DuBois & King, headquartered in Randolph, Vt., has announced that Joe Coutermarsh, PE, has joined the firm as a senior mechanical engineer. Coutermarsh has 30 years of experience providing design of mechanical-HVAC, plumbing, and fire protection systems for industrial, commercial, educational, healthcare, and municipal projects. Licensed in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, Coutermarsh lives in…

A number of Vermonters have received unsolicited phone calls from parties claiming affiliation with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont. The caller offers a special program regarding pain management and opioid prescriptions and asks the consumer to disclose personal information to determine qualification for the program. BCBS is not affiliated with any such program and…

SO. POMFRET—State police and the U.S. Postal Service are investigating a break-in and burglary that occurred at the Teago General Store and U.S. Post Office in So. Pomfret. On Thursday, Dec. 22, at approximately 8:14 a.m. state police from the Royalton Barracks responded to a report of a break-in at the combined store and post…

Department of Vermont Health Access officials reported that Vermont Health Connect Open Enrollment has been progressing smoothly. They expect the state to maintain one of the lowest uninsured rates in the country in 2017. Open Enrollment is a time for new customers to sign up for health and dental plans for the coming year. It…

City budget omits fire department; Louras leaves meeting RUTLAND—When Rutland City voters mark their ballots in March, their city budget will not include funding for the fire department. The Board of Aldermen voted to remove that $3.5 million sector of the budget in accordance with the Public Safety Committee’s recommendation. There appears to be no…

Nursing students learn from Army CASTLETON—Forty-six Castleton junior and senior nursing students as well as two faculty members took part in a Nov. 29 hemorrhage clinic, learning the basics of stopping excessive bleeding in a patient, second in seriousness to trauma injuries. The students learned how to use tourniquets, pack simulated wounds, and use various…

RUTLAND—State police have arrested Brian McIntyre, an employee of the Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility suspected of misusing a credit card assigned to the facility. In early December 2016, state police detectives were contacted by administrators within the Department of Corrections and asked to investigate what they believed were fraudulent charges made to a department-issued…

MOUNT HOLLY—A crash last week left a tractor-trailer in the water and briefly closed Route 103. At about 4:00 in the afternoon Tuesday, Dec. 13, state police were notified of a single-vehicle crash on Route 103 in Mt. Holly. Troopers from the Rutland Barracks responded and located the wreck at the intersection with North Bowlsville…

BENSON—State police arrested Loren Wooster, 50, of Benson Wednesday, Dec. 14, for alleged lewd and lascivious conduct with two underage girls and providing alcohol and drugs to a third. Wooster was cited with lewd and lascivious conduct, providing alcohol to a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He was scheduled to appear…

SHARON—On Dec. 16, at 1:16 p.m. state police stopped a silver 2007 BMW with Vermont plates for speeding near the Sharon rest area on I-89 North. During the stop the occupants were identified as Jonathan Alvarez, 27, and Ryan Mohr, 32, both from New Haven, Conn. A state police K9 was deployed and detected the…

ROCHESTER—State police are investigating a burglary that occurred at the Mom and Pop’s Farm Stand, owned by Tonya Sylvester, located at 3425 Brandon Mountain Road in the town of Rochester between 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14 and 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15. After preliminary investigation, police reported that suspects entered through the barn and broke…

By Adam Federman, VTDigger RUTLAND — A Poultney teen has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of 19-year-old Daniel Hein. William Bailey, also 19, said in Rutland criminal court Monday, Dec. 19, that he accidentally shot his friend with a gun he thought was unloaded. State police reported…

By Karen D. Lorentz If there is any ski topic that perplexes me, it is the issue of comparing skiing today to the “good old days.” Most folks who skied in the 1950s and 1960s will tell you the “good old days” were not so good. And for some that also applies to the 1970s.…

The bountiful snowfall in woods and fields this December provides ample opportunities to head outdoors looking for signs of wildlife. Snowshoers, skiers and other winter adventurers are encouraged to keep an eye on the snow for tracks this time of year. While most wild animals are elusive and difficult to spot, fresh snow can be…

KILLINGTON—Killington Accommodations and Killington Holiday Rentals, two premier vacation rental companies, have recently merged. The companies made the announcement mid-December, stating that the combined full service property rental management company will now be called “Killington Rental Associates.” “Our companies have combined resources and our knowledgeable staff, with decades of experience, to become the largest and…