A gangly nerd avenges his past with extreme forays into athletics I was born a sickly child. Asthma, pneumonia, and scarlet fever frequented my childhood home. Moving to Vermont at the end of my seventh year, I grew up a wheezing nerd (a moniker I wear proudly). I grew up believing that I would never…

Go figure: how tree burls grow By Joe Rankin I’ve had my eye on this maple in my woods for some time. Not because it’s a beautiful timber tree. It’s only about eight inches in diameter, after all. But it has an interesting burl about 14 feet up the trunk. As a woodturner, I love…

Where does Tom Brady rank within the annals of sports cheaters? On May 6, the NFL’s 243-page “Wells Report” implicated Brady in January’s “Deflategate” scandal, wherein the Indianapolis Colts accused the New England Patriots of using underinflated footballs—in violation of the league’s p.s.i. requirements—during their AFC Championship victory. Now, the official word is that, yes,…

Photo by Dave Dalesandro/RaceProWeekly.com Ron Proctor (#27) ran to the triple crown victory on opening night at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Saturday. Proctor, Gonyo, each 61, finish 1-2 in Modified 100 WEST HAVEN – The youth movement was put on hold at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Saturday night, May 9, as the two oldest drivers…

By Maxx Steinmetz Photos Courtesy of Kate Troy RUTLAND — For the second year in a row, Mad River Rugby Football Club took home first place honors at Rutland’s home tournament, the Keith Page Memorial Rugby Invitational. On a hot, sunny day Saturday, May 9, teams throughout New England battled each other in hopes of…

Trails above 2500 feet remain closed until Memorial Day The Vermont State Police, in cooperation with the Green Mountain Club and their agency partners, issued a warning May 6 reminding those heading out onto Vermont’s hiking trails of the ever changing conditions that hikers may encounter this time of year, especially at higher elevations. As you…

QUESTION: Logan and Brad are playing in a tournament. On the 7th hole, Brad strokes his ball onto the green. When he arrives at his ball, he rotates it to line up the trademark with the hole.  The ball was not lifted, marked or changed in its position. Logan says Brad should be penalized because he did not mark…

KILLINGTON – Golf season has officially arrived in Killington, and with it the beginning of summer leagues and learn-to-golf programs. Green Mountain National Golf Course will kick off its popular Thursday night Twilight League Thursday, May 14, featuring a party with Long Trail Brewing. “We’re looking forward to a great turnout, and we’re excited to…

Saturday, May 16 at 8:30 a.m. — PITTSFIELD — The Peak Ultra Trail Running Race is hosted by Peak Races in the rustic Vermont town of Pittsfield on Saturday, May 16. After many years of offering only ultra distance courses, Peak Races has introduced a new, shorter 15-mile course. There is a fit challenge for every level…

KILLINGTON — Green Mountain National Golf Course and the Birch Ridge Inn are excited to introduce the Birch Ridge Cup as part of GMNGC’s Thursday Night Twilight League this season. Loosely based on the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup, the Birch Ridge Cup will be awarded to the player with the highest point total at the…

LUDLOW – The first round of play in the 2015 Men’s League at Okemo Valley Golf Club took place on Tuesday, May 5. The team scramble from various tee boxes launched the quest for the Commissioner’s Cup. Snagging the top spot for the night was Knight Tubs. After a herculean drive by Chris Garvey on…

Cal Garrison (a.k.a Mother of the Skye) writes weekly horoscopes for The Mountain Times. If you would like an emailed notification sent to you weekly, sign up for the newsletter, below.         Horoscopes for May 7 - May 13, 2015 Aries March 21 - April 20 The pace of things is faster than…

Even as Vermont’s economy continues to show signs of progress, the message I hear from Vermonters is that they don’t feel the economic recovery is reaching their pocketbooks. While we have the sixth lowest unemployment rate in America and Vermont employers have thousands of job openings, incomes and wages for working Vermonters have not recovered…

Dear Editor, The Ludlow Rotary Club would like to thank all of the businesses that donated to our annual penny sale. This “Mud Season” event held the last Saturday of April is a popular event for our community members. Our local businesses make this event possible. Over $25,000 in cash and prizes was given out…

By Amy Ash Nixon, VTDigger.org The Senate Appropriations Committee late Wednesday, May 6, approved an education governance reform bill after preserving small school grants. Both the House and Senate versions of H.361 had called for phaseouts of state supports, which included small schools grants and a hold-harmless formula (the "phantom student" subsidy) that have subsidized…