By Kate Robitello As I peaked the top of Blue Ridge overlook with my trusty pit-dalmation alongside, I was kindly reminded by a text from a friend to meditate. Mountain meditation—such a wonderfully grounding, calming, yet powerful experience! Meditation in general has, ostensibly, presented a number of miraculous health benefits to those who practice regularly.…

MENDON – It’s been quite a week for the soon-to-be eighth-grader from Mendon. Logan Broyles aced the 177-yard 12th hole at Rutland Country Club on Aug. 9, then headed up to Green Mountain National Golf Club where he won the two-day stroke play Men’s Club Championship on Aug. 11. Broyles shot 73 and 74 at…

MT. HOLLY—On Aug. 14 at 4:45 p.m., the Vermont State Police responded to a report of a car vs. train equipment crash at the railroad crossing on Healdville Road. A 2006 Subaru Forester driven by Lisa Bixby, 49, of Belmont, Vt., sustained damage when it collided with railroad equipment operated by Matthew Godzik, 28, a…

POULTNEY—Green Mountain College continues to attract nationwide attention as one of the nation’s top colleges for environmental programming and operations.  Sierra, the official magazine of the Sierra Club, announced today that GMC ranked eighth in the nation in its annual “Cool Schools 2014” survey. Sierra’s “Cool Schools” list recognizes colleges and universities that are creating…

RUTLAND—The Rutland Regional Planning Commission (RRPC) and the Rutland Farm and Food Link (RAFFL) have been selected to host AmeriCorps VISTA positions.  For the next year, Monika Ganguly-Kiefner, a recent graduate of Green Mountain College in Poultney, will be working for RRPC, and Jenn Simons, who graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2012, will…

RUTLAND — Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is paving the streets in downtown Rutland and running the largest commercial laundry in the state, as well as heating the second largest hospital — and there is no gas pipeline in the area yet. Rather, the gas is arriving by a virtual pipeline, consisting of a fleet of high-tech…

RUTLAND–David Randall, who has coached at both the high school and college levels, has been named head coach of the Mount Saint Joseph Academy men’s basketball team.  He takes over a program that has consistently been a playoff contender and won its last state championship in 2012 in Division II.  Coach Randall stated, “I am…

By Lani Duke Thanks to Josh Butler, sales manager at Bailey Motors in West Rutland, who recently organized a chicken barbecue fundraiser for a planned World War II memorial in town. The stone memorial is to bear the names of everyone from town who served in the war. to Merchants Hall for hosting the 2014…

LUDLOW—The State of Vermont has named Fletcher Farm School the latest Vermont State Craft Center, a distinction designed to promote Vermont’s high-quality craft galleries and craft schools as well as its craftspeople. The well-known Ludlow art and craft school joins the Vermont Woodworking School in Fairfax–Vermont’s other State Craft Education Center–as well as the State…

By Lani Duke That time of year Public school starts, for the most part, Wednesday, Aug. 27. Be alert for children on their way to and from school. Tinmouth Elementary is expanding its preschool options to include a day-long program for 4-year-olds plus services for resident 3-year-olds. The 3-year-old program is two days a week,…

By Donald Dill LUDLOW—Lt. Governor Phil Scott visited one of Ludlow’s key businesses this past week. The Imerys Talc Facility, located on East Hill Rd. in Ludlow, has been in operation for almost 40 years. Formerly known as “Luzenac,” the facility has been mining and processing talc for applications such as building materials, paints, fillers,…

LUDLOW — Recently Susan Mollohan, of Derry, N.H. attended the Ludlow Rotary Club as guest speaker and spoke regarding her upcoming bicycle adventure. She will be riding the New England Parkinson’s Ride on Sept. 6, for the benefit of Parkinson’s Disease. Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. Symptoms of…

By Stephen Seitz Brandon, Hancock, Ludlow and Rochester will receive downtown and village center tax credits for certain rehabilitation projects, according to an Aug. 11 statement from Gov. Peter Shumlin’s office. “These incentives are proven to jump-start transformation in communities and have brought jobs, business and housing to downtowns and villages across the state,” according…

RUTLAND – Green Mountain Power began construction Tuesday, Aug. 12, on an innovative new solar project at Stafford Hill Solar Farm to improve resiliency and security in communities by generating clean energy that can be stored and used to power an emergency shelter at Rutland High School during a storm. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the Stafford Hill Solar…

By Karen D. Lorentz KILLINGTON —Last year Killington introduced a new concept to the winter resort industry.  A learn-to-ski program featured four days of lessons, lift tickets, and special Elan E-Rise skis, with all participants who completed the program receiving a pair of skis free of charge. That program is proving to be a game…