By Merisa Sherman I could feel the snow melting underneath my feet, as I swung my oldest, bestest ski sister around by the elbow. We were dancing in the joy of the moment and celebrating our 35-year-old sisterhood. Then we grabbed the next elbow, a woman who has never ski raced a day in her life,…

Tuesday, Dec. 6 — MIDDLEBURY—Vermont Folklife announces its 24th annual gingerbread house competition and exhibit. After two years of holding the contest remotely through an online photo submission process, we are thrilled to continue this ever-popular tradition in hybrid format this year. Completed houses will be on display in Vermont Folklife’s 88 Main St. Middlebury…

By Laurie D. Morrissey Even if you’ve never ventured farther into the forest than an urban park or a college campus, you’re probably familiar with Sciurus carolinensis, the eastern gray squirrel. While it’s easy to identify gray squirrels by sight, however, recognizing the various sounds they make is more complicated. Their vocalizations – squeaks, moans,…

Staff report KILLINGTON—On Tuesday, Nov. 29 at approximately 2:15 p.m. a Rutland County Sheriff's Deputy stopped a vehicle on Route 4 in Killington near the top of Sherburne Pass for a motor vehicle infraction. After the deputy approached the vehicle and identified himself to the lone male in the car, the driver informed the officer…

By David Goodman/VTDigger Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from The Vermont Conversation with David Goodman, a VTDigger podcast on local and national issues with politicians, activists, artists, changemakers and citizens who are making a difference. Santa Claus is coming to town. But the person shimmying down the chimney may not be the rotund, bearded…

By Dom Cioffi Eighteen years ago this week, I wrote a letter to a young woman I barely knew. In that letter, I summarized the first months of an infant boy — the same boy she gave up for adoption earlier that spring. Every year since, I have written that young woman at Christmastime. I…

By Karen D. Lorentz U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Olympic National Governing Body of ski and snowboard sports in the United States, launched its Heroic women’s initiative at the 2022 Heroic Killington Cup. Held on day one of the sixth World Cup event hosted by the area, a panel of ski industry women leaders discussed the…

By Marin Howell/Addison County Independent Some may have been surprised when warm weather rolled in with the beginning of November, bringing sunny days and comfortable temperatures at a time when Vermonters are usually starting to bundle up for the winter. The unseasonably warm days threw off local bees as well, which proved to be detrimental…

This year’s Ski and Snowboard Swap had a record-breaking year and raised over $37,000 for Okemo Mountain School. The proceeds from the swap will go toward operating costs to keep tuition as affordable as possible for all students. The event was extremely well attended this year and customers were excited with their purchases, finding outstanding deals…

Dear Editor, Listening to the presentation to the Climate Council on the cost savings they are claiming will be associated with the Climate Action Plan, I was reminded of the classic scene from “Caddyshack” where Bill Murray’s character tells the story of his compensation for a round with Dalai Lama: “Oh, there won’t be any…

Dear Editor, I offer this commentary to all retirees of Vermont state government, their families, and to all active state employees and their families, because this can affect them all. Gov. Phil Scott is strongly considering substituting a Group Medicare Advantage plan in place of the BlueCross BlueShield health insurance all retirees and active employees…

  After a four-month search, Woodstock has a new town manager. Eric Duffy, 40, of  Stoneham, Massachusetts, was unanimously approved in a joint Select Board and Village Trustees meeting on Nov. 28. He starts his new role Feb. 1. “Eric had tremendous financial responsibilities, which he accomplished in a very award-winning way in his last…

The Chamber & Economic Development of the Rutland Region (CEDRR)  has hired Scott Graves as StartUp Rutland’s inaugural program director. Graves is relocating to the area from Gardner, Massachusetts. He was most recently an independent consultant for SMGraves Associates, a company he founded, which focuses on building sustainable enterprise through community-minded entrepreneurship. In his new…

By Mary Ellen Shaw I was watching a talk show recently and one of the topics discussed was an article from a 1950 McCall’s magazine. It gave 129 options that women could use to get a date. If you are in the “senior age category” you would be quite amused at some of the techniques…

On Nov. 21, Governor Phil Scott and the Office of Racial Equity promoted a new state initiative that encourages and supports municipalities across the state in their efforts to be more inclusive, equitable and welcoming. IDEAL Vermont, which stands for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Action and Leadership, officially kicked off in October with its first 14…