PITTSFIELD — Bill Oren asked the town to consider adopting an ordinance prohibiting fireworks and voiced his concerns about the sign in the Village Green that he feels is advertising for private businesses. The Riverside Horse Farm Act 250 hearing has been recessed, pending additional information from Riverside Horse Farm. The Pittsfield Town Plan has…

RUTLAND—On Thursday, Oct. 15 Hannaford Supermarkets will present a $10,000 donation to support drug and alcohol prevention program at the Boys & Girls Club of Rutland County, located at 71 Merchants Row in downtown Rutland. The donation will support expansion of its Smart Directions drug and alcohol prevention program, which is designed to teach local…

WEST RUTLAND—The Carving Studio and Sculpture Center dedicated a bench as part of a public artwork project, Sunday, Oct. 18, at the Vermont Farmers Food Center (VFFC). The dedication ceremony was part of the VFFC bocce tournament and All Things Apple celebration. The stone bench will be installed for one year at the Vermont Farmers…

Jeff Gottfried touches up one of his wood sculptures at the Big Buzz Chainsaw Carving Festival in Chester last week. by Stephen Seitz CHESTER — About 30 chainsaw artists from all over the United States descended on Chester Oct. 6-12, to join the 6th annual Big Buzz Chainsaw Carving Festival, held on Route 103, south…

By Eric Hudiburg Stafford Hill Solar Farm RUTLAND — On Oct. 8, Sanborn Head released a statement and photos congratulating the  City of Rutland for becoming the Solar Capital of New England. Sanborn Head said it was proud to have been part of this exciting time for Rutland. They provided civil, stormwater, and geotechnical site design…

Courtesy of Phoenix Books Attendees lined up down the sidewalk to visit everyone's favorite monkey on Saturday, Oct. 3 as part of Phoenix Books Rutland's Grand Opening week. The free event began at 11 a.m. at Phoenix Books Rutland, located at 2 Center Street. The Grinch will be visiting in early December, look for details coming…

POULTNEY—In 2007, Jack Brennan, then the president of Green Mountain College, became one of the first signatories of the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), a signature program of Second Nature. At the time the world was experiencing the second highest global temperature readings for any year on record. Last week, on Oct. 5, amidst what…

Applications will be accepted until Oct. 23 As part of building a comprehensive electric vehicle charging network across the state, Green Mountain Power is offering nearly $50,000 in four separate grants to build four solar-powered electric vehicle charging stations. GMP will work with the Clean Energy Development Fund to coordinate these projects. “We are so…

Dam removal urged Claiming that most of the 200 dams in Vermont that do not appear to have a current use are thus "deadbeats," the Nature Conservancy of Vermont plans to urge their removal after first developing a data-rich map ranking and prioritizing the dams that most inhibit fish and other aquatic species' reproduction. Officials…

By Lani Duke Louras nixes “wet” shelter downtown The aldermen concurred with mayor Chris Louras in objecting to the installation of a "wet" shelter downtown. BROC-Community Action in Southwest Vermont had proposed opening a "low-barrier" shelter in that crucial corner of the city's core at 45 Union Street. Louras objected to a new facility agreeing…

CASTLETON—In memory of a well-loved student, the Castleton Upward Bound program will help students in their pursuit of higher education as it rewards deserving students with the newly dedicated scholarship fund, the Alexandra “Alix” Brown Scholarship. Alix Brown was a student at Rutland Senior High School and a member of the Castleton Upward Bound program…

LUDLOW — Vermont Limo and Shuttle LLC began in April, 2015 and is expecting to have a big presence in the Ludlow region of Vermont this fall and winter season. They will be offering a contract shuttle service as well as brew tours, wedding service, airport and Amtrak service and all types of transportation services from…

RUTLAND — On Monday, Oct. 12, Stafford Technical Center’s Forestry, Natural Resources and Horticulture program announced that it has been chosen to receive the Governor’s Service award in the K-12 Youth Volunteer Group category. Selection was based on the program’s service in partnership with the Rutland Natural Resources Conservation District. Governor’s Service Awards pay tribute to…

The Long Trail Youth Theater is ready for take-off in Southern Vermont with year-round workshops and productions. Long Trail School is excited to announce Long Trail Youth Theater (LTYT), a new theater program for children in grades K through 12, beginning Oct. 19 with intensive workshops. Children are grouped by grade level: Theater Fun for…

RUTLAND – For many college students, one of the biggest adjustments is learning how to make meals – with food service providers and dining halls to help. While some dorms and student centers are equipped with shared kitchen space, students often lack the skills to cook the food they want. College of St. Joseph’s Wellness…