By Karrie Etzler For many people around the world, Feb. 9 is just another ordinary day. But  for Vermonters, it’s a day etched in immense state pride. Thanks to the innovative Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley, whose discoveries in photomicrography, gave the world its first view of snowflakes in all their intricate beauty. Bentley was born in…

LUDLOW—The Ludlow Rotary has been providing scholarships to area students for more than 35 years. For 2017, the Ludlow Rotary has increased its scholarship funding from internal sources by 50 percent, or $3,000. At a minimum, the Ludlow Rotary expects to award the following scholarships in 2017 to students pursuing further education: $2,000 Daniel E.…

RUTLAND—High school seniors planning to attend college in visual arts can lower college tuition costs by applying for a 2017 Courcelle Scholarship offered by PEGTV. Two Rutland County high school seniors who exhibit a high level of proficiency and interest in visual arts and intend to pursue postsecondary education have the opportunity to win a…

Seeks public approval By Julia Purdy CHITTENDEN—On Jan. 18, 2017, the Chittenden Select Board held a special meeting to discuss the potential purchase of a sizeable piece of Chittenden by the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF). About 17 people attended, in addition to the entire Select Board, three planning commissioners and representatives of the Green…

If you live in the Killington region, you have probably heard of the awesome musician I interviewed this week. If you’re not, get to know him here. Either way, you should head to the Pickle Barrel this Thursday night, Feb. 9 and see Bow Thayer rock out with his modern mountain music band. It’s influenced…

Mendon resident Tracey Fowler has started a Valentine’s Day card contest to support a rescue clinic for special needs animals in Idaho where she got “Heath,” a stray pup who had been hit by a car and paralyzed in Tijuana, Mexico. Fowler is asking folks to sent a Valentine’s Day card with $1 (or whatever…

RUTLAND—A Rutland area robotics team will be headed to St. Louis, Mo., in April to compete in the FIRST® World Championships. FIRST sponsors robotics and technical competitions for students at all levels. The Robo-Rattlers compete at the FLL level, where students aged 9 through 12 design, build and program a LEGO robot to complete missions…

By Karen D. Lorentz For two weeks now rumors have been flying that Vail Resorts might be buying Stowe Mountain Resort. Those rumors were based on reports of CEO Rob Katz being seen at the mountain two weekends ago. Stowe This past December, the Mountain Times reported that retired Steamboat President Chris Diamond (now a…

By Lee J. Kahrs BRANDON — The Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union has no intention of retooling its school budgets or waiting until a May date to have voters weigh in, despite what Gov. Phil Scott outlined in his budget address. In it, Scott outlined a plan to take money out of the state education fund…

By Stephen Seitz and Evan Johnson Area voters seem happy with their town governments this year. Most races around the region remain uncontested, and there are few articles beyond the normal. In Killington, former Selectman Jim Haff is challenging incumbent Selectman Ken Lee for a three-year term. There is a petition article to change tax…

Rutland refugee resettlement future is uncertain By Adam Federman, VTDigger A federal court ruling in Washington state on Friday, Feb. 3, rescinded nearly all of the provisions of the Trump administration’s executive order on immigration, including the suspension of refugee resettlement. Anyone with a valid unexpired visa can now enter the country, and agencies that…

By Evan Johnson Citing his efforts to rejuvenate and grow the city he calls home, Rutland Mayor Christopher Louras formally kicked off his reelection bid on Monday evening with a call to Rutland residents to elect him for a sixth two-year term . Speaking to a packed audience in the The Bakery, Louras stood on…

By Erin Mansfield, VTDigger Ten members of the Vermont House have introduced a bill intended to get to the root of why people take their own lives. H.184 would require the Department of Mental Health to issue a report to the Legislature every year describing why suicides happen and recommending ways to prevent them. Under…

By Mike Polhamus, VTDiggger Plastic bags are sometimes said to last forever, but they might not last much longer in Vermont after legislators last week introduced a bill to ban single-use carryout bags. The bill, H.105, is one of two intended to curb the use of disposable plastic bags. Another, H.88, would impose a 10-cent…

Friday, Feb. 10—RUTLAND—On Friday, Feb. 10, the Castleton women’s ice hockey team and its fans will trade traditional Spartan green apparel for pink to raise awareness and funds for the creast care program at Rutland Regional Medical Center. The game begins at 7 p.m. “The Castleton University women’s ice hockey team is pleased to help…