kelley is a Vermont attorney. He lives in Greensboro and is a former chair of the Hazen Union School Board. He was part of the legal team that represented more than two dozen rural elementary school districts that appealed forced mergers under Act 46. The road to education…
Raising the bar for ethics in Killington
May 23, 2025
Dear Editor, As a candidate for the Killington Select Board, I’m running on a commitment to transparency, accountability, and steady leadership. I believe that trust in local government begins with clear standards and clear enforcement. Killington’s current conflict of interest policy, adopted in 2019, provides a useful foundation. However, it lacks the tools to ensure…
Education transformation bill will gut local education
May 21, 2025
Dear Editor, Editor’s note: This is an open letter directed to the Windsor Southeast Supervisory Union (WSESU) communities dated May 19. Similar letters were sent out by many superintendents and school officials including Sherry Sousa at Mountain Views SU in Woodstock. As you may know, the Vermont House and the Senate have been working on…
Top Events
State News
It’s not pretty
May 28, 2025
The legislative process is sometimes likened to sausage making, not pretty to watch. That was certainly true last week at the State House with education reform and a major housing bill being considered. Both had a week of ups and downs with more work still to be done. The Senate version of the education reform…
Ed funding reform moves forward
May 28, 2025
By Polly Mikula Vermont Senate passed H.454, the state’s landmark education reform bill, Friday night, May 23, after days of debate and uncertainty. The bill now heads back to the House, which was expected to call for a conference committee to work out its differences with the Senate version as soon as Tuesday, May 27.…
‘The winners are losers and the losers are winners’
May 21, 2025
That was how Vermont Public reporter Lola Dufort described one of the potential challenges to move to a foundation formula that is included in the education reform bill under consideration. Under a foundation financing system, which is common in most states, each school district receives a standard amount per student adjusted for certain factors like…
Statewide ban on phones in schools picks up steam
May 21, 2025
By Habib Sabet/VTDigger Vermont is on track to join a growing list of states that have banned smartphones from classrooms statewide. Last week, lawmakers in a key committee advanced legislation that would require all of the state’s public school districts and independent schools to develop policies prohibiting students from using smartphones and other personal devices like…
Deaths from opioid overdose declined significantly in 2024
May 21, 2025
Data shows first sustained annual decrease in opioid overdose deaths since 2019 New data from the Vermont Dept. of Health shows a significant decline in opioid overdose deaths last year. According to the newly-released Fatal Opioid Overdoses Among Vermonters report, 183 Vermonters died from an opioid-related overdose in 2024, a 22% decrease from 2023 when 236…
Arts & Entertainment
Rockin’ the Region with Dennis McNally
May 28, 2025
My interview with Fred Tackett of Little Feat happened because of their publicist, Dennis McNally. I didn’t know who McNally was, but my friend Annie Sullivan questioned if he was the same guy of Grateful Dead fame. A Google search confirmed they were one and the same. McNally became the Grateful Dead’s biographer in 1980…
Local teen featured in new book showcasing Gen Z changemakers
May 28, 2025
KILLINGTON—A new nonfiction book focuses on extraordinary teens making a real-world impact, including a familiar face for readers in the Killington area. “Gen Z Teens Take Action: Stories of Circumstance, Passion, and Opportunity,” by author Kelli Peterson, features a chapter on Pippa Scott, a Killington Mountain School senior and founder of the nonprofit Ride for…
‘Friendship’ is not for the faint of heart
May 28, 2025
Forming a new friendship with someone in your 40s is challenging enough; try doing it if you’re an introvert. Writer/director Andrew DeYoung’s comedy “Friendship” is a hilariously dark look at male bonding with a leading performance from Tim Robinson that audiences won’t soon forget. Where to begin with this movie? I guess, for starters, a…
The Savoy’s show goes on despite theater industry slump
May 28, 2025
By Lucy Renaud and Kingsten Zenick Editor’s Note: This story is via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for the Montpelier Bridge. Five years of survival through a global pandemic, historic flooding and a withering moviegoing crowd, and the Savoy Theater is still standing. The two-screen theater in downtown Montpelier…
Listings May 28-June 3
May 28, 2025
WED 5/28 LUDLOW6 p.m. Off the Rails – Learn to Line Dance POULTNEY7 p.m. Poultney Pub – Open Mic hosted by Danny Lang QUECHEE6 p.m. The Public House – Kim Wilcox RUTLAND8 p.m. Center Street Alley – Full PA/Backline Open Mic hosted by Josh LaFave THUR 5/29 BARNARD5:30 p.m. Fable Farm – Feast & Field…
