New program debuts Jan. 23 in Rutland RUTLAND—This spring, Community College of Vermont (CCV) will expand workforce opportunities with its new Certified Public Bookkeeper (CPB) program, which provides a nationally-recognized credential in the field of accounting, according to a Jan. 6 news release. The CPB program can be completed in one 15-week semester. The college…

ROCHESTER—On Saturday, Jan. 7, at approximately 11:15 p.m. the Rochester Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire at 354 Brandon Mountain Road in Rochester. The property was later identified as owned by Joseph and Rita Mailhiot. A passerby had seen the fire while driving by the home and called 911. Upon the first arrival…

KILLINGTON—On Friday, Jan. 6, at about 1 p.m., the state police received an Emergency 911 call from a man advising a woman in his ski party had become lost in the woods after snowboarding out of bounds off the North Ridge Triple ski trail located at the Killington Ski Resort. The state police and the…

ARLINGTON—On Wednesday, Jan. 4, at about 10:30 p.m., the Vermont State Police received a 911 call reporting a deceased elderly woman inside a home at 440 Buck Hill Road. The woman was later identified by police as Helen Jones, age 81, and was preliminarily identified as the sole resident at this address. Next of kin…

BENNINGTON—On Jan. 3 at about 6:30 p.m. the Bennington Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at the Cora B. Whitney Apartments, 814 Gage St. The fire was located in Apt. 20 and the tenant, Charlotte A. Morrill, age 79, was transported by Bennington Rescue Squad to the Southern Vermont Medical Center. Morrill had suffered…

By Lani Duke   Rutland Free Library improvements, accomplishments RUTLAND—As the year closed, the Rutland Free Library totaled up a list of its accomplishments for 2016. They are impressive. Direct support by voters in all five supporting towns enabled the purchase of 10 new PCs for public use. EVoter support and an endowment funded the…

By Lani Duke Fair Haven Grade School turns 100 FAIR HAVEN—Fair Haven Grade School celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2017. The Fair Haven Historical Society invites people who attended the school and anyone who works or worked there to take part in a discussion Jan. 15 in the school’s Learning Center. Please bring pictures and…

By Adam Federman, VTDigger The kingpin of a major cocaine and heroin distribution ring in the Rutland area was convicted by a federal jury Friday, Dec. 23. Joell Joyce, or “Prince,” a 27-year-old African American from Brooklyn, was found guilty on charges of conspiracy to distribute more than 28 grams of cocaine base and heroin…

By Kevin O’Connor, VTDigger When Gov. Madeleine Kunin learned of the recent death of 96-year-old friend Marion Pritchard, she recalled their meeting at Vermont’s first Holocaust memorial ceremony in 1987 — and their separate yet shared World War II experiences nearly a half-century before. Kunin, born in Switzerland in 1933, was 6 years old when…

By Mark Bushnell, VTDigger The ice called to Amos Blood. Each winter, as the cold settled in, he would look out from his hometown of Ticonderoga, N.Y., across the frozen waters of Lake Champlain, to the Vermont shore. Blood would grab his skates, which were just strips of wood with a curl of metal acting…

By Daniel Schwartz, VTDigger One man is dead and another has been transported to a hospital following a suspected shooting Monday, Jan. 2, on Georgia Mountain Road in Georgia, according to a Vermont State Police press release. Police are investigating what they say appears to be a homicide. Detectives say an initial probe indicates that…

By Tiffany Danitz Pache, VTDigger State officials hope to attract foreign students and boost online enrollments to state colleges. That’s why the Vermont State College trustees used the word “university” to describe the newly merged Lyndon and Johnson state colleges. The new Northern Vermont University will be easier to market overseas, especially to Chinese students,…

RUTLAND—A community collaborative has been recently formed to help strengthen and support substance abuse prevention initiatives in Rutland County. Regional Prevention Partnerships (RPP) of Rutland, in collaboration with the Vermont Department of Health (VDH) and other community partners, want to help shape what substance abuse prevention will look like in Rutland County. Their intent is…

Fair Haven water line upgrade goes forward FAIR HAVEN—In February, the town will finalize contract documents that will result in major improvements to its system of water lines. Among them are the replacement of 5,975 feet of water line with 8-inch diameter PVC pipe and new fire hydrant installation on North Main, Fourth, Mechanic, Maple,…

Are snowplows outgrowing narrow roads? WALLINGFORD—At its Dec. 19 meeting, the Wallingford Select Board heard Road Commissioner Phil Baker’s report on plowing Rogers Farm Road. Road crews stop plowing before coming even with the loop to Stan Taylor’s property because there is no place wide enough for the plow to turn around beyond the pillars.…