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…

By Polly Lynn Mikula BRANDON— Pete Brooks and his two brothers-in-law, Riker Wikoff and Andrew Gates, plan to open a taproom in downtown Brandon, brewing a rotating selection of artisan beers. “Best case scenario, we open early fall,” Brooks said, explaining that the timeline will be determined by the permitting process. The Red Clover Ale…

RUTLAND—An exit “motorcade” for Rutland Regional Medical Center’s retiring CEO Tom Huebner was held on Friday, March 23 at 12-noon. Community members and hospital staff gathered inside the main lobby, outside and around the building to wave farewell. The Rutland fire department, police, and regional ambulance provided an escort as he drove around the building…

Sunday, March 18, 1 p.m.—MIDDLETOWN SPRINGS—Maple lore and demonstrations, sweet treats from local kitchens, a raffle and a silent auction featuring local artists and craftspersons, merchants and professionals highlight the 30th annual Maple Festival of the Middletown Springs Historical Society on Sunday, March 18 from 1-4 p.m. The event will feature a demonstration of early maple…

RUTLAND—Rutland Recreation’s basketball tournament had a different focus this year: sportsmanship! The tournament, which held 44 games in less than 10 days, took place Feb. 24 to March 3 at Rutland high school. New this year, a sportsmanship code of conduct was read at the beginning of each game by local high school athletes from…

By Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Bridgewater, Chittenden, Killington & Mendon When the new session began on Jan. 3, I was reassigned to the House Government Operations Committee, one of 14 House committees that meets on a daily basis to delve into various proposals and bills. What does Government Operations do, you may ask? As Deputy Secretary…

By Lauren Owens Keri Reid