By Katy Savage Newcomer Chuck Claffey defeated incumbent Patty McGrath 202-110 on Town Meeting Day Tuesday, March 5. Claffey, 49, moved to Killington from Connecticut in 2015. He works remotely as a financial programer for Natwest Markets. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was very happy to be elected,” Claffey said. Claffey, whose…

Starting in the 2019-20 season guests will experience a better, more consistent and more reliable snow surface at Pico. Pending permit approval, the $2.1 million investment will be the largest since Killington took ownership of Pico more than 20 years ago. Pico will increase the frequency at which it is able to make snow by…

By Lola Duffort/VTDigger Another small liberal arts college in Vermont will close its doors for good this summer. Southern Vermont College president David Evans announced Monday, March 4, that the school would shut down at the end of the year. He cited declining enrollments, financial pressures, and a recent decision by the New England Commission…

The Woodstock Central school budget passed 848-403 Tuesday night. The $18 million budget is a 3 percent higher per pupil spending increase. All towns approvd the budget with the exception of Reading which tied 59-59. Other towns voted as follows: Barnard  57-29 Bridgewater 52-35 Killington 202-104 Pomfret 65-22 Woodstock 413-154

By Penny Inglee The food truck Creole Queens was in Rutland March 4 filming a television show for Food Network.

By Mac Domingus A rider tricks off of a wooden-beast statue in the Stash terrain park during Slash & Berm in 2018.

John F. Jack McDonald, “Jack Mac,” (born Feb. 4, 1958) died March 4 in his home. He  graduated from Enfield High School in Enfield, Connecticut in 1976, where he was the captain of his hockey team. McDonald graduated from Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire and worked for Chrysler Credit Corp in Springfield, Massachusetts, then the…

By Karen D. Lorentz “Man wasn’t meant to play with water in winter. It’s a difficult task,” said Dave Lacombe with an ironic smile and a sense of humor. It’s a point that Dave Lacombe liked to stress to snowmakers working for him 30 years ago. It still holds true today, he said, evincing a…

Staff report Gymnasts from Killington, Manchester, Proctor, Pittsford, the greater Rutland area and parts of New York state compete as part of the Cobra gymnastics team, based in Rutland. The team recently traveled to Williston and North Adams, Massachusetts, for competitions taking top podium spots at each. In Williston’s Green Mountain Invitational, Level 7 and…

The Department of Vermont Health Access announced recently that enrollment in Vermont’s individual health plans increased to 34,396 in January, up nearly 1 percent from the prior year. The number of subsidized members and unsubsidized members both increased relative to the prior year. Due to increased federal subsidies for those who qualify, the average subsidized…

By Anne Wallace Allen/VTDigger Lawmakers in the House Ways and Means Committee are looking at restoring a deduction on health expenses that was removed from the tax code last year. A proposal sponsored by Rep. Kate Webb, D-Shelburne, would restore the deduction, with the full amount that is deductible at the federal level allowed as a…

By Katy Savage Chester is one of nine communities getting new electric vehicle charging stations with the help of a $25,000 grant. Two charging stations, to be installed on Cobleigh Street in late summer, will be able to recharge four electrical vehicles at once. Chester Executive Assistant Julie Hance said that electrical vehicles and sustainability…

Wednesday, March 6, 4 p.m. —KILLINGTON— Join Vermont’s outdoor recreation industry at a Vermont Outdoor Business Alliance (VOBA) Roundtable on Wednesday, March 6 from 4-7 p.m. at the Killington Grand Resort Hotel in the Northstar II room. The event is free and open to the public. Pre-register at vermontoutdoorbusinessalliance.org/news. From 4-6 p.m., there will be a…

By Alan J. Keays/ VTDigger A Vermont man is among the more than 100 people facing solicitation of prostitution charges stemming from an investigation in Florida that made headlines after reports that New England Patriots football team owner Robert Kraft had been charged. Lee McChesney, 84, of Pawlet, was listed among the men who would…

Killington hosts Stay to Stay potential new residents By Katy Savage KILLINGTON—Robin Parks has been thinking of moving to Vermont for over a year. The single 46-year-old from Idaho likes the politics, the air and the outdoors. There’s only one problem. “It’s expensive to live in a blue state,” Parks said. “That might be the…