RUTLAND—An exit “motorcade” for Rutland Regional Medical Center’s retiring CEO Tom Huebner was held on Friday, March 23 at 12-noon. Community members and hospital staff gathered inside the main lobby, outside and around the building to wave farewell. The Rutland fire department, police, and regional ambulance provided an escort as he drove around the building…

By Polly Lynn Mikula   KILLINGTON—About 30 people attended a special Select Board meeting Wednesday, March 28, for a presentation by Brown Golf Management (BGM). The meeting was held at the Sherburne Memorial Library at 5 p.m. It was the second time the town of Killington has brought BGM in for help. The first time, was in…

By Polly Lynn Mikula KILLINGTON—At 8:20 p.m. on Wednesday, March 28, the Killington Select Board came out of executive session to announce the termination of Deborah Schwartz from the position of Town Manager without cause. The board unanimously approved the motion. There was little discussion. Board Chair Steve Finneron explained that “Under the contract there’s…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger A group of Vermont students walk by the Capitol in D.C. during March for Our Lives. By Kelsey Neubauer, VTDigger Led by young Vermonters, thousands of protestors marched on the Statehouse in Montpelier on Saturday, March 24, to call for reforms to the nation’s gun laws. The crowd of 2,500 gathered at…

Saturday & Sunday, March 24-25—Maple Open House Weekend, March 24-25, is Vermont’s most anticipated spring event, bringing an estimated 30,000 visitors to tour the sugar houses and meet the sugar makers responsible for leading the nation in maple syrup production (nearly 1.8 million gallons averaged over the past three seasons). The weekend celebrates the current…

KILLINGTON—For the first time, Pico Mountain hosted the Special Olympics Vermont Winter Games March 18-20. “This will be my first Winter Games experience, and the first time Special Olympics Vermont has hosted the event at Pico,” said Sue Minter, president and CEO of the statewide organization, before the event. “We are honored by the warm…

RUTLAND—In spite of snowy conditions, over 150 local community members and luminaries gathered together for Rutland Regional Medical Center’s 2018 annual corporators meeting and retirement celebration for president and CEO Tom Huebner. Following the regular board business and remarks by Governor Phil Scott, bigger news emerged. Rutland Regional Health Services and Rutland Regional Medical Center…

Twenty Rutland-area African-American Civil War veterans will be honored through a new downtown Rutland sculpture commissioned by Rutland Regional Medical Center. The sculpture, part of a series planned by the Carving Studio and Sculpture Center, MKF Properties, Vermont Quarries, and Green Mountain Power’s Rutland Blooms, will highlight the heroism and sacrifice of soldiers who served…

Chittenden family farm plans for its second century By Julia Purdy CHITTENDEN—Jenna Baird and Jacob Powsner live in a modest house on land belonging to Baird’s parents, steps away from the large, traditional farmhouse where Bonnie and Bob Baird live. It’s a common arrangement among working farm families that have been on the same piece…

By Julia Purdy and Polly Lynn Mikula With 32 inches of new snow in the past week at Killington and a possibility of 8-12 more inches by Wednesday, March 14, the old weather proverb seems to be proved true: March has come in like a lion! Winter Storm Quinn was the second Nor’easter to strike…

Laurie Canterbury and how Hairball came to be By Karen D. Lorentz Laurie Canterbury volunteers with the mountain ambassador team at Killington Resort. She was born in Palmer, Mass., and lives on the same small lake where she grew up. She loves the peacefulness and the outdoors and learned to ski at a “three-trail ski…

Saturday, March 17, 7:30 p.m.—BRANDON—Acoustic double-neck guitarist and Candyrat recording artist Ian Ethan Case is quickly becoming recognized as “one of the most creative and engaging fingerstyle guitarists in the world,” according to the International Center for Creativity. He has wowed audiences and packed the barn at Brandon Music since 2014, with listeners quickly catching…

Vermont cheesemakers took home 15 top awards in the 2018 World Championship Cheese Contest held in Madison, Wis., the first week in March. The contest drew 3,402 entries from 26 nations, including cheeses, cheese foods and cheese spreads from the old favorites to the exotic, competing for the title of “World’s Best.” Awards were announced…

It seems like all good things must come to an end at some point. Fortunately, in this case, it is for a good reason. Ted Crawford, one of the owners of Prestige Real Estate, has decided to retire to spend more time with his growing family (six grandchildren plus one on the way). Heidi Bomengen…

On March 2, the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence released the latest edition of its annual gun law scorecard, which grades and ranks each state on the strength of its gun laws. This comprehensive, 50-state analysis clearly shows how stronger gun laws help reduce gun death rates and save lives. This year, Vermont received an F due…