RUTLAND—The Rutland Garden Club recently accepted the Theresa Brungardt Award at the Vermont Recreation and Parks Conference at Lake Morey Resort, according to a Sept. 23 news release. Rutland Recreation and Parks Department nominated the Rutland Garden Club for the award for its outstanding design and creation of the 22 public gardens throughout Rutland City.…

Changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or the FAFSA, are here. Find out what it means for financial aid plans at a Paying for College workshop, hosted by Vermont Student Assistance Corp. The workshop, which is free and open to the public, will provide parents and students with information on the new…

BETHEL—A unique “do-it-yourself” revitalization project is bringing the community together to create the town they want. During the first weekend in October Main Street will come alive with a new (temporary) bike lane, pop-up shops and a youth center in vacant buildings, a beer garden and live music in empty parking lots, and murals and…

On Sept. 21, Green Mountain Power announced that it has reached an agreement with Enel Green Power North America, Inc. (EGP-NA) to purchase 14 small hydroelectric plants for a total installed capacity of 17 MW. These hydro plants are located in New England and will provide GMP customers with locally-generated, cost-effective energy. In addition, Green…

Student housing awarded tax credits RUTLAND—The Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development awarded Castleton University’s downtown Rutland student housing $170,000 in tax credits on Sept. 22. The second and third floors of the Clement Building now house dorm suites for 40 students. The state split $2.26 million in tax incentives among more than 20…

ARSU sets homework guidelines The Addison-Rutland Supervisory Union has released guidelines for how much homework a grade school or middle school student should be doing at home. The rule of thumb for how much homework a student should do is about 10 minutes per grade level. First graders should perform about 10 minutes of homework;…

WOODSTOCK—On Monday, Sept. 26, Woodstock Terrace Assisted Living presented local resident James “Mac” McClelland with the annual Woodstock Terrace Assisted Living Senior Service award. The award recognizes an area senior for making a difference in the lives of others through volunteerism. For the past eight years, McClelland has served the patrons of the Norman Williams…

Thursday, Sept. 29—RUTLAND—The Rutland Natural Resources Conservation District (RNRCD) will host a continuing education course approved by the Real Estate Commission, on Thursday, Oct. 6, 8:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m. at the College of St. Joseph (St. Joseph Hall, room 105) on Clement Road, in Rutland. Registration is at 8 a.m. Pre-registration is required by Sept. 29…

KILLINGTON—Killington Elementary School (KES) recently welcomed its new kindergarten teacher, Ms. Jodi LeBrun, to the KES community. Ms. LeBrun has 10 years of experience in teaching kindergarten. She holds a B.S. in elementary education and an M.Ed. in early childhood education. She engages her kindergarten students in learning through songs, movement, and hands-on play. The…

Club owner files suit against city RUTLAND—September 12, Charles Greeno, owner of Rutland dance club The Local, filed a federal lawsuit against the Rutland City Police Department for discrimination and unequal enforcement. Greeno complains that police situating their cruisers outside his business on weekend nights at closing time is discriminatory because many of his patrons…

KILLINGTON—Students may have walked in the doors at Killington Mountain School (KMS) on Aug. 29, but school actually commenced for the 2016-2017 year on Aug. 8, when all student-athletes were invited by their teachers to log into their Google Classrooms for each of their courses and begin completing work. Students of all athletic disciplines logged…

Green Mountain Power and SunCommon Sept. 14 announced a partnership that will allow customers to store their solar power for security during a power outage. The first-of-its-kind program in Vermont partners a utility with a solar company to offer home storage that both strengthens the grid and allows homes to power from solar during outages.…

By Julia Purdy CHITTENDEN—Twenty-two people attended an informal talk hosted by the Chittenden Historical Society Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. at the historic Grange hall in North Chittenden, Vt. Vermont historian Richard B. Smith spoke on “Ethan Allen, the Revolution and Chittenden,” a topic that covered the period from the first town charter in…

Veterans help veterans’ shelter with $10,000 check FAIR HAVEN—American Legion Post #49 in Fair Haven recently presented Chris Morgan of The Dodge House for Veterans with a $10,000 check to help the organization’s overall financial health. Dodge House provides substance-abuse-free transitional housing for homeless men and women veterans and supports individuals transitioning into community life.…

PITTSFIELD—Pittsfield ​hosted the 5th annual Pittsfield Picnic​ on Aug. 28, 2016. Participants enjoyed the potluck, music by The Detours, field games, a spirited horseshoe tournament, and over 100 silent auction items to bid on. The event raised nearly $2,700 which will be put towards continued efforts to rehabilitate the town’s basketball court. To date, approximately…