Martin “Charlie” Hanley  — a.k.a. Bump, Jolly Chollie, Dad, “B”, Granpa — passed into the next phase of his journey on May 8, 2021, some 15 years after receiving a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease.    Martin Hanley chose the nickname “Charlie” at a young age. He was born in Cortland, New York, in 1937, and lost his father, Ray, at the age of 5. He grew…

Amtrak and the Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) announced Tuesday, May 18, that tickets are now available for purchase on their state-supported train services for travel beginning on Monday, July 19. This includes the Vermonter, which provides daily service between St. Albans and Washington, D.C. and the Ethan Allen Express, which offers daily service between Rutland and…

By Victoria Gaither  James and Jadziah Derosia are the new owners of Camille’s Experienced Clothing in downtown Rutland.  The couple took over operations on April 1. James Derosia said, “Yes, it was April Fools Day which would have worried me if I was working with someone else, but it was my mom,” he laughed. His…

With a bit of luck and some pragmatic approaches to unsettled proposals, the Vermont Legislature should adjourn for the 2021 session this coming Friday or Saturday, May 21-22. Differences between the House and Senate, and at times, with the governor, will need to be remedied on key bills, like the state budget. Other bills may…

By Curt Peterson Smiles brightened thumbnail faces as RHR Smith Co. audit manager Samantha Ruggles reviewed the completed FY2020 Windsor Central Unified Union School District audit for the Finance Committee Monday evening.  The audit revealed a $150,000 surplus for the Supervisory Union (WCSU), Ruggles reported, which was about what chairman Ben Ford (Woodstock) said was…

Randolph’s Applied Research Associates tapped to provide the Army with a new test bed to study the impact of cold weather on key transportation infrastructures  U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) announced Friday, May 14,  that Applied Research Associates (ARA) of Randolph, has received an award totaling $5,237,915 from the U.S. Army…

Panelists framed paid family and medical leave as an essential infrastructure  On Monday, May 17, Lt. Governor Gray hosted her seventh and final “Seat at the Table” of this legislative session on “Caregiving During Covid-19 & Paid Family and Medical Leave.”  Over the last four months, Lt. Governor Gray has welcomed more than 500 Vermonters…

Donation to aid increased need for mental health resources, associates wear green shirts and ribbons to recognize May as Mental Health Awareness Month Hannaford and the Hannaford Charitable Foundation jointly announced May 12 a $50,000 donation to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Vermont to help build a strong network of resources for…

Cybersecurity is a key focus for Vermont’s system of non-profit hospitals as they gathered last week with experts to discuss threats and mitigation efforts in response to increased cyberterrorism activity across the globe. Hospital leaders included CEOs, chief medical officers, chief information officers, communications experts, emergency department leaders and others. The group, convened by the…

Vermont State Game Wardens executed a search warrant in Middlebury on May 14 for evidence of turkey and deer being illegally possessed, firearms illegally possessed, and evidence of stolen property. Wardens recovered 10 illegally possessed firearms, several packages of deer meat, turkey meat, turkey mounts and several tree stands that may have been connected to…

On Saturday, May 15, at 11:59 a.m., state troopers from the Rutland Barracks were notified of a single motorcycle crash with CPR in progress near 241 Blue Star Drive, in the town of Ira.  Through investigation it was determined that Rina Girardi, 33, of West Rutland had been driving her 2009 Kawasaki motorcycle west on…

By Lee H. Hamilton The phrase “the common good” and its importance in our history has always impressed me. I’ve been wondering about the history of the idea: where it comes from, what it means and the impact it has. The concept goes back a long way. Aristotle wrote about forming governments to achieve security,…

By Will Stevens Editor’s Note: Will Stevens is a first-generation farmer and co-owner of Golden Russet Farm in Shoreham. He served in the Vermont Legislature from 2007-2014 and was ranking member of the House agriculture and forest products committee for four years. He’s been president of Vermont Organic Farmers and served on several town and non-profit…

Dear Editor, Two Mondays ago, on my way to work I stopped at the end of Spellman Terrace to take my turn onto South Main Street when a terrifying scene unfolded in front of me. A young man, in obvious distress, slumped against a white van parked on South Main Street. Even though he was…

Dear Editor, We read that Bridge to Rutland (B2R), a well-meaning grass-roots project, is laying plans to bring asylum seekers to Rutland. I am bucking the current here, but has anyone given any thought to how and where any numbers of asylum seekers will actually live here in Rutland? I have spent the last nine…