By Curt Peterson Local Select Board races ended in upsets this year in Barnard and Hartland, where two long-time board members were ousted on Town Meeting Day. Tim Johnson, a 21-year Barnard incumbent, was unseated by Richard Lancaster, 67, who has served as lister, and at one time, selectman, by 10 votes from the floor,…

By Angelo Lynn/Addison County Independent In a surprise outcome, the Otter Valley Unified Union School District budget was defeated, 522-462, by voters in the Brandon-area district on Town Meeting Day, March 1. The district’s proposed budget presented a 7.8% jump in spending with per pupil spending increasing by 9.72%. Taxes throughout district towns, however, were…

The Sherburne Trails, located on Route 100 in Killington, which were first opened for the winter season in 2020-2021thanks to a new agreement with the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF), will now be groomed for fat bikes. The Sherburne Trails are open for non-motorized use. While fat biking has always been permitted, until now the…

By Victoria Gaither The start of the sugaring season in Central Vermont never gets old for locals. In fact, for Rutland residents Art and Cindy Trevino, warmer temperatures and the end of February is the time to pull out the buckets, lids, drill, hammer, hooks, and spile. “I love sugaring because it gives us something…

Great employees are the backbone of successful businesses. Savvy business owners recognize the important role workers play in helping a business meet its goals, and recruiting and retaining such employees is a high priority for the world’s most successful firms. According to the recruitment resource Betterteam, 68 percent of human resources professionals report problems filling…

By Victoria Gaither Stefanie Schaffer is exceptional, not because she survived an accident in the Bahamas that left her a bilateral amputee, but because she has the guts and determination that only a person who suffered such a personal loss can turn into strength. The Rutland resident wrote her memoir, “Without any Warning: Casualties of…

By Rep. Jim Harrison A few years ago, Pat and her sister Carol were helping my father-in-law clean out his house for a move. They came across a desk and file cabinet that were labeled MT. They wondered what that meant. Dad laughed and replied that it was cleaned out = empty = MT. Likewise,…

By Steve James and John S. McCright, Addison Independent SALISBURY — Rob Kenna looked kind of helpless outside his home off West Shore Road in Salisbury last Monday afternoon, Feb. 21. He didn’t have his glasses, he didn’t have his car, he didn’t have his phone. And he was standing there watching flames leap from…

By Katy Savage As the threat of Covid-19 apparently dwindles, local towns and organizations are rescinding their face mask policies. The Woodstock Village Trustees and Select Board unanimously voted to no longer require a face mask in public buildings during a joint meeting on Feb. 28. “Individual businesses may still make their own requirements,” Woodstock…

By Curt Peterson Killington Treasurer Lucrecia Wonsor said the town will receive $156,624 from the state as the town’s share of the rooms and meals and alcohol option tax paid during the fourth quarter of 2021, (paid Nov. 13 through Feb. 8, according to Wonsor). The previous record revenue from fourth quarter options taxes, $131,205,…

31,000 square foot building on Nanak Way is reimagined, Act 250 permit pending By Curt Peterson A new hotel is proposed for the site behind Hillside Inn on Nanak Way in Killington. The owners made a presentation to the Development Review Board (DRB) on Jan. 20, and have responded to a list of conditions set…

By Katy Savage Growing up, Spencer Wood didn’t know he had a disability. Wood, a Pittsfield native, was diagnosed as a baby but his parents didn’t tell him until he was 10 and they didn’t let his disability get in his way. “We didn’t want it to be a crutch,” his mother Barb Wood said.…

By Liz DiMarco Weinmann Despite the predictions of grumpy groundhogs and other miscreant mammals (plus Buzz the Hornet at NVU-Lyndon), who declared we are not done with winter, we can take solace in the fact that the calendar decrees March 20 as the first official day of spring. And, this year March 2 marks the…

Killington Resort announced the advancement of Megan Canty to director of human resources, March 1. “We’re thrilled to be able to promote from within as we continue to build a strong, passionate team. Megan will, no doubt, make immediate contributions to Killington and Pico in her new role. She brings a wealth of experience to…

By Brooke Geery Pico played host to the second edition of 2021/22 Mini Shred Madness last Saturday, Feb. 26. Despite warm temps in the leadup melting out much of the snow, the park crew was able to put together a special setup at the bottom of the Exhibition trail for the kids to enjoy, with…