Photo by Tiffany Danitz Pache/VTDigger Nicole Mace, executive director of the Vermont School Boards Association, speaks to the House Education Committee on the annual growth percentage component of Act 46. By Tiffany Danitz Pache, VTDigger.org The House Education Committee heard disappointing news Wednesday, Jan. 6: a tweak to the spending thresholds will not level the…

Bradley Furr On the afternoon of Jan. 5, 2016, just three months from his 30th birthday, Bradley died tragically in an accident outside his home in Killington, Vt. As a son and brother, Bradley was born to parents, Kimberly and John, and brother, John Jr., in Smithtown, New York at 2:42 a.m. on April 5,…

RUTLAND COUNTY — In recognition of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday, Jan. 18, the College of St. Joseph and Castleton University will host a variety of programs  free and open to the public, to encourage reflection on the life and work of Dr. King. At CSJ, this year’s theme is “Now…

By Mike Polhamus, VTDigger.org The Public Service Board on Tuesday, Jan. 5, approved a $1.2 billion utility transmission project from Canada to Ludlow. TDI New England plans to build a 1,000-megawatt transmission line under Lake Champlain that will feed the southern New England power grid. The board said it issued a certificate of public good…

By Christopher Biddle RUTLAND — After years of working the road comic circuit, a celebrated stint on Saturday Night Live, and a quoteable Hollywood filmography, Jim Breuer says he loves performing in Rutland, and a packed house at the Paramount theatre Saturday night showed that the feeling was mutual. Jim Breuer has ascended from lovable…

By Bob Twillman More than 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, at an annual cost of $635 billion. That’s more than we spend treating cancer, diabetes, and heart disease combined. Worse, our efforts to treat this pain have led to a significant increase in the use of prescription pain relievers, with tragic and often…

Dear Editor, Last Thursday Governor Shumlin delivered his final State of the State address to a chamber full of dignitaries, special guests and a group of legislators who are facing yet another difficult budget crisis. While there was much in the speech I could agree with, especially the Governor’s call to keep gaining ground on…

By Lee H. Hamilton Whoever wins next November’s presidential election, it’s a sure bet that at some point he or she will vow to set the federal government on the straight and narrow. It’s a bracing sentiment. But you’ll want to take it with a grain of salt. Our history is filled with remarkable government…

Dear Editor, The “Dietary Guidelines for Americans” released Jan. 7 by U.S. departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services mark the ninth time in a row that the meat industry has successfully suppressed scientific findings recommending reduced meat consumption. The reduction was recommended by the government-appointed Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee in a 571-page report…

Dear Editor, My friend John and I were pulled over in Woodstock, Vt., at 10:30 p.m. New Year’s Eve. John has a Rhode Island license place, therefore, I wasn’t surprised. I have a Massachusetts license plate and was pulled over in Pittsford, Vt., on the 4th of July, 2014. My parents and siblings have Connecticut…

By Dom Cioffi I had the opportunity to eat something bizarre recently when a good friend offered me a handful of chocolate-covered crickets. We were sitting around his kitchen having a cocktail during the Christmas break when he pulled out a small plastic bag. The package was opened, but looked to be mostly full (I…

By ©Erin O’Boyle Photographic

By Lani Duke CASTLETON Castleton  approves budget Castleton’s Select Board ventured into new fiscal waters when it approved its very first capital budget plan on Dec. 28. Voters will have the opportunity to vote their opinion on the plan in March. In the words of Town Manager Mark Shea, “If you pay a little as…

By Lani Duke RUTLAND COUNTY School merger decisions looming ahead at Town Meeting Town Meeting Day across Vermont gives local communities across the state an opportunity to choose who implements the day-to-day running of towns and school districts. In addition to choosing to fill many key town positions, citizens of Wallingford will have the opportunity…

RUTLAND—Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO) President and CEO Tom Dunn announced Jan. 8 that Colin Owyang, will serve as VELCO’s vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary effective April 7, 2016, subject to approval by the VELCO board. Mr. Owyang succeeds Karen O’Neill, who will retire after holding the position since 2010. “Karen is a…