The Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program (VT UCF) recently bestowed tree steward awards on several Vermonters, including two from the Rutland area, for their commitment to protecting and preserving their communities' forests and trees. Tom Estill, Rutland, a longtime science teacher and outdoorsman, was recognized with the Leader award, presented annually to an individual…

On Tuesday, May 4, motorists saw a traffic pattern change  in Hartford at the intersection of US Route 5 and Sykes Mountain Avenue and at the intersection of Sykes Mountain Avenue and Ralph Lehman Drive, as motorists began using two new roundabouts. In the immediate future, motorists are advised to use caution as new signage…

By Katie Jickling/VTDigger Dick Drysdale, a longtime editor, publisher and reporter who spent his life telling stories about — and to — a community he loved, has died. He was 76. Drysdale manned the helm of the White River Valley Herald (formerly The Herald of Randolph) for more than four decades, documenting the high school graduations,…

Vicar Lisa Ransom and Farmer Priest Rachel Field welcomed two colonies of honey bees to Mission Farm in Killington, Sunday, May 2. Bees are part of the plan to bring regenerative agriculture practices to Mission Farm. Field explained all the steps she took to introduce the swarms of bees to their new home on the hillside…

By Katy Savage Some retail shops and restaurants closed and the Woodstock Village was under a boil water notice after a water main broke last week. Woodstock Aqueduct Company President Jireh Billings said a pipe broke in front of Woodstock Recreation Center around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, April 29. Three feet of water leaked from a…

Sunday, May 9 at 7:30 a.m.—WEST PAWLET—The West Pawlet Volunteer Fire Dept. will be hosting its monthly pancake breakfast at the Fire House located at 2806 Vermont Route 153, West Pawlet, on May 9 from 7:30-11 a.m. The menu includes plain, chocolate chip, cranberry and blueberry pancakes and waffles served with pure Vermont maple syrup,…

The Rutland County Humane Society is offering a low cost cat spay/neuter clinic with transportation from RCHS to Middlesex and back on May 6 for cats to be spayed/neutered. Drop your cat off at RCHS at 6 a.m. and pick your cat up later that day, likely around 6 p.m. Space is limited. If you are…

By Brett Yates Rutland City hosts several well-known public events each year, such as its famed Halloween parade and the Chaffee Center’s Art in the Park. According to Alderman Michael Talbott, 2021 will add a new celebration to the city’s social calendar if all goes to plan: a whoopie pie festival, tentatively scheduled for the…

By Julia Purdy Duane Atwood of Wallingford, 38, was painting a two-story house at 69 Baxter St. in Rutland Friday April 23 when a neighbor called out that the house was on fire. “At first I thought it was a joke,” he told the Mountain Times. Then he saw smoke billowing from the back of…

By Katy Savage Killington Boot Camp is moving and expanding operations.  Owner Beth Roberts is opening Killington Boot Camp Wellness Center on Saturday, May 1, on the second floor of Base Camp Bike and Ski (formerly Base Camp Outfitters) on Killington Road. There will be an open gym with weights, cardio equipment, pliability bands, suspension…

By Brett Yates Dozens of municipalities in Vermont took advantage this year of a new state law that, for 2021 only, permitted them to postpone their annual town meetings in order to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission. These include five towns in Windsor County (Hartland, Sharon, Barnard, Weston, and Baltimore) and one in Rutland…

Ludlow-Mt. Holly, Rutland Town, Hartland, and Mt. Ascutney school districts named in appeal By Lola Duffort/VTDigger The state board of education on Wednesday, April 21, ordered three Vermont school districts to reimburse families who live in “school choice” towns for the tuition they paid out of pocket this year for their children to attend religious schools.  The board’s…

The Dark Knight to be featured in sculpture honoring annual Halloween parade organizer Two characters who turned Rutland’s Halloween parade into a comic book phenomenon will be immortalized in marble —Tom Fagan and DC’s Batman! Fagan, a journalist and book editor, was involved in Rutland’s legendary parade from its start in 1959. He launched a…

Beware of a dangerous imposter if you are foraging for ramps Wild leeks, also known as ramps (Allium tricoccum), are a wild edible that many Vermonters enjoy each spring. But if you are foraging for them, be careful to not mistake the ramps for a poisonous lookalike plant called false hellebore, the state warns.  The…

By Curt Peterson KILLINGTON—From June 21-24, 78 young golfers, boys and girls ages 12-19, will be competing at Green Mountain National Golf Course (GMNGC) in one of more than 100 American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tournaments across the country. This is half the usual field for an AJGA tournament, limited by pandemic restrictions. The Killington…