By Lee J. Kahrs/Brandon Reporter BRANDON — It takes a village to do great things, and in Brandon that means establishing a new, independent bookstore. Former Briggs Carriage Bookstore co-owner Barbara Ebling and Phoenix Books owner Mike DeSanto have teamed up with the help of a community advisory council to open The Bookstore. The shop,…

With a local woman described as a miracle acting as its ambassador, the 2019 Gift-of-Life Marathon regained its magic and surpassed its goals with a life-saving demonstration of community spirit and love. Buoyed by efforts by 23-year-old Stefanie Schaffer, who was nearly killed in a boat explosion in 2018 and received massive quantities of blood…

By Brooke Geery At Grace Congregational Church in Rutland, music is an important part of the program, but it’s not just church hymns that echo through the tabernacle. The music ministry includes jazz, gospel, folk, music theatre and classical, and at the helm of it all is Alastair Stout. Born and bred in Scotland’s Shetland…

Locals and visitors donned costumes, rode horses and sung carols to celebrate Wassail Weekend, Dec. 13-15 in Woodstock. Despite rainy weather, the holiday spirit was not dampened. Judges gave awards for costumes. Best individual horse and rider went to Sue Miller of Bradford. Best group award went to Cathy Mercurio of Pepperell, Massachusetts with her…

Claremont McDonald’s restaurant manager Roy Thomas won the distinguished Ray Kroc Award for the third time. The awards are an annual performance-based honor that recognize the top performing McDonald’s restaurant managers globally.  The announcement was made at the Coughlin Inc. office in Rutland Tuesday, Dec. 3. Roy Thomas was one of 365 McDonald’s Restaurant Managers…

PAWLET—Staff from the Pawlet Public Library and the Mettawee Community School recently met to solidify their partnership to promote reading through a grant from the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLIF). The grant program encourages libraries in Vermont and New Hampshire towns of 5,000 residents or fewer to partner with schools and childcare centers to encourage a…

By Steve Costello As a  former journalist who has seen a lot over the years, I’m not one to be easily impressed or inspired.  But as Gordon Dritschilo wrote (Gift of Life kicks off, Dec. 11) Stefanie Schaffer has recently done both. Read on, and I hope you’ll be inspired by Stefanie as well –…

Vermont is once again the healthiest state in the nation, according to the United Health Foundation’s newly released America’s Heath Rankings annual report. The state moved up three steps to reclaim the top spot in the Foundation’s 30th year documenting the nation’s health trends, challenges and opportunities. For nearly two decades, Vermont has ranked among the top five…

By Lee J. Kahrs/ Brandon Reporter BRANDON — Brandon’s favorite birder has received a high honor from one of Vermont’s premier natural science organizations. Sue Wetmore has been named the 2019 Julie Nicholson Citizen Scientist by The Vermont Center for Ecostudies. The Norwich-based wildlife conservation organization works across North and South America conducting research and…

More than 400 highly-trained volunteer instructors make Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports’ mission of empowering individuals with disabilities possible. Out of that dedicated pool of volunteers, Vermont Adaptive program coordinators recognized this year’s four Volunteers of the Year at off-snow trainings this fall, according to a Dec. 16 news realease. Liz Mead of North Chittenden…

Gov. Phil Scott joined the community of West Windsor to celebrate the success of the Brownsville Butcher & Pantry, located at 871 Rte. 44, which opened in November 2018, during his weekly press conference Friday, Dec. 13. Through individual, local and state support, the Friends of the Brownsville General Store purchased and redeveloped the vacant…

By Karen D. Lorentz Okemo to set receive upgrades as part of Vail Resorts, Inc.’s $215 million investment for 2020 across its resorts. This investment builds on the approximately $190-$195 million that Vail Resorts had planned to spend on capital improvement projects in calendar year 2019. The majority of the new investment at Okemo will…

Killington to be featured in next year’s Warren Miller film By Katy Savage Rutland local and Killington Ski Club alum Jim Ryan and Olympian Kaylin Richardson rang cowbells. They jumped and oohed and aahed collectively with a crowd of about 20,000 people while women skied down Killington Resort’s Superstar trail during the World Cup this…

By Virginia Dean It may have become an extinct 19th-century tradition among English villagers who used to celebrate the dawning of Christmas by splashing trees with cider while firing guns or beating pots and pans, but wassailing is alive and well in this tiny 21st-century New England town in which the impending festive season takes…

By Katy Savage Rene Rinnekangas’ childhood dreams came true in Killington last week. The 20-year-old snowboarder from Finland was named to the global pro team for Waterbury-based Rome Snowboards at a ceremony Dec. 4 at Darkside Snowboards. “It was a surprise,” Rinnekangas said. “It was amazing.” Rinnekangas, who has made it to several podiums in…