By Curt Peterson Introduced as “America’s most popular governor,” Phil Scott addressed the Chamber & Economic Development of the Rutland Region (CEDRR) Legislative Breakfast Monday, June 24.  Fresh from a record-making veto override session — both the most vetoes and most overrides — Scott sounded a lot like the fifth-term re-election candidate he is. “I…

“With the second drill on site, expect two blasts a day,” wrote Markowski Excavating, Inc. in a news release before the week began. “First one will be around 10:30-12 noon and the second will be around 1:30-3 p.m.”  Traffic will be stopped on Route 4 during the blasts. Markowski will continue to haul blasted rock…

The legislation funds Vermont’s schools, increasing the average property tax bill by 13.8% By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger The Vermont Legislature overrode Gov. Phil Scott’s veto of the annual property tax legislation that funds the state’s public school districts, solidifying an average projected property tax increase of 13.8%. The vote passed 103-42 in the House, and 22-7 in…

Bill is hailed as a compromise between advocatesfor housing and environmentalists By Carly Berlin Lawmakers have voted to override Gov. Phil Scott’s veto of a marquee housing and land-use bill that makes broad reforms to Act 250, Vermont’s signature development review law.  That means H.687, a bill that seeks to balance promoting housing growth and environmental conservation,…

By Shaun Robinson and Sarah Mearhoff/VTDigger Of Gov. Phil Scott’s seven vetoes only a sweeping data privacy bill was sustained by the Senate. The six vetoes set a new record for the Vermont Legislature, beating the record they set last year with five vetos  in a single day. But Scott made his own record, since he took office…

Despite facing many weather challenges Vermont’s Alpine ski areas reported 4.1 million skier visits for 2023-24, reported the Vermont Ski Areas Association June 12. That’s down less than half a percentage point from the 2022-23 season. Visitation this season remains 4% above Vermont’s 10-year average and outpaces a 6.2% decrease in Northeast region visits (12.4…

By Polly Mikula Killington Mountain School kicked off local graduation ceremonies on June 2; other area schools followed shortly after with Rutland High School celebrating at Spartan Arena on June 13 and Woodstock Union High School at Union Arena, June 14. Inherent in most all graduation speeches is the send-off of a new generation of…

Hartford Area Chamber Prepares for Balloon Festival Friday, June 14 at 3 p.m. to Sunday, June 16 at 6 a.m. ­—QUECHEE —The Quechee Hot Air Balloon Craft and Music Festival, Village Green, Quechee, the longest running hot air balloon festival in New England, will celebrate its 44th anniversary in 2024 when thousands are expected to…

Slate Valley to vote for fifth time, Tuesday June 18 By Polly Mikula Editor's note: The story first published as "Many area school districts are still working to pass budgets" has been updated to reflect the passage of school bonds June 11 and 12 for Barstow, Otter Valley and Hartland. While voters in at least…

By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger Gov. Phil Scott vetoed the annual property tax bill on Thursday, setting up a veto session showdown on a piece of legislation that must pass for schools to be funded as usual.  “We must provide property tax relief now. This can’t wait for another study before implementing cost containment strategies,” Scott said in…

This weekend, June 14-16, the skies over the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire will be filled with hot air balloons during the longest running hot air balloon festival in New England. See page 14  for a full schedule of events for the weekend. 

By Victoria Gaither-From first chair to last chair, crowds of dedicated skiers and riders flocked to Superstar at Killington Resort to ski June 1. It was the third year in a row that the resort has offered skiing in June. Those who got first chair arrived at 4 a.m. and the lift line at one…

Barstow, Otter Valley prepare for third budget votes June 11 and 12 Staff report On Thursday, May 30, two Rutland County school budgets were up for revotes. Only one passed. On its third attempt, Rutland Town School District’s $10.57 million budget passed 477-288. On its fourth attempt, Slate Valley Unified Union’s $30.8 million budget failed…

By Katy Savage After serving just one term, Rep. Tesha Buss, D-West Woodstock, is stepping down. Buss, 50, won’t be seeking reelection in November to spend more time with her family and focus on her daughter’s gymnastics career. Her daughter, Izabella Skuro, 10, recently won the state championship in Xcel Bronze.   “She won the…

By Curt Peterson and Polly Mikula About 70 people attended the Mountain Views Supervisory Union (MVSU) school board meeting Monday, June 3, to hear a presentation by Marty Spaulding and Paul Stafford of PCI Capital Project Consulting, and Kurt Naser of PC Construction, on three options for fixing the 50-year-old middle/high school facilities in Woodstock.…