Thomas W. “Tj” Patch Jr., 56, of Rutland died Wednesday, July 22, in Killington, after an work-related accident at the Killington Resort golf course. A fellow employee found Patch under a tractor, where it is estimated he had been for 15 minutes. Emergency resuscitation efforts proved unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at the scene.…

PLYMOUTH—On Monday, July 27, at 4:25 p.m. police responded to a drowning at Plymouth State Park on Echo lake. Troopers from the Vermont State Police Rutland Barracks were notified of a missing swimmer at the Plymouth State Park, located at 1960 Camp Road in Plymouth. It was reported that 77-year-old, Thomas Marrone had last been…

Terrance Chipp, 42, of Rutland was sentenced Thursday, July 23, by US District Court Chief Judge Geoffrey Crawford to 72 months imprisonment and three years of supervised release, which follows the term of imprisonment, according to the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont. Chipp previously pled guilty to possession with intent…

On Wednesday, July 22, at approximately 10:27 a.m., state police troopers from the Vermont state police were dispatched to a reported industrial accident in the area of 390 Blake Roy Road in Middlebury. There, troopers learned that two GMP linemen were injured when the utility pole that they were working on suddenly broke. Preliminary investigation indicated…

By Julia Purdy Among the first-time moves to make the national 10-year population count more user-friendly, faster, and also as complete as possible, the Census Bureau has come up with “Push Week” (July 27-Aug. 2), a friendly competition to see how many new household responses the Census can land before Census workers hit the streets…

The Rutland County Solid Waste District, Solid Waste Alliance Communities and 350 Rutland County announced the rollout of the Community Food Scrap Share Program on Wednesday, July 22. This spring, over 285 people participated in Composting 101 Workshops. As an offshoot of this educational project, the organizations have created a community share platform after identifying…

Mountain Times: How is the summer going? How does it compare to the past? Your expectations? Mike Solimano: Overall, summer is going better than we expected considering the “new normal.”  But the reality is that a large portion of our revenue in summer is generated from businesses we can’t operate. Weddings, conferences, and events have all…

By John Flowers The Slate Valley Unified Union School District (SVUUSD) on Tuesday, July 21, announced students would return to Orwell Village School this fall. It is part of a school re-entry plan in which students in kindergarten through 8th grade will attend classes on their respective campuses, and students in grades 9-12 will see…

By Lola Duffort/VTDigger Before Covid-19 arrived in Vermont, middle school students in Bethel would start their days sitting in a circle in their advisory groups, with agenda projected on a screen. Owen Bradley, the principal at the White River Valley School, believes students could start the day together again next school year. But this time, he…

By Curt Peterson Windsor Central Unified Union School District (WCUUSD) interim superintendent Sherry Sousa’s presentation regarding reopening the district’s campuses drew a crowd to the Zoom meeting July 21. “It was surreal to be sitting in my kitchen, talking to my laptop and knowing more than 76 people were listening,” Sousa told the Mountain Times.…

By Virginia Dean Covid-19 has laid bare significant and unexpected economic, social, and political disruption. It has caused widespread increases in morbidity and mortality, for example, in addition to individual behavioral changes including fear-induced aversion to workplaces and other public gathering spots. Mask wearing, social distancing and stay-at-home orders have become the norm as world…

Governor Phil Scott, Friday, July 24, announced a state mandated mask requirement in public places—inside and outside. “Based on national and regional data on how the virus is spreading – and rather than waiting like other states have – I feel we need to act now to protect our gains, which have allowed us to…

State delays school start to Sept. 8 By Katy Savage Shortened days, delayed starts, partial remote learning, face masks and temperature checks — these are just some of the changes students can expect to see as the new school year approaches. Superintendents across the state are in the midst of developing plans to safely bring…

Remember the month of February, when the enthusiasm of a New Year and a new decade propelled you forward with excitement about your goals and dreams? It’s hard to believe February was just six short months ago. This week, the subtle influence of Jupiter and Neptune aligning may remind you of February and the person…

Rutland County’s Mentor Connector awarded $47,598 Mentor Vermont recently awarded four Covid-19 Response Grants, totaling $174,014, to youth mentoring agencies in rural communities in northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast Vermont. This one-time funding in response to the pandemic comes from a larger, $1.25 million three-year federal grant that the Vermont Dept. for Children and Families…