Discover More from This Category: Local News

100 Day Club turns 10, some aim for perfect record

December 15, 2021
By Ethan Weinstein Since its founding nine years ago, the Killington 100 Day Club has garnered hundreds of members. At least 10 are hoping to make this season their 10th straight with at least 100 days on snow — what might yet be called the 1,000 Day Club. Paul Holmes, of Killington, is one of…

Attorney general’s office offers advice to protect Vermonters from ‘romance scams’

December 15, 2021
By Grace Benninghoff/VTDigger Romance scams are spreading, and the Vermont attorney general’s office of consumer assistance has issued a series of videos and other resources to help Vermonters avoid the widespread and particularly devastating tactic. Here’s how it works: A scammer creates a fake online identity — it could be on a dating website, social…

Hartland holds firefighter training school

December 15, 2021
By Curt Peterson In January, 33 area volunteer firefighters will earn their Level I certification by passing a 100-question written exam, and by demonstrating at five “practical stations” that they know how to use equipment, gear and ladders, and how to tie knots necessary for safe firefighting work. The accreditation will be the end of…

Chittenden sets preliminary budget

December 15, 2021
By Brett Yates On Dec. 12, the Chittenden Select Board finalized its municipal budget proposals for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23), which will begin on July 1 next year. Voters will approve or reject the board’s general fund expenditure budget and highway budget on Town Meeting Day, March 1. Under the board’s recommendation, the general fund…

For the greater good: A guide to impactful holiday donations

December 15, 2021
By Liz DiMarco Weinmann For many Vermont nonprofits, the past year was as challenging as 2020 was. For the nonprofits that serve our most vulnerable populations, 2021 was even more challenging. Many of us donate to nonprofits we care about, but few of us have limitless resources. Even before Covid, donors faced tough decisions: What…

Community rallies, helps OVUHS teacher

December 15, 2021
By Angelo Lynn Otter Valley Union High School and the greater Brandon community are coming to the aid of a beloved teacher and founder of the unique and highly popular Moosalamoo Education Program who suffered a stroke just before Thanksgiving. This week they launched a gofundme campaign for Joshua Hardt and his family. Hardt, only…

Where’s the beef? Loose cow found

December 8, 2021
By Curt Peterson All’s well that ends well-done, one might say in summing up the saga of an escaped bovine that roamed the Hartford-Hartland border for a few November days. At first mislabeled a “bull,” the wandering cow’s gender was ultimately nailed down, and correctly categorized as “beef cow.” Webster Road resident Tucker Westenfeld told…

Windsor Central School announces winter sports plan

December 8, 2021
Staff report In a letter to Windsor Central Supervisor Union (WCSU) families, dated Dec. 3, Superintendent Sherry Sousa outlined its proposed winter sports guidelines for elementary and middle/high schools. The proposal will be discussed and finalized at the district board meeting on Dec. 13; until then, current fall guidelines remain in place. “I know that…

GreenSpell opens downtown

December 8, 2021
By Brooke Geery On Thursday, Dec. 2, GreenSpell hosted a grand opening at 35 Center St. in downtown Rutland. (The location was formerly home to the Christian Science Reading Room.) The store features a variety of indoor plants: from small succulents, to hanging plants, to large floor plants. Many are common houseplants, but the new…

AG’s Office clears Rutland City police officer in shooting, killing of man in McDonald’s bathroom

December 1, 2021
By Alan J. Keays/VTDigger The Vermont Attorney General’s Office has ruled a Rutland City police officer was justified in using deadly force when he shot and killed a man inside a bathroom at a McDonald’s restaurant. The officer said he believed the man was charging at him with a weapon, but it turned out to…

Nesting loons have a record year

December 1, 2021
Vermont’s loons are thriving with a record 109 nesting pairs recorded in 2021, the highest since loon monitoring began in 1978, according to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. and Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE). “Across Vermont, 77 loon nests produced 125 chicks this year, and 84 of those chicks survived through August,” said VCE…

Public learns about proposed TIF district in Killington

December 1, 2021
Future success of town, businesses, development prospects assessed By Polly Mikula A lack of basic municipal infrastructure is holding the town of Killington back. That was the summary of a presentation by White + Burke Real Estate Advisors to the Killington Select Board at a special meeting, Monday, Nov. 29. Growth is lacking namely due…

RNESU Superintendent Jeanné Collins to step down

December 1, 2021
By Angelo Lynn BRANDON — After 41 years as an educator, including 17 years as a superintendent, Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union Superintendent Jeanné Collins, 63, last Friday announced her resignation at the end of this school year. She said her decision was prompted by a change in her personal life. “It’s bittersweet. It’s hard to…

Bike tourism attracts recreation funding

December 1, 2021
By Curt Peterson Killington hopes to benefit from two grants to be awarded this year, according to Recreation Commission Director Sarah Newell. A $45,000 federal grant would fund a study focused on safety for local mountain bike trails. The Select Board approved $9,000 of required matching funds. Newell told the Mountain Times that what’s known…

Covid hospitalizations hit record, RRMC strained

December 1, 2021
By Ethan Weinstein As the public waits anxiously to learn more about the Omicron variant, Vermont is currently experiencing its highest number of Covid hospitalizations and Covid patients in ICU beds. “There’s still a lot we don’t know and it could be a couple of weeks before we get more information. Until then, we’re not…