By Alan J. Keays/VTDIgger RUTLAND—The Rutland Town Selectboard has approved a $60,000 settlement with the municipality’s former administrator, who filed a wrongful termination lawsuit after he was fired last year from his job of more than three decades. The board voted on the settlement this week to resolve the federal lawsuit brought by Joseph Zingale.…

KILLINGTON—The Select Board has appointed a new town manager with a familiar face. Chet Hagenbarth, who has been an interim town manager since April, was appointed to the town manager position in a meeting Monday, Sept. 16. Hagenbarth has worked in the Killington town office since 2012. He was the highway and facilities director until…

By Julia Purdy WEST RUTLAND—Lemuel Haynes was the first ordained African-American minister in America, and he preached for 30 years in Rutland’s West Parish, now incorporated as West Rutland. On Sept. 8, the 247th state historic marker was dedicated at the tiny Protestant cemetery on Pleasant Street in West Rutland. Although Rev. Haynes’ life and…

By Katy Savage RUTLAND—Lisa Mancini was bored with the the mystery novels she was reading, so she wrote her own. Mancini, 50, who grew up in Rutland, wrote two books in 18 months. She recently self published her second book in a mystery series, called “Murder on Main Street,” which will be available in October.…

By Stephen Seitz BRANDON — Late in August, Gov. Phil Scott announced $4 million in grants so that Vermont schools could upgrade their security. Among them was the Otter Valley Middle and High School in Brandon. Principal Jim Avery said the school received $25,000. “What we’re going to do is have interactive classroom doors which…

By Julia Purdy The latest push in the state’s concerted campaign to put more all-electric or hybrid cars on Vermont’s highways was unveiled Tuesday, Sept. 11 by Gov. Phil Scott. The new Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment program will provide funding to install electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), necessary to operate mid-level- and fast-charging EV outlets.…

High-speed showdown Staff report Sept. 21-23—KILLINGTON—Skateboard and luge racers will bring top talent to the region for the Killington IDF World Cup, Friday, Sept. 21 through Sunday, Sept. 23. The track down East Mountain Road in Killington is the fastest race course in the world with speeds reaching upwards of 70 mph on skateboard and 83 mph on…

By Katy Savage KILLINGTON— The town of Killington is cracking down on at least one short-term rental. Town Planning and Zoning Administrator Dick Horner sent a letter to the owner of a property listed on website, Vacation Rentals by Owner (VRBO), Aug. 2, explaining the owner is violating town zoning bylaws. The property, located at…

GAYSVILLE— Janis Albrecht, 60, a long time resident of Gaysville, passed away peacefully May 10th 2018. She was born December 22, 1957, raised in Fairfield CT and graduated from Andrew Warde High School in 1975. Janis moved to Vermont shortly thereafter. A Nationally Registered EMT since 1989, Janis served on the Stockbridge First Response Team…

Staff report KILLINGTON—Killington Resort announced $25 million investment in advance of the 2018-19 season, including $16 million investment in upgrades, among which are a new Snowdon 6-person bubble chairlift, South Ridge quad installed, new and improved K-1 Express Gondola, new RFID gates and terrain improvements. “Our entire team is continuously focused on improving the guest experience and over the last few…

On Aug. 21, 2018, Eugene Oler (a.k.a. Olow), former resident of Pinnacle Condominiums, 201 Old Mill Road, Killington, passed away at the Vermont Veterans’ Home, 325 North St., Bennington. Born on Feb. 11, 1927 in New Haven, Connecticut, he was employed by McKesson & Robbins, Bridgeport, Connecticut. In 1944, he joined the U.S. Navy stationed…

By Polly Lynn Mikula KILLINGTON— This past Sunday, Sept. 9, 33 local celebrities took hundreds of pies in the face and raised $22,000 for Chase William Kuehl and the Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Foundation (PMSF), a new record for the event. Last year, the event raised $15,000. The pieing took place at Moguls Sports Pub on Killington…

By Katy Savage HUBBARDTON—Kurt Schneider calls his campsite Restoration at Cattail Cove. It sits on an edge of his lakeside property in Hubbardton, surrounded by trees and occasional blue herons at the edge of the water. It features a queen-size, extra thick air mattress, beneath a 10-by-10-foot wall tent. There’s a wood stove, a shower,…

By Julia Purdy RUTLAND—The developers of the proposed Starbucks restaurant on North Main Street appeared before the Rutland Development Review Board (DRB) and observers Wednesday to present updates to the project and request a conditional use permit to operate a retail store in conjunction with the planned restaurant. The project has encountered public opposition in…

By Marguerite Jill Dye MIDDLEBURY—About 500 crowded onto the Middlebury Green to hear Senator Bernie Sanders and friends speak about labor issues, education, health and child care, discrimination, and the importance of the upcoming elections in Vermont and the nation. The annual Labor Day Rally in Middlebury followed a similar rally in White River Junction…