In 2015, our nation lost over 35,000 lives on our roadways; 57 of those were in Vermont. Impairment by alcohol, drugs or both were a contributing factor in almost half of last year’s fatal crashes in Vermont. Vermont law enforcement is partnering with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Governor’s Highway Safety…

On Aug. 28 at 9:33 a.m. Vermont State Police responded to a report of a car that had crashed in the median and was on fire on I-91, at mile marker 49N, in Weathersfield, Vt. After the initial investigation, police reported that Alexander Romanow, age 79 from Brick, N.J., had been traveling north in a…

RUTLAND—Over the past four months, the College of St. Joseph “found” an additional academic building by transforming the 200-year-old wood-framed carriage house for academic use. Green Mountain Power worked with the school’s maintenance director Tom Beland to gut the building, install LED lighting and central air conditioning and heat pumps. Interim college president Larry Jensen…

Mad Hatter Cafe has new owner POULTNEY—Emily Sumner is buying the Mad Hatter Cafe on Main Street in Poultney, from Serena Gallagher. A year-and-a-half old, the Mad Hatter began life as a clothing store under the name Button before changing its name and business structure to that of a cafe and gift emporium for handmade…

Winning team gets $250 cash KILLINGTON—The Sherburne Memorial Library and the Sherburne Historians are hosting a Killington Photo Scavenger Hunt scheduled for the second weekend in September (Sept. 9-12).  Teams of three or more can register at the library to participate. Registration is free. The scavenger hunt is open to all ages and you do…

By Julia Purdy CHITTENDEN—The Town of Chittenden began a townwide reassessment of real property in July, and officials anticipate the results will be finalized in April or May 2017. Initial field data must be collected by Nov. 1, 2016. The last one was done in 1999. Town Lister Millie Kimball explained that the frequency of…

MENDON—On Monday, Aug. 22, at about 7:45 a.m., members of the Rutland City Fire Department, Vermont DMV Enforcement and Vermont State Police responded to a crash involving a grain truck rollover on Route 4 in the town of Mendon. Investigation at the scene revealed that 48-year-old James Wright of Randolph, Vt., was driving a 2012…

RUTLAND—After seven months of construction, Rutland Regional Medical Center has completed phase 1 and has begun work on phase II of what is to be an expected 18-month long construction and renovation project involving the hospital’s emergency department (ED). The first phase involved 1,840 sq. ft. of new construction and partial renovation of the existing…

LUDLOW—Chrisandra’s Interiors held a charity event benefiting the Women’s Freedom Center (WFC) on Aug. 13, Saturday. at its retail store located on Main Street in Ludlow. “Our goal is to raise money through the sale of raffle tickets to help the WFC provide much needed services and programs for victims of domestic violence,” said store…

By Amy McClure LUDLOW—On Sunday, Aug. 14, the Book Nook in Ludlow welcomed World Horror Grandmaster Brian Keene and local author Asher Ellis to perform readings from their various works, sign copies, and answer questions from the audience. Keene is best known for his 2003 novel “The Rising,” which is often credited with starting the…

KILLINGTON— On Tuesday, Aug. 16, at their regular Killington Select Board meeting, the board discussed the towns financial status with regards to FEMA reimbursements, outstanding debts, loan repayment plan and delinquent tax collection. Here is a summary of the discussion, according to the meeting minutes: FEMA: Ravine Road appeal status Town Manager Debby Schwartz reported…

By: Lani Duke Addison-Rutland Supervisory Union tackles Act 46 Representatives from the towns of Benson, Castleton, Fair Haven, Hubbardton, Orwell, and West Haven will soon begin conferring to develop a satisfactory consolidation agreement in compliance with Act 46. It’s about a year since the six-town group first attempted to hammer out a solution to the…

Castleton Polling Institute earns national contract CASTLETON – The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) recently awarded the Castleton University Polling Institute a $400,000 contract to develop and pilot test an interactive health-related survey and journal system, according to a Castleton University news release, Monday, Aug. 22.. Director of the Polling Institute Dr. Rich…

By: Lani Duke School districts consider Act 46 by deadlines School classrooms are filling up soon, and boards are returning to tackle discussions of how to meet the state-mandated merger requirements of Act 46. If these school districts combine, which are left out? Which lie in between but don’t fit in terms of their structure?…

RUTLAND—On Aug. 10, the board of directors of Rutland Area Farm and Food Link (RAFFL) announced that Elena Gustavson has been named the new executive director, effective Aug. 1. Gustavson succeeds Tara Kelly, who was appointed in June to serve as the planning director for the City of Rutland. Gustavson brings a wealth of experience…