By Victoria Gaither The NAACP Rutland Area Branch is hosting a second Juneteeth hair clinic for the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community this year after the first hair clinic last year was a success. “We provided hair braiding services last year for the children. Altogether, we helped at least 25 children in…

By Curt Peterson Even in rural Vermont, you know people who get, and sometimes read, the New Yorker Magazine – in 2019 there were 1,231,715 subscribers worldwide – and each week would-be creative types are challenged to submit captioning ideas for a cartoon by a famous artist. On average, 5,372 readers submit entries, either online…

By Curt Peterson Jennifer Mayfield, 29, is one of six athletes representing the Vermont Special Olympics at the USA Games in Orlando this week. The state delegation includes one other golfer, two track athletes and two swimmers. Fourteen support people accompany the athletes. Mayfield’s father Brett Mayfield will serve as her caddy. A total of…

Saturday, June 11 — STATEWIDE—Vermont’s annual, statewide summer free fishing day is Saturday, June 11 this year, and it will be highlighted by a free family fishing festival in Grand Isle as well as opening day of the state’s regular bass fishing season. “Vermont’s Free Fishing Day gives resident and nonresident anglers the opportunity to…

By Katy Savage Killington’s first-quarter option tax was the largest in the town’s recorded history. A total of $286,625 was collected from January to March, which is above the budgeted $215,600. “We’ve had people tell us they’ve never written checks that big for the sales tax,” Killington Town Manager Chet Hagenbarth said. “They’re just that…

RUTLAND—With blood supplies notoriously low during the summer, the third annual Pete Giancola Mini Marathon Blood Drive has been scheduled for mid-July. Donors will receive a free Hydro Flask from Come Alive Outside and a $10 gift card thanks to Suburban Propane, while supplies last. Appointments, which are highly recommended for the July 12 drive…

By Brett Yates The Roger Clark Memorial Library in Pittsfield is getting a makeover. On June 2, the Pittsfield Select Board approved an expenditure of $5,325 to repaint the interior of the library and to refasten and refinish its floorboards. The board agreed to hire Don Marshall and Corey Novotny, respectively, for the jobs. Select…

Friday, June 10 at 7:30 p.m. — PUTNEY — Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present contemporary folk singer/songwriters Patty Larkin and Darryl Purpose at Next Stage on Friday, June 10 at 7:30 p.m. Patty Larkin is a visionary of sound and wonder, a real deal version of artistry made of equal parts guitar wizardry,…

Saturday, June 11 at 12:30 p.m.— KILLINGTON — Killington Mountain Bike Club, a chapter of the Vermont Mountain Bike Association, celebrates the start of the seventh season of the Bike Bum race series with a summer kick-off party, hosted by the Killington Distillery. The day begins with VMBA hosted group rides leaving from Base Camp.…

By Peter D’Auria/VTDigger Gov. Phil Scott has signed two important bills affecting schools statewide. One create a one-year pilot program of free breakfast and lunch for Vermont students and the other bans offensive school mascots. The governor’s signatures represent victories for anti-hunger advocates and for activists who have pushed to retire mascots that stereotype marginalized…

Wednesday, June 15 at 6 p.m. — RUTLAND — Next Wednesday watch back-to-back Republican and Democratic debates starting at 6 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre in Rutland. With incumbent Lt. Gov. Molly Gray stepping aside to run for Congress, Vermont’s No. 2 job is wide open. Republican candidates include Sen. Joe Benning, R-Caledonia, and former Rutland…

By Julia Purdy The U.S. Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture with ranger districts in Rochester and Manchester and soon-to-be headquarters in Mendon, has announced changes in a forest management project initially approved in 2018 but delayed due to public concerns expressed during the required comment period. Public notice of a…

Christopher Morrow, a long-time Weston resident and former owner of the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, is running for state senate in the Windsor district. His recent retirement from active management of the Northshire Bookstore has given Morrow time, as he puts it, “to put my entrepreneurial problem-solving skills to work contributing to the development of…

By Katy Savage After 25 years, Little Harry’s restaurant in Rutland is permanently closed. The owners announced the closure in a Facebook post on June 1. “We are looking forward to the next chapter of life” the post read. “Thank you for your constant support and friendship.” Co-owner Jack Mangan said he was retiring in…

Saturday, June 11 at 4 p.m. — RUTLAND — The Chaffee Art Center invites the community to the opening reception of the Vermont Pastel Society member exhibition in the first floor galleries on Saturday, June 11 from 4-6 p.m. The opening will include light refreshments, music by pianist Marna Grove and the presentation of awards.There…