By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger More than two years since the Legislature created the PCB testing program, the state has sampled almost a third of Vermont schools built before 1980, when building materials were most likely to contain the toxins. In 35 of those 96 schools, testing has discovered PCBs at a level that mandates action. Testing is scheduled to…

A Vermont House bill could change the definition By Brooke Burns, Community News Service Editor’s note: The Community News Service is a program in which University of Vermont students work with professional editors to provide content for local news outlets at no cost. Only a third of Vermont’s 20,000 occupied mobile homes qualify for the…

Ever since a new middle school and high school was proposed five years ago, there have been discussions over the true needs and alternative options in order to keep the costs down while continuing to provide excellent educational standards. Now with a bond for a new build on the Town Meeting Day ballot (Article 7),…

By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger A long-awaited report on how Vermont should address its billions of dollars in school construction needs arrived in the Legislature on Thursday, Feb. 1. In short, the report suggests the state should consider incentivizing districts to build in ways that align with the state’s goals. That could mean a “newer and fewer” approach,…

Submitted   School Board decreases budget in anticipation of Act 127 reforms By Polly Mikula At an emergency meeting Friday, Feb. 2, the Mountain Views Supervisory Union (MVSU) district board voted to amend two Town Meeting Day (TMD) articles related to the proposed district budget and bond for a new school. The decision came after…

By Polly Mikula Construction has begun with an access road from East Mountain Road up to the water storage tank and is about half completed. Casella Construction Inc. with subcontractor Maine Drilling & Blasting has been working on the first section of its Contract 1-3A for the town of Killington since early December. The section,…

I love a good party. And by good party, I mean one where everyone is on the dance floor, free of their inhibitions and simply loving life. The ones where your vision starts to blur and all that surrounds you is the sound of music and the feel of the dance floor beneath your feet.…

For the first 10 years of my marriage, my mother-in-law gave me pajama pants for Christmas. She was a self-avowed horrible gift-giver and upon gracing me with the sleepwear, would announce, “Yeah, it’s another pair of pajamas. Just switch them out and keep quiet.” The pajama pants were generally good quality, usually flannel, with some…

You know Orion always comes up sideways. Throwing a leg up over our fence of mountains, And rising on his  hands, he looks in on me… So wrote Robert Frost in his poem “The Star-splitter.” The aesthetic wonder of this easy-to-find constellation and its twinkling starlight have captured the imagination of countless stargazers. But the…

I haven’t been in touch with Bear Spirit for a while. I thought I’d let him hibernate in peace and quiet. But then I recalled I hadn’t shared all my interaction with the coyote who appeared in person and in spirit right before the snow fell. I entered my Radiant Heavenly Heat Sauna and began…

Ice shimmers like glass, Reflecting the beautiful night sky, The moon and stars on the ice, Sparkling in the light, Almost like a mirror, So very pretty, Brightly glistening, As if had been polished, Polished so well it has a faint glow, So amazing the things earth can create, Little decorations that make our planet…

Submitted If you are 12 to 14 years old and want to learn about Vermont’s wildlife and gain outdoor skills, consider attending one of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept.’s Green Mountain Conservation Camps this summer. If you are a GMCC alum, 16 or younger, consider coming back for another summer. The one-week camp programs…

Submitted Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire, a member of Dartmouth Health, collected more than 100 books for young readers as part of its annual gift collection. Pictured back row, l-r: VNH nurses Krysta Zabriskie, Stephanie Mozzer, Kimberly Rowntree, Missy Carpenter and Saryn Lauzon. Front row, l-r: Kayla Cawvey and Karen Pero.…

  Courtesy vermontadaptive.org Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports is hosting an event for visually impaired athletes at Pico Mountain, offering Alpine skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, riflery and more.  Saturday, Feb. 3 & Sunday, Feb. 4­—KILLINGTON— This weekend at Pico Mountain, Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports will host a special event for more than 20 athletes from…

Saturday, Feb. 3 at 7 a.m.—WOODSTOCK—The Hard Mile Uphill Race starts at the bottom of Easy Mile (near the Woodstock Ski Runners Clubhouse). The finish line will be at the top of Easy Mile, adjacent to the ski patrol hut. Upon finishing at the top, participants can leisurely swap out their skins and free ski…