By Katy Savage Eli Smith is a homeless veteran by choice. Smith, 39, sold all of his belongings three years ago to hike to all four corners of the country and raise awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder. Smith started his trip on foot in November 2016 before switching to a bike in 2017 due to…

By Curt Peterson and Polly Mikula Cape Air Airline has a challenger for providing service between Logan Airport and Rutland-Southern Vermont Regional Airport from San Francisco’s Boutique Air. The proposed contract would provide flights for two years starting Nov. 1. Flying with a regional airline is a unique convenience for a rural area and boon…

Staff report The historic Benson Village Store has closed due to a fire last week. “My guess is that it will be declared a total loss,” said Benson Fire Chief Tom Newmann. The fire started around 2 a.m. April 29. Store owner James Tillman, who lived upstairs, was asleep at the time, Newmann said. “Before…

Staff report RUTLAND—The state police have deemed a fire that left 10 people displaced “suspicious.” The Rutland City Fire Department arrived at the fire at 75 Main St. in Rutland around 5 a.m. May 1 and found a two car garage  near the house heavily involved in fire. “There was a heavy volume of fire…

Eighth generation Vermonter, Pittsford resident, artist, educator, author, historian, mother, grandmother, friend: This does not begin to adequately describe the amazing person born at Proctor Hospital on Aug. 31, 1929 and died April 6, 2019. Between these dates was a life filled with constant learning and creativity. At 5 years of age, the Great Depression…

By Curt Peterson KILLINGTON—According to John Sayles, CEO of the Vermont Food Bank, “One in four Vermonters will visit a food bank in the next year.” Quick math tells us roughly 150,000 people will seek help with food security at one of the 215 VFB partner food bank locations. Sayles addressed 260 attendees at the…

A suspect in a domestic assault received treatment for non-life-threatening injuries after he was shot by a state police trooper Sunday night, May 5, in Hartford. Police said Trooper Eric Vitali of the Royalton Barracks shot James Luce, 19, of Quechee after officers arrived to a domestic assault call on Quechee at West Hartford Road…

Killington Mountain School alum Alex Lewis has been nominated to the 2019-2020 U.S. Freestyle Ski Team. Lewis received a call from U.S. Team’s moguls coach and former KMS freestyle program director Matt Gnoza on Saturday morning informing him that he had officially made the team. Lewis, who hails from Carlisle, Massachusetts and will be attending…

Grab your friends and family and join in! If you have never participated in Green Up Day, it is easy! Find your town’s information below, indexed by county. Rutland  County: Benson Daphne Bartholomew - 537-2611 bensonclerk@myottmail.com Bags available at the two stores, town office and transfer station. Leave bags along roadside and the town crew will…

Staff report The state of Vermont encourages folks to volunteer to pick up roadside litter in their communities.   The 49th annual Green Up Day will take place on Saturday, May 4, statewide. Always the first Saturday in May, this iconic event marks the coming of spring, community, and the cleaning up of Vermont’s roadways…

Police say six businesses were broken into overnight April 22 in what could be related incidents. Hundreds of dollars, personal identity information, a laptop, copper piping, cigarettes and lottery tickets were stolen from the Swiss Farm Market, the Original General Store, the CV Oil Company, and at Colton Enterprises all on Route 100 in Pittsfield…

By Katy Savage There’s a new kind of welcome sign as people cross the New York border into Vermont. A large billboard in Hampton, New York, about five minutes from Vermont on Route 4, shows a cartoon depiction of a family on a road trip. The lettering beside them reads, “Welcome to Vermont, Future Home…

By Curt Peterson Over 100 people attended Rutland Regional Medical Center’s groundbreaking ceremony for its new facility, on Monday, April 22. The Thomas W. Huebner Medical Office Building  will house ear, eye, nose and throat, audiology, physical medicine and rehabilitation and the Vermont Orthopedic Clinic. The 3,700 square foot building will cost $23.8 million, according…

By Polly Mikula The Butternut Inn will be the new home for Castleton University’s School of Resort Management program in Killington, according to a letter of intent signed by Jim Haff and his wife Mary, with Castleton University. Haff, the owner of the Inn and member of the Killington Select Board, made the announcement to…

Courtesy of Bread Loaf An architechual rendering of the new K-1 Lodge at the top of Killington Road as seen from the slope-side. Construction will begin this spring.