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…

On Friday, Jan. 8, 2016, at about 3:30 a.m., Vermont State Police responded to a single vehicle crash on Old Coach Road in Killington. Investigation revealed that Jaquanz L. Knight, age 28, of Rochester, N.Y., had been traveling north on Old Coach Road when his vehicle veered off the roadway, hitting a tree nearly head-on.…

Photo courtesy of Rutland City Police Department CATHERINE NELSON By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger.org Rutland City Police confirmed that Catherine Nelson, who was just named publisher to lead the Rutland Herald and Times Argus, was arrested on Dec. 26 and faces charges of drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident. Police say Nelson was…

Courtesy of PEGTV Longtime producer Joe Tilden sits down in front of the green screen at PEGTV studios to tape a new episode of his show “Big Joe’s Journal.” RUTLAND –  PEGTV recognizes television producer Joe Tilden of Rutland for his commitment and dedication to public access programming. Tilden is one of the longest running…

Jim Riley RUTLAND—On Jan. 5, at 6 p.m. PEGTV will air the first episode of “Jim Riley’s Reality Check,” a current affairs, news and politics talk show. Jim Riley is a former U.S. Army and Army Reserve enlisted soldier, N.C.O., and officer who served in Asia, Europe, and throughout the United States, as well as…

Class of 2015 receives $5,986,652 in scholarship offers Many 2015 MSJ graduates received very substantial scholarship offers to help pay for college, sometimes even full scholarships. Two-year scholarship partnership with College of Saint Joseph MSJ and College of Saint Joseph partnered to offer annually two-year full scholarships to up to five MSJ graduates. MSJ looks…

RUTLAND—Rutland Economic Development Corporation (REDC) Executive Director Lyle Jepson announced Dec. 29 the appointments of Sara Gilbert and Tyler Richardson as assistant directors of REDC. Gilbert was most recently the director of business development at NeighborWorks of Western Vermont, a homeownership nonprofit and community lender, where she oversaw marketing and community outreach. Gilbert also worked…

MENDON — On Friday, Jan. 1 at about 11:27 a.m., troopers from the Vermont State Police Rutland Barracks responded to a motor vehicle crash on Route 4 in Mendon.  Investigation revealed a vehicle driven by Sage Brow, age 18 of Rutland, was traveling east at a high rate of speed, when her 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier crossed…

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) remind motorists that snow and ice are now a part of everyone’s daily driving experience in Vermont and now is the time to start preparations for winter. “The first storm of the year is when we typically see a lot of easily preventable crashes,” says Todd Law, state maintenance…