By Kevin Theissen Pursuing your retirement dreams is challenging enough without making some common, and very avoidable, mistakes. Here are eight big mistakes to steer clear of, if possible. No strategy: Yes, the biggest mistake is having no strategy at all. Without a strategy, you may have no goals, leaving you no way of knowing how…

The summer season officially starts for many of us on Memorial Day weekend. It seems to be the official date to plant our flower and vegetable gardens. I remember when I was first married I would buy a few annuals and plant them in my one and only flower garden. I was in the midst…

By Brett Yates Earlier this month, in anticipation of Mother’s Day, Facebook introduced a seventh reaction emoji: the controversial “purple flower,” signifying thankfulness. In fact, it was a reintroduction, this time suggesting an annual springtime rollout, like the Reese’s Peanut Butter Egg at Easter, following its first appearance in May of 2016. As you well…

By Daryle Thomas May is National Barbecue Month. There are places in this country where it’s warm enough to be outside burning food without having to wear a parka. Vermont is not one of those places until Memorial Day, when our barbecue season officially starts. In honor of the event, you may have loaded up…

WOODSTOCK—On May 10 the staff of Worthy Kitchen, a craft beer and farm diner in Woodstock, presented the Vermont Foodbank with a check for $8,200 to fight hunger. This donation is the result of their annual Night Before The Night event. For five consecutive years, Worthy Kitchen has brought people together to share a meal,…

By Alan J. Keays, VTDigger RUTLAND — The Board of Aldermen is expected to be looking at a $1 million surplus when it sets the tax rate in July. However, it appears all of that surplus may already be accounted for. The city anticipates a $3 million unassigned fund balance at the end of the…

Green Mountain Power announced Tuesday, May 23, that it has a  new  way for customers  to be part of the energy revolution by reducing energy use, saving money and helping GMP reduce peak energy demand for all customers. GMP’s new eSmartwater program includes an Aquanta™ smart water heater controller that lets clients heat water when…

KILLINGTON—Summit Lodge Golf Classic is set to tee off Friday, June 2 in its fifth annual golf tournament, Tee Off for Autism, held at Green Mountain National Golf Course, Barrows Towne Road, Killington. Registration starts at noon, with a 1 p.m. shotgun start. $130 per player includes greens fees, cart, teams of up to five…

RUTLAND—Habitat for Humanity of Rutland County is pleased to announce the the second annual benefit golf tournament to be held at Proctor Pittsford Country Club Friday, May 26. The tournament will benefit Habitat for Humanity and its upcoming construction project at 42 Cleveland Ave. in Rutland city. The project will build a new single family…

Honors, awards, and congratulations PAWLET—The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards recently named 14-year-old Riley Callen of Pawlet as one of America’s top 10 youth volunteers of 2017. In the eighth grade, she founded an annual hike that has raised more than $250,000 in search of a cure for brain tumors. The Vermont State Colleges Board…

Rutland City discusses local option tax City Treasurer Wendy Wilton urged the Board of Aldermen consider a local option tax that would fund liability payments to the city pension fund. Wilton proposed the city retire its city charter provision for taxing meals, entertainment, and lodging, while expanding the 1 percent entertainment, meals and lodging tax…

RUTLAND—The board of directors for the Rutland County Parent Child Center (RCPCC) has announced that Mary Zigman, M.S. Ed., has been named the new executive director, effective June 1. Zigman succeeds Caprice Hover who was recently appointed executive director of United Way of Rutland County. Hover had been executive director of RCPCC for the past…

By Alan J. Keays, VTDigger RUTLAND — Rutland Regional Medical Center is apologizing for an error involving the disclosure of hundreds of patients’ email addresses. The hospital, in a statement, said on May 11 a survey was sent to 700 patients. The email addresses for all 700 were visible to each recipient, the statement added.…

As motorists take to the roads this Memorial Day holiday, Vermont law enforcement is urging everyone to buckle up. Beginning this week, law enforcement officials will be out in full force, taking part in the 2017 National Click It or Ticket (CIOT) seat belt enforcement mobilization and cracking down on motorists who are not belted.…

By Dom Cioffi It doesn’t happen often, but every once in a while I lose my temper. Most of the time it’s because of the illogical behavior of my teenage son, but on occasion, something else will set me off. Unfortunately, one of those “something else” moments happened over this past weekend. I was out…