Dear Editor, In response to the article “Vermont State Troopers increasing enforcement over holiday season,” printed in the Nov. 30-Dec. 6 edition: Roadblocks that stop mostly innocent drivers with no warrants and no probable cause to believe that any particular drivers have done anything wrong are a violation of the Fourth Amendment against improper search…

By Guy Page Election Day, Nov. 8, 2016, was bleak for the future of ridgeline wind power in Vermont. The outcome of local, state and national voting signaled a vote of no confidence in the growth of utility-scale wind power in the Green Mountain State. Local voting Iberdrola, developers of the 24 turbine Styles Brook…

By Sen. Dick McCormick Deer season is wrapping up and Thanksgiving with family is a fond memory. The campaign seems like a distant memory, but the election was a mere three weeks ago. On this lazy post-Thanksgiving weekend, I am taking time to reflect. I’m filled with gratitude towards so many people who worked to…

By Rob Roper What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object? Vermonters will find out in January when the new Republican governor officially takes office along with a Legislature that has, if anything, moved a little to the left. During the campaign, governor-elect Scott, often accused by his critics of being non-committal and…

In 1971 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) changed the “amateur status” requirement for Olympic participation to allow athletes who receive sponsorships and endorsement deals to participate, i.e., professional racers could take part. However, it was 1978 before the Ted Stevens Act enabled the adoption of the IOC rule to apply to U.S. Alpine competitors. According…

WEST RUTLAND—Third graders in Mrs. Maxham’s and Mrs. Turgeon’s classrooms at West Rutland School received a very special gift recently: a dictionary. The dictionaries were donated by Rutland South Rotary Club as part of Project Dictionary. Rutland South Rotarians have visited third grade classrooms in eight Rutland County Schools for the past 15 years to…

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is reminding hunters and anglers aged 65 to 68 who want a permanent license, but don’t yet don’t have one, to buy one before midnight on Dec. 31, 2016. Starting Jan. 1, the eligible age will be raised to 70, and that license will be free. A permanent hunting…

RUTLAND – The ribbon was cut by Sean Manovill at the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce in celebration of the opening of Club Fitness in Rutland. Club Fitness offers brand new equipment, top level personal training, classes, a great atmosphere and no contracts. Club Fitness of Vermont focuses on client’s personal growth, physically and emotionally, according…

WINDSOR—Windsor Southeast Supervisory Union recently received $4,044 in grant funds for kitchen equipment to ensure students have greater access to nutritious foods throughout the school day. Schools benefiting from this grant include Albert Bridge School in Brownsville, Hartland Elementary School, Weathersfield School, and Windsor Schools. “We are thrilled to have been chosen as a recipient…

POULTNEY—Seventeen Green Mountain College students and four faculty members spent the fall semester studying the social, economic and environmental dynamics affecting the north country region in Vermont and the Adirondack region of New York. Their culminating project, a comprehensive vision for building sustainable, resilient communities in the region, will be presented on Dec. 13 at…

Special Olympics USA announced Killington as the site of its one and only team training camp, prior to when it will send a 210 member delegation to represent the United States at the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games, being held March 18-25, 2017, in Austria. Included in the U.S. delegation will be three athletes…

RUTLAND—Rutland’s oldest “sleep shop,” Vermont Bedrooms, has joined the city’s rooftop revolution by going solar. Business owners Bill and Rob Beanland worked with SunCommon of Waterbury to install a 73-panel solar array on the roof of their 32-year-old business. Vermont Bedrooms chose solar as a means to cut costs and strengthen their business by generating…

Castleton grads mark career accomplishments CASTLETON—At its fall convocation, Castleton University President David Wolk recognized Vermont State Game Warden Jenna Reed as the school’s Outstanding Young Alumna for 2016. The state’s only female game warden, she graduated in 2010 with a degree in environmental science, then joined the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and completed…

Police recognized for bravery, service, saving lives RUTLAND—The Police Service Award went to Cpl. Damon Nguyen during the Rutland City Department’s third annual awards ceremony Dec. 1. Nguyen had stopped an altercation between a man with a baseball bat and another brandishing a running chainsaw, surrounded by a crowd of about 40 last March. He…

BRIDGEWATER—A 62-year-old Bridgewater resident died from injuries resulting from a three-car accident this past Tuesday, Nov. 29. Vermont State Police were notified of the crash on Route 4 in Bridgewater near Pearson Road. At the time of the crash there was freezing rain and the road surface was partially covered in ice. Bridgewater resident Susan…