By Victoria Gaither “When you drive through the mountains and see steam blowing off in the distance, it’s sugar season. I can smell it,” said Mary Smith of Rutland, who buys only  local maple syrup. “It’s the best time of year because it says spring.” Maple trees release sap between mid-February and late April. The…

By Brooke Geery Killington’s freestyle facilities have always been world-class.  Snowboarder Magazine even awarded Woodward Killington Mountain Park with the prestigious Best Terrain Park in the East award for 2020. This year, under the watchful eye of Parks Supervisor Taylor Zink, it’s possible they are even better than last. The cherry on the sundae is…

By Brooke Geery Amid a season of Covid-19 restrictions, Stratton Resort managed to organize and safely hold a scaled-back version of the Vermont Open on March 13-14. The event, which normally includes slopestyle, halfpipe and other disciplines, was reimagined as a two-day Banked Slalom, open only to Vermonters and students attending Vermont schools. Banked Slaloms…

By Karen D. Lorentz “So what do you think of Okemo?” I asked 8-year-old Josh on a chairlift ride after lunch at the main base area. “Awesome.” “Why?” “It’s huge,” he replied. As our chair passed by Hot Dog Hill, he exclaimed, “There’s a Rainbow Box.” “What’s that?” “It’s a wavy box.” It was a…

Restrictions on gatherings loosen again for vaccinated Vermonters By Polly Mikula Because of the increased supply and lower than expected enrollment in the 55+ group with high risk conditions (phase 5a), the state is opening up registration for 16+ with high risk conditions (5b) early, Governor Phil Scott announced Tuesday, March 9. Vermonters age 16+…

By Victoria Gaither CrossFit RisingStar owner Robert DiTursi is on track to start his Sober Fitness Program in April in Rutland. The program is in conjunction with The Phoenix, a national program that uses fitness and wellness to help people through recovery. As part of The Phoenix, DiTursi raised $11,000 to pay for it. The program…

By Brooke Geery Mike Arciero, 20, met Terracea Outerwear founder Eric Hui, 36, at a ski event in Hui’s hometown of Seabrook, New Hampshire. Then a teenager, Arciero, who grew up in Chittenden, transitioned the chance meeting into a job, joining Hui to work for his new brand Terracea as sales & operations manager. Terracea…

Staff Report An environmental court judge has ordered Slate Ridge, a firearms training facility in Pawlet that has caused local strife and garnered national attention, to permanently close. The court ruled Friday that the facility’s owner, Daniel Banyai, must dismantle all of the buildings on his property that do not have a zoning permit. He…

By Emma Cotton/VTDigger RUTLAND — An unprecedented tie for a seat on the Rutland Board of Alderman has been resolved between the two candidates. Thomas Franco got seat on the board after John Atwood, who was making his fourth run for the board, announced that he’d remove himself from the race. Each received 1,122 votes in the…

By Xander Landen/VTDigger Voters in Burlington, Brattleboro, Montpelier, Winooski and at least 15 other Vermont municipalities voted Tuesday to approve retail marijuana sales on Town Meeting Day. Bennington, Middlebury, Vergennes, Randolph, Waterbury, Berlin, Danby, Danville, Salisbury, Brownington, Waitsfield, Brandon, Pawlet, Barton, Sutton, Burke Duxbury, Strafford and Windsor also voted to allow local cannabis businesses, clearing the way…

By Brooke Geery Jamisyn Baker and Olivia Suker are cousins with more in common than just a bloodline. In a few months, the girls will compete together in the Miss Vermont USA/Teen Pageant, happening June 5-6 at Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe. Baker, 15, is a sophomore at Rutland High School, and will…

By Karen D. Lorentz Having grown up next to Mt. Ascutney, where he learned to ski at age 3 and snowboard at 15, C. Michael Bell was part of the first wave of skiers to try riding. “At that time [mid-1980s], snowboarding was just going mainstream and most resorts didn’t allow snowboards on the lifts,…

By Ryan Boeke When trying to open a business during the middle of a pandemic, Digital Surgeons owner Jacob Vincent knew that it would not be an easy challenge. Opening a technology store was something he had always wanted to do, so even with the Covid-19 restrictions in place, he embraced it and knew his…

Absent a predictable forecast, events begin to cancel By Anne Wallace Allen/VTDigger and Polly Mikula Wedding planner Jaclyn Watson has 15 weddings booked this summer in Vermont, three of them expected to cost more than half a million dollars. Two are planned in Stowe, one in Burke, and one in the Manchester area in July,…

By Polly Mikula Gov. Phil Scott announced Tuesday, March 2, that school staff, child care workers and more public safety officials will now be eligible along with Vermonters with high-risk conditions to receive the Covid-19 vaccine starting next week. “We know that getting kids back into school for in-person instruction five days a week is…