By Emma Cotton/VTDigger About 200 Rutland High School alumni, students and community members are drafting a petition calling on school officials to remove the name and arrowhead imagery of the school’s sports team, the Rutland Raiders. The group, led by RHS 2010 alumna Amanda Gokee, cites appropriation of Native American culture. Gokee, who identifies as Ojibwe,…

Artist/Activist Lopi LaRoe (a.k.a. LMNOPI) created a nearly four-story mural facing Rutland’s new Center Street Marketplace Park on the back wall of the former Strand Theater adjacent to Roots –The Restaurant. This new public artwork imagines a world where all children are nurtured and cherished equally, and it is dedicated to uplifting the Black, Indigenous,…

Staff report Green Mountain College in Poultney will be auctioned off on Aug. 18, according to Maltz Auctions of Central Islip, New York, who will preside over the sale. A press release from the company states that “a well-qualified, interested party” has placed a stalking-horse bid of $3 million for the property. So the auction…

By Emma Cotton/VTDigger and Polly Mikula The Holiday Inn in Rutland Town has been cited by the state for being over the allowable 50% capacity for hotels permitted under Vermont’s Covid-19 restrictions, but the hotel says it is simply the venue for a summer camp and therefore should be allowed to occupy 75% of capacity, per…

By Katy Savage If you’re planning to go to Woodstock, don’t forget your face mask. The Woodstock Village Trustees and town Select Board have required masks both inside retail stores and in outdoor public spaces since July 9. The requirement is being enforced by the Woodstock Village Police, the health inspector and village parking attendants,…

Editor’s note: Mark Bushnell is a Vermont journalist and historian. He is the author of “Hidden History of Vermont” and “It Happened in Vermont.” This story was first published as a “Then Again” feature at VTDigger.org. To get a deeper understanding of Vermont’s history, you might want to go deeper, to the literal bedrock of the…

Killington Softball League game recaps By Dj Dave Hoffenberg The defending champions, Defend Title Fantastically (DTF), finally got in the win column, but it was not easy. They started the game going down 1-2-3 and First Stop Board Barn (FSBB) practically hit through their order, scoring five runs. Tall Tom Gilligan got DTF on the…

It all begins with a sacred quest. To begin, one must have a vision of perfection that will undoubtably not be met but must be strived for in any case. One might journey deep into the forest, a solo mission filled with dedication to a high standard. A lone branch, peeping out from underneath a…

By Mary Ellen Shaw If you planted a veggie garden in late May you are looking forward right about now to picking the “fruits of your labor.” At our house we have been enjoying radishes and lettuce for a few weeks. The beet greens are plentiful enough that we have cut them back and steamed…

By Dom Cioffi Anyone who is into music will undoubtedly remember their first live concert. Mine was a doozy, setting the excitement bar for what would be a lifelong love of live entertainment experiences. My friends and I had just graduated from high school and were reveling in a summer of fun before we headed…

By Kevin Theissen It seems the local real estate market has picked up recently, perhaps due to people wanting to move from larger cities to more rural areas. How the gains from the sale of a primary residence are taxed has changed in recent years. If you have recently sold your home, or are considering…

By Meghan McCarthy McPhaul We were touring the neighborhood backroads one summer evening when the kids noticed a sleek movement through a small pond. At first, we thought it was a beaver, but its smaller size and – once we got a closer look – slender tail revealed this swimmer as a muskrat. It went…

By Cassandra Tyndall One of the signature themes of 2020 is the fusion, known astrologically as a conjunction, of Jupiter and Pluto that occurs three times. The first was in April, then June and the third time will be November. Together, Jupiter and Pluto signify many things, some of which can be great wealth, hidden…

If you love yoga and you love the Rutland County Humane Society (RCHS), then you’ll love our super fun fundraiser! Join RCHS in your own home on Thursday, August 13 at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom for yoga with your cat!  Enjoy an all-level yoga class led by Stephanie Jones E-RYT with your furry feline! Stephanie…

At the regular press conference, Tuesday, July 14, Governor Phil Scott and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) announced the Vermont Covid-19 Agriculture Assistance Program for dairy producers and processors who have experienced income loss, additional expenses and market disruption as a result of the pandemic. The application will open on Friday,…