Rutland refugee resettlement future is uncertain By Adam Federman, VTDigger A federal court ruling in Washington state on Friday, Feb. 3, rescinded nearly all of the provisions of the Trump administration’s executive order on immigration, including the suspension of refugee resettlement. Anyone with a valid unexpired visa can now enter the country, and agencies that…

By Evan Johnson Citing his efforts to rejuvenate and grow the city he calls home, Rutland Mayor Christopher Louras formally kicked off his reelection bid on Monday evening with a call to Rutland residents to elect him for a sixth two-year term . Speaking to a packed audience in the The Bakery, Louras stood on…

VEDA approves Rutland Mental Health bonds The Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) recently approved up to $3 million in tax-exempt bonds to refinance Rutland Mental Health Services’ debt from the organization’s South Main Street construction project in 2008. In addition, VEDA approved up to $1 million in taxable bonds related to costs of constructing Mental…

Fair Haven categorized as economically distressed FAIR HAVEN—At the Jan. 17 Select Board meeting, Durfee said that the town may qualify for New Market Tax Credits, a U.S. Treasury program designed to spur economic development activity in economically disadvantaged communities throughout the country. With a median family income at or below 60 percent of Area…

RUTLAND—On Friday, Jan. 27, state police reported ten people were arrested in Rutland County as part of an arrest operation by the Vermont Drug Task Force. The enforcement action took place following investigations into the distribution of heroin and crack cocaine. The defendants were arrested on charges of sale of heroin and/or crack cocaine, and…

KILLINGTON—State police investigating two burglaries that occurred last week found evidence of forced entry at homes on Roaring Brook Road and Alpine Terrace in Killington. Both residences were unoccupied at the time, police said, and unspecified items were taken. Anyone with information on the burglaries or suspicious activity in the area is encouraged to call…

Editor’s note: Mike Solimano is the president and CEO of Killington Resort and Pico Mountain. Mountain Times: Killington Resort has officially asked the town of Killington to help offset the costs of hosting another World Cup event next year with $100,000. The Select Board has agreed and has included it in its budget to be…

By Evan Johnson There’s no such thing as an early bedtime for Charles “Chip” Greeno. That’s because for the past 23 years, he’s worked the door at establishments in Rutland, Killington and as far away as New York, staying from when the doors open to past last call, checking IDs and making sure people get…

By Anne Galloway, VTDigger Gov. Phil Scott said he was not surprised by President Donald Trump’s executive order banning immigrants from certain Muslim countries, but he is “disappointed about the tone and the direction this sets for us.” “I think immigration is part of the path forward for us,” Scott said. “In Vermont, [immigration] would…

By Evan Johnson NORTH CLARENDON—During a visit to Rutland County last week, U.S. Rep. Peter Welch visited General Electric Aviation’s Rutland plant, where he applauded the plant’s collaboration with Efficiency Vermont to reduce energy consumption. “I just came from Washington and we could use a little of your know-how there,” he said at the start…

Immigration, economy, efficiency featured By Evan Johnson RUTLAND—In an address that ranged from President Trump’s recent executive orders barring refugees to economic development to education funding, Governor Phil Scott outlined his plans for Vermont Monday afternoon, Jan. 30, at a luncheon for the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce. Scott’s remarks were the first since presenting…

By Karen Lorentz Many doubted the day would come, but on Jan. 23, 2017, an Act 250 amended permit was issued for Phase I of the Killington Village master plan. Due to an agreement reached Dec. 19, the appeal of the original Act 250 permit for the Killington Village to Vermont’s Supreme Court was dropped,…

By Adam Federman, VTDigger RUTLAND — Hundreds gathered in Rutland on Saturday, Jan. 28, in opposition to President Donald Trump’s executive order suspending refugee resettlement for 120 days and indefinitely barring Syrian refugees from the country. The order, signed late Friday, drew widespread condemnation from legal advocates and spurred an immediate lawsuit by the American…

John J. Hurley, an avid skier, animal lover, and fixture at Killington for the last 40 years, passed away peacefully on Jan. 18. He was 70. John was born on Dec. 31, 1946, in New York City to the late Joseph and Margaret Hurley of Limerick, Ireland. Upon graduation from Saint Helena’s High School in…

Marta M. Thorne, 73 of Wind Gap, Pa., formerly of Killington, Vt., died Jan. 22, 2017, at St. Lukes’s Hospital – Anderson Campus in Easton, Pa. Born Sept. 2, 1943, in Mare Island, Calif. She was the daughter of the late Howard Bankerd. Marta was the loving wife of Douglas A. Thorne for the past…