By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger Democratic candidates Ryan Palmer and Thomas Battista are vying to oust longtime incumbent Michael Chamberlain, a Republican who was first elected sheriff in 1978, and has been sheriff continuously since 1998. The Aug. 9 primary pits the insider, Battista — a deputy in the department for nearly 20 years  — against Palmer, a…

By Liz DiMarco Weinmann When Hurricane Irene ravaged large swaths of our region more than 10 years ago, national and local media alike praised Vermonters’ courage, hardiness, and community spirit. Even the New York Times ran a justifiably joyful feature, about a group of parents who discovered a half-mile-long path through the forest and ultimately…

For the last several years, I have grown increasingly attached to podcasts as my main source of information. I’ve found that long-form discussions lead to a better and more accurate understanding of both people and ideas. A three-minute soundbite from a talking head during a nightly newscast or a 30-second YouTube or Tik-Tok video can…

Saturday, July 2 at 7 p.m. — KILLINGTON — Now in its 40th Season of presenting fine chamber music the Killington Music Festival takes much pride, pleasure and excitement in announcing music is again live on the mountain and its concert schedule for 2022. On Saturday evenings from July 2-23 the internationally acclaimed musicians of…

By Curt Peterson Killington is hoping to hire a paid fire chief for the first time in the organization’s history. The salaried position was advertised in the Mountain Times on June 15 and 22. Gary Roth, who has been a volunteer fire chief for 10 years, said he thinks the town's owning and managing the…

Tuesday, July 5 — FAIR HAVEN — Beginning in July, Fair Haven Free Library invites everyone to dive in, join in, and make a splash about reading all summer long. There will be celebrity story tellers, magic, reading challenges, book club discussions, music and much more! The first story-time is Tuesday, July 5 with the…

Jim Harrison of Chittenden announced his candidacy for a new term as state representative for the new Rutland-11 district (Chittenden, Killington, Mendon and Pittsfield). He was first appointed to the Legislature in 2017 by Governor Phil Scott and was elected to new terms in 2018 and 2020. Harrison is a member of the House Appropriations…

July 2 - 4 — BROWNSVILLE —“Our hills are alive!” is the theme of the 2022 Brownsville Independence Day Celebrations on July 2, 3 and 4. Kick off the Independence Day weekend on Saturday, July 2 at 1 p.m. at Ascutney Outdoors when you can enjoy the Weston Playhouse production of “Shrek.” Tickets are free…

By Jacob Knipes It will be a quick end for Devon Neary’s time as a Rutland City Alderman, and a new beginning for his time with the Rutland Region Planning Commission. In a press release on June 21, the RRPC announced that Neary would become its next executive director and step away from the Board…

We recently had some work done on our car and one of the staff members said that he had tried to reach me but the call “didn’t go anywhere!" I asked if he had dialed 802 before our landline number and he said he did. The only logical explanation for a call that “didn’t go…

The hottest team in the league, First Stop, stayed hot and undefeated with a 17-4 mercy win over Sushi Yoshi. Sushi started the game by going down 1-2-3 but First Stop’s first 4 batters scored to take a 4-0 lead. They had a chance for a lot more but team captain and pitcher Johnny Sharpe…

Open house scheduled at new Public Safety Building, July 2 By Katy Savage It was 3:30 a.m. in February when Dave Coppock got a tone from Vermont State Police. A snowboarder was lost in the backcountry of Killington Resort by himself. The 45-year-old snowboarder had been missing since the day before. It was 15 degrees…

By Paul Manganiello Editor’s note: Paul Manganiello, M.D., is emeritus professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, co-medical director of the Good Neighbor Health Clinic in White River Junction, and president of the GunSenseVT Education Fund. He lives in Norwich. I graduated from medical school in 1973, the same year Roe…

Dear Editor, In spite of current cost of gasoline, there seems to be, and I have noticed, as many cars on the road today, as ever. There are places that people need to be: work, shopping destinations, restaurants, meet-ups with friends and so on. Traveling today for any purpose is more costly and many are…

Dear Editor, On June 8, the Moosalamoo Association and Vermont Hut Association hosted an informational meeting in Brandon to give people a chance to ask questions and express opinions about a proposed backcountry hut proposed for the Silver Lake Campground area. In brief, it would be a 1.5-story backcountry primitive hut that will accommodate up…