By Angelo Lynn & Gene DeLorenzo/Addison County Independent Otter Valley Unified Union School District voters will have another opportunity to decide the fate of their district budget via an Australian ballot vote on Tuesday, April 26. The Brandon-area district will hold an informational hearing on Monday, April 25, before voters in the six-town district cast…

By Liora Engel-Smith/VTDigger Earlier this week, state regulators ordered Vermont’s second-largest hospital to cover a projected multimillion-dollar deficit without raising prices. The dust had barely settled on that decision Friday morning, but already reality was setting in for Rutland Regional Medical Center’s chief executive. Reflecting on the fateful Green Mountain Care Board decision, last Wednesday, March…

Audrey J. Putnam, 83, died Saturday morning April 2, at home surrounded  by her loving family from complications of Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS). Audrey was born September 23, 1938, the daughter of Grove R. and Rena (Scott) Scribner. She grew up in Poultney. After graduating from Poultney High School, she graduated from Sheldon Academy of…

Staff report A man died at a snowmbobile event at Suicide Six in Pomfret around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 2, according to Vermont State Police. James C. Darrow, Jr., 56, of Moreau, New York crashed into a tree while traveling off course down the mountain and died. It happened during a snowmobile race called…

Staff report The Archytas FIRST Robotics team, out of Bethel, is working on raising money so that it can compete in the New England District Championships April 13-16.  The central Vermont squad has close to 20 members from 10 towns and five different regional schools (The Sharon Academy, Woodstock, Randolph, White River Valley, and VAST). …

By Curt Peterson  Partners Doug Nolet and Meg Carleton were sitting around contemplating the state of the world, particularly the plight of the Ukrainian people under attack by the Russian military, when they decided to do something about it. Nolet, who happens to own the dilapidated old house and a half acre of land,  painted…

The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR) is reminding the public that it is mud season and many trails around the state are closed through Memorial Day weekend.  Mud season is the time period (typically the duration of April and May), when hiking and biking trails are extremely wet and muddy due to…

This past winter was especially cold. Recognizing that, along with knowing that people’s finances are strained due to the Covid-19 pandemic and rising inflation, a group of area aid organizations decided to collaborate on a campaign to offer home heating aid in late 2021. Barnard Helping Hands, King’s Daughters, Plymouth Memory Tree, Bethany Mennonite Church,…

This spring, Come Alive Outside put the finishing touches on its new mobile application. In April, the nonprofit plans to introduce it to the world.  Available for its 30 Miles, 30 Days program, the Mile-A-Day app is poised to change the way people connect with each other during the challenge. Mile-A-Day is a challenge that…

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. reported zero hunting related shooting injuries (HRSIs) in 2021, continuing a multi-year trend of declining HRSIs in Vermont. The department attributes the success in part to a strong culture of safety among Vermont hunters, and the state’s required hunter education program. “Since hunter education became a requirement in Vermont…

The Hammond Cove Shooting Range in Hartland opened on Friday, April 1. The range operates under rules set by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept.  Range users must sign in with an onsite range safety officer and have a valid Vermont hunting or fishing license or be the guest of someone who does.  Before using…

Mount St. Joseph Academy of Rutland has named Carly Ward as the new director of alumni relations and development.    “Being a familiar face in Rutland County, I want to be an asset to the community, alumni, family, friends and future Mounties of MSJ,” Ward said.  Ward grew up in the Rutland area and was a…

By Polly Mikula As soon as July, construction could begin on 24 new ski-in, ski-out townhouse duplexes at the Bear Mountain base area of Killington. The gated community will feature two-story, 4-bedroom, 4-bath homes — each about 3,000+ square feet. They’ll have attached two-car garages, home offices, floor-to-ceiling windows and mountain views.  Prices begin at $2,050,000…

New residents buy downtown business, rehab upstairs apartment into a short-term rental  By Victoria Gaither The city of Rutland has a population of nearly 16,000; included in that number are new residents Brian and Calista Budrow and their two kids. They moved to Rutland from Arizona last year, trading a hot and dry environment for…

Hard work, low pay, more demand has contributed to a shortage throughout the region By Victoria Gaither Having a cleaner is crucial to your business if you own a rental property.  When guests check in, they expect to find a clean and tidy place. “Guest should expect clean surfaces, spotless toilets, mirrors, sinks, tucked in…