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…

Thursday, April 13, 1 p.m.—WEST PAWLET—On Thursday, April 13, the Mettawee Community School’s sixth-graders will present “Dig It!, A Musical Tale of Ancient Civilizations” written by John Jacobson and Roger Emerson. There will be two performances: 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. The community-at-large is invited to these free, handicapped accessible presentations. Through “Dig It!” the…

Friday, April 14, 7 p.m.—CASTLETON—“The Opulence of Integrity” is a theatrical, multimedia ensemble work inspired by the public life and inner searching of boxing’s outspoken superstar, Muhammad Ali. Inspired by Ali’s career as a boxer and life as a social activist, public martyr, and human being, choreographer Christal Brown deploys her eclectic movement vernacular to illustrate the…

Friday, April 14, 7:30 p.m.—RANDOLPH—Join Chandler Friday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. to experience a captivating evening of music with Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn, as they weave together the styles of gospel, chamber, blues music, and Appalachian murder ballads. Both musicians are innovators as banjo players and composers in their own eclectic avenues. Béla…

Tuesday, April 18, 7 p.m.—CASTLETON—Castleton Arts and the Castleton University Soundings program are thrilled to present the Vermont premiere of a truly remarkable collaboration featuring acclaimed British actor Julian Sands in “A Celebration of Harold Pinter” directed by John Malkovich. Billed as an “evening of Homeric theater with an extraordinary actor,” this unique production has…