Iron Chef contender John Durney wears aviator goggles and camouflage, the official dress of team Farrell Distributing / Long Trail Brewing, while preparing bacon for their featured dish. The winning dish, "Some like it hot" included massive shrimp and flaming drinks Costumes, drinks and exotic dishes highlighted the night By Polly Lynn KILLINGTON — The…

By Amy Ash Nixon, VTDigger.org The House-proposed statewide property tax increase is lower than the rate of growth that the Legislature passed last year. The state needed to generate $50 million to support increases in statewide education spending for the current year. And it needs $16 million in new taxes for school spending in fiscal…

RUTLAND— On April 9, the Vermont State Police Drug Diversion Unit was notified of a possible case involving the sale and diversion of prescription narcotics involving Jami Baker, age 49 from Rutland City. Through the course of the investigation, it was revealed Baker was receiving a regular prescription for narcotics from a physician in Whitehall,…

Submitted Dennis Duby RUTLAND—On March 30, the Vermont State Police responded to a report from the Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility in Rutland of an inmate making suspicious phone calls and writing suspicious letters. Correctional staff were concerned accused murderer and inmate Dennis Duby, age 32, of Pittsford, may be contacting his ex-wife, violating his…

Chart courtesy of the town of Killington By Polly Lynn KILLINGTON — Questions were raised at Killington’s 2015 public information meeting in March about voter participation since the town moved to adopt Australian balloting in place of floor voting on Town Meeting Day. The Selectboard decided to research the issue. Looking at voting results from…

Submitted Kevin Kareckas CASTLETON — Taking his Castleton degree overseas shortly after walking across the stage at graduation, graduate student Kevin Kareckas will head to Poland to teach English at a local university for a full academic year after earning a spot in the prestigious Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Program. “I have always had a…

KILLINGTON — On Friday, April 10, Killington Resort announced a significant infrastructure investment. Primarily focused on expanding summer activities, Killington’s current wave of investment exceeds $3.5 million. The new summer attractions will be located in the Snowshed base area, Killington’s new summer epicenter for outdoor activities. At the center of these attractions, the Snowshed Express…

Killington Selectboard considers Complete Streets policy to aid in goal of becoming a premier resort community KILLINGTON — On Tuesday night, April 7, the Selectboard met with Jon Kaplan, Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager with the Vermont Agency of Transportation, and members of Vermont Local Roads Program to discuss new state legislation called “Complete Streets”…

By Anne Galloway, www.VTDigger.org Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott led a mini fact-finding mission on Monday to learn more about components of the Connecticut health care exchange that could help Vermont save money. The cost of fixing the dysfunctional Vermont Health Connect website will be roughly $200 million and maintaining it on an annual basis will…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger.org As the Shumlin administration and the Vermont State Employees’ Association debate how the state will manage $10.8 million in personnel and labor cost reductions, the impact of those cuts remains unclear. Late last month, the House approved a $1.48 billion general fund budget package that includes a $10.8 million reduction in…

KILLINGTON—Killington Mountain School trustees have approved bonds for the four-season bag jump project, thereby allowing the school to move forward with construction of the facility. The airbag project is still considered a component of the Trails Initiative, but the decision was made to finance the bag via a separate funding source with the goal to…

RUTLAND–Students in kindergarten through second grade at the Northeast and Northwest elementary schools are not only recycling, but also sorting any uneaten food from breakfast and lunch for composting. Vermont’s Universal Recycling Law (Act 148) will phase in over the next five years, and schools will need to have composting programs in place. The University…

On April 9, Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Senate Budget Committee ranking member, issued the following statement on new data showing the extent to which some American companies are avoiding taxes: “I applaud Citizens for Tax Justice for releasing new data today revealing the unfairness of our tax system and the fact that a number of the…

By Anthony Cotter WEST RUTLAND — Just past the Carving Studio’s main building in West Rutland  majestic sculpures lie among pieces of discarded marble and old machinery. Some were polished pieces with price tags, others were in various stages of completion. The Carving Studio and the nearby Vermont Marble Museum, which will open for its…

By Governor Peter Shumlin A young woman suffering from an opiate overdose was recently brought to the Howard Center, an addiction recovery center in Chittenden County. The young woman had blue lips, was unresponsive, and was not breathing. Luckily, an opiate overdose reversal drug called naloxone was on hand. After receiving three doses of the…