It’s sugaring season and Vermont Maple Sugar Makers throughout the state invite you into their sugarhouses! Come out and celebrate the 2023 crop and Vermont Sugar Makers will teach you all you want to know about this time honored Vermont tradition. Enjoy pancake breakfasts, sugar-on-snow, horse-drawn wagon rides, sugarhouse tours, maple syrup and maple product…

Thursday, March 23 at 2 p.m.—RUTLAND—StartUp Rutland, the region’s technology-driven business incubator located at The Hub CoWorks is pleased to launch a partnership with the Entrepreneurial Legal Lab, a program of Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLS). "Demystifying Intellectual Property," the first of a series of discussions will take place on March 23, from 2-3…

Wednesday, March 22 — MONTPELIER —On the heels of one of Vermont’s largest snowfalls of the season, while skiers and snowboarders from neighboring states revel in fresh powder, Vermont will be celebrating Tourism Day at the State House on March 22. Throughout the day, industry leaders will engage with legislators and the Governor to raise awareness to the collective contributions…

Editor’s note: On Thursday, March 16, Killington Fire & Rescue Chief Chris LaHart sent the following letter to Killington Town Manager Chet Hagenbarth detailing his response to a Killington Search and Rescue (KSAR)  letter expressing concerns about his leadership and protocol last week, which were then addressed at the select board meeting Monday, March 20…

Woodstock Police Chief Robbie Blish is retiring from the Woodstock Police Department. His last  day on the job will be July 16.  “Since July 15, 2011, I have had the privilege of being entrusted with leading the Woodstock Police Department as its chief of police,” Blish said in a statement. “Throughout this time, I have…

By Katy Savage David Allaire was surprised when about 30 people showed up at the Rutland City Hall on Friday, March 10, including police officers, city employees and community members, to bid him farewell after six years as mayor.  Allaire lost the election to Mike Doenges 1,710 to 1,317 on Town Meeting Day, March 7.…

Two prominent cliff sites in the Green Mountain National Forest are once again temporarily closed to protect critical nesting habitat for peregrine falcons.  As of March 15, the Rattlesnake Cliff Area (Salisbury) and the Mount Horrid/Great Cliff Area (Rochester) are closed until Aug. 1. The falcons are already migrating back to Vermont to their nesting…

Staff report Woodstock Union High School girls' hockey won the Division II State Championship at UVM’s Gutterson Fieldhouse in Burlington on March 9, 2023. It was their second championship win in a row and the first time a Vermont D-II girls hockey team has defended a championship win since Montpelier’s U-32 did it back in…

By Victoria Gaither Before rock climbing was made cool through Instagram and Facebook, Vermont climbers already had a footing in this now-popular sport. “I have been climbing for a year now. I love the sport; it is awesome,” said Joshua Buckley, a Green Mountain Union High School senior from Chester. Buckley is one of many…

The Vermont State Police is investigating the death of a woman in a fire at her Mendon home late Saturday, March 18. The death of 52-year-old Helvi Abatiell Furlan is not considered suspicious.  Emergency responders received a call at about 11:42 p.m. Saturday from a woman who said she was in a structure fire, and…

Staff report Sen. Becca White, D-Windsor, was joined by nine co-sponsors, including Sen. Alison Clarkson, D-Windsor, and 13 other representatives on March 14 to introduce S.125, to decriminalize prostitution.  Rep. Taylor Small, P/D-Winooski, is the lead sponsor of the similar House bill,  H.372.  Each bill has been referred to its chamber’s Judiciary Committee. “Regardless of…

By Katy Savage Seventeen current and former members of the Killington Search and Rescue team resigned in a letter to town officials on March 12 saying the new fire chief created a toxic work environment and mistreated women, but the Select Board largely dismissed the claims at a meeting on March 20. The male town…

By Emma Cotton/VTDigger The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed the first-ever drinking water standard for PFAS, a group of chemicals linked to some cancers and other negative health impacts.  While Vermont is one of several states with an existing drinking water standard for PFAS, the federal agency’s proposed standard — which is now subject to…

For the eighth year in a row, the Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) offered free leak detection services to Vermont’s public water systems. Water systems serve homes, schools, and businesses and offer Vermonters clean, safe drinking water.  In 2022, DEC helped 17 systems find and fix 21 leaks which saved 30.4 million gallons of water…

What is the ideal structure for public safety? By Polly Mikula Monday night over 70 people attended the select board meeting (in person and online). The recent riff between Killington Search and Rescue (KSAR) and the newly hired Chief of Killington Fire and Rescue Chris LaHart, spurred the spike in attendance. Unfortunately, the three-plus hour…