By Lani Duke Rutland City Combination Pond makes the ballot City voters will consider a non-binding ballot item on the future of Combination Pond and associated waterways. Alderman Gary Donahue cast the only vote against putting the pond on the March ballot during the Board of Aldermen’s Jan. 19 meeting. Both city and state officials…

Courtesy of PBS Gina Bullard gets a bird’s eye view of the Connecticut River Valley in Outdoor Journal’s 14th season. ROCHESTER—“Outdoor Journal,” Vermont PBS’ venerable outdoor program, kicks off its 14th season Tuesday, Jan. 26, with stories that take viewers across the length and breadth of the northeast region. Hosts Lawrence Pyne and Gina Bullard…

PITTSFORD—In early January the Rutland Humane Society and Spring Hill Horse Rescue contacted the state police for help in investigating a group of emaciated horses being pastured off Kendall Hill Road in the town of Pittsford. Police reported that a humane agent from Spring Hill Horse Rescue found a chestnut mare and a palomino mare…

WOODSTOCK—On Thursday, Jan. 21, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) announced the selection of Miller Construction, Inc. as the contractor to replace Vermont Bridge 24 over Kedron Brook during the 2016 construction season. The bridge, located on Route 106 between Kedron Road and Bryant Road, was built in 1924 and is now in poor condition.…

RUTLAND—On Friday, Jan. 22, the College of St. Joseph announced a new Drive to CSJ Grant available to new, commuter students who begin at CSJ in Fall 2016. The new grant allows students to save on room and board costs while it helps cover the cost of the commute to campus. Students can experience the…

LUDLOW–Okemo Mountain Resort was recently named one of the 2016 Best Places to Work in Vermont. The annual list of the Best Places to Work in Vermont was created by Vermont Business Magazine, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, the Vermont Department of Economic Development, the Vermont Department of Labor, the Society for Human Resource Management-…

Elizabeth Adams RUTLAND — On Tuesday, Jan. 19, Rutland Economic Development Corporation (REDC), the Small Business Development Center and the Vermont Procurement Technical Assistance Center moved to a collocation site at 67 Merchants Row in Rutland. The new REDC offices will join Castleton Downtown, which includes the Center for Entrepreneurship, Center for Community Engagement and…

By Steve Costello A female osprey, identified by the necklace of brown feathers across her chest, calls from her nest, on Lake Arrowhead. Seeking to recognize a leading Vermont environmentalist and honor the legacy of a legendary wildlife advocate, Green Mountain Power is calling for nominations for the 2016 GMP-Zetterstrom Environmental Award. Named for the…

The Vermont Community Foundation (VCF) has announced that the Innovations and Collaborations Grant program awarded $312,000 to 20 nonprofit organizations in Vermont in the fall of 2015. One of several competitive grant programs, Innovations and Collaborations supports projects that help nonprofits collaborate across sectors and regions to develop common solutions to community needs. “Year after…

By Lani Duke Rutland County New PEGTV show tests high school learning with quizshow A new PEGTV show pits high school teams against each other in a competition covering the entire high school curriculum except math. “Academic Showdown” is scheduled to air once a week for 30 minutes on channel 20; it debuts Thursday, Feb.…

By Lani Duke FAIR HAVEN Town addresses infrastructure needs FAIR HAVEN—The hangar at Fair Haven’s one-time airport is falling into disrepair and needs structural work soon, consultant Wayne Burleson wrote in a letter to the town. The building “will not stand much more weather” without repair, he warned. Those repairs include replacing some of the…

By Lani Duke CASTLETON Castleton  approves budget Castleton’s Select Board ventured into new fiscal waters when it approved its very first capital budget plan on Dec. 28. Voters will have the opportunity to vote their opinion on the plan in March. In the words of Town Manager Mark Shea, “If you pay a little as…

By Lani Duke RUTLAND COUNTY School merger decisions looming ahead at Town Meeting Town Meeting Day across Vermont gives local communities across the state an opportunity to choose who implements the day-to-day running of towns and school districts. In addition to choosing to fill many key town positions, citizens of Wallingford will have the opportunity…

RUTLAND—Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO) President and CEO Tom Dunn announced Jan. 8 that Colin Owyang, will serve as VELCO’s vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary effective April 7, 2016, subject to approval by the VELCO board. Mr. Owyang succeeds Karen O’Neill, who will retire after holding the position since 2010. “Karen is a…

LEICESTER — On Saturday, Jan. 09, at approximately 8:15 p.m., the Vermont State Police responded to Champlain Beverage in the town of Leicester for a reported armed robbery. Investigation revealed three male subjects entered Champlain Beverage displaying a handgun and ordered the clerk to the floor. The three assailants went behind the counter while the…