Potential health hazard exists for residents downstream By Polly Lynn RUTLAND– Untreated sewage leaked into East Creek in the City of Rutland, the Rutland Department of Public Works announced Friday, Aug. 7. The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) were notified and are helping to investigate the cause…

RUTLAND — On Monday, Aug. 10, Rutland Area Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice (RAVNAH) officially announced the return of its popular fundraiser, Dancing with the Rutland Stars, for its fifth year. The event will be held on Oct. 10 at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Rutland. This year’s couples include star Rebecca Buonadonna, owner of…

By Anne Brown Lost dog Leo was reunited with his people last Tuesday morning, Aug. 4.  “We rang the church bells in celebration for Leo's return,” said Lee Alison Crawford, the vicar at Church of Our Saviour in Killington. Erin and Christopher Bellis (the son and daughter of Jon Michael Bellis, age 62, of Woodbridge,…

Submitted Jon Michael Bellis Jon Michael Bellis, age 62, of Woodbridge, Conn. and Killington, Vt., was tragically killed in an automobile accident in Killington on Friday, July 31, 2015. He was the beloved husband of Kathryn Barry Bellis for 37 years and the father of Christopher Barry Bellis and his wife Annabelle Lyons of Philadelphia,…

Submitted Peter Austin Hike Peter Austin Hike, 67, of Pittsfield, died Sunday Aug. 9, 2015 at his home. He was born March 27, 1948 in Roslyn Heights, Long Island, N.Y., the son of Harold and Shirley (Stockwell) Hike. He graduated from Darien High School and went on to attend The University of Miami in Coral…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger.org The Department for Children and Families is reaching out to mandated reporters of child abuse across the state to inform them of policy changes related to the implementation of Act 60. The new law took effect July 1, and DCF is raising awareness about how the policy changes affect mandatory reporters…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger.org A report from the Department for Children and Families shows more Vermonters are relying on emergency housing vouchers. According to the report submitted to the Legislature last week, the department received 15,431 applications for emergency housing between January and June, up from 9,503 during the same period in 2014. The report…

By Erin Mansfield, VTDigger.org A legislative study committee held its first meeting Tuesday, July 28, to explore how to write a law to guide where solar farms can be built in Vermont. The Solar Siting Task Force was formed as part of H.40, the renewable energy bill signed into law as Act 56. The 10-person…

By Mary Reczek, World War II Memorial Committee On Aug. 15, 1945 church bells and sirens all over America rang joyously to announce the end of our conflict with Japan–VJ Day. This year, in West Rutland, church bells will again ring to commemorate the 70th anniversary of V-J Day and to mark the dedication of…

By Lee H. Hamilton The most important function Congress serves is to debate and pass the federal budget. I know—it also levies taxes, imposes or relaxes regulations, and once in a while nudges our social, economic or political order in a meaningful way. But the budget tells the government what to do and makes it…

Dear Editor, Earlier in July, Mr. Haff asked why the Town Report doesn’t show a deficit with flood funding and FEMA in the Town Report like the auditor’s report does? I answered his question in my July 29th letter to the Mountain Times (see “Killington Selectboard Chair addresses flood financing plans, transparency” on their website). Since,…

Dear Editor, I was disappointed when I learned that solar wasn’t a fit for my home. Here in Montpelier, the city has launched a Net Zero initiative—meaning we will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels by investing in renewable energy. I wanted to be a part of that movement. I wanted to do my part…

Dear Editor, The inexorable march towards eliminating the West Hill Road slip lane advanced further at the Aug. 4, 2015, Select Board meeting wherein Chet Hagenbarth, town facilities and road manager, introduced his "West Hill Road signage package," which included removing the West Hill Road street sign from the top of the slip lane and…

Dear Editor, My second question about transparency in Killington was what are the town’s plans to fix the issue that the auditor pointed out about not having enough funds to sustain government operations for approximately two months? The response we received back from Killington Selectboard Chair Patty McGrath in her letter in last week’s edition…

By Dom Cioffi Forty years ago this summer, on a Friday night in June, Universal Pictures released the film “Jaws” to curious audiences across the country. Within days it would become a monumental hit and a cultural phenomenon. The film is now regarded as the very first summer blockbuster because Universal took a unique approach…