By Robbie Maher In the midst of the Trump administration, the rights of a free press are questioned daily in tweets and from the podium in the White House briefing room. Concern about First Amendment rights is nothing new inside the less-than-democratic halls of public high schools. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled multiple times…

Dear Editor, Hi, Jonas here from KES, and I love Trailblazers. I only moved up here this year, and one of my favorite things about this new school is Trailblazers. And no, it’s not just because we get out of school early. It’s riding Killington with my friends, having fun, riding all of the mountain…

Dear Editor, Last week, the Republicans in Washington revealed their plans for replacing the Affordable Care Act. Unsurprisingly, their plan would hurt poor and working-class people and women while creating billions of dollars of new tax giveaways to corporations and the wealthy. Simply defending the Affordable Care Act (popularly known as “Obamacare”) is not enough.…

Dear Editor, In light of the so-called travel ban being effective the day before St. Patrick’s Day, I offer a perspective on the executive order: “Céad míle fáilte,” Irish for “a hundred thousand welcomes.” Irish immigrants who left home in the 19th century to find work and build a life in America were allowed to…

Dear Editor, In his recent commentary in the Mountain Times, “Something to Write Home About,” Windsor County state senator Dick McCormack opines about “respecting the education fund.” He claims that he would never  raid the education fund for other purposes, due to his strong support for Act 60. Contrary to his present-day promise, McCormack fully supported…

Dear Editor, Much has changed as I attended the town and school informational meetings for my 47th year as a resident of Killington. In the olden days years ago hundreds of residents took the day off to review the reports and future of our town. I can remember Oren Bates who owned a lot of…

By Alan J. Keays, VTDigger POULTNEY — Police say as they searched for several days for a missing Fair Haven woman, Wayne Oddo knew where she was and never said a word. Oddo, 53, has not been charged in the death of Alexandra Rooker, 26, though he is being questioned in her disappearance. Federal prosecutors,…

By Alan J. Keays, VTDigger A Mount Tabor woman facing a murder charge listened Tuesday, March 14, to a 911 recording in which she told police her husband shot himself. Prosecutors contend the call was a ruse, to cover up her shooting of David Shores. “911, where is your emergency?” the dispatcher asked Peggy Shores.…

KILLINGTON — Police say a Massachusetts man died from injuries sustained in a one-car crash that occurred Saturay, March 18 in Killington.  According to a press release from the Vermont State Police, Stephen Driscoll, age 25 of Bedford, N.H. and Alejandro Phoenix, age 30 of Rockland, Mass., were driving on Tanglewood Drive in Killington on…

By Joe Lauria WOODSTOCK—Eighteen home cooks gathered at The Apple Hill Inn on Feb. 27 to watch Lyda Lemire demonstrate her culinary talent. Lemire is the new executive chef at Prince & The Pauper Restaurant and was the first of two professional chefs to participate in The Learning Lab’s annual winter culinary class. Lemire has…

Fair Haven Select Board holds special, short emergency meeting FAIR HAVEN—Fair Haven’s Select Board had planned an evening meeting for Tuesday, March 14, but thought it would be wiser to hold an emergency meeting at noon to conduct a partial reorganization. Town Manager Herb Durfee posted notice of the meeting on the town webpage and…

Loyalty Day looks for parade entrants Planning for the May 7 Loyalty Day parade is underway, and Ron Fairbanks is looking for entries. The parade is the first Sunday in May to express their patriotism and honor the men and women who have served their country. Begun in 1956 during the Cold War as a…

Last week the Vermont State Colleges inducted its second alumni Hall of Fame class and raised thousands of dollars for student scholarships at its annual VSC Hall of Fame ceremony. Darren Perron was honored as the second Castleton alumnus inducted into the VSC Hall of Fame. Darren Perron, who grew up in Barton, graduated from…

It is with a heavy heart that the board of directors of the Rutland County Humane Society announces that their executive director, Gretchen Goodman, will be retiring at the end of 2017. Goodman has served in the position of director for 13 years. The agency will be starting a search for her replacement in the…

It’s no secret that Vermonters love snowmobiling, but did you know that more than 2,400 miles of VAST (Vermont Association of Snow Travelers) Trails cross Vermont farmland? That’s more than half of all the VAST trails, statewide. “Without farmers, the VAST trail system as we know it would not exist,” according to Matt Tetreault, VAST’s…