Staff report The Castleton Police Department has identified a woman who died in front of her home by a falling tree in a high wind storm on Dec. 23. Castleton Police Chief Peter Mantello said Joyce Ricard, 51, died of blunt force trauma from a 60-foot-tall maple tree that fell when she was outside her…

The Homeless Prevention Center held its 23rd annual candlelight vigil on Dec. 21 in Rutland. The vigil is held each year on the winter solstice, along with hundreds of other communities across the country. HPC’s vision is to eliminate hopelessness and homelessness within the community. In the past three years, HPC has helped re-house over…

The Fox U.S. Open of Mountain Biking race festival is returning to Killington Resort again this year. The 2023 race will take place Sept. 21-24, following the event’s successful return to the east coast in 2022. Professional and amateur athletes from around the world are anticipated to compete in the open class downhill for one…

Killington Resort gave $300,000 in cash and in-kind charitable donations through its Play Forever corporate responsibility commitment in 2022. Beneficiaries of Killington Resort’s donations included a wide variety of causes ranging from global interests such as the American Red Cross’s Ukrainian war relief efforts to hyper local efforts such as installing a new ice rink…

By Karen D. Lorentz Editor’s note: This is part three in a three-part series on former ski areas in Vermont.  “Not the Biggest, But One of The Best” was the slogan the late Bill Jenkins came up with for the High Pond Ski Area, which opened to the public in winter 1951. High Pond was…

Killington has a new winter attraction: An ice skating rink at the Johnson Recreation Center tennis courts opened just before the new year. This addition to the town's recreation department will bring new programs to the community and provide another way to enjoy the winter season. The idea started back in October. It began as…

By Karen D. Lorentz A highly revered pioneer in the world of ski education and adaptive skiing, Mendon resident Gwen Allard has been elected to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame Class of 2022, which will be inducted in March at Big Sky, Montana. Allard’s career spans five decades of teaching skiing and…

By Erin Petenko/VTDigger Vermonters pocketed a median annual household income of $72,431 from 2017 to 2021 and are less likely to live in poverty than they were a decade ago, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. At first glance, the data — collected via surveys of thousands of people — shows…

By Gary Salmon Warm fires and cozy living rooms complete with a decorated Christmas tree are a part of many of our December lives. We look for just the right tree, not too dense to prevent ornament hanging, but just right to brighten up a late December of darkness.  It prepares us mentally for the…

By Dom Cioffi I’ve developed a few talents in my life and one of them is gift giving. Nothing brings me more joy than to wake up Christmas morning and watch everyone around me open the gifts that I bought them. Sure, I like opening gifts as well, but I’d much rather give than receive.…

By Merisa Sherman Ahhh, the New Year’s Resolution. The pressure to become a better version of yourself than you were last year and usually something that you will have forgotten about within the four weeks of January. Sure, we all want to recommit ourselves to our physical and mental health, but what does this mean…

By Sandra Dee Owens We don’t have to follow the first voice A woman passed through my line at the grocery store with a brightly colored box I knew so well. Without hesitation, I jostled my cart and went searching for the Pop-Tart aisle. That first voice had whispered in my ear, “oooooh, Pop-Tarts, have…

By Susan Shea I saw a new bird at my feeder last winter. In mid-December, a small, reddish-brown bird with an upturned tail, a white eyebrow-stripe, and a long, slender, down curved bill was on the deck below our feeder. Looking at its cocked tail, I suspected it was a type of wren —  a…

By Dom Cioffi Recently, my wife and I (along with another couple), went to a jazz club in the city. I haven’t been to many jazz shows in my life, but I do appreciate the genre so I was happy and curious to go. We bought tickets on the advice of another friend who assured…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Winter is not the favorite season for most seniors! We don’t like to walk around wondering if there is black ice underfoot. Nor do we like driving on it. Hearing that a snow storm is coming makes us want to hunker down and stay inside. Whatever happened to our childhood feelings…