By Liz DiMarco Weinmann For many Vermont nonprofits, the past year was as challenging as 2020 was. For the nonprofits that serve our most vulnerable populations, 2021 was even more challenging. Many of us donate to nonprofits we care about, but few of us have limitless resources. Even before Covid, donors faced tough decisions: What…

By Angelo Lynn Otter Valley Union High School and the greater Brandon community are coming to the aid of a beloved teacher and founder of the unique and highly popular Moosalamoo Education Program who suffered a stroke just before Thanksgiving. This week they launched a gofundme campaign for Joshua Hardt and his family. Hardt, only…

By Curt Peterson All’s well that ends well-done, one might say in summing up the saga of an escaped bovine that roamed the Hartford-Hartland border for a few November days. At first mislabeled a “bull,” the wandering cow’s gender was ultimately nailed down, and correctly categorized as “beef cow.” Webster Road resident Tucker Westenfeld told…

Staff report In a letter to Windsor Central Supervisor Union (WCSU) families, dated Dec. 3, Superintendent Sherry Sousa outlined its proposed winter sports guidelines for elementary and middle/high schools. The proposal will be discussed and finalized at the district board meeting on Dec. 13; until then, current fall guidelines remain in place. “I know that…

By Brooke Geery On Thursday, Dec. 2, GreenSpell hosted a grand opening at 35 Center St. in downtown Rutland. (The location was formerly home to the Christian Science Reading Room.) The store features a variety of indoor plants: from small succulents, to hanging plants, to large floor plants. Many are common houseplants, but the new…

By Alan J. Keays/VTDigger The Vermont Attorney General’s Office has ruled a Rutland City police officer was justified in using deadly force when he shot and killed a man inside a bathroom at a McDonald’s restaurant. The officer said he believed the man was charging at him with a weapon, but it turned out to…

Vermont’s loons are thriving with a record 109 nesting pairs recorded in 2021, the highest since loon monitoring began in 1978, according to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. and Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE). “Across Vermont, 77 loon nests produced 125 chicks this year, and 84 of those chicks survived through August,” said VCE…

Future success of town, businesses, development prospects assessed By Polly Mikula A lack of basic municipal infrastructure is holding the town of Killington back. That was the summary of a presentation by White + Burke Real Estate Advisors to the Killington Select Board at a special meeting, Monday, Nov. 29. Growth is lacking namely due…

By Angelo Lynn BRANDON — After 41 years as an educator, including 17 years as a superintendent, Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union Superintendent Jeanné Collins, 63, last Friday announced her resignation at the end of this school year. She said her decision was prompted by a change in her personal life. “It’s bittersweet. It’s hard to…

By Curt Peterson Killington hopes to benefit from two grants to be awarded this year, according to Recreation Commission Director Sarah Newell. A $45,000 federal grant would fund a study focused on safety for local mountain bike trails. The Select Board approved $9,000 of required matching funds. Newell told the Mountain Times that what’s known…

By Ethan Weinstein As the public waits anxiously to learn more about the Omicron variant, Vermont is currently experiencing its highest number of Covid hospitalizations and Covid patients in ICU beds. “There’s still a lot we don’t know and it could be a couple of weeks before we get more information. Until then, we’re not…

Hunters still have several days of archery and muzzleloader deer hunting to enjoy in Vermont. Archery deer hunting continues Nov. 29 through Dec. 15, and muzzleloader deer hunting will occur Dec. 4 to 12. An archery deer license and a hunting license are required to hunt during the archery season. An antlerless deer or a…

By Polly Mikula Eric Mallette, director of the Paramount Theater, made a formal request to the Rutland Board of Aldermen to “partner” with the Paramount with a financial investment of $450,000 over the next four years, according to the minutes of the Nov. 1 aldermanic meeting. The plan is a multi-million dollar undertaking, which would…

By Ethan Weinstein As Covid restrictions dropped and people acted upon their pent up urge to travel, tourism surged in Killington and Woodstock this past summer and fall. Few can speak to the Killington economy like Chris Karr, who owns the Karr Group, which operates six eateries in Killington. Plus, Karr serves on the town…

By Ethan Weinstein  Perched atop a hill overlooking the Kedron Valley is a house nestled into the countryside within easy driving distance of Okemo and Killington ski resorts, and a quick drive to the village of Woodstock.  After six years as a second-home owner, Elisa D’Andrea and her family decided to move to South Woodstock…