Kicks off 2017-17 winter season with community “food raiser” KILLINGTON—On Saturday, Dec. 10, Pico Mountain will open for the 2016-17 winter season with its fourth annual opening day Food Raiser, a special promotion providing discounted lift tickets in exchange for donations of food for low-income Vermonters. To ensure donations make it to community members in…

WOODSTOCK – Pentangle Arts is preparing for the upcoming holiday season with a festive lineup of entertainment for Wassail Weekend. The highlight of the weekend is the 32nd annual equestrian parade on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 2 p.m., coordinated by High Horses Therapeutic Riding Program and the Woodstock Area Chamber of Commerce. The best location…

By Andrea Weymouth KILLINGTON—On Saturday, Dec. 3, Teddy Arbo’s annual Holiday Toy Party celebrated 30 years. The Foundry was alive and filled with holiday spirit as people were eager to bid on the next possible auction items that were so generously donated by multitudes of local Killington businesses and people of the community. Close to $30,000…

RUTLAND — Gail Johnson announced her intention to run for a seat on the Rutland City Board of Aldermen in a news release Dec. 1. Johnson is currently active in community projects including the revitalization of a large Rutland neighborhood. The election is slated for March 7, 2017. Johnson said her priorities are to lower…

By Karen D. Lorentz It can cost a million dollars or more to host a World Cup ski event, with the total expense varying by the number of events and competitors as well as any extra expenses (i.e., not required under FIS World Cup rules) that a host resort takes on. A host resort like…

By Adam Federman, VTDigger.org RUTLAND — The head of the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program said refugees, including some from Syria, could start arriving in Rutland soon after Christmas. Executive Director Amila Merdzanovic told service providers that the program expects to get confirmation of the first cases any day now. Rutland is set to take in…

By Evan Johnson KILLINGTON—Sam Budusky was standing at the merchandise booth at the recent Audi FIS World Cup on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 27, when Mikaela Shiffrin crossed the finish line to clinch first place. He looked up from where he was standing and saw a crowd of what he estimated to be 5,000 people erupt…

By Evan Johnson The various town departments of Killington are hammering out the details of budgets for fiscal year 2018. At the Nov. 29 Select Board meeting, heads of the roads and maintenance, police, fire, events and marketing departments presented budgets for the coming year, along with the town office, including the clerk, treasurer and…

College of St. Joseph hosted a Conversation on Middle Eastern Culture on Nov. 28, where four panelists, including three former residents of various Middle Eastern countries, discussed a range of topics from religion, clothing, language and more. The Rev. Bruce Bishop, a faculty member at College of St. Joseph, discussed the influence of mainstream Islam…

Vermont Foodbank and Uber Vermont today announced the launch of a giving season partnership to help the Vermont Foodbank raise money and provide meals for children and families throughout the Green Mountain State. Each year, the Vermont Foodbank distributes over 12 million pounds of food to thousands of children and families. During this season of…

On Dec. 1, Gov. Peter Shumlin applauded approval of Vermont’s new rules placing the strictest limits in America on the number of powerful, addictive painkillers that can be dispensed by medical professionals. “In 2015, enough painkillers were handed out in Vermont to give every man, woman, and child a bottle of 100 pills,” Gov. Shumlin said. “That needs…

Commissioner of Taxes releases FY2018 Education Yield The commissioner of taxes has released her forecast related to education tax yields and rate for the upcoming fiscal year, FY2018. The statutorily required forecasts are a joint effort between the Agency of Education, Department of Taxes, Department of Finance and Management, and Joint Fiscal Office. This year’s…

On Nov. 21, Gov. Peter Shumlin highlighted the success of an energy loan program that helps Vermonters retrofit their homes, reduce fossil fuel consumption, and save money. The governor pointed to the program as an example of what is to come under a new law set to go into effect in January that will expand such energy…

By Stephen Seitz KILLINGTON—Though a Rutland County jury awarded Nadine Price $750,000 in damages in her lawsuit against Killington Mountain Resort last week, there are still a few loose ends. Price herself was not available for comment, but both her attorney and longtime partner used the same word to describe how she felt: “Vindicated.” “The…

Dear Editor, Many people that I have been talking to in the past two weeks have been expressing feelings of isolation, grief, and deep anxiety. Some feel unable to get back to everyday life as they have normally lived it. Well, friends, I’m sorry to tell you that you can’t get back to that everyday…