FOREST DALE—Rev. Scott R. Carlson has accepted the pastorate of Living Water Assembly of God in Forest Dale. He will be moving with his his wife and son to Brandon and will begin pastoral duties officially Sunday, Sept. 25 at 10 a.m. The Northern New England District Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Reverend Dennis Marguardt…

RUTLAND—Elisabeth Kulas, the executive director of the Housing Trust of Rutland County, will be recognized Thursday, Sept. 29, for promoting smart growth, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and strong communities through the development of affordable housing. Kulas, of Clarendon, will receive the Arthur Gibb Award for Individual Leadership from the Vermont Natural Resources Council at VNRC’s…

By Dom Cioffi In the waiting room outside the lab where I receive my daily radiation treatments for cancer, hangs a nondescript gold bell about the size of a large grapefruit. It is mounted on the wall via a small wooden plaque with a loose hanging rope attached to it. Above the bell is an…

RUTLAND—The Rutland Garden Club recently accepted the Theresa Brungardt Award at the Vermont Recreation and Parks Conference at Lake Morey Resort, according to a Sept. 23 news release. Rutland Recreation and Parks Department nominated the Rutland Garden Club for the award for its outstanding design and creation of the 22 public gardens throughout Rutland City.…

Changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or the FAFSA, are here. Find out what it means for financial aid plans at a Paying for College workshop, hosted by Vermont Student Assistance Corp. The workshop, which is free and open to the public, will provide parents and students with information on the new…

BETHEL—A unique “do-it-yourself” revitalization project is bringing the community together to create the town they want. During the first weekend in October Main Street will come alive with a new (temporary) bike lane, pop-up shops and a youth center in vacant buildings, a beer garden and live music in empty parking lots, and murals and…

On Sept. 21, Green Mountain Power announced that it has reached an agreement with Enel Green Power North America, Inc. (EGP-NA) to purchase 14 small hydroelectric plants for a total installed capacity of 17 MW. These hydro plants are located in New England and will provide GMP customers with locally-generated, cost-effective energy. In addition, Green…

Student housing awarded tax credits RUTLAND—The Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development awarded Castleton University’s downtown Rutland student housing $170,000 in tax credits on Sept. 22. The second and third floors of the Clement Building now house dorm suites for 40 students. The state split $2.26 million in tax incentives among more than 20…

ARSU sets homework guidelines The Addison-Rutland Supervisory Union has released guidelines for how much homework a grade school or middle school student should be doing at home. The rule of thumb for how much homework a student should do is about 10 minutes per grade level. First graders should perform about 10 minutes of homework;…

WOODSTOCK—Principal Garon Smail, Woodstock Union High School, announced Sept. 22, that Jonas M. Kantola has been named a semifinalist in the 62nd annual National Merit Scholarship program. Approximately 16,000 semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, have been nominated for 2017. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to…

WOODSTOCK—On Monday, Sept. 26, Woodstock Terrace Assisted Living presented local resident James “Mac” McClelland with the annual Woodstock Terrace Assisted Living Senior Service award. The award recognizes an area senior for making a difference in the lives of others through volunteerism. For the past eight years, McClelland has served the patrons of the Norman Williams…

By Michael J. Caduto We like to think that everything in nature has its own particular time and place. But nature is fond of throwing us curves. As a naturalist, a common question I’m asked during foliage season is, “Why are spring peepers calling in my woods at this time of year?” Even ardent students…

What is the best part of fall? Is it the vibrant sylvan sunsets of changing leaves that adorn our hillsides, the crisp nights illuminated by communal bonfire, the cinnamon-spiced prepackaged snack foods falsely claiming to contain the flavor of pumpkin, or the symbolic destruction of youth enacted as sport on the hallowed fluorescent gridirons of…

So I decided to go for it. I re-entered the Spartan Ultra. Why not, right? I was in better shape than I was the year before, I was better trained and better rested. As of two days before the race, my hip and back felt better than they had in a year, my ankle felt…

By Marguerite Jill Dye I’d originally planned to write “Where are my bears?” because I couldn’t understand why the blackberries I left on the bushes for baby, mama, and daddy bear were still there. Then my friend and neighbor Kay said, “Early hunting season.” I panicked. “Not our bears,” I whispered, horrified, having heard a…