“Sing us a song you’re the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well we’re all in the mood for a melody And you’ve got us feeling alright” ~Billy Joel Frank Chase has been making folks in Killington feel alright since October 1979 when the late, great Bob “Tuna” Evans first brought him to town…

On Friday, Feb. 13, the public health issue of suicide in Vermont will take center stage at the Vermont State House, during a day of advocacy and recognition of ongoing suicide prevention efforts.  From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. representatives of the Vermont Suicide Prevention Center, Vermont Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention,…

Voters in Burlington recently voted 11-2 to place an amendment to the state constitution on the March ballot. The proposed amendment would allow non-citizens to vote in municipal and school elections, as well as to work as department heads and serve on city boards. While many citizens are quick to protest that voting is their…

On Feb. 7, at around 7 p.m., Peter Guy contacted the Vermont State Police in Rockingham and reported that his wife Cindy Guy and her friend, Gail Mann, both in their late 60s from Londonderry, had gone cross-country skiing earlier in the day and had not returned. He reported that at 4:30 p.m., after being in…

Video courtesy of Tim Buttner

On Feb. 6, around 3:15 p.m., a 27-year-old St. Johnsbury woman died while skiing at Burke Mountain in East Burke. The Vermont State Police responded and and a detective went to the scene. Initial investigation indicates the deceased left the groomed portion of a trail on the upper portion of the mountain and struck a tree. After the…

In several recently released reports on working women from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Vermont’s wage gap was the smallest in the nation. Cary Brown, executive director of the Vermont Commission on Women, which works to advance rights and opportunities for women and girls, applauded news that Vermont’s most recent gender wage gap…

The Vermont dairy industry brings $2.2 billion in economic activity to Vermont annually, according to a new study funded by the Vermont Dairy Promotion Council. Findings from the study were unveiled last week at the Vermont Farm Show. Recognizing the need for up-to-date data about dairying’s impact on Vermont’s economy, the Vermont Dairy Promotion Council…

By Dom Cioffi In the early 1940s, as World War II was raging in Europe, a young man named James J. Kilroy was hired to work as a riveter at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Mass. Kilroy was a diligent worker who took pride in each day’s accomplishments. At the time, the builders were…

By Joe Fusco I’m not here to argue with you about climate change. I’m not here to convince you that it’s real, or that it’s not. I am here to convince you, politics aside, that there is a cascade of genuine economic and business development opportunities that will flow from confronting and solving global and…

By Julia Purdy What if Vermont legalized fun-time marijuana? The 196-page report from the RAND Corporation, commissioned by Governor Peter Shumlin, addresses that question in mind-boggling detail, but with no guarantees and many caveats that are beyond Vermont’s control. The moral issue of whether government should profit from a powerful, mind-altering drug is beyond the…

By Anne Galloway, VTDigger.org Advocates say low-income people are enticed by low weekly and monthly lease rates offered by two national chain rent-to-own stores doing business in Vermont, Rent-A-Center and Aaron’s. Advocates charge the national retailers with circumventing current regulations and exploiting low-income Vermonters. The companies lease used and new furniture and electronics at 14…

By Governor Peter Shumlin In my years of public service, I have never heard a clearer message from Vermonters than the one they sent this past November on school spending and property taxes. This issue goes right to the heart of affordability and economic opportunity in Vermont, because when property taxes rise and wages don’t,…

Photos courtesy of Jerry LeBlond Photo order: 1. Ron Ottino 2. Heather House 3. Jordan Foster 4. Will McKay 5. Scott Smith 6. Matt Beers 7. John Hbbs 8. Will Randall 9. Katie McFadden 10. Ashley Incognito 11. Murray McGrath 12. Patti McGrath 13. Polly Lynn 14. Kyle Finneron 15. Pete Mittendorf 16. Katie Carey 17. Kate Jackson  

Photo by Robin Alberti Guides snowboard with a visually impared athlete at Pico during the annual Winter Ski Festival this past weekend. KILLINGTON — On Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 7-8, The United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) in partnership with Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports hosted athletes who were blind and visually impaired at its…