Interested in conserving Vermont’s wildlife? Consider making a donation to the Nongame Wildlife Fund on line 29 of the state income tax form this tax season. The fund helps to conserve some of Vermont’s most threatened wildlife species such as bald eagles, lynx, and bats. Donations are leveraged by a match from a federal grant,…

CASTLETON—Tucked away on the backside of campus near the Observatory Lot is Castleton’s own nearly 700-pound hidden treasure. The Castleton Observatory has been home to a rare Unitron telescope, one of only three models open to the public in the entire world, since April 1960. Originally built for studying the surface details of the moon,…

WEST RUTLAND—On the night of Feb. 28, state troopers from the Rutland Barracks pulled a vehicle over on Route 4 in West Rutland. Investigation revealed that the driver, Joel Cruz, age 24 of Union City, N.J., had an active arrest warrant in the state of Vermont. Cruz was taken into custody and transported to the…

Police say a 23-year-old woman from Bennington died from injuries resulting in a two-car crash that occurred March 3 in Pittsfield. On Friday evening at around 6 p.m., troopers from the  State Police  Rutland Barracks, Pittsfield Fire Department and White River Valley Ambulance were notified of a two-car motor vehicle crash on Vermont 100, north…

RUTLAND—A man and a woman are facing charges of domestic assault and exposure and abandonment of a child under 2 years old. On July 20, 2016, the Rutland City Police Department was notified of a possible shaken baby incident that had occurred at an earlier time in Rutland City. Through the investigation, it was learned…

Rutland Free Library tightens belt A $40,000 budget deficit has caused the Rutland Free Library to look for ways to economize in the 2017-2018 budget year. The shortfall is the result of lower interest returns on library endowments, combined with Rutland City Board of Aldermen level funding. The library is not asking for increases from…

Castleton Community Center adds board members, plans March activities CASTLETON—Joan Chader and Mary Beth Hadeka joined the Castleton Community Seniors board at that group’s February meeting. Chader and her husband moved to their Lake Bomoseen home in 2002. Hadeka and her husband have lived in Castleton for 36 years. The Castleton Village School Band entertains…

On March 1, the Killington Aquatic Club with 34 swimmers swam for 2 hours to complete a very successful Swim-A-Thon at Pico Sports Center. Many of the older swimmers swam up to 3 miles in the two hours, while the younger swimmers (as young as age 5) swam the most laps they ever had without…

RUTLAND—Cobra Gymnasts had an action packed weekend competing in both Bow, N.H., and Rutland. Level 4, 6 and 7 teams traveled to the Friendship Classic on March 4 at Granite State Gymnastics. Over 15 talented teams from all over New England attended the New Hampshire meet. On Sunday, March 5, Cobra Gymnastics hosted a Vermont…

RUTLAND—History was made for Vermont on Feb. 25 in Ocean City, Md., when the Rutland High School’s Varsity Cheerleaders won Vermont’s very first National Cheer Championship title against teams from across the country at the Reach the Beach National Competition. The day started with one of RHS’s stunting groups’ first-place win at the stunting competition.…

Governor Scott officially opens Vermont’s “sweetest season” The unseasonably warm days and crisp nights through February have had the sap gushing, and the 2017 maple season is not only underway but off to a promising start. Last year, Vermont produced almost 2 million gallons of maple syrup, from 4.85 million taps, which was an all-time…

Ron and the late Ellen Jeanne Willis announce the engagement of their daughter, Charmaine Noelle Willis, to Scott David Ward, son of Lynda and the late Baxter “Toby” Ward, of Searsport, Maine. Scott and Charmaine met while she was attending the University of Southern Maine and he was attending the Maine School of Law in…

A new report by The Solar Foundation cites Vermont as a national leader in the solar industry, ranking third for the number of solar jobs per capita. Between 2015 to 2016, solar jobs in Vermont grew by 29 percent, with an additional 400 solar jobs created in the state last year. “Each solar job means that a skilled craftsman, a…

By Polly Lynn Mikula A ranking of the 2017 Best Public Schools and Districts was recently released by Niche, a website that analyzes date about schools and neighborhoods across the country. Over 80,000 public schools and 10,000 school districts were analyzed to create the nationwide rankings, according to the news release. “For millions of families,…

By Evan Johnson Growing the Rutland region’s economy was the a subject of discussion at a legislative breakfast in downtown Rutland on Monday morning. The March 6 meeting organized by the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce and the Rutland Economic Development Corp. featured a panel of three representatives and one senator from their respective committees…