By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger At a panel discussion Thursday, April 6, Vermont officials discussed how different economic approaches could help address poverty in the state. The panel, hosted by Capstone Community Action and the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, featured Treasurer Beth Pearce and Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman alongside Bob Friedman, of the Corporation…

First-in-the-nation program makes N.Y. state public universities tuition-free for residents making up to $125,000 per year; over 940,000 families qualify New York will be the only state in the country to offer universal public college tuition coverage for working- and middle-class residents after the program was included in the recently approved budget package. New York…

Spring is here and with it soft bumps for the Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge at Killington and a pond to skim at Okemo this past weekend. Looking ahead, Killington will host its pond skimming event this Saturday, April 15. Such events have become annual rites of spring. Crowds turn out to watch and enjoy the…

As spring finally makes its way in with rising temperatures thus melting snow, signs of new life are popping up—trees are budding; small starts of lilies, chives, and other first plants are poking through the mud; and baby animals are being born. In Woodstock, Billings Farm & Museum will feature its annual Baby Farm Animal…

By Alan Keays, VTDigger A long-delayed project aimed at bringing people, business and activities to a now-empty downtown alley got a big boost Thursday, April 6, when a city panel gave organizers more money than they were seeking. Rutland Mayor David Allaire said the project has “floundered” for a variety of reasons and now it…

By Stephen Seitz LUDLOW—On May 30, voters in Ludlow and Mount Holly go to the polls to decide whether to close the Black River High School. Should that pass, Ludlow and Mount Holly would leave the Two Rivers Supervisory Union and join Mill River, which serves the towns of Wallingford, Shrewsbury, Clarendon and Tinmouth. The…

By Evan Johnson Rochester and Wells both have important votes deciding education plans this week. Should they fail, they’ll need to quickly come up with backup plans quickly that satisfy the state’s requirements. Rochester votes April 11 on a plan to unify with districts in Bethel and Royalton. The plan, called Model 1, calls for…

By Evan Johnson KILLINGTON—This September, the grounds around the Sherburne Memorial Library in Killington will come alive with the characters of beloved children’s classics, including Thumbelina, the Little Mermaid, the Ugly Duckling, Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin and many more. The gathering of these characters is the first of what organizers hope will become an annual festival celebrating…

College of St. Joseph will add eSports to its list of intercollegiate athletic offerings beginning this fall. Since its establishment in the early 2000s, professional and club eSports has been an emerging form of competitive gaming and is a fast-growing phenomenon among colleges around the world. Participating schools compete in a wide-variety of video game…

Following hot on the heels of Vail Resort’s plans to buy Stowe comes another big announcement: Colorado-based Aspen has set its eye on a number of resorts across the United States and Canada. On Monday, Intrawest Resorts Holdings, a North American mountain resort and adventure company, announced that it was entering into an agreement to…

Delays are not expected yet on the 15-mile project from Rutland to Killington RUTLAND—Roadwork activities will begin this week on a roughly 15-mile stretch of Route 4; however, they are not expected to cause delays  quite yet. Road crews will be onsite installing construction signs and clearing any brush or trees in preparation for construction…

Vermont Fish and Wildlife (F&W) announced that 47 anglers have achieved Master Angler status for 2016, including two notable Vermonters who successfully completed a difficult bonus challenge set by the department last year. “2016 marked the seventh year of the Master Angler program, and anglers from near and far continued to impress with their eagerness…

KILLINGTON—The seventh annual Long Trail Century Ride fundraiser to benefit Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports will have more options this year, including a mountain bike component plus a 40-mile road route. Set for Saturday, June 24, the event is expected to raise more than $300,000 for adaptive sports programming, expensive adaptive equipment and scholarships. More…

By Dom Cioffi  Throughout my school days (elementary through college), I rarely stepped foot into a library. Sure, I wandered in whenever I had a book report due or needed to research something, but other than that, I avoided the institution like the plague.  To me, the library represented work, and I was much more…

Sunday, April 16, 8 a.m.—LUDLOW—On Sunday, April 16, Okemo Mountain Resort will celebrate Easter with a sunrise service and an on-mountain egg hunt. The lucky skier or snowboarder who finds a specially marked golden egg in the Easter Egg Hunt, and presents it at the Resort Services Desk, will win a special prize. Hundreds of…