Courtesy of  Rob Kovalesky

Photos Courtesy of Robin Alberti By Clara J. Shortle Sugaring in the fourth grade is a lot of work, but it is also lots of fun. I know this because I am one of these fourth graders at Killington Elementary School. The process is complicated, but I will try to explain it in the words…

Killington’s annual Bachelor Auction Sunday, March 20, raised over $12,000 for Vermont Adaptive, according to The Foundry’s preliminary estimate for the night. The dozen bachelors each came with prize packages ranging in value from $350-$1,200. Most winning bids were well over their stated value.

CCV student from Shrewsbury selected for NASA program RUTLAND—Community College of Vermont’s Dale Kenyon, a non-traditional female student, will travel to NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., in May to participate in the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars project (NCAS). Kenyon, of Shrewsbury, will be one of 216 community college students from across the…

By Michael Bielawski, Vermont Watchdog Representatives and concerned citizens gathered at the State House on Thursday, March 17, to study the continued impact of Act 46 on school choice in Vermont. The legislation was pitched last year largely on the notion that Vermont’s school choice would be left undisturbed. However, as non-operating choice districts begin…

By Anne Galloway, VTDigger.org State revenues were up by a whopping $16.34 million in February, despite sagging ski resort attendance due to unseasonably warm weather. Justin Johnson, the secretary of the Agency of Administration, said personal income was higher last month because of lower than anticipated income tax refunds “due to concerns over taxpayer fraud.”…

By Polly Lynn RUTLAND — After 21 years as CEO of the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce, Tom Donahue (a.k.a. “Mr. Rutland”) will leave to become the new CEO of BROC – Community Action in Southwestern Vermont. Donahue made the announcement Thursday, March 17, after informing the Chamber board of directors on Wednesday that he…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger.org After nearly three months of work, the House Appropriations Committee voted out a budget bill for fiscal year 2017 Monday, March 21. The committee passed the package on a vote of 10 to 1. Rep. Marty Feltus, R-Lyndonville, the lone dissenter, said, “We each look at it the way we think is…

CASTLETON — On Saturday, March 19 at 4:16 a.m. Castleton Police Department was dispatched to a one-car motor vehicle accident on Drake Road in the town of Castleton. When they arrived on the scene at 4:24 a.m. Castleton Fire Department and First Response determined that there were three occupants inside, and all three were pronounced deceased…

By Gov. Peter Shumlin Last month, the Vermont Senate passed a bill to end the failed War on Drugs policy of marijuana prohibition in Vermont. This was a big step forward for our state. Bringing marijuana out of the shadows of prohibition is a smarter approach to regulating a substance that over 80,000 Vermonters admit…

By Wendy Reese Teaching yoga for 15 years, I’ve come to know that yoga improves balance, strength, flexibility and the ability to surrender. Unknowingly, I became a student of yoga from a most unlikely teacher when I volunteered for a nine-month appointment on our Select Board. Our board consisted of a newly elected selectman and…

By Don Turner The Fiscal Year 2016 Appropriations Act promised that the state legislature would embark on a “multiyear process to align state spending” in order to balance overall revenues and expenditures. By delineating comprehensive measures, the budget bill aimed to correct the ever-growing spending problem in Montpelier. These steps included reducing the reliance on…

Dear Editor, A new Vermont law extending paid time off benefits to tens of thousands of workers is good for the state’s economy and will result in a healthier and more stable workforce. Governor Peter Shumlin signed H.187, an act relating to the absence from work for health care and safety, into law Wednesday morning,…

Dear Editor, On behalf of the staff, volunteers and board of directors of the Rutland Area Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice (RAVNAH), I would like to thank the city, towns, and residents of Rutland County for your strong and heartfelt support of our comprehensive home care, hospice and community health services. Thanks to your vote…

Dear Editor, It is with heartfelt appreciation that the members of the Board of Directors and the staff of the Southwestern Vermont Council on Aging thank voters of Rutland and Bennington Counties for your continued funding of our work serving elders and their caretakers. Thanks to your financial assistance, we are able to provide such…