By Cyrus Ready-Campbell, VTDigger Gov. Phil Scott signed a proclamation Friday, Sept. 1, declaring September to be School Safety Month in Vermont. Scott and state education and safety officials gathered at the Statehouse to praise the work done behind the scenes to keep schools and children safe and to commit to a safe year ahead. Rob…

By Morgan True, VTDigger The Tax Department is sending close to 20,000 letters to Vermonters telling folks they may owe sales tax for online and other purchases. The letters say residents have until Oct. 31 to pay without interest or penalties. When a seller doesn’t charge Vermont’s 6 percent sales tax, buyers are responsible for paying…

By Alan Keays, VTDigger Vermont State Police say a man who pointed a gun at officers during a standoff early Friday at his home in Poultney was shot and killed when five troopers opened fire. After the shooting, police said they went into the residence and found Michael Battles, 32, dead on the floor in…

UPDATE: 7:24 p.m. Sept. 5 — Killington residents passed the vote to purchase the land for a public safety building, 102 yes; 84 no. By Evan Johnson KILLINGTON—On the evening of Thursday, Aug. 31, about 50 members of the Killington community attending an informational meeting in advance of a special vote Sept. 5 to purchase land…

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…

By Janice Edwards Poultney Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that its 2017 Citizen of the Year Award will be presented to Josephine “Jo” S. Williams. This Citizen Award will be presented to Jo during an Open House reception on Sunday, Oct. 8 from 2 to 4 p.m. sponsored by the Chamber. The public is cordially invited to join…

Keith Stern By Stephen Seitz SPRINGFIELD—Springfield resident Keith Stern has set his sights on the governor’s office. Stern, a Republican, said he plans to challenge Gov. Phil Scott in next year’s primary. “I’m challenging Phil Scott because I don’t like the job he’s doing,” Stern said. “I think he needs to look more at cutting…

By Dave Young, courtesy of Killington Resort Some of the best skiers in the world met with fans at last year’s World Cup. By Karen D. Lorentz The newly formed Killington World Cup Committee (KWCC) is a fundraising arm of the Killington Mountain School that was formed to help sustain World Cup racing at Killington…

Photo By Adam Federman, VTDigger Jeff Wennberg, Rutland public works commissioner By Alan J. Keays, VTDigger RUTLAND – The state is investigating a nearly 1 million gallon overflow of untreated sewage into East and Otter creeks earlier this month in Rutland City, according city Public Works Commissioner Jeffrey Wennberg. The state could fine the municipality for…

PROSPER Team Leader Kimberly Griffin, right, hands out information about the PROSPER program during the eclipse party in Brandon on Monday, Aug. 21. By Lee J. Kahrs BRANDON—A new program designed to help parents and kids communicate is being offered to fifth and sixth graders and their families in the Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union (RNeSU). Those…

Photo by Paul Holmes Labor Day is a bit of a misnomer. While the holiday is devoted to workers, many have the day off.  Created by the labor movement in the late 19th century, Labor Day was established to highlight the achievements of American workers, both from a social and an economic perspective. Labor Day…

Illustration by Adelaide Tyrol By Declan McCabe My students and I were conducting research in the Winooski River floodplain at Saint Michael’s College last week when the buzzing became particularly intense. A brisk walk is enough to outdistance mosquitoes, but deerflies combine fighter jet speed with helicopter maneuverability. And a slap that might incapacitate a…

By Kevin Theissen In March, the Harvard Business Review (HBR) offered some ideas about innovation in America. It’s a topic that deserves some attention as “recent data suggests that innovation is getting harder and the pace of growth is slowing down. A major challenge in business and policy spheres is to understand the environments that…

By Brady Crain A crowd in the Boston Common recently marched in protest of the Free Speech rally and against white supremacy. By Brady Cain It took me quite a while to digest what happened in Boston. One of the most memorable parts of the march was the heat (standing in a crowd on sunny…