By Polly Mikula An electrical fire at the ShackletonThomas furniture and pottery headquarters in the Bridgewater Mill broke out last Friday afternoon, July 19. Firefighters rushed to the scene and swiftly put out the blaze with the help of a recently updated sprinkler system. No one was inside the ShackletonThomas portion of the building when…

Detour ends in time for Wine Fest weekend By Polly Mikula By Polly Mikula The town of Killington celebrated the reopening of the base of Killington Road with a ceremonial ribbon cutting, Friday, July 19. On Friday, July 19, at 2 p.m. Killington Road reopened to two-way traffic ending the three month detour up West…

By Polly Mikula Mountain biking in Vermont is now the state’s fastest-growing form of outdoor recreation, according to the Vermont Mountain Bike Association (VMBA) a nonprofit that provides advocacy, education, and community-driven stewardship statewide and to local chapters.  “The growth of the sport has been exponential in the past — call it five years,” Mark…

Town is tops in Vt for homestead rate, non-homestead rate; third for school rate By Polly Mikula Last Wednesday, July 3, the state Dept. of Taxes published the list of tax rates for all Vermont towns. Killington topped the 260 municipalities listed for education homestead tax rate ($3.1981) and non-homestead rate ($2.6571) — not a…

Improvements in equipment and trails over the past decade have made the sport more fun for more people By Polly Mikula Mountain biking even just a few decades ago was a very different sport than it has evolved to be today. Mountain bikes “back in the day” were only slightly different than their road counterparts…

Start itEasy Street and Wiggle are recommended for first time mountain bikers — and those looking to warm up, get a feel for new rental equipment or just need a confidence boost! Once comfortable, try Roller to practice berms. Some riders cruise these trails fast, so be aware. Don’t be afraid to stop on the…

By Polly Mikula The flood of July 2023 devastated many local communities; among them Ludlow suffered greatly. Now, nearly a year later, Shaw’s supermarket celebrated it grand reopening Friday, June 28, at 9 a.m. at it’s downtown store located at 213 Main Street. Having lost all its inventory and sustained significant damage the parking lot,…

Downtown Rutland’s Paramount Theatre was one of eight Vermont recipients to receive Northern Regional Border Commission (NBRC) Catalyst grants totaling $7.9 million. Phil Scott, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Peter Welch, and Congresswoman Becca Balint, along with NBRC, made the announcement Thursday, June 27. The $1 million grant is a portion of the total project cost…

RAISE grant adds to $19.1 million received to date for municipal water and the reconstruction of Killington Road By Polly Mikula The town of Killington was awarded $25 million by the federal government to engineer and construct Phase 2-4 of its Killington Forward development. The town received the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity…

By Polly Mikula Killington Mountain School kicked off local graduation ceremonies on June 2; other area schools followed shortly after with Rutland High School celebrating at Spartan Arena on June 13 and Woodstock Union High School at Union Arena, June 14. Inherent in most all graduation speeches is the send-off of a new generation of…

Slate Valley to vote for fifth time, Tuesday June 18 By Polly Mikula Editor's note: The story first published as "Many area school districts are still working to pass budgets" has been updated to reflect the passage of school bonds June 11 and 12 for Barstow, Otter Valley and Hartland. While voters in at least…

 Killington Resort announced Thursday that it would indeed be opening June 1 for skiing and riding on Superstar; it'll be the 196th operating day of the season. This is the third year in a row Killington’s season has lasted into June on Superstar, the same trail which will host the Stifel Killington Cup over Thanksgiving…

By Polly Mikula Ricky Bowen, foreman for the town of Killington highways and facilities, stepped away from that post on May 15 after 36 years of service.  “The town will not publicly comment further because of respect for the process and because this is a personnel matter,” wrote Town Manager Michael Ramsey. “However, during the…

Each spring, cities from New York to Texas celebrate the spectacular blooming of ornamental cherry trees. In many cultures, the lovely, delicate pink and white cherry blossoms symbolize rebirth and renewal, as well as the fleeting nature of life. Beyond these showy cultivated trees, our region boasts three native cherry species, which are important in…