Vermont is currently experiencing high and very high fire danger due to drier than normal weather conditions. The Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) is reminding the public to exercise caution and follow all state laws and local ordinances regarding open burning. The National Weather Service has issued Special Weather Statements for elevated fire weather…

West Rutland was one of seven municipalities that received a downtown transportation fund grant. West Rutland received $172,091 to improve sidewalks. Gov. Phil Scott and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) announced awards of over $1 million in downtown transportation fund grants in designated downtowns and eligible designated village centers on May 4.…

  Governor Phil Scott and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced May 3 that $5.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding helped 193 low- to moderate-income Vermont households repair or replace failed or inadequate on-site water or wastewater systems like wells, springs, septic systems, and leach fields in 2022. “These investments demonstrate…

By Katy Savage After closing down in November 2022, the Belmont General Store in Mount Holly is reopening this summer with new owners. Alissa Tilly, 28, bought the store, which dates back to the 1840s, two weeks ago.   “We want to start small and then start adding on,” she said. Tilly grew up in…

By Katy Savage After community members sounded off concerns about losing their only grocery store in Rochester, Mac’s Market has a new owner and is slated to reopen this month. John Sikandar is taking over the store on May 19 and plans to open it under its new name — Village Grocery — on May…

By Polly Mikula The Rutland Free Library (RFL) has reinvigorated renovation plans to make the library (in its current location) more user-friendly, accessible and meet modern needs. And it hopes to get $500,000 — about a third of the total project cost —from the state through Federal ARPA funds set aside for libraries.  RFL recently…

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  Are you ready for some softball? The Killington Softball League is preparing for the upcoming spring/summer season. If you’re interested in forming a team, sponsoring a team, playing on a team or you played on a team last year, please contact Commissioner Dave Hoffenberg at killingtonsoftball@gmail.com. We’re also looking for people to be paid umpires for the…

Saturday, May 20—Rutland—On Saturday at UU Church of Rutland, Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers, grand prize winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, teams up with multi-instrumentalist songwriter Wendy Sassafras Ramsay in this dynamic acoustic duo. Vermont singer-songwriter Phil Henry exudes the skill of a craftsman and the authenticity of an artist. In summer of 2022, he was voted as a…

Sunday, May 21 at 10 a.m.—RUTLAND—Mucho-Dean-Aero Productions, a leader in aviation adventure and marketing events announced that its Sarasota-based pilot and pickleball addict, Dean Matt will attempt to set the World Record for Fastest Time to Play a Game of Pickleball in all 48 Contiguous States. The World Record attempt will be held May 1-26,…

Monday, May 22—RUTLAND— “She Means Business” will take place on May 22 at The Hub CoWorks located at 67 Merchants Row in Rutland. The second in a series of “She Means Business” events will provide opportunities to learn, connect, and celebrate Vermont’s women-owned businesses.  Attendees will have the option to plan their day, selecting from…

Sunday, May 21—RUTLAND—Emoji Nightmare and Katniss Everqueer, two of Vermont’s favorite performers, are bringing Drag Story Hour to Phoenix Books Rutland on  Sunday, May 21 at 2 p.m.  at  Center Street in downtown Rutland. All ages are welcome to this free event.   The queens will be sure to delight and captivate audience members of…

Sunday, May 21—Rutland—On Sunday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers will teach the techniques of the famous rock-jam band, The Grateful Dead. He will show the techniques The Dead used with chords and arrangements and also how to add cool embellishments and leads. The workshop is based on the best-selling Homespun video…

Saturday, May 20 —RUTLAND—The Rutland Garden Club Plant Sale is a local tradition and it’s coming back Saturday at 9 a.m. at the corner of Main and Center Streets in Rutland in front of the Hull Maynard Hersey Building. There will also be a bake sale with proceeds dedicated to our new Rutland Garden Club…

Saturday, May 20—Woodstock—On Saturday, Tillie Walden, recently named the 5th Cartoonist Laureate of Vermont, will appear at the Norman Williams Public Library in Woodstock. Walden, a graduate of and currently a professor at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, won the Eisner Award for best reality-based work for her graphic novel memoir "Spinning" at…