By Bruce Bouchard “Fail State” is a high-end, seriously endowed, uber-professional product that could easily be on Prime Time. It has had a prior life at 10 film festivals, a sleek piece of brilliant, carefully and thoroughly researched documentary filmmaking — this film is first-rate and is a gut punch.  The subject is the corrupt…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Those of us who are in the “senior” category are often amazed at all the changes that have occurred during our lifetime. My friend Mary Jane said that she and a college friend were discussing whether the changes that their parents had experienced were on the same level as what our…

By Gary Salmon It’s been 30 years or so since gypsy moths were last here in any numbers and what a mess they made. The population was so large that they not only ate the leaves off their preferred oak trees but also other hardwoods like maples and then even to pines. It was easy…

By Merisa Sherman His red, white and blue T-shirt hangs almost to his knees, with his little white shorts peeking out the bottom. Once long hair is now shaved short for the heat of summer, and the little boy looks around trying to gauge his surroundings. Too young to understand the ramifications, all he sees is…

By Cassandra Tyndall In the sport of cricket, they refer to a term known as a “sticky wicket.”  Let me explain.  The main area of the cricket field where all the action happens is called the pitch or wicket. The rectangular shaped pitch, of around 60 feet, is where the grass is carefully curated to…

Top actors, actresses, producers, writers and a model descended on Killington to film last week By DJ Dave Hoffenberg You might have seen some filming around Killington the past two weeks and that was for a yet to be named dark comedy based in Killington that will be out in 2022. Local resident and comedic…

2-year old. Neutered Male. Hound mix. Tri-color. I just want to be everyone’s best friend.  Rutland County Humane Society, 765 Stevens Road, Pittsford, VT • (802) 483-6700 • Tues. – Sat. 12-5p.m. Closed Sun. & Mon. • www.rchsvt.org Loki and Leroy are two southern gentlemen from Arkansas. Their super power is the ability to cuddle!…

By Frank Kaczmarek In 1860, a year after publication of his seminal work on the origin of species, Charles Darwin wrote to a friend, “At the moment, I care more about Drosera than the origin of all the species in the world.” Darwin maintained a lifelong fascination with carnivorous plants, including members of the genus…

By Kevin Theissen Pundits say a lot of things about the markets. Here is a small handful: Buy the rumor and sell high, because there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Prediction is difficult, but never catch a falling knife. Cut your losses, no one ever went broke taking profits. As Mark Twain said,…

By Dom Cioffi  I have celebrated Father’s Day in the same fashion for 16 years: My wife gets me a card and a thoughtful gift and places it next to the coffee maker, so when I wake up on Sunday morning, it’s there for me to open. I have done the equivalent for her on…

By Merisa Sherman I watch with a gleeful satisfaction as the wood greedily soaks up the stain. The pale color of the pine is overwhelmed by the darkness, like The Nothing taking over Fantasia in the “Never Ending Story.” It seeps across the grain like tentacles as I swipe my brush slowly along the wood.…

By Kimberley Rupe This time of year, it seems as though many organizations take a look back at the past year and all they have accomplished. Reflecting on the past year probably brings up similar themes for many organizations across our region, given the various challenges the world has presented us this past year and…

By Cassandra Tyndall The term “solstice” is Latin for “sun standing still.” These two major points of the sun’s annual journey are our invitation to pause and reflect on the last six months while casting our gaze on the next. Regardless of whether you’re celebrating winter or summer, you’ll notice that over the next few…

By Cassandra Tyndall Astrologically speaking, it’s an amazingly quiet week. That said, there will be one area of your life where you’re pressed to strike a balance between the old and the new. This is because 2021’s major influence of Saturn square Uranus becomes active once again. You might notice some frustration or tension rise…

By DJ Dave Hoffenberg This Friday, June 18, G Love and legendary drummer Chuck Treece will be playing the Country Girl Diner in Chester at 7 p.m.  Yes, you read that right.  I was shocked myself, but this will be a great opportunity to see him up close and personal. The show came about because…