On Nov. 8, Sens. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) introduced the Emergency Medical Services Reimbursement for On-scene Care and Support (EMS ROCS) Act. Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont) introduced companion legislation in the House. Currently, Medicare does not reimburse Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers unless the patient is transported to a hospital. However, EMS providers…

By Babette Stolk/VTDigger As Vermont State University enacts a series of cost-cutting measures, members of the school’s student government say that their voices are not being heard. During a press conference said Monday, Nov. 13, at the Statehouse, students implored school officials to give them a seat at the table and allow them greater input as…

  By Emma Cotton/VTDigger LUDLOW — At a meeting Thursday night, Nov. 9, designed to discuss climate resilience in towns hard-hit from the summer’s flooding, residents had many questions about the preparedness of their communities.  Was there an emergency plan in case local dams failed? Would sediment from flooding make local waterways unsafe for recreation? What…

  By Curt Peterson On Oct. 23, three Green Mountain Power (GMP) representatives presented their plan for eliminating local outages to the Killington Select Board. Without electricity, wintertime Killington is just a very cold, very quiet mountain littered with dark businesses and houses, and hundreds of stalled lift chairs swinging in the wind. The town…

  By Curt Peterson About two years ago, Ashuquallah, a former interpreter for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, arrived in Hartland hoping to be reunited with his wife Soma and to start a new life. Their saga and successful integration into the community were celebrated Sunday during the First Universalist Society of Hartland’s weekly service.…

  By Katy Savage  After Rutland city residents were prevented from speaking at a contentious town hall at the Paramount Theater Nov. 2 ​​Mayor Mike Doenges is planning to hold a second meeting at the Rutland Recreation Community Center on Nov. 29 for people to ask direct questions about an uptick in crime in the…

  November is National Marrow Donor Month and this year it marks the 25th anniversary of the National Marrow Donor Program at Rutland Regional Medical Center. The first marrow donor registration event was held on Nov. 17, 1998, and the hospital is celebrating the 25th anniversary milestone on this same date, 25 years later. On…

  Marks 10th year since record breaking drive of 2013 Vermont’s biggest blood drive is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year — with a Rutland resident’s story of survival highlighting the need for blood. The Gift-of-Life Marathon Blood Drive, which began in 2003, will cover four days — Dec. 5, 7, 13, and 15 —…

  For business leader, altruist and creative guru Paul Gallo, Rutland is where the magic happens Unless this is your first visit to this area, the likelihood is high that you have touched, listened to, viewed, tasted, learned about, and been delighted at least once by a Vermont treasure dreamt up, built, championed or brought…

  By Katy Savage The 80-year-old illuminated star that shines above the Woodstock Village in the winter from top of Mt. Tom is getting replaced next spring.  The Woodstock Rotary Club is raising $120,000 to turn the wood structure into a galvanized steel structure, ensuring the beacon will continue for generations.  “We decided this summer…

By Curt Peterson Soon, drivers in Killington will have to pay more attention to their speed. At its Sept. 23 meeting the Select Board approved reducing the speed limit on Killington Road from 35 mph to 30 mph and on River Road to 25 mph the whole way — the change is effective after 60…

On Monday, Nov. 13, Okemo Mountain Resort announced that it will open for the 2023/24 winter season at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 17. In celebration of opening day, guests who arrive early will enjoy swag giveaways, a live deejay, the annual first chair banner break on A Quad, and light refreshments including muffins, Nature…

  Of all the non-native, invasive plants in the Northeast, buckthorn is among the most hated by forest stewards. There are two types of invasive buckthorn in our region: glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus) and common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), also called European buckthorn. Both plants grow quickly, have prolific seed spreading habits, and have become so…

  If you’ve ever wondered about the most tumultuous relationships in history and then decided to scour the history books for information, you’ll likely land on the romance between Cleopatra and Mark Antony. Their passionate and dramatic love affair played out against the backdrop of political intrigue, power struggles, and intense warfare in the 1st…

  We did not want to miss a moment of the pregame festivities this year, so we pulled into the parking lot around 8 a.m. Barely able to sleep, we were there two hours before the lifts were scheduled to start. But we were not the only ones with our eyes on the prize, unable to…