Courtesy of VT F&W Vermont Fish & Wildlife recommends taking down bird feeders now to avoid attracting black bears that are waking from hibernation. The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department says warm spring weather and melting snows are causing bears to come out of their winter dens early in search of a meal. The department recommends…

Courtesy of VT F&W Proceeds from the sale of conservation license plates also go to the Nongame Wildlife Fund to support the Wildlife Diversity Program. 15 Vermont Watershed Grants awarded for 2016 Trout habitat will be improved, water will be cleaner and invasive plants will be better controlled, thanks to funding from Vermont’s 2016 Watershed…

Fair Haven Union High School student Samantha Morse selected to receive $9,000; Central Vt. well represented The Comcast Foundation recently awarded 20 Vermont high school seniors scholarships through its annual Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship Program, according to a March 11 news release. The program recognizes students’ leadership skills, academic achievement and commitment to community service. Comcast, joined…

Act 46 district votes on name Mill River area voters decided the name for their school district should be Mill River Union School District 40, rejecting the alternative name of White Rocks. In addition to Mill River Union High School, it contains Clarendon, Wallingford, Shrewsbury and Tinmouth elementary schools, with leadership by a single 13-member…

Fair Haven HS bests Rutland HS Good work, Fair Haven scholars! Fair Haven students beat Rutland High’s team on PEGTV’s academic trivia show, 250 to 120. Fair Haven team members are Charlie Cacciatore, Trevor Reck, Zachary Caraballo, and Isaac Nichols; their coach is Torrey MacGregory. Towns grapple with defeated budgets Both Fair Haven and Benson…

RUTLAND — The 53rd annual VFW Loyalty Day Parade is coming May 1, and they would like to remind entrants as such. Participants in past parades have included:  military units such as VFW Posts & American Legion Posts; VFW Post 648 Buddy Poppy Princess; American Legion Unit 31 Poppy Princess; high school bands; fire departments; Smokey…

Susan L. Donegan, commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation (DFR), announced March 10 that Travelers Insurance Co. and Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. have paid Vermont $154,000 in fines and repaid consumers another $54,500. The two insurance companies this week paid fines totaling $154,000 for violating Vermont laws regarding the timing of policy cancellation and…

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By Nan Salamon Killington Active Seniors bookclub meets at Killington’s Sherburne Memorial Library the last Wednesday of every month. The March book is “The Endurance.” By Gerrie Russell At a recent OSHER lecture given by The Memory Center in Bennington, Vt., on the subject of memory loss, it was stated that “what’s good for your…

RUTLAND CITY Dorr Drive bridge work resumes With the return of construction season, crews are scheduled to resume work on the bridges crossing Otter Creek. Preparations are being made to remove the old Dorr Bridge. Removal of the deck and sidewalk is scheduled for March 9-11. Measures will be taken to keep debris from landing…

Approvals and rejections CASTLETON—Castleton voters eliminated the traditional lister’s position in favor of a professional assessor, in a 638-489 vote. Voters in Castleton approved, 686-478, construction of a new town office during their March 1 balloting; they also approved, 762-396, use of a surplus that had come to more than $56,000 in the construction project.…

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders announced Tuesday, March 8, that his office will host three open houses next Tuesday, March 15, in Windsor County. The senator has a five-member team of constituent advocates dedicated to helping Vermonters on a wide range of issues. The most typical inquiries are from people looking for help with Social Security,…

MENDON—On Feb. 23, the VBA Board of Managers announced that Therese (Teri) Corsones of Mendon will succeed Robert (Bob) Paolini as executive director of the association, effective May 1, 2016. Teri Corsones has been a VBA member since 1982, following her graduation from Cornell University Law School that year. Corsones practiced law in Rutland for…

RUTLAND—Beginning in early March, Community College of Vermont (CCV) Job Hunt Helper Darrell Hughes will be on hand at the Rutland Free Library for six hours a week to offer jobsearch services to library patrons and job seekers. Job Hunt Helpers can help with finding employment opportunities in your area, writing a resume and cover…

By Donald Dill Marji Graf, CEO of the Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce, welcomes Genevieve Johnson of Twigs and Thistle, a thrift boutique in Chester, to the Chamber. CHESTER — Twigs and Thistle, a thrift boutique featuring gently used clothing, opened Feb. 13 at 287 Main Street in Chester. Genevieve Johnson is the new owner.…