By Lee H. Hamilton As election season approaches, I’ve been pondering a crucial issue about the role of government in our society. It’s that our government often fails — and that we need to address this. There’s ample cause for concern — the VA appointments scandal; the botched launch of the Affordable Care Act; the 28…

By Robin Alberti Hemp has a rich history in our country and is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. Hemp can provide a sustainable agricultural system that can heal our farmland and economy. Cultivating this crop can provide desperately needed jobs in agriculture, manufacturing and retail. First, let’s get rid of a…

By Angelo S. Lynn Vermont is at it again: angling to be a national leader on yet another public policy issue. This time it’s the effort to reduce consumption of sugar-laden beverages. The angle? Pass a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. The Legislature, however, isn’t in the driver’s seat. Rather, the Alliance for a Healthier Vermont…

PITTSFIELD — Come celebrate the end of summer at the annual Pittsfield’s Picnic held this year on Sunday, Aug. 24 from 12:30-4 p.m. This gathering on the town green originated from necessity immediately after Tropical Storm Irene, when local businesses had no power for refrigeration. One year later, an anniversary party called Pittsfield’s Town Shut…

SHARON — On Aug. 10, the Vermont State Police responded to I-89 northbound rest area in Sharon  for two cattle roaming around the grounds.  The State Police were called numerous times by concerned citizens at the rest area who reported that the cows were in the interstate and might cause an accident with a motor…

By Stephen Seitz KILLINGTON – Thanks to a rise in dog nuisance incidents, Killington’s board of selectmen spent most of their regular Aug. 5 meeting discussing what changes, if any, need to be made to the town’s current animal control ordinance. “We have seen an increase in the number of incidents with dogs since the…

KILLINGTON — On Friday, Aug. 8, at approximately 4:27 p.m., members of the Vermont State Police, Killington Fire & Rescue, and Regional Ambulance Service, responded to a one vehicle crash involving a pedestrian on Route 4 in the town of Killington. Loren D. Roth, age 71 from Rutland Town, was identified as the operator of the…

Photos by Rik Champine

By Robin Alberti RUTLAND — On Sunday, Aug. 10, citizens banded together for a second time to hold a protest in front of Mac’s convenience store and gas station on South Main Street in Rutland. The group is encouraging folks to not spend their money at Mac’s locations until owner Jennifer Allen changes her policies…

By Karen D. Lorentz Approximately 73 percent of the nation’s major winter resorts are open this summer, according to information provided to the National Ski Area’s Association (NSAA) in the Kottke National End of Season Survey for 2013/14. In the Northeast, 61 percent of the respondents offer lift rides, 45 percent offer zipline/canopy tours, and…

RUTLAND – Rutland’s growing collection of public murals blossomed again Friday, Aug. 8, as a mural highlighting Rutland Blooms was installed downtown. Artist Kathryn Wiegers painted the 19-foot-long mural in her Rutland studio this summer and installed it Friday on the second-floor north wall of the Green Mountain Power Energy Innovation Center on Merchants Row.…

By Polly Lynn KILLINGTON — This past weekend, Aug. 9-10, the town of Killington hosted the Downhill Throwdown, a two-day competition for a variety of daredevil disciplines including standup skateboard, street luge, and drift trike. The competition kicked off at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on East Mountain Road. Approximately 100 riders from across the country traveled…

By Anne Galloway, VTDigger.org The Shumlin administration proposed $31 million in budget cuts for fiscal year 2015 to a panel of lawmakers Monday, Aug. 11. The reduction in state spending is a response to a revised revenue outlook for the coming year. Most of the $31 million in savings is achieved through cuts to external…

By Cristina Kumka KILLINGTON — No additional financial information was given out Monday afternoon about a plan, initiated by Killington Resort, to repeal a portion of the local option tax that provides the town with $450,000 annually. But, there was serious concern from one of the founding members of the town’s pioneering economic development arm.…

By Dom Cioffi This past Saturday was a bad day. Now don’t get me wrong, I know “bad” is relative. Right now there are middle-aged men in Iraq who are reluctant to let their children go outside for fear that a suicide bomber may annihilate the street corner that they live on; right now there…