The grand opening of New England Cider Donuts at 29 Main St. in Ludlow was recently celebrated with a ribbon cutting. The new shop will offer local coffee, breakfast sandwiches, assorted baked goods, in addition to delicious cider and specialty donuts. In the summer months it’ll also offer extravagant ice cream sundaes. 

By Polly Mikula Ricky Bowen, foreman for the town of Killington highways and facilities, stepped away from that post on May 15 after 36 years of service.  “The town will not publicly comment further because of respect for the process and because this is a personnel matter,” wrote Town Manager Michael Ramsey. “However, during the…

Vermont is among the first states to launch thenew permanent federally-funded program  Governor Phil Scott and the Vermont agencies of Human Services and Education announced May 21 that the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) has approved Vermont’s Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (SEBT) plan to help feed eligible school aged children during the summer vacation months.…

By Alan J. Keays/VTDigger The cruiser Vermont State Police Cpl. Eric Vitali was driving when he crashed into a parked fire truck on Interstate 89 in March was traveling at 88 mph just before the crash and between 79 mph and 86 mph at impact. That’s according to a standard crash report submitted by the Vermont…

By Brooke Geery/Killington Resort As part of Killington Resort’s commitment to Play Forever, it sponsored a new exhibit at the Wonderfeet Kid’s Museum located in downtown Rutland on Merchants Row. Killington Resort exhibit offers the little ones a chance to be fully immersed in what The Beast has to offer during all four seasons, including…

Nearly $1 million dedicated to local projects The Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore and the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC) announced May 29 the 51 new recipients of the VOREC Community Grant Program. These projects mark an investment of over $6 million into Vermont’s outdoor recreation economy. “These grants are an investment…

“Expect drilling and blasting this entire week,” Markowski Excavating, Inc. wrote in a news release. “There will be one blast daily. We aim to blast between 11 a.m. and 12 noon, but if there are any unforeseen delays it could be as late as 1 p.m.” the firm noted, adding, “We are shaping up the…

The Agency of Transportation submits a weekly report of planned construction activities that will impact traffic on state highways and interstates throughout Vermont. The following are what to expect on state roadways locally. I-91 Springfield-Hartland Beginning Tuesday, May 28, multiple single lane closures will be in place along I-91 Southbound from north of Exit 9 to just…

Ernie Royal was ‘Jackie Robinson of the Food Service Industry’  Thirty years after Ernie Royal died and Royal’s Hearthside Restaurant closed, Ernie and Willa Royal are being honored with a life-sized sculpture downtown, unveiled Wednesday, May 22 at 89 Merchants Row. Ernie Royal, a national leader in the food service industry and the first black…

Vermont State Universities’ entrepreneurship class, instructed by adjunct professor Christopher Coughlin of Rutland, is redefining hands-on learning with a dynamic approach to business education. This class, a staple for aspiring entrepreneurs, focuses on bringing unique products to the marketplace while building comprehensive business plans around them. Students in this class embark on a journey that…

Staff report The Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union (RNESU) district school boards of Otter Valley Unified Union and Barstow Unified Union once again have retooled their budgets for a third revote June 11 and 12, respectively. At the district level, RNESU approved an additional $150,250 reduction for Otter Valley and $26,337 for Barstow. The Barstow School…

By Alan J. Keays/VTDigger President Joe Biden plans to nominate Mary Kay Lanthier, the supervising attorney in the Rutland County Defender’s Office, to be the next federal judge for Vermont, the White House announced Thursday morning, May 23. Lanthier, who has served in her current role since 2007, would succeed Judge Geoffrey Crawford on the federal…

By Curt Peterson The May 21 Hartland school budget information session may be the best-attended school board gathering in recent history — an estimated 40 people attended in person at Damon Hall in Hartland, and another 41 tuned in online. Hartland voters had already approved the $11,040,567 budget 320-311 on April 2. But a petition…

The United Way of Rutland County (UWRC) announced the appointment of Tina Van Guilder as its new executive director, May 17.  Van Guilder officially assumed her role as executive director May 6. With over seven years of direct non-profit leadership experience in the Rutland County area, coupled with recent roles focusing on grant coordination, budget…

In response to the results of the last vote on May 9, and valuable community feedback during the school board meeting on May 13, the Slate Valley Unified Union School District will hold its fourth vote in an attempt to pass the budget on May 30. It will be a revote on the third FY25…