Hannaford Supermarkets announced Aug. 13 a $20,000 donation to support Vermont families as they seek to meet the most basic needs for themselves and their children during a period of economic hardship resulting from the coronavirus global health pandemic. The donation includes $10,000 each to Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity and BROC Community…

By Polly Mikula The Rutland Economic Development Corp. (REDC) and Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce held Zoom meetings Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 12 and 13, to present the new organizations goals, merger plan, and new leaders to members of both organizations. “The new working name is Chamber and Economic Development of the Rutland Region,” said…

This November, incumbent governor Phil Scott will face off against Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman to keep his job. Scott easily won the Republican nomination, besting his closest opponent John Klar with over 70% of the vote, while Zukerman garnered 44% of the vote to nearest opponent Rebecca Holcombe's 35%. In the Lt. Gov. race, Molly…

By Brooke Geery With nearly all events cancelled due to Covid-19, no one would have been surprised if Rutland’s annual Art in the Park festival didn’t happen this year. But by limiting the number of vendors and attendees, the Chaffee Art Gallery was able to host the event for the 59th year on Aug. 8-9.…

By Polly Mikula Andrew Gieda, a Killington resident and business owner, was desperate to hear from his wife, Maria, on Monday to know that she and their 2-year-old son Robert were safe after violent protests erupted in Belarus, Sunday. Internet and phone access was cut off throughout Belarus during and after a contentious election. But…

By Katy Savage Gov. Phil Scott announced earlier this month that fall sports can resume starting Sept. 8, but many teams have been practicing all summer. When Scott lifted restrictions on recreational activities and group gatherings in June, school teams started holding voluntary practices and conditioning sessions, with notably high attendance. The Woodstock Union High…

Ten candidates are running for lieutenant governor this year. The following is a brief introduction to the names you will see on ballots in the Aug. 11 Primary Election. Information was culled from the candidates’ websites and interviews. Candidates are profiled here in alphabetical order. Since Vermonters can vote in only one party’s Primary, these are…

Lieutenant governor race is crowded Staff report Vermont’s primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 11. Two prominent Democratic candidates, David Zuckerman and Rebecca Holcombe, are facing off for the gubernatorial nomination, while Gov. Phil Scott’s challengers on the Republican ticket are relatively unknown —John Klar, Bernard Peters, Douglas Cavett, Emily Peyton. Whoever wins the Democratic primary would have a steep…

By Julia Purdy A proposal to expand Depot Park and create an Amtrak “gateway” to make downtown Rutland more welcoming is sure to strike a note of nostalgia among old-time Rutlanders for the large passenger depot that graced the site now occupied by the downtown plaza parking lot. The old Rutland passenger depot appears in…

New organization will more efficiently serve region, businesses, aid community development RUTLAND—Two of Rutland County’s key community and economic development organizations have decided to merge. The boards of Rutland Economic Development Corporation (REDC) and Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce voted unanimously Thursday, July 30, to create a merged, streamlined organization to better serve their members…

Endurance athlete seeks to raise funds and awareness for clean water project Katie Spotz, clean water activist and adventurer, will embark on a 73-mile run across the state of Vermont, making her the first woman to do so. The run will take place on Saturday, Aug. 7, at the Piermont Bridge connecting Piermont, New Hampshire…

WOODSTOCK—Beginning Thursday, Aug. 6, Billings Farm & Museum’s second annual sunflower house will be open for visitors to explore and bask in the beauty of this garden. Thousands of sunflowers and over 50 different varieties ranging from 18 inches to 14 feet in height form the rooms and hallways in a maze-like structure. “With recent rains and hot summer days the sunflowers are popping up quite…

By Emma Cotton/VTDigger Following a petition presented by 39 employees to hospital leadership last month, Rutland Regional Medical Center has begun scrutinizing its policies to ensure staff and patients are treated equally regardless of race. The petition, submitted shortly after protests erupted following the killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis, asked…

Mountain Times: How is the summer going? How does it compare to the past? Your expectations? Mike Solimano: Overall, summer is going better than we expected considering the “new normal.”  But the reality is that a large portion of our revenue in summer is generated from businesses we can’t operate. Weddings, conferences, and events have all…

Governor Phil Scott, Friday, July 24, announced a state mandated mask requirement in public places—inside and outside. “Based on national and regional data on how the virus is spreading – and rather than waiting like other states have – I feel we need to act now to protect our gains, which have allowed us to…