POULTNEY— Green Mountain College (GMC) has been recognized as the top baccalaureate performer by the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). GMC’s 2018 STARS score of 81.82 is the highest score any baccalaureate institution has achieved. STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System) measures and encourages sustainability in higher education, according to…

Clarendon’s water concerns differ from Bennington’s CLARENDON— Water well contamination by the manmade chemicals in the PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) family in Clarendon is far different from that discovered in Bennington in 2012, according to Chuck Schwer, waste management and prevention division director of the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). He expects to…

By Lani Duke Grade-schoolers learn life lessons, literacy Kindergarteners in Benson Village School have been learning to write for practical reasons. The recently filled out a firefighter job application, wrote police tickets, and completed incident reports. They are also learning about the people in their community who produce food: farmers, grocers, bakers, and chefs. Kindergarteners…

WALLINGFORD— On April 26, all members of the Wallingford community are invited to kick off the Wallingford Community Visit process, an opportunity for residents to actively participate in examining issues, deciding their top priorities and developing concrete action plans for community and economic development. The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) was invited by the town…

Need help affording home efficiency upgrades? Efficiency Vermont is giving away $5,000 toward weatherizing a home through a video contest. Interested participants are asked to submit a quick video 60 second (or less) and submit it to Efficiency Vermont to enter. The video with the most votes, will win a more comfortable, energy-efficient home. The…

Submitted Motorists are asked to help stem frog carnage on springtime roadways. Driving home at night on a rainy spring night, have you ever come upon a mass migration of little frogs on the pavement in front of you? Does the popping sound under your tires make you cringe? One of the great wildlife migrations…

Submitted Jackson Ellis’s first book cover is shown. LUDLOW— Vermont writer and Okemo Valley native Jackson Ellis has released his first novel, “Lords of St. Thomas.” Ellis won the 2017 Howard Frank Mosher First Book Prize for this story, which is set in Nevada during the Depression. It is published by Vermont independent publishers, Green…

FOREST DALE— Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains (GSGWM) announced April 6 that high school senior and National Guard soldier Christina Wiles of Forest Dale, recently earned her Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn, for her Arms Open project, a mentoring program between Middlebury Union High School…

LUDLOW— The Ludlow Rotary Club (LRC) recently enjoyed a discussion on the pure water project of Rotary International. Featured speakers were Doug Rupert, representing Rotary District 7870, and Carolyn Crowley Meub of the Rutland South Rotary Club who is the executive director of the Pure Water for the World project. They described the recent work done by…

RUTLAND— Saturday, April 7, two Miss Vermonts observed Miss America Serves Day by preparing boxed meals for Vermonters in need from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Rutland Farmer’s Food Market on West Street. Miss Vermont 2017, Erin Connor, and Miss Vermont’s Outstanding Teen 2017, Jenna Lawrence, were joined by the 2018 Miss Vermont…

CASTLETON— Castleton University and Landmark College, a private institution located in Putney, Vt., have formed a collaborative agreement creating a pathway for degree completion. The agreement makes the transition for graduates of Landmark College to Castleton seamless and affordable. “As we seek to be innovative and collaborative in our growth, agreements like these are essential,”…

HANCOCK— On April 9, at approximately 4:18 p.m. the Vermont State Police were contacted by a concerned citizen who reported a human body in the water at Texas Falls in Hancock. This area is part of the Green Mountain National Forest. Members of the Vermont State Police, United States Forest Service-Police, Hancock Volunteer Fire Department,…

By Lani Duke New city fire chief receives warm welcome Rutland City’s Board of Aldermen and many of its firefighters welcomed James L. Larsen, the new nominee for fire chief April 2 at the aldermen’s semimonthly meeting. He had been named the nominee at the previous meeting, with a two-week wait before official acceptance, in…

By Lani Duke Castleton U “gives back” to Fair Haven community FAIR HAVEN— Castleton University’s track and field team “spring cleaned” the center of downtown Fair Haven, tidying up the streets and public areas from Community Bank west to Liberty St. and Carl Duffy’s Store. Twenty-five athletes and their coach took part, using the town’s…

By Polly Lynn Mikula BRANDON—Old pipes and erosion led to a break in a Brandon sewer pipe, spilling over one million gallons of sewage into the Neshobe River. This is the second time in a month that over a million gallons of wastewater has dumped into the river. The most recent break occurred April 4-5…