By Erin Mansfield, VTDigger The state’s top health care regulator says insurance prices on Vermont Health Connect will remain steady for calendar year 2018, despite recent actions at the federal level. Kevin Mullin, chair of the Green Mountain Care Board, said Monday that the board would not allow insurance companies to raise premiums for plans…

CHITTENDEN—The Town of Chittenden’s Emergency Management Team in conjunction with Green Mountain Power announce the initial testing of the warning siren located at the hydro station, Powerhouse Road, Chittenden. Testing will occur on Nov. 1 at noon and again at 6:30 p.m. Initial testing will last for one minute on each time; in a real…

RUTLAND—On Saturday, Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Rutland County Sheriff’s Department will accept unused, unneeded or expired prescription and over-the-counter drugs with no questions asked. This will be the 14th national Drug Takeback Day facilitated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, occurring twice each year. The collection will take place in Diamond…

RUTLAND—Rutland Economic Development Corporation (REDC) has announced the agenda for its 80th annual meeting, set for Thursday, Nov. 2, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Casella Theater at Castleton University. Governor Phil Scott will provide the keynote address. “Through collaboration with many partners, our efforts this year have furthered the major strategic shift established…

Friday, Oct. 27, 5 p.m.—CASTLETON—Looking for a “wild” family-based adventure for Halloween this year? The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is inviting families to attend the sixth annual Halloween Wildlife Festival and Jack-o’Lantern Hike at the Kehoe Education Center on Point of Pines Road in Castleton. The event takes place on Friday, Oct. 27, from 5-8 p.m. The…

By Tiffany Danitz Pache, VTDigger It’s budgeting season for school boards and keeping education costs down is a priority for the Scott administration. The state’s student population continues to shrink, schooling costs are still going up and most Vermonters haven’t had wage increases in years. In a memo to school boards, the Agency of Education…

By Alan Keays, VTDigger A former attorney for the city of Rutland is taking a second legal avenue to challenge his conviction and prison sentence in a fatal hit-and-run. Christopher Sullivan, 57, acting as his own attorney, recently filed a petition for post-conviction relief in the civil division of Rutland Superior Court. He was convicted…

By Alan Keays/ VTDigger A marketing initiative aimed at boosting Rutland County’s declining population as well as helping the region land more tourists aims to show people the “Real Rutland.” The “Real Rutland” campaign was unveiled Thursday night at the annual meeting of the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce held in the downtown Paramount Theatre. The video ads…

Friday, Oct. 27, 10 a.m.—RANDOLPH—Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Jon Gailmor presents a special daytime concert for area schoolchildren at the Chandler Center for the Arts on Friday, Oct. 27 at 10 a.m. Tickets are offered at a low cost to all thanks to their being subsidized by grants, sponsors, and generous local donors. The participatory concert is the…

Saturday, Oct. 28—WEST RUTLAND—After seven weeks of fall rugby, the teams of New England Rugby Football Union’s (NERFU) fourth division will convene in the swamps of West Rutland this Saturday, Oct. 28. Rutland Roosters, the region’s local rugby club, won the bid due to being “near the top of the rotation as they have not…

By Cal Garrison, a.k.a. Mother of the Skye The Sun entered Scorpio on Oct. 23 and this week’s horoscopes are coming out under the light of a Sagittarius Moon. This combination is bound to deliver a double whammy of newness and change. If the last week or two has had us feeling like we’re trudging…

Cal Garrison (a.k.a Mother of the Skye) writes weekly horoscopes for The Mountain Times. If you would like an emailed notification sent to you weekly, sign up for the newsletter, below. Want to hear more from Mother of the Skye? Check out Mother's Celestial Inspirations for a deeper look into this weeks horoscopes Mother of…

Saturday, Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m.—POULTNEY—The Champlain Philharmonic will return to Ackley Hall at Green Mountain College in Poultney on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. and will also be at the Champlain Valley Unitarian Universalist Society Sanctuary, 2 Duane Court, Middlebury, on Sunday, Oct. 22 at 4 p.m. to present its fall concert series, “Eutierria”…

KILLINGTON—Killington Resort announced Thursday, Oct. 12, that the band Dispatch will headline a robust music and entertainment lineup to celebrate the return of the Audi FIS World Cup. “Combining top-notch entertainment with one of the world’s most premier ski racing events makes for an amazing, party-like weekend at Killington for families and fans of all…