By Lani Duke CASTLETON—Castleton’s Select Board voted to award the contract for the new town office to McClure Construction of Castleton. In the July 25 meeting, the Board restricted the project cost to up to $701,000. The second low bidder for the project was Upland Construction of Woodstock, offering to do the work for $711,000.…

RUTLAND—Round Panda Community Acupuncture opened in Rutland on Thursday, Aug. 4. It will be open every Thursday, 4-6 p.m. through the end of the year at the Pyramid Holistic Wellness Center, 120 Merchants Row in downtown Rutland. Nina Gee, MS, LAc., Pyramid’s new acupuncturist, will be the practitioner in charge of this unique acupuncture experience.…

By Tiffany Danitz Pache, VTDigger.org A state-by-state review of workforce policies and practices in the early childhood field has found that Vermont is making progress in a few areas but stalling out when it comes to ensuring higher pay for those who work with its youngest residents. Vermont was not among the states leading the…

By Lani Duke One-room schoolhouse gets third lease on life PAWLET—The Pawlet Historical Society has found a new home in the renovated Chris Monroe Chapel in Mettowee Valley cemetery, on Cemetery Hill Road off Route 30 and next to the Pawlet post office. On exhibit is a display curated by George Bouret on the history…

By Lani Duke New hires, promotions RUTLAND—Bernadette Robin begins a new job as business development and marketing director at Visiting Nurse Aassociation and Hospice of the Southwest Region, starting Aug. 8. She spent the previous two years as Rutland Regional Medical Center communications specialist, and nearly 10 years as director of annual giving for the…

By Jimmy Britt RUTLAND — The Vermont Farmers Food Center will be hosting their second annual Harvest Fest, Feast and Fundraiser Sunday, Aug. 14. Besides local food, drinks, d’oeuvres and music the VFFC will be doing something unique: They will be auctioning “scarecrows.” Each will be created by local artists including Mary Crowley, Norma Montagne,…

By Lani Duke Road work: be patient and courteous Traffic is running slowly along some of the local roadways as construction crews take advantage of summer weather. The Business Route 4 corridor project has been slowing traffic. Route 4 East is receiving a new drainage culvert and storm drain plus repair to the retaining wall…

By Lani Duke Clean Water rules to affect more farms Farmers await new Vermont water quality rules with trepidation. No longer do restrictions apply only to dairy farms, but, if drafted rules receive approval, new Agency of Agriculture rules will apply to all, whether livestock or vegetable and other crops. Enforcement won’t be immediate; farmers…

On July 21, Representative Job Tate (R, Rutland-Windsor-1) endorsed Bruce Lisman for governor, saying: “In my conversations with Bruce, I’ve been profoundly impressed by his clear-eyed and comprehensive knowledge of the issues facing our beloved state. Whether in the business field or simply working to help Vermonters, Bruce has shown, time and again, that he…

Green Mountain Power crews worked around the clock, restoring power to 32,400 customers after a wave of powerful thunderstorms swept across Vermont Saturday afternoon, July 23. Heavy winds blew down large trees onto power lines and cutting power across the state. Approximately, 1,800 customers in the areas around the Royalton and White River Districts sustained…

By Stephen Seitz PLYMOUTH—Republican K.T. Cappellini wants to claim the state representative’s seat being vacated by Alison Clarkson. Windsor-5 represents the towns of Woodstock, Plymouth and Reading. Cappellini comes from extensive experience in television news and currently manages an apartment building in New York City, according to his website. “I’m a strong proponent of states’…

EAST WALLINGFORD—On July 24 at 2:15 p.m., Vermont State Police responded to a two vehicle crash on Route 103 in East Wallingford. Preliminary investigation revealed that Anton Shroeder, age 53 of Ludlow, was traveling south on Route 103 on his Harley Davidson motorcycle when he crossed the center line in an attempt to pass the…

RUTLAND — On July 24 at 5:15 a.m., members of the Vermont State Police, while patrolling State Street in Rutland City, located a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee that was stopped in the middle of the roadway. The operator, who was later identified as Brandon Monaco, age 21 of Rutland, was found slumped behind the steering wheel.…

BOMOSEEN — On July 23 at 4:45 p.m., Clifford R. Jones, age 66 of Rutland, went out to retrieved two fishing poles from a dock on Lake Bomoseen when he was pinned by a large dead tree that fell due to the sever wind storm at the time. The tree broke at its base, falling on…

SHREWSBURY—On July 24 at 7:58 p.m. troopers from the Vermont State Police Rutland Barracks responded to a complaint of a theft from a motor vehicle at 2000 Vermont Route 103, an Appalachian Trail parking lot in the town of Shrewsbury. According to the victim, the incident took place between 3 and 5 p.m. Entry was…