Friday, May 10 at 8:45 a.m.—WHITE RIVER JUNCTION—The Vermont Historical Society (VHS) announced this year’s League of Local Historical Societies & Museums (LLHSM) annual conference will take place at Hotel Coolidge, Hotel Coolidge, 39 S Main St., White River Junction. Now in its 70th year, the event is the state’s largest gathering of local history…

By Jerry LeBlond The Peavine Whitewater Race took place Saturday, May 4, on the White River. The annual downriver paddling event benefits the Ridgeline Outdoor Collective. Above: Justin Reich and Doug Pietrzak finished 18 overall in their tandem canoe. 

By Curt Peterson Jordan Dennis tosses plastic bale wraps into the dumpster.

Staff report Last Tuesday, April 30, three of the four school budgets in Rutland County that failed on Town Meeting Day, failed again upon a revote. Voters in Rutland Town School District, Otter Valley Unified Union School District, and Barstow Unified Union School District again voted down school budgets. The fourth Rutland County district that…

National report ranks Vermont second in the U.S. for 3-year-old education, sixth for 4-year-olds The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) released its annual State of Preschool report, which tracks preschool enrollment, funding, and quality across states. The 2023 State of Preschool Yearbook found that, in the 2022-2023 school year: Vermont served 71% of the state’s 3-year-olds…

By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger After a lengthy and dramatic debate Tuesday morning, April 30, the Vermont Senate voted against the confirmation of Zoie Saunders as state education secretary — but the fight over her appointment appeared far from finished.  Saunders needed a majority of the 29-member Senate to approve her appointment, but 19 senators opposed it. Nine…

Renovations scaled back due tobudget, timeline By Polly Mikula At town meeting day in 2023 voters approved $1.6 million to purchase and renovate the property at 2046 Route 4 to become the new Town Hall (the building that houses the Post Office.) Now, over a year later, that plan will begin to take shape, albeit…

Work to resume on East Mountain Road next week, delays expected Staff report With warmer weather in the forecast this week, Markowski Excavating, Inc. will continue excavation at the base of Killington Road up to Anthony Way. However, this week they’ll likely start blasting ledge that they encountered. “Last week, we received a couple loads…

By Polly Mikula On Tuesday, April 16, the Killington Selectmen held a 20 minute meeting where they unanimously approved a motion to warn an eminent domain hearing May 20. The town was able to secure easements for the necessary reconstruction of Killington Road from its intersection with Route 4 to Anthony Way on the west…

By Katy Savage The Toasted Pecan restaurant in Pittsfield closed last month after just over a year since it opened. A March 27 post on the restaurant’s Facebook page announced it would close on March 30. “The why is difficult and we have struggled with what to say exactly — so we will leave it…

Vermont’s trophy trout stocking program for 2024 includes nine river sections and 37 lakes and ponds receiving the 2-year old trout, some over 18 inches long. “The Trophy Trout program provides exciting fishing opportunities for anglers of all ages and skill levels,” said Vermont’s Director of Fisheries Eric Palmer. “Trophy rainbow and brown trout will be…

By Jerry LeBlond On Saturday, April 6, amateur bumpers took to the slopes of Outer Limits at Killington, battling it out on the dual course. This year, James Garland and Sofia Robinson won the top spots.

By Glenn Russell:VTDigger. A spectator was well-protected to view a solar eclipse April 8. Staff report Awestruck eclipse-watchers across the state said the event was well worth the effort —and many traveled hundreds of miles to see the rare phenomenon. “Looking up at where the sun usually is and seeing, like, a hole in the…

Courtesy Pippa Scott Killington Mountain School junior Pippa Scott won the Vermont Pitch Challenge, April 4. By Polly Mikula Pippa Scott, a high school junior from Killington, has won the grand prize at the University of Vermont’s (UVM) inaugural Vermont Pitch Challenge. The competition offered high school entrepreneurs worldwide a chance to secure a full-tuition scholarship…

By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger When Vermont lawmakers last tinkered with education funding earlier this session, the president of the Senate called for “groundbreaking” new ways to contain costs.  Thus far, such radical reimaginings are yet to materialize. But they may be coming. Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, D-Brattleboro, chair of the House’s tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, said that lawmakers…