By Mike Faher/VTDigger Rutland Regional Medical Center administrators believe they may have an answer to some of Vermont’s mental health woes. Administrators are pitching a new, eight-bed, secure residential psychiatric facility on the hospital’s campus. It would be jointly owned with a local mental health agency, with operations largely funded by the state. The proposal…

By Karen D. Lorentz KILLINGTON—Bubbles, bridges, boxes, blues, and bumps. All were a big hit with my grandkids who skied Killington for their first time on March 4. It was a day that they had been looking forward to and it didn’t disappoint. Their dad, Jason Lorentz, had learned to ski at Killington in the…

By Katy Savage A local student was selected to light the torch and read the athlete’s oath at the Winter Games at Pico Mountain, Sunday, March 17. Jack Rasmussen, 16, of Killington, will light the torch and read the three-sentence oath in front of hundreds of competitors and volunteers, pledging to do his best. “This…

Schools consider free pre-K By Katy Savage Faced with declining enrollment, rising costs, and community need some schools are offering full time preschool for free. Voters in Windsor Central Supervisory Union approved the $50,000 program 926-432 on Town Meeting Day, March 5, as part of the $18 million school budget. “It makes our area attractive…

By Julia Purdy If farmers know how to do anything, it’s making things grow. That’s the spirit being expressed by faculty and alumni of Green Mountain College, which stunned the campus community and the town by suddenly announcing that spring semester 2019 will be its last. But since the initial shock of finality, the tradition…

The Agency of Natural Resources Department of Environmental announced that Edgemont Owners Association, Inc., which operates the public drinking water system serving the Edgemont Condominiums in Killington, was fined $11,250 for failing to take required response measures after a test of the its drinking water system revealed lead levels above the federal action level, according…

Seeking to produce an intimate portrayal of a ground-breaking African American Rutland resident, organizers of the Rutland Sculpture Trail issued a nationwide call for artist proposals today. The sculpture will honor Rutland native Martin Henry Freeman, the first African American president of an American college, and one of the leading African American education advocates of…

By Karen D. Lorentz Like so many people born and raised in Rutland, Megan Canty learned to ski at Pico Mountain – in her case when she was 4 years old. Asked who taught her to ski, she notes having three years of lessons at Pico every Sunday and learning from her father, Pat, and…

By Julia Purdy Poultney is at a crossroads with the impending shuttering of Green Mountain College, but with characteristic community spirit, some 200 residents, in addition to 19 state and federal agencies, town officials, UVM, planners and the college itself, came together last Thursday, March 7 in a public meeting to lay all the cards…

Born in the Bronx, New York,  Rita Jennings was the loving wife of the late Hal Jennings, to whom she was married for 68 years. Rita Jennings passed away peacefully at age 93 on Feb. 27. She is survived by her brother Frank Cassidy, her sister Helen Cassidy Page, her children, Harvey (Cathy) Jennings, Dennis…

By Katy Savage Newcomer Chuck Claffey defeated incumbent Patty McGrath 202-110 on Town Meeting Day Tuesday, March 5. Claffey, 49, moved to Killington from Connecticut in 2015. He works remotely as a financial programer for Natwest Markets. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was very happy to be elected,” Claffey said. Claffey, whose…

Starting in the 2019-20 season guests will experience a better, more consistent and more reliable snow surface at Pico. Pending permit approval, the $2.1 million investment will be the largest since Killington took ownership of Pico more than 20 years ago. Pico will increase the frequency at which it is able to make snow by…

By Lola Duffort/VTDigger Another small liberal arts college in Vermont will close its doors for good this summer. Southern Vermont College president David Evans announced Monday, March 4, that the school would shut down at the end of the year. He cited declining enrollments, financial pressures, and a recent decision by the New England Commission…

The Woodstock Central school budget passed 848-403 Tuesday night. The $18 million budget is a 3 percent higher per pupil spending increase. All towns approvd the budget with the exception of Reading which tied 59-59. Other towns voted as follows: Barnard  57-29 Bridgewater 52-35 Killington 202-104 Pomfret 65-22 Woodstock 413-154

By Penny Inglee The food truck Creole Queens was in Rutland March 4 filming a television show for Food Network.