By Julia Purdy After the Gospel, Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is probably the best known story of Christmas in the English language. Since 1900, the entertainment industry alone has produced at least 50 versions for film and TV. We enjoy the “Carol” for its feel-good message and cornucopia of special effects, as Dickens himself…

Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 8 p.m.—KILLINGTON—On Wednesday, Dec. 28, Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience will appear in concert at the Pickle Barrel Nightclub in Killington. The show is open to anyone 21 years of age and older. Billed as “an unrivaled celebration of pop music’s one true king,” this group’s power-packed performance of…

‘Tis the season for ice skating! Local arenas have open ice times available to the general public. In Rutland, Giorgetti Arena has a warming room with concessions, skate rentals and sharpening. It is located at 2 Oak Street Extension (rutlandrec.com). Or, Castleton University’s Spartan Arena, located just behind the Diamond Run Mall off Route 7…

Baking cookies is a holiday tradition for many families. Come the holiday season, many homes are filled with the inviting scents of vanilla, cinnamon and melting chocolate. Baking cookies can be a social occasion in which family members and friends gather to create recipes passed down through generations. Or baking can be a solitary venture…

As holiday shopping season kicks into high gear, retailers who use apps and mobile responsive websites to reach more customers may benefit by making a concerted effort to reach older shoppers. According to Nielsen’s Mobile Measurement, 26 percent of the more than 100 million mobile shoppers are 55 and older, while an additional 40 percent…

Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 11 a.m.—RUTLAND—Julie Redington for Rutland Area Food and Farm Link’s “Everyday Chef” program presents a workshop, Festive Salads and No-Bake Cookies, on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Redington will hold an all-ages workshop for families to prepare a fun, kid friendly, festive salad with all kinds of yummy ingredients. Participants…

Saturday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m.—RUTLAND—The premiere grown-ups playdate to benefit the Wonderfeet Kids’ Museum will take place on Saturday, Jan. 14, 7-11 p.m. hosted by Stonehedge Indoor Golf. This event is a 21-and-over party for all the grown-ups that just want to play. The cost for the event is $40 per person which includes…

New curlers welcome WOODSTOCK—The Upper Valley Curling Club will resume play in two locations this January after taking a short holiday break. On Saturday evenings at 6 p.m. beginning Jan. 7 club members will play at the Barwood Arena in Hartford, and on Sunday evenings at 7 p.m. beginning Jan. 8 they will play at…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1DsYDIbuhY Killington Resort's Rails 2 Riches just keeps building momentum. Every year the set up gets larger and the crowds bigger. Take a look at this year's Rails 2 Riches recap.

PROCTOR—The Lady Phantoms of Proctor High School presented Woman to Woman (W2W) with a check for $1,001 from their fundraising event — the Lady Phantoms vs. Cancer soccer games. Ladies from W2W had the opportunity to meet and thank these young women on the soccer field and again at their school where they presented them in…

By Adam Federman, VTDigger RUTLAND — A $30,000 grant will help explore the feasibility of building a 128-room hotel, conference center and pedestrian shopping plaza along the Evelyn Street corridor in downtown Rutland. The Rutland Redevelopment Authority will use the money from the Vermont Community Development Program to hire a consulting engineer to assess the…

First time the Special Olympics USA training camp has been held in Vermont By Evan Johnson It’s not every day that you get to meet an Olympic medalist, but on Tuesday, Dec. 13, that’s what happened to 20-year-old Jeremy Beckham. While at a training camp at Killington Resort for the upcoming 2017 Special Olympic games…

By Evan Johnson and Lani Duke RUTLAND—Dogs in the Rutland area will have two spaces all their own to sniff, play and romp in this spring. A new nonprofit comprised of Rutland residents plans to open two parks. One will be adjacent to the West Rutland Rec. Center on two acres by the soccer field…

By Gaen Murphree If you heard a loon’s wild cry, were lucky enough to spot a bald eagle nest or watched a peregrine falcon on the wing this past summer, you shared in the continued resurgence of three of the state’s most charismatic winged species. Bald eagles, peregrine falcons and common loons — once endangered…

By Adam Federman, VTDigger.org RUTLAND — The Rutland teachers’ union says school administrators retaliated against employees and discouraged union activity after failing to adequately address numerous incidents of “student-on-staff violence.” A complaint filed Wednesday, Dec. 7, with the state’s Labor Relations Board alleges that Rutland City Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Robert Bliss blamed staff for…