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.…

By Karen D. Lorentz The Vermont Department of Financial Regulation Securities Division has oversight of 104,00 registered investment broker/dealer agents in Vermont. Those agents don’t have to live here, noted William “Bill” Carrigan, deputy commissioner of the Securities Division. In addition to registering broker-dealers, investment advisors, and their agents and representatives and bringing administrative or…

Norwich University has been named Organization of the Year by Special Olympics Vermont. The university was recognized at an annual awards luncheon held on Dec. 11 at Killington Resort. “Norwich University has been an important partner of Special Olympics Vermont for many years, hosting two annual sports events and providing volunteer support at numerous other…

RUTLAND—Thanks to contributions from family, friends, and community members, the Rutland Area Farm and Food Link has met its fundraising goal to acquire a gently used van for the Glean Team. The organization raised $1,500 through Facebook and its website, with $1,000 matched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In January RAFFL will put…