By Brett Yates [Verse 1] In the time of bloated budgets, I got real wonky, Made PowerPoints in vain, became a fiscal junkie. With the widow’s peak, the airbrushed headshots, Wisconsinites voted for the beefcake hotshot. Kill the entitlements and put it in neutral; Stock market’s gaining with the White House under our control. Body…

From April 6 to April 10, 2017, The Rutland County Sheriff’s Department and other local Departments will be out in force looking for distracted drivers as part of the U Drive. U Text. U Pay. campaign, a high-visibility effort to enforce distracted-driving laws. “Everyone knows texting and driving is illegal and dangerous, and everyone knows…

The Department of Financial Regulation (DFR) has received several reports of callers claiming to be conducting surveys on behalf of DFR’s insurance and banking divisions. Commissioner Michael S. Pieciak wants to stress DFR is not involved in these surveys. DFR does not believe personal client information has been requested. Callers have targeted insurance agencies around…

CU president search begins CASTLETON—As the process of choosing Castleton University president Dave Wolk’s successor begins, Vermont State Colleges Chancellor Jeb Spaulding and board of trustees members hosted a March 28 forum to get community feedback on the process. They discussed whether the search should be internal or external, and whether the candidate should have…

Local donations, promotions, awards William Notte has been promoted to manager of Phoenix Books, Rutland. Kinney Motors officials presented a $15,497 unrestricted donation to the Rutland County Boys & Girls Club, March 28. Probably, the gift will be used for meals that the club provides. The National NeighborWorks Association has given NeighborWorks of Western Vermont…

One of the great wildlife migrations is about to happen right now in Vermont, right at our feet. You may start to hear the spring peepers or wood frogs calling in your backyard. Or perhaps you’ll notice salamanders crawling over rocks in a nearby stream. Amphibians will soon be on the move, but their spring…

Saturday, April 8, 10 a.m.—RUTLAND—College of St. Joseph is hosting its annual community Easter Egg Hunt Saturday, April 8, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Children 10 years and younger are welcome to come and enjoy the search, with adult supervision. Children will search for eggs in two age groups—ages 1-5 and ages 6-10. A container to collect eggs will be provided. The event will…

Saturday, April 8, 9 a.m.—WEST PAWLET—On April 8, the West Pawlet Fire Department Ladies’ Auxiliary will hold its annual Spring Market at the West Pawlet Fire House, 2806 VT Rte. 153 (Main Street), West Pawlet, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Be early if you want Auxiliary member Ellie Park’s famous rolls, cookies, cakes and pies. They disappear quickly. The Easter food…

In Vermont, the Care Alliance for Opioid Addiction’s “hub and spoke” model helps connect Vermonters struggling with addiction access treatment at one of five “hubs” and nine locations throughout the state. Last week, the Addiction Policy Forum recognized the Care Alliance for Opioid Addiction’s “hub and spoke” model for weaving together existing infrastructure already dispensing…

The Vermont Spay Neuter Incentive Program, “VSNIP,” is a low-cost spay neuter program for those who qualify for a state-funded social assistance program. The fact is that one cat and all her offspring, in seven years, has the potential to multiply to 420,000 offspring and dogs to 62,000! Euthanasia is no longer the solution to…

RUTLAND—The Daughters of the American Revolution, Ann Story Chapter, recently presented its annual Good Citizen Awards to seven Rutland area high school seniors and its annual American History Essay Contest award to three 5th, 6th, and 8th grade students. These awards were presented at a ceremony at the Baxter’s Restaurant at the Rutland Country Club…

By Cal Garrison, a.k.a. Mother of the Skye This week’s Horoscopes are coming out under the light of a Cancer Moon, with aspects and changes that make me wonder if I have any business trying to make sense of it all. Venus just moved backwards, over the Aries Point. In the late degrees of Pisces,…

By Dom Cioffi Nearly 35 years ago, on the day after I received my driver’s license, I drove to my girlfriend’s house and parked out front. After hanging around inside for a couple hours, I returned to my car and found a ticket slid between the wiper blade and my windshield. When I read the…

Dear Editor, Last weekend, the UN came to the Saturday Winters Farmers Market in Rutland. Actually, the Vermont Farmers Food Center (VFFC) hosted the “Grace Initiative” also called “Initiative for Governance, Reconciliation and Coexistence,” a nonprofit founded by Yvonne Lodico of Manchester. Governance, reconciliation and coexistence are interdependent and sustain each component for inclusive and…

Dear Editor, I am a full-time resident of Rochester and would like to continue living here. A decade ago, nobody in town believed we would lose our high school, but the issue was raised due to the decline in the number of students and now it’s inevitable. This upcoming merger would, realistically, put us at…