LONDONDERRY—A lone Canada lynx was photographed in the southern Vermont town of Londonderry this past June, marking the first confirmed evidence of lynx in Vermont outside the Northeast Kingdom in decades. Lynx are listed as “threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act and “endangered” in Vermont. The lynx was photographed in the back yard of…

By Adam Federman, VTDigger.org RUTLAND — Denise Thompson and her family are the last remaining tenants in three properties that were seized at the start of the month as part of a civil forfeiture case that will see the homes turned over to a nonprofit devoted to community redevelopment. Thompson was given an extra week…

By Patricia Minichiello A new playground is coming to Rutland Town in the next few months, town officials said recently. “We have just received a grant to build a playground at Northwood Park,” said Mike Rowe, recreation director for the town. He spoke briefly about the project and said that it will require volunteers from…

By Julia Purdy HUBBARDTON—“Kit” Carson Davidson died Thursday, Sept. 28, 2016, at age 92, but he remains in spirit in the uplands of the Hubbardton home he called “Taconic Mountains Ramble.” This unique corner of Rutland County has been enjoyed by locals and world travelers alike, and its transfer Oct. 5 to the state of…

CASTLETON— On Thursday, Oct. 7, more than 600 Rutland County high school sophomores participated in a “financial reality fair” at Castleton University. The fair, which acted as an interactive financial literacy tool for students, was sponsored by Heritage Family Credit Union and was part of the fourth annual Sophomore Career Summit, sponsored by the Rutland…

RUTLAND COUNTY—This year marks the 11th year of “Boating with Becky” for the W2W (Woman to Woman) cancer support group. This summer was their first memorial cruise on Lake Bomoseen in honor of Becky Oberkirch, a group member from Hubbardton who passed away last February. W2W is an open support group for women of all…

Streetscape changes RUTLAND—The 18th century house at the corner of West and Court streets, said to be the oldest structure remaining in the city, is no more. Once home to the Good Cents thrift store but owned by Grace Congregational Church, the small house has been demolished to make room for dumping snow from the…

By Lani Duke Benson School kicks off Mileage Club BENSON—The Mileage Club planned to set off from Benson Village School Oct. 10 with a school-wide, mile-long walk around the soccer field. Students can choose to walk at recess as part of the Mileage Club up to Thanksgiving break, supervised by an adult on recess duty…

By Stephen Seitz KILLINGTON—As reported last week in The Mountain Times, Amy Morrison, executive director of the Killington Pico Area Association, is stepping down to take over as the new head of the Stowe Area Association. Her last day at KPAA is  Friday, Oct. 14. The Mountain Times caught up with Morrison this past week…

By Karrie Etzler A recent bylaw seeking to ban pit bull type dogs in Montréal, Canada, has been temporarily suspended, after lawyers representing the Canadian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) successfully filed a court order opposing the ban. The ban, which was due to take effect at midnight on Monday, Oct.…

WEST PAWLET—Community members will be cleaning out their closets and donating to a great cause: the 9th annual “Share the Warmth” free clothing giveaway at Mettawee Community School in West Pawlet on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 15-16, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. both days. Mettawee’s Brooke Burnham will be collecting clean, reusable, smoke free clothing at the…

RUTLAND—Join a 5K fun run/walk on Oct. 16 to benefit HEAL Raising Our World Foundation, Inc., an organization committed to raising our world, one child at a time. One hundred percent of the proceeds from this run will support the children at Rapha Community Center, a children’s home and secondary school in Nyahururu, Kenya. Registration…

Fall marks the time when Vermont’s snakes may travel long distances to return to their den sites for the winter. The Vt. Fish & Wildlife Department is asking people to keep an eye out for snakes while driving, both to avoid running them over and also to report any snake they see out and about.…

FAIR HAVEN—Habitat for Humanity of Rutland County (HFHRC) announced the dedication of its first house at 30 West St, in Fair Haven in a news release Oct. 1. The property, granted to HFHRC through the Wells Fargo Community Uplift Stabilization Program, has been completely refurbished and will be the home of Melissa Fournier and her…

By Julia Purdy PITTSFORD—On Saturday, Sept. 24, the Pittsford Historical Society and the town of Pittsford dedicated a new historical marker on the town green, in conjunction with the Congregational Church’s annual harvest fair. The marker commemorates the prosperous iron industry of early Pittsford. On a sunny, gusty day, the green was lined with a…