By Darius Seidle and Mark Jacobs Lung Cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. The biggest cause of lung cancer is smoking, followed by radon and radiation exposure, and environmental pollution. Usually the symptoms of lung cancer don’t appear until the disease is already at an advanced, non-curable stage. Patients…

By Rob Roper On Oct. 23, Moody’s, the investors' credit service, downgraded Vermont’s bond rating from AAA to Aa1. This has significant implications for the state’s ability to borrow money and the cost of doing so. The reasons Moody’s cited for the downgrade were “low growth prospects from an aging population,” and “debt and unfunded…

By Curt Peterson Deputy Secretary Ted Brady of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development spoke Oct. 30 at the annual REDC meeting. By Curt Peterson RUTLAND— Deputy Secretary Ted Brady of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development gave the keynote presentation at the Rutland Economic Development Corp (REDC) 81st annual meeting Tuesday, Oct.…

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is asking hunters for help in a statewide initiative to gather more biological data on the state’s deer population.  Hunters who get a deer during the Nov. 10-25 rifle season are asked to provide an incisor tooth from their deer when they go to a reporting station. Biologists are…

By Alan J. Keays/VTDigger A federal judge has thrown out claims in a police brutality lawsuit against Rutland City and its police department, but Matthew Hart, a Rutland attorney representing Smith-Wallett, said he’s pressing forward against officer Ryan Ashe, who he alleges used excessive force when arresting his client. Judge Christina Reiss issued the ruling…

By Anne Wallace Allen/ VTDigger The Vermont Medical Society has come out strongly against proposals to commercialize marijuana, saying that expanding use in Vermont would harm infants and youth, increase traffic fatalities, and hinder workplace productivity. The society, which represents about 2,000 of the state’s physicians and physician assistants, said in a resolution Oct. 27…

Submitted Southern Vermont Arts Center names new leader Bob Van Degna Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester announced Bob Van Degna as its new president of the board of trustees, effective Oct. 20, 2018. For the last several months, Degna has been acting as board liaison to the staff, helping to create new momentum at SVAC.…

Heidi Crane is joining All Points Animal Care on Nov. 1 Crane is a graduate of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and has an undergraduate degree from Tufts University. She grew up in upstate New York but spent four years practicing in Colorado after graduating from veterinary school. She returned East to complete an…

Six local schools are part of a sweeping $31 million, seven-year GEAR UP grant awarded to the Vermont Student Assistance Corp. GEAR UP, or Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Education to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enroll and succeed…

The Rutland Pride 7th and 8th grade football team finished up with an impressive season this past week.  There were 38 players from the Rutland area that participated in the program this year.  Area high school football teams have a lot to look forward too with these players in the future years.  The team scored…

POULTNEY— Green Mountain College is indefinitely suspending its intercollegiate men’s lacrosse program, effective immediately. Limited participation in men’s lacrosse has been a trend over several years at the college and has culminated in a roster that falls well short of what is required to compete at the collegiate level. “This has been a very difficult…

Courtesy FOLA A showing of Broadway’s “Present Laughter” will be shown at Ludlow Town Hall Saturday.

By Dragons Eye The Telling Project is a way for families and communities to gain a better understanding of their military veterans.

Submitted The Rough & Tumble Saturday, Nov. 10, 7:30 p.m.—BRANDON— Road-based folk-Americana duo The Rough & Tumble will be returning to Brandon at Brandon Music on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. The Rough & Tumble, comprised of Pennsylvania-born Mallory Graham and California-raised Scott Tyler, have been living with only a PO…

Courtesy Phoenix Books Heather Ballanca, Kim Spensley and Steve Spensley will visit Phoenix Books Rutland for a story time complete with songs. Saturday, Nov. 10, 11 a.m.—RUTLAND— On Saturday, Nov. 10 at 11 a.m., Phoenix Books Rutland will host a  story time with songs and party games from the Victorian period featuring Heather Ballanca and…