Rutland County Head Start, which operates within the Rutland Community Programs division of Community Care Network (CCN), announced Dec. 5, the implementation of its new Early Head Start program designed to provide high-quality care for infants and toddlers. “Rutland County Head Start has long recognized the increasing need for quality infant and toddler services…

Submitted Verlene Peck Belden   Verlene Peck Belden, 91, passed away peacefully on Dec. 9 after a courageous 10-year battle with Alzheimer’s, surrounded by her loving family and enjoying the view of Lake Bomoseen.     Verlene was born on Dec. 2, 1932, and grew up in Londonderry,  where she attended grade school. Her mother died…

Submitted Stella Elizabeth Sarandrea       Stella Elizabeth Sarandrea, age 72, of Chittenden, Vermont, passed away peacefully on Nov. 27, 2023, at Rutland Regional Medical Center. Born in Utica, Stella spent the majority of her life in the Oneida area of New York, where she graduated from Oneida High School with the Class of…

  The fourth edition of Vermont Almanac has been published and shipped to bookstores before the holidays. The book features all new stories about and by Vermont farmers, writers, loggers, artists, scientists, poets, thinkers, and doers. More than 50 Vermonters contributed stories to Volume IV.  Remember the Christmas storm last December? The freaky warm January…

  By Marin Howell/Addison Independent  When juveniles were accused of pulling the trigger in two recent fatal shootings just north in Addison County, the spotlight fell on the various questions and complexities that arise when prosecuting crimes committed by minors.   Among those questions: How do Vermont schools educate students who’ve been accused of violent…

  By Curt Peterson Last Friday, Dec. 8, law enforcement officers stopped 11 drivers for speeding on Killington Road, all traveling at over 50 miles per hour in spite of the posted 30-mile-per-hour speed limit. Seven drivers received summonses, Killington Police Chief Whit Montgomery told selectmen Monday, Dec. 11.  When the speed limit on Killington…

  By Katy Savage Shortly after the Pawlet library director was given a raise and recognized by the Vermont Library Association, she was fired, leading to an outcry from residents at a library board of trustees meeting on Dec. 7. Residents asked the board for transparency. Resident Martin Kravitt predicted the town would face a…

        By Tiffany Tan/VTDigger Two months after a retired college dean was fatally shot at a Castleton rail trail — and with no suspect identified — a local resident has spearheaded raising reward money to help solve the homicide case. Honoree Fleming, 77, a former dean of education at what was then…

  Submitted KMS’s Ella Andrews makes U.S. Team roster.        U.S. Ski and Snowboard recently selected the Freeski Slopestyle/Big Air Team to represent the United States at the next Winter Youth Olympic Games. Ella Andrews (from Killington, Vermont and racing with Killington Mountain School) was the only East Coast racer to be named…

  Courtesy Downtown Rutland Partnership A group laughs together during the Jingle Bell Shop event in Downtown Rutland last Thursday.     By Sarah Calvin On Thursday night, Dec. 7, downtown Rutland came alive during the first iteration of the Jingle Bell Shop, a festive night of community that encouraged consumers to shop local this…

Courtesy Eric Ley Eric Ley smiles as the Dalai Lama blesses him in  Colorado.        By Katy Savage Cooking has taken Eric Ley all over the world. Ley, a Rutland native, was a  personal chef for 10 years, traveling with families to private islands,  houseboats on Lake Powell in Utah, to major cities…

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  By Curt Peterson It shouldn’t have snowed, no, it shouldn’t have snowed While nothing is yet where it is meant to be stowed. The mower? Where the pickup should be put away. And the plow guy will say the pickup’s in the way. The splitter? The runabout? They’re misplaced as well. Their intended destination…

        Christmas and Hanukkah are special to all of us in many ways. Even if we complain about the hustle and bustle we all love the children, the toys, tinsel, parties and  chaos. Charles Dickens said “Oh, would that Christmas lasted the whole year through, as it ought. Would that the spirit…

  Ever get to the mountain and find that you are missing an essential piece of equipment — like your boots — or just don’t have the right goggle lens for the day? Well, I have a bag for that. No seriously, I hate having everything loose in my car, especially when I might be driving…