By Kevin O'Connor, VTDigger.org Ask Norman Runnion for his life story and he’d point to a newspaper. “I’m a newspaperman, my father was a newspaperman — I love that word, I grew up on that word,” he said in 1989. “It would never have occurred to me to be anything else.” Except an Episcopal priest,…

GRANVILLE—On Thursday, June 18, Vermont state police, the Granville fire department and White River Valley Ambulance responded to a single vehicle accident on Route 100 in Granville. Investigation revealed that the operator, Harley Maxwell, 37, of Rochester, Vt., was driving north on Route 100 in Granville when, as he advised troopers, he attempted to avoid…

During the week starting June 28  the Rutland County Sheriff’s Department, assisted by other local Law Enforcement Agencies, will be conducting sobriety checkpoints within Rutland County. An aggressive effort will be made to identify impaired drivers on our highways. Officers will also be enforcing seatbelt, child restraint and other motor vehicle laws during these checkpoints.…

MENDON—On Wednesday, June 17, Trooper Elliott Justinger from the Rutland state police barracks responded to a reported burglary at 4153 US Route 4 in Mendon. The victim of the burglary, Jason Ball, 35, reported that between 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. someone had entered his home and stolen power tools. Ball reported that the suspect…

Gov. Peter Shumlin has capped off this legislative session by signing the last of 76 bills passed by the Legislature this year. "I was proud to sign so many pieces of legislation into law that will help make Vermont's economy work for every Vermonter, protect our special quality of life, and build on the strong…

By Sarah Olsen, VTDigger.org On Tuesday, June 16, on the shore of Lake Champlain, Governor Peter Shumlin signed a bill that aims to improve the quality of the state’s waterways . The bill, H.35, raises money through a 0.2 percent surcharge on the state’s property transfer tax. The first $100,000 of the sale price is…

By Sarah Olsen, VTDigger.org There have been almost as many sewage discharges reported across the state in the past 35 days as there were in all of the previous year, according to state data. Twenty-five discharges have been reported since May 11, compared to the 31 reported between May 10, 2014, and May 10, 2015,…

By Sarah Olsen, VTDigger.org Gov. Peter Shumlin visited the campus of Vermont Technical College on Monday to highlight two state spending projects. One project makes Vermont Technical College the site of the new Vermont Agriculture and Environmental Lab;  the other will appropriate $1 million in state money to upgrade the current Vermont Tech engineering and…

By Sam Heller, VTDigger.org Vermont’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.6 percent in May, marking the state’s eighth consecutive month without an increase, according to a news release from the Vermont Department of Labor. The national unemployment rate in May was 5.5 percent, a 0.10 percent increase from the previous month. Vermont is tied for…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger.org Flanked by dozens of lawmakers, state officials and others, Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law Monday, June 15, a bill that addresses wide-ranging aspects of Vermont’s child protection system. Lawmakers first began work on S.9 more than a year ago, following the deaths of Dezirae Sheldon, 2, and Peighton Geraw, 14…

By Dave Liniger Home-buying season is heating up. Homes sold faster in April than at any point in almost the last two years, according to data released by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Existing-home sales are on pace to top 5 million this year. Consumers are rushing into the housing market thanks in part…

By Vermont Transportation Secretary Sue Minter Another tragic bicycle fatality in our state this week–the third in one year–compels me to write to express my deep sorrow and to express a plea that we all drive more safely on our roadways. I receive the news of every highway fatality in our state, and each tragedy…

Dear Editor, In response to Vince Chiarella’s letter to the editor “KPAA Questions Answered” in last week’s, June 18-24, 2015 paper, his letter has no new information that is not included in the KPAA’s  presentation to the Killington Select Board or The Mountain Times article “Town officials support contracting with new association for marketing and…

Dear Editor, Brandon’s special town meeting next Monday and election next Tuesday, June 30, offer voters an opportunity to build success upon success. As a town, Brandon has made visible progress over the last several months. We now have decisions to make together on a small number of important questions. It is our hope that…

Dear Editor, I have a lot of serious concerns about what is happening in Killington. As a long time resident and gardening professional, I’m alarmed at the decisions that have been made. I’m all for the beautification of Killington, but the decisions made on few new garden areas were not well thought out. The amount of…