Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (Blue Cross) will forgo a contract with OneCare Vermont (OCV) for the 2023 plan year. Despite having collaborated with OCV every year since its inception, Blue Cross is unable to reach an agreement this year due to the lack of tangible quality outcomes, inability to bend the cost…

Once the foliage photos started flooding the Killington Locals+ page on Facebook this fall, so did the queries for seasonal housing. Securing one of the approximately 1,800 jobs on the mountain isn’t the challenge. Finding a place to rest one’s head is the chore. While Killington Resort, with the recent purchase of the Hillside Inn…

By Alan Sculley, Last Word Features Whoever says the full-length album is a dying art form hasn’t been watching the Christmas music. This year brings another sleigh full of full-length albums. Here’s my take on this year’s albums vying for your Christmas music dollars. Lindsey Stirling: “Snow Waltz” — Stirling brings her unique signature mix…

RUTLAND — Vermont Farmers Food Center (VFFC) in partnership with the Southwestern Vermont Council on Aging (SVCOA) are finishing up the last few weeks of a new meal kit program, Eat At Home (EAH), with older adults in Rutland County. Over 15 participants, identified and referred by SVCOA, are older adults, living at home and…

Long-time snow sports manager recognized for excellence by PSIA  Killington Resort announced Tuesday, Dec. 13, that Killington/Pico Snow Sports Operations Manager Dan Bergeron has been named the recipient of the prestigious Einar Aas Award from the Eastern Division of the Professional Ski Instructors of America for 2022. This award recognizes dynamic leadership within a snow sports…

STATEWIDE – Finding a gift that will continue to give for a full year is a challenge, but the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. has a solution: a license gift certificate for hunting and fishing licenses. “It’s a perfect gift for a friend or family member who hunts or fishes,” said Fish and Wildlife Commissioner…

By Curt Peterson The controversial Hartland Three Corners intersection of Route 5, Route 12 and Quechee Road redesign and renovation project came close to demise at the Monday, Dec. 19 Select Board meeting. Members were asked to commit to a planned Jan. 4 “request for proposals” (bid invitations) based on engineers’ latest estimate of total…

By Curt Peterson Windsor Central school district voters will be asked to approve integrating $1.65 million to cover next steps in building a new middle school/high school complex into the district’s budget at March 2023 Town Meetings in seven towns, to be spread out over five years. Board member Ben Ford of Woodstock and Finance…

Kathleen (Kathy) Ann Judge (née Garahan) passed away peacefully on Sunday, Dec. 11 in Dallas, Texas.  She was predeceased by her husband of 52 years, James (Jim) J. Judge, in August 2020.  Kathy was born at Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina on July 20, 1943, the first child of Tom and Kate Garahan.  During…

By Karen D. Lorentz Pete Duffy has seen enough of the world and skied in so many places that when he expresses a preference for living in Vermont, you know he’s found his home — the place that completes him. The same can be said for his position as the Killington ambassador program manager, where…

By Karen D. Lorentz Editor’s Note: This is the first of a three-part series on the early “lost” ski areas that propelled several generations of skiers in the greater Rutland Region. Vermont skiing dates back to 1892 when the Woodstock Inn opened and winter guests took cross-country ski treks to the nearby country club. By…

VEPC approval clears way for bond vote on Town Meeting Day By Polly Mikula The town’s Killington Forward plan is approaching actuality. The plan — two years in the making — aims to provide clean water, road improvements, development of a mixed-use Six Peak Killington village, and to create workforce and affordable housing. Over the…

110K households lost power Staff report  The first major storm of the year brought nearly two feet of heavy, wet snow to the region and caused outages for 110,000 customers, according to Green Mountain Power. “This storm ranked as one of the worst storms in recent history,” said Kristin Carlson, GMP’s vice president of strategy…

By Karen D. Lorentz Fifty years ago on Oct.  15, 1972 Judy Storch founded Killington Valley Real Estate (KVRE) with Pat Denis. Sally Bridges became her partner after Denis left, and when Bridges left to become an appraiser, Storch became KVRE’s sole proprietor. She sold the business to Bret Williamson and his wife Kim in…

Pilot program launched in Killington, will serve the Rutland Region Casella Waste Systems introduced its Mack® LR Electric model, the first electric refuse vehicle in the state, in a ceremony at the Killington Grand Hotel on Dec. 9 in front of over 100 onlookers including local and state representatives, local business leaders, customers, employees, and…