By Daniel Schwartz, VTDigger One man is dead and another has been transported to a hospital following a suspected shooting Monday, Jan. 2, on Georgia Mountain Road in Georgia, according to a Vermont State Police press release. Police are investigating what they say appears to be a homicide. Detectives say an initial probe indicates that…

By Tiffany Danitz Pache, VTDigger State officials hope to attract foreign students and boost online enrollments to state colleges. That’s why the Vermont State College trustees used the word “university” to describe the newly merged Lyndon and Johnson state colleges. The new Northern Vermont University will be easier to market overseas, especially to Chinese students,…

RUTLAND—A community collaborative has been recently formed to help strengthen and support substance abuse prevention initiatives in Rutland County. Regional Prevention Partnerships (RPP) of Rutland, in collaboration with the Vermont Department of Health (VDH) and other community partners, want to help shape what substance abuse prevention will look like in Rutland County. Their intent is…

Fair Haven water line upgrade goes forward FAIR HAVEN—In February, the town will finalize contract documents that will result in major improvements to its system of water lines. Among them are the replacement of 5,975 feet of water line with 8-inch diameter PVC pipe and new fire hydrant installation on North Main, Fourth, Mechanic, Maple,…

Are snowplows outgrowing narrow roads? WALLINGFORD—At its Dec. 19 meeting, the Wallingford Select Board heard Road Commissioner Phil Baker’s report on plowing Rogers Farm Road. Road crews stop plowing before coming even with the loop to Stan Taylor’s property because there is no place wide enough for the plow to turn around beyond the pillars.…

By Marguerite Jill Dye I am ready to take angel messages to heart and make a conscious decision to focus on the positive and create more happiness in and around me in 2017. I announced this to a longtime friend who sighed, reached up to heaven in gratitude, and silently mouthed “Hallelujah!” It’s about time,…

By Joe Rankin Back in September, I put out the bird feeder. I try not to do it too early because, well . . . bears. My feathered friends emptied it in hours. A couple of refills later and I decided I couldn’t afford to put out the buffet that early. The weather was warm;…

I don’t know when I got so behind the times but I have a feeling that retirement is the culprit! I am happy in my little world of limited technology but when various items need replacing I am going to have quite the time adjusting. I am the type who tends to replace things only…

As you read this, 2016 is over. 2016 is roaring to a close, taking nearly every talented person with it, Pat Harrington, David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Dan Haggerty, Glen Frey, Abe Vigota, George Gaynes, Tony Burton, George Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, Robert Horton, Joe Santos, Joe Garagiola, Ken Howard, Peter Brown, Garry Shandling, James Noble, Patty…

Hey guys, do you remember the 90s? I sure do: the Pogs, the Beanie Babies, the Reebok Pumps, that Sears commercial where the deadbeat suburban husband finally submits to his wife’s entreaties to order a new air conditioner for their home, vowing to “call now”—and, most of all, the usage of the word “Not!” as…

Cal Garrison (a.k.a Mother of the Skye) writes weekly horoscopes for The Mountain Times. If you would like an emailed notification sent to you weekly, sign up for the newsletter, below. Want to hear more from Mother of the Skye? Check out Mother's Celestial Inspirations for a deeper look into this weeks horoscopes Horoscopes for…

By Kevin O’Connor, VTDigger BRATTLEBORO — If Hollywood ever chooses to turn the back-from-the-brink saga of Vermont’s Robb Family Farm into a feel-good holiday feature, it’ll need to cast actress Brooke Shields. That’s because this true story improbably stars her. Back in 1907, Thomas and Christine Betterley bought a Brattleboro farm a mile and a…

Thursday, Jan. 5 at 8 p.m.—KILLINGTON—The renowned musical act Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime will appear in concert on Thursday, Jan. 5 at the Pickle Barrel Nightclub in Killington.  The show is open to anyone 21 years of age and older. The phenomenon known as Sublime, considered by many music fans to be one of…

Saturday, Jan. 7 at 10 a.m.—WOODSTOCK—The leaves have fallen and identifying the trees in the backyard can be challenging. Learn how to identify trees and shrubs during our Vermont winter, focusing on their twig, bud, needle and bark structure in a Working Woodlands Workshop at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park (MBRNHP) on Saturday, Jan. 7. Learn…

Sunday, Jan. 8 at 3 p.m.—RUTLAND—The ninth season of Passages at the Paramount continues on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 3 p.m. with a new approach between the Paramount and Young Concert Artists, Inc, featuring two young concert artists from its roster: Narek Arutyunian, clarinetist and Yun-Chin Zhou, pianist. Bruce Bouchard, executive director of the Paramount, commented,…