By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger WOODSTOCK — Let the best business win. With $30,000 in seed money, three Woodstock business leaders have helped create Startup Woodstock, a pitch competition that will help launch a new business. “The idea is, the closer the company is to solving some critical need within the community, that’s a big plus,” said Cliff Johnson, one…

By Dom Cioffi My company had an in-office meeting last week that included the entire staff. I believe this was the first time since March of 2020 (pre-Covid) that we were all in the building at the same time. Initially, I loved working from home. I found the solitude relaxing and noticed my workload increased,…

Friday-Saturday, Nov. 18 - 20 — LUDLOW — The Annual Okemo Ski and Snowboard Swap to benefit Okemo Mountain School is the best place to gear up for the winter with new and used equipment at great prices. You will find everything you need to get out on the hill this season.... skis, snowboards, boots, bindings,…

Thursday, Nov. 24 —KILLINGTON — Join in for the 11th edition of the Killington Turkey Trot Run/Walk at 9:30 a.m. starting at the Pickle Barrel. All ages are welcome. Remember, the event goes on regardless of rain, snow, or ice! After the race, stick around for live music, drinks, and great raffle prizes. Registration is…

Thursday, Nov. 17 — VIRTUAL — The United States Attorney’s Office, the Vermont Attorney General’s Office, and the Rutland Area NAACP will co-host a Hate-Free Vermont forum in St. Albans and virtually on Nov. 17, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This forum will be the third held in an ongoing series; previous 2022 Hate-Free…

By Mary Ellen Shaw At some point in our lives we seem to turn into our parents.I guess it’s inevitable as we grew up following their instructions. I thought of my father when someone commented to me that I mow the lawn in a different direction each time. Back in my youth the task of…

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department announced on Tuesday, Nov. 15 that the purple crowberry (Empetrum atropurpureum), a diminutive alpine shrub last documented in Vermont in 1908, has been rediscovered on Mt. Mansfield. “This is an extraordinary find,” said Bob Popp, a botanist with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. “The purple crowberry is easily overlooked alongside the closely related and…

By Merisa Sherman Never doubt The Beast, the biggest and best in the East “Wishing and waiting and thinking and praying, planning and dreaming …” I know that’s the start of the song made famous by Dusty Springfield in 1964, but it’s also the mantra that I have been repeating to myself for the past few…

Killington Resort will kick off the 2022-23 winter season at 12 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 17, becoming among the first Eastern resorts to open for skiing and snowboarding. The first turns of the season on Thursday will be reserved exclusively for Killington Season Pass, Beast 365 and Ikon pass holders. The resort will open to…

Wednesday, Nov. 16 — VIRTUAL — The League of Women Voters of Vermont, in partnership with Kellogg-Hubbard Library presents the first in its 2022-23 lecture series with The Impact of Climate Change on Vermont. This season we will look at its effect on the personal, economic, and ecological level, closing with action that has been…

Saturday, Nov. 19 — RUTLAND — An Olympic curling gold medalist is coming to Rutland. The Rutland Rocks Curling Club will host 2018 Olympic Gold Medalist Tyler George on Nov. 18 and 19. George will present to area school children on Friday, followed by a viewing and talk-through of his teamÕs gold medal Olympic game…

By Curt Peterson Chris LaHart has been named the new chief of Killington Fire and Rescue, a new paid position. LaHart appeared at a Select Board meeting Nov. 14 from his current home in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, to introduce himself via Zoom. LaHart is retiring from the DOD Civil Service System in December with…

The Hub CoWorks opens downtown By Liz DiMarco Weinmann The region’s civic leaders, community advocates, business owners, nonprofit professionals, and others representing the innumerable talents of the Killington-Rutland community gathered Monday evening, Nov. 14, to celebrate the much-anticipated grand opening of The Hub CoWorks in downtown Rutland. For this former Manhattanite to compare the buzz…

By Nadie VanZandt Editor’s note: Nadie VanZandt is a UVM Extension master gardener from Panton. During the early months of the pandemic, gardening and other domestic hobbies saw an unprecedented revival. Trends come and go, but in gardening, one that seems here to stay is the no-dig, also called the no-till method. Touted by gardening…

By Tik Root/VTDigger When Rae Garcia moved to Burlington for work earlier this year, she knew she would be entering a frenzied housing rental market. But what she didn’t see coming was the deluge of application fees. “Every place has asked for one,” said Garcia, 42, explaining that the rental applications she submitted have ranged…