By Brett Yates Conversations in Chittenden about what the town should do with its allocation from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) have coalesced into a formal list of nine potential projects. President Biden signed ARPA, a $1.9 million economic stimulus, into law last spring, sending Covid-19 recovery funds (with flexible spending guidelines) to municipalities…

By Katy Savage Cannabis retailers won’t be allowed in Woodstock village since it failed 80-53,during the annual village meeting on March 24. There were 13 blank votes. “We’re going to definitely respect the voters,” said Victoria Littlefield, who chairs the Woodstock Cannabis Review Committee. While cannabis won’t be sold in the Village, which encompasses most…

By Christopher Ross/ Addison County Independent Roughly 14% of Middlebury College students have tested positive for Covid-19 since arriving for the spring semester last month, but the cases have not been severe or persistent enough to warrant a change in campus policies, officials said. Middlebury currently has 2,626 residential students and has logged 383 cases,…

By Katy Savage Helen and Emmett Norton, who are lifelong skiers, didn’t know if they’d ever be able to take their daughter on the snow. Their daughter, Erin, has cerebral palsy and Down syndrome. She’s non-verbal and is in a wheelchair. When Erin was 10, Helen saw an ad in a local newspaper for adaptive…

By Curt Peterson The Killington Planning Commission, with increased mixed-use development in mind, is considering how and whether to continue Planned Unit Development (PUD) projects as an option. Ed Bove, as part of the Rutland Regional Planning Commission contract to assist the zoning review, advised planning commission members to keep the PUD option in the…

Killington chairlifts through the decades tell a tale of challenges overcome, improved experiences By Karen D. Lorentz The decommissioning of the K-1 Base Lodge, which began after a final “tear down party” on March 20, 2022, was the last step in the transformation of the Killington K-1 base area to the thoroughly modern base worthy…

Staff report After abruptly closing in January due to contamination, the Vermont Farmers' Food Center (VFFC) is planning to reopen by next fall. A work plan was recently submitted to the Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) detailing next steps for mitigation after high levels of tetrachloroethylene (TCE), a carcinogen, was found in the soil beneath…

Mud challenges local road crews By Katy Savage Some town officials are calling this mud season the worst ever. Killington Town Manager Chet Hagenbarth said eight roads were “borderline passable” over the weekend. “They were the worst I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” Hagenbarth said. ”It was so unusual how bad it was.” Hagenbarth almost…

By Curt Peterson Killington Town Manager Chet Hagenbarth told the Select Board March 14 that negotiations are underway to purchase two new police cruisers for the Killington Police Department (KPD). Although there are only around 1,407 residents, there can be 20,000 people in town if there’s an event or a busy weekend. Managing a police…

By Curt Peterson The Windsor Central Unified Union School District (WCSU) board finance committee asked the building and grounds committee for their “go-ahead” Monday night, March 21, on a sewerage system upgrade at the Woodstock Middle/High School campus. WCSU director of finance and operations Jim Fenn said a current bid for the project is $372,300,…

By Liora Engel-Smith/VTDigger Vermont is at the tail end of its most potent Covid-19 wave to date, but the pandemic’s financial implications continue to squeeze the state’s hospitals. The latest budgetary pressure point were on display last week when executives from Vermont’s second-largest hospital asked state regulators to allow a 9% increase in service charges…

$175 million for staff is 30% more per hour, capital projects announced, too By Karen D. Lorentz Vail Resorts recently announced a $20 per hour minimum wage for all 37 of its North America resorts, effective for the 2022-23 ski-and-ride season. The company also announced capital improvement projects total of over $300 million, which is…

By Jack Lyons/VTDigger A 30-year effort to reintroduce passenger rail service to Burlington is scheduled to succeed this summer. Rail travelers will be able to board in Rutland and travel to Burlington on the trail, and Burlington residents will be able to travel south — all the way to New York City and points beyond…

By Liz DiMarco Employers from Vermont to Vancouver are facing unforeseen difficulties in attracting qualified workers, but there are jobhunters over 55 who know all too well the challenges of finding meaningful employment. Ageism is more pervasive than ever, and harsh reality is difficult to deny. Accelerated technology, plus political and socioeconomic factors, tend to…

By Brett Yates On March 17, the Pittsfield Select Board accepted a bid by G&N Excavation to construct a new municipal sand shed at a cost of $340,678. Pittsfield will use the shed for the storage of sand and salt for winter road maintenance. No other company responded to the town’s public tender, which Pittsfield…