By Erin Mansfield, VTDigger Four towns in the Upper Valley of Vermont are opposing a Utah man’s plan to build a giant development that could eventually hold 1 million people right in their backyards. Residents voted Tuesday, March 8, by Australian ballot in Royalton (123 to 16), Sharon (100 to 16) and Tunbridge (165 to 4)…

Ski resorts and snowsport enthusiasts rejoice By Evan Johnson Winter storm Stella came down hard on the northeast dumping up to two feet of snow by early Wednesday. The fast-moving storm caused thousands of flights across the northeast to be canceled and closed schools. The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for all of…

By Evan Johnson  On Town Meeting Day last week, voters in Rutland County passed successful merger votes for the Addison Rutland district, while voting down mergers in Rutland Central and Rutland Southwest. Of the 10 school district merger votes around the state, six were approved. SU04 Addison Rutland Four of six towns will form a…

Four of six towns in WCSU pass Act 46 school board unification By Polly Lynn Mikula On Tuesday, March 7, six towns in the Windsor Central Supervisory Union voted on the proposed Act 46 school district merger. Killington,Woodstock, Bridgewater and Pomfret passed the measure to form a union school district, while Barnard, Reading, defeated it.…

By Tiffany Danit Pache, VTDigger Gov. Phil Scott asked voters to reject increases in school spending on Town Meeting Day, but only 18 out of 209 budgets failed — fewer than half the number that were struck down in 2014 when calls for tax relief hit a fever pitch. Scott voted against the school budget…

By Tiffany Danitz Pache, VTDigger Out of the 10 school district mergers put to voters on Town Meeting Day, three were completely successful, including a large all-school choice district in the Northeast Kingdom, while four unification votes failed. Three others will create modified unified unions, or larger consolidated districts with fewer members than the potential…

Friday, March 17, 7:30 p.m.—SOUTH POMFRET—ArtisTree Community Arts Center welcomes Pete’s Posse for a St. Patrick’s concert, Friday, March 17, 7:30 p.m. Join Vermont’s own multi-generational folk power trio, Pete’s Posse, for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration to be remembered! The concert will take the audience on a musical journey along the Celtic roots that run…

Saturday, March 18, 8 p.m.—RUTLAND—Making a return to the Paramount Theatre right on time for the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day is the Irish Comedy Tour, Saturday, March 18, 8 p.m. The Irish Comedy Tour takes the party atmosphere of a Dublin pub and combines it with a boisterous, belly-laugh band of hooligans. The clover—make…

Sunday, March 19, 3 p.m.—WEST RUTLAND—The eighth annual West Rutland Variety Show will showcase local talent to raise money for the Rutland County Women’s Network and Shelter Sunday, March 19, a variety of local talent, featuring members of the West Rutland and Rutland communities and beyond, will be performing music, comedy, and dance at West…

Sunday, March 19, 1 p.m.–MIDDLETOWN SPRINGS—Remarkable silent auction offers, local artists and craftspersons, merchants and professionals highlight the 29th annual Maple Festival of the Middletown Springs Historical Society Sunday, March 19, 1-4 p.m. The event will feature a demo of early maple sugar making in a cast iron kettle over an open fire. Local sugar…

Friday & Saturday March 17-18—KILLINGTON—O’Dwyer’s Public House at the Summit Lodge in Killington  will host the first annual Killington Irish Festival (Saint Patrick’s Day Weekend), March 17-18. The Festival kicks off Friday, March 17 at 3 p.m. (and again Saturday, March 18, 10 a.m.) in the Green Mountain Room of Summit Lodge, which will be…

Students, teachers, parents and community members will roll up their sleeves to create art this spring. A new project called th!NK​ is a collaboration between all the schools in the Rutland Northeast School District and the Compass Music and Arts Foundation in Brandon. The concept is to create a large collaborative drawing by engaging the…

Saturday, March 18, 10 a.m.—KILLINGTON—Students in search of a unique hospitality and resort education experience in the heart of the outdoors, look no further: Green Mountain College’s Killington School of Resort Management (KSRM) invites prospective students and their families to attend an open house at the school Saturday, March 18 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. for…

Saturday, March 18, 7 p.m.—GRANVILLE, N.Y.—The Slate Valley Museum is excited to again host popular celt band Gypsy Reel Saturday, March 18, 7-9 p.m. The night following St. Patrick’s Day the band will be playing Irish classics and their own mix of modern celtic flare. Gypsy Reel plays high energy stirring music rooted in the Celtic tradition but garnered from…

Saturday, March 18, 8:30 a.m.—NORTH SPRINGFIELD—The travel industry saw close to one billion international travelers in the first nine months of 2016 according to the World Tourism Organization—that’s 34 million more than the same period the prior year—and the U.S. Postal Service is ready to prepare travelers for such future excursions. To make it easier…