Courtesy of Chandler Center for the Arts

Saturday, May 14 at 10 a.m. — POULTNEY — Dr. John P. Holdren, President Obama’s advisor on science and technology issues, will be Green Mountain College’s guest speaker at the college’s 179th commencement exercises on Saturday, May 14 at 10 a.m. Holdren is assistant to the president for science and technology and the Senate-confirmed director of the White…

Saturday, May 14 at 12 p.m. — PITTSFORD — Help the Rutland County Humane Society (RCHS) take care of its new arrivals this spring and summer. Last year it took in over 400 kittens and it looks like it will see that many this year, as well. Stop by Saturday, May 14 from 12 to 4 p.m. at the…

Saturday, May 14 at 10 a.m. — WALLINGFORD — On Saturday, May 14 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the Wallingford Community Bike Safety Day will host its 18th annual event at the Wallingford Elementary School. This fun, interactive and collaboratively sponsored event always has something for all ages, from free helmet fitting to an obstacle…

Sunday, May 15 at 1 p.m. — RUTLAND — The Rutland Kiwanis Club, Killington/Pico Cycling Club and the Rutland Recreation & Parks Department will be hosting a free bike safety day for children up to age 13 on Sunday, May 15 from 1 - 4 p.m. at Giorgetti Park. A parent/guardian must accompany the child. There will…

By Jon Margolis, VTDigger.org (Editor’s note: Jon Margolis is VTDigger’s political columnist.) The 2016 session of the Vermont General Assembly did not legalize or decriminalize marijuana. It did not pull the state’s pension fund money out of coal or oil company stocks. It did not establish a commission or an agency or even a part-time…

Saturday, May 14 at 11 a.m. — RUTLAND — On Saturday, May 14 at 11 a.m., Phoenix Books Rutland will host author James Kochalka with an event surrounding his recent book “The Glorkian Warrior and the Mustache of Destiny,” volume 3 of the off-kilter science fiction series for young readers. The event is appropriate for all ages;…

KILLINGTON — On the weekend of June 24-26, 2016, the Summit Lodge in Killington will be hosting the All Killington Reunion Weekend, a.k.a. Okie’s Ain’t Dead Yet Weekend. The weekend kicks off with a meet and greet at the Summit at 5 p.m., or earlier if you happen to be in the neighborhood. There will…

By Jasper Craven, VTDigger.org A New York City police officer accused of selling oxycodone for three years in Vermont pleaded guilty Monday, May 2, to a federal charge of conspiracy to distribute the opiate. Andre Clarke, 37, of the Bronx, a 13-year veteran of the New York Police Department, was arrested last summer and charged…

Draws awareness to BackPack Program to fight hunger RUTLAND—Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) visited the Rutland distribution center of the Vermont Foodbank Sunday, May 3, touring the facility and meeting with volunteers. During the Leahy visit volunteers in Rutland were packing backpacks full of food for area schoolchildren. The work supports the BackPack Program, which sends…

CASTLETON — Saturday, May 7, Castleton hosted the first Commencement ceremony as Castleton University. The celebration was held at 11 a.m. in the Castleton Pavilion and featured guest speaker Captain Richard Phillips. For five days in April 2009, Captain Phillips became the center of an extraordinary international drama when he was captured by Somali pirates…

By Christopher Biddle KILLINGTON — Addressing the root causes of poverty and hunger was the primary focus of the 2016 Hunger Action Conference, organized by the Vermont Food Bank and hosted by the Killington Grand Hotel on Friday, May 6. The conference attracted just under 300 attendees and featured a keynote address by food rights…

By Erin Mansfield, VTDigger.org Proponents of marijuana legalization struck out three times on Tuesday, May 3. The House overwhelmingly defeated a proposal (S.241) from the Senate that would have legalized retail marijuana sales in Vermont by 2018. The House then rejected a proposal to hold a statewide, non-binding referendum on marijuana legalization during the August…

42nd Annual Bridgewater Raft Race held Saturday, May 7, in chilly waters At noon on May 7, the gun went off for the 42nd Annual Bridgewater Raft Race. Participants who were lined up with their homemade rafts, eagerly dashed into the icy waters while spectators cheered on their friends and family. Some rafts were more…

By Mike Faher, VTDigger.org Among the small group waiting to board Amtrak’s southbound Vermonter Friday afternoon, April 29, no one was toting a bicycle. But that changed Sunday, May 1, when Amtrak started a new, carry-on bike service for its train that runs daily between St. Albans and Washington, D.C. It’s a pilot project spurred…