Members and friends of the Chittenden Dammers, a local snowmobile club, held a volunteer day at the Rutland County Humane Society in Pittsford on May 14. As part of its overall mission, the club commits to support of local organizations and charities in the community. The project included clearing brush, installing trail signs, doing painting…

By Curt Peterson After 10 years as superintendent of Windsor Southeast Supervisory Union (WSESU), David Baker is leaving to accept the position of superintendent at Orange Southwest Supervisory Union (OSSU), in Hardwick in the Northeast Kingdom. WSESU includes the towns of Hartland, Windsor, West Windsor and Weathersfield. “This should be it,” Baker told the Mountain…

By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger After the trustees of Chester’s Whiting Library decided to “pause” hosting Drag Queen Story Hour, the library’s director resigned and community members have voiced frustration. Meanwhile, a local restaurant has agreed to host the event instead. “Drag queen story hours” were launched by author Michelle Tea and RADAR Productions, a queer literary arts…

By Polly Mikula Memorial Day weekend is known for many things (in addition to solemnly remembering those veterans that paid the ultimate price in service to our country). The three day weekend is the unofficial kick-off to summer so many will celebrate with barbecues, parades and parties. Others will spend the weekend in the garden,…

By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger Angela and Todd Ulman never planned to buy the Taftsville Country Store. Even moving to Vermont was an unexpected decision, prompted by the pandemic. But a year after signing the initial sales agreement for the property, the biggest surprise was the ensuing bureaucratic nightmare. When the Woodstock Planning Commission met April 14, it…

Master Angler Program's annual report shows record participation. Vermont’s wealth of waters and abundant fish populations provide many opportunities to experience outstanding fishing. The Vermont Master Angler Program recognizes the achievements of anglers who catch trophy-sized fish from Vermont waters and celebrates the clean water and healthy habitats that allow these fish to survive and…

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), commonly called avian flu, continues to spread among Vermont’s wild bird population since its initial detection in a pair of bald eagles on April 8. HPAI has now been detected in four bald eagles, one red-tailed hawk, three Canada geese, one wood duck, and one turkey vulture in Vermont. Infected…

By Brett Yates At the Pittsfield Select Board’s May 19 meeting, chair Ann Kuendig announced the upcoming formation of a new regional body composed of representatives from the five Route 100 towns of the Quintown Valley. The area stretches along the upper White River from Granville to Pittsfield, with Hancock, Rochester, and Stockbridge in between.…

By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger When Mike Peabody heard a noise outside his home unlike any he’d heard before, he figured his cat was involved. But as he followed the commotion into his house, he encountered a different sort of feline. “I ran into the bathroom thinking I was going to be breaking up a cat fight,” Peabody…

Are you ready for some softball? After a brief hiatus, the Killington Softball League is returning to Killington to play at the Ada Hall softball field located behind the Sherburne Memorial Library on River Road. Games will be played on Mondays and Wednesdays at 5:50 p.m. and 7 p.m. If you’re interested in playing on a…

By Peter D'Auria/VTDigger Vermont Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill Monday, May 23 to upgrade Vermont’s education funding formula, capping a legislative effort to make the system fairer. “Giving all students an equal chance at success has been a priority of mine since coming to office,” Scott wrote Monday, May 23, in a letter to…

During the American wars of the 20th Century, close to 900 West Rutland men and women served their country. Incredibly, only 15 lost their lives in military action. This year, the town will honor the KIAs with a display of banners to be installed along Main Street. The banners, created by Awesome Graphics, are a…

By Victoria Gaither Rutland’s Northeast Primary School students have benefitted a grant from the Children’s Literacy Foundation, also called CliF’s grant. The grant’s mission is to inspire kids’ love of reading, writing, and imagination. “The CLiF Grant is a $25,000 that we received for Northeast Primary school last spring,” said Sarah Herron, CliFs coordinator. “…

By Sarah Mearhoff/VTDigger First it was U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., last November. Then it was U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., the next week. Next, it was Lt. Gov. Molly Gray in December and Secretary of State Jim Condos in February. And finally, in a flurry of activity in early May, Treasurer Beth Pearce and Attorney General TJ Donovan joined the list of top Vermont…

The unveiling of Middlebury artist Katie Runde’s life-size portrait of the first U.S. college graduate and U.S. state representative of African descent, Alexander Lucius Twilight (1795-1857), in the Vermont State House marks a new chapter in Vermont history. Twilight was the principal of a coed grammar school and the pastor in Brownington between 1829-47 and…