By Euphemia Anderson Vermont is known for its picturesque pastures, endless seas of white pines, and its historically tight-knit communities. Being the sixth smallest state in the country geographically, with the second smallest population, it has maintained its open spaces without infringement for most of its existence. But there is something that is slowly killing…

Vermont ranks No. 2 among states with the highest number of Peace Corps volunteers per capita, according to a recent announcement.  There are 43 volunteers from Vermont currently serving worldwide and 1,622 Vermonters have served in the Peace Corps since the agency’s founding in 1961. Notably, Vermont has ranked as a top volunteer-producing state per…

Kwanzaa traces its origins to Africa and is celebrated across North America and other nations that have large populations that trace their heritage to Africa. The holiday begins on December 26 and continues until January 1. The main components of the celebration include family, community and culture. Kwanzaa was not designed to replace Christmas. In…

By Curt Peterson After 1 ½ years of fighting  and pondering an independent school, the Barnard School Board agreed on Dec.17 to pursue a voluntary merger with the Windsor Central Modified Unified Union School District. “I move that the WCMUUSD Board not pursue a forced merger, and require Barnard to vote in the affirmative before…

By Katy Savage A Killington vacation homeowner may need an Act 250 permit to continue renting his home. Act 250 District Coordinator William Burke said the three-bedroom home on Estabrook Road has “potential for significant adverse impacts under Act 250 criteria” in a Dec. 13, 2018 opinion letter. Homeowner Vincent Connolly has caused contention for…

By Katy Savage Mondo Mediaworks is pulling out of a one-year $150,000 contract to market Rutland County three months early. Mondo, the Brattleboro-based digital marketing company, was hired by the Rutland Regional Chamber of commerce and Rutland Economic Development Corporation two years ago to produce digital marketing campaigns for Rutland and the surrounding area.  The…

By Julia Purdy When President Calvin Coolidge called for the first-ever national Christmas tree in 1923, Riley Bostwick was ready. He knew just the tree, an imposing wild balsam fir growing on Bread Loaf Mountain in Ripton, on forest land belonging to publisher and philanthropist Col. Joseph Battell of Middlebury. Working at that time as…

Staff report A new restaurant and deli are opening in  Killington. Don Billings, who owns The Bakery on West Street and Roots the Restaurant on Washington Street in Rutland, recently purchased the former Phat Italian and On the Rocs in Killington. His deli and market, now called Mountain Merchant, opened in time for the World…

By Katy Savage When Dick Horner came to Killington back in 1989, Killington Road was just one lane in both directions, the Killington Grand Hotel didn’t exist and snowboarding was in its infancy. In his 30 years as town planning and zoning administrator, Horner has overseen development of major projects that have shaped Killington Resort…

By Dom Cioffi So, here we are in the home stretch of the holiday season. With only days to go, the intensity of this glorious annual event is heating up. As I mentioned a few columns ago, this is the part of the holiday rush that I love. Not because I inherently like chaos in…

By Karen D. Lorentz When Killington Basin Ski Area opened for skiing on Dec. 13, 1958, it was a momentous occasion that went largely unnoticed. Founder Pres Smith attended a sub-zero “Access Road” ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. along with various dignitaries, including Governor elect Robert Stafford, who cut the ribbon. On that same Saturday,…

By Karen D. Lorentz There are many different ways to combine one’s love of skiing and mountains with making a living. For Gary Milliken that means creating trail maps. First asked to produce a summer map for Killington in late winter 2017, Milliken said, “Killington didn’t have a comprehensive map that included all of the…

By Karen D. Lorentz Born in Fairfax, Virginia, Kayla Sarajian moved to Medford, New York, a suburb on Long Island, when she was 5 years old and graduated from Patchogue-Medford High School in 2007. Acknowledging that she didn’t really know what she wanted to do after high school, Sarajian said, “I did a lot of…

Did you grab your L.O.L. Surprise dolls last year? What about Hatchimals the year before? Each year, a new crop of must-have toys surfaces. Smart shoppers who do their research and prepare in advance of the holidays can grab these coveted gifts. Others are not so lucky, as they sell out quickly. Each year, industry…

 Tradition is a hallmark of the holiday season. Religious services, family gatherings and trips to see Santa Claus are just a few of the many traditions people adhere to during the holiday season. Many holiday shoppers also adhere to the time-honored tradition of last-minute shopping. The perfect gift can sometimes prove elusive, especially as the…