By Jerry LeBlond The Peavine Whitewater Race took place Saturday, May 4, on the White River. The annual downriver paddling event benefits the Ridgeline Outdoor Collective. Above: Justin Reich and Doug Pietrzak finished 18 overall in their tandem canoe. 

By Curt Peterson Jordan Dennis tosses plastic bale wraps into the dumpster.

Tammy Landon gym owner and teacher shares entrepreneurial insights In a unique fusion of academia and athleticism, Tammy Landon, a seasoned gym owner and entrepreneur, extended her knowledge to the classroom Tuesday evening April 30 as she welcomed Vermont State University instructor Chris Coughlin and his entrepreneurship students into her realm of fitness and business…

Staff report Last Tuesday, April 30, three of the four school budgets in Rutland County that failed on Town Meeting Day, failed again upon a revote. Voters in Rutland Town School District, Otter Valley Unified Union School District, and Barstow Unified Union School District again voted down school budgets. The fourth Rutland County district that…

By Curt Peterson Selectman Jim Haff said he was completely surprised by his nomination for the permanent zoning administrator position in Killington on Monday, May 6. Select Board chair Steve Finneron read the Planning Commission’s recommendation for the appointment. “I wasn’t at the Planning Commission meeting when they decided on this recommendation,” Haff said. “So…

Staff report The closure of the Killington Road from its intersection at Route 4 to Anthony Way continues with a detour via West Hill Road. Work last week included more movement of dirt. Although the plan was to begin the installation of the waterline, more ledge than expected at the bottom of the hill was…

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. is again stocking a new strain of rainbow trout and is looking for help from anglers to evaluate its performance. “Vermont stocks about 115,000 rainbow trout annually into inland rivers and lakes to provide recreational fishing opportunities for the public,” said state fisheries biologist Lee Simard, April 30. “We…

It’s not the end of the road for the bill, which seeks to make major changes to the state’s half-century-old land use law By Carly Berlin Editor’s note: This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public. After a flurry of last-minute deliberations, the Vermont…

Tuesday, May 7, the Vermont Senate passed H.289, to modernize the Renewable Energy Standard and set Vermont on a path to delivering 100% renewable electricity across all the state’s utilities by 2035. This would make Vermont only the second state to meet that critical benchmark, and would significantly increase the requirements for Vermont utilities to…

Despite my reputation at the State House as a promoter of our annual March Madness pool and making a couple of announcements about the adjournment pool, I am not a gambler. If you ever saw me in a casino during my former career attending a conference, at best, you may have found me at the…

By Norah White, Community News Service Editor’s note: The Community News Service is a program in which University of Vermont students work with professional editors to provide content for local news outlets at no cost. Lawmakers are weighing a bill to punish repeat shoplifters who otherwise would only face a string of misdemeanors — a move…

Governor Phil Scott and Ernie Boch Jr. today announced, Monday, April 15, the launch of a new grant program aimed at supporting music programs in Vermont schools. The program will be run in coordination with Mr. Boch’s foundation, Music Drives Us (MDU), a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that strives to inspire New England’s musicians of tomorrow by supporting…

By David Bittersdorf Editor’s note: Dave Blittersdorf is the president of All Earth Renewables in Bristol. The Vermont General Assembly — in attempt to move the state to 100% renewable energy — is making changes to how the state’s utilities buy energy. Within the next couple of weeks, the Senate Natural Resources Committee will consider…

Dear Editor, As the Chair of the Burlington School District (BSDVT) School Board, I am fortunate to witness firsthand the profound impact of educational policies on our diverse community. Among these policies, Act 127 stands out as a beacon of progress in our continuous effort to achieve equity and finally address the inequity across Vermont’s…

Dear Editor, The deadly flu virus is not just “for the birds” anymore! The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has just decreed that dairy cows must be tested for the deadly bird flu, which has already killed millions of chickens in the U.S. The unprecedented transmission of the H5N1 virus to cows has…