PLYMOUTH—The Farm & Wilderness Foundation (F&W) and the Ninevah Foundation of Plymouth and Mount Holly have combined to ensure the stewardship of 4,800 acres of land, water, and wildlife habitat in southern Vermont. This affiliation, five years in the making, brings together one of Vermont’s largest summer camps and a distinguished conservation organization, furthering their…

By Katy Savage KILLINGTON­—Stephen Klepner’s parents jumped out of bed around 1 a.m. Sunday, June 17 to the sound of their car horn honking and dogs barking. A bear had locked itself inside their 2010 Subaru Forester on Coffeehouse Road in Killington. It was leaning against the horn and all the airbags were blowing. “We…

By Katy Savage WEST RUTLAND—Haley Bania and her sister Michaela couldn’t be more different. Haley is reserved; Michaela is outgoing. Michaela is competitive; Haley is laid back. Michaela is athletic; Haley is artsy. But Haley, 17, and Michaela, 14, are both ranked top in the world of rodeo. Michaela is in the middle of packing…

By Karen D. Lorentz RUTLAND—White Memorial Park in Rutland City will debut its two new pools with a community opening from noon to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 21 and Friday , June, 22, followed by a gala celebration from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 23. The Saturday festivities begin with an 11…

Home gardens and local farm fields are beginning to fill up with fresh produce as the growing season gets underway. And with it, the Vermont Foodbank’s gleaning teams are taking to the fields to harvest surplus fresh food for people struggling to afford it. The Vermont Foodbank operates the largest gleaning program in the state…

By Karen D. Lorentz With the pending sale of Okemo to Vail Resorts, it’s reasonable to wonder, “Is it the end of an era at Okemo?” Yes and no. Certainly private family ownership will change as the public company (NYSE:MTN) assumes ownership later this summer. But ironically it’s also a return to Okemo’s early roots,…

LUDLOW— Okemo Mountain Resort is scheduled to open its lift-served mountain bike park for the season on June 23. The Evolution Bike Park at Okemo opened its first trail from the summit last summer and is adding two more trails to the upper-mountain system in 2018. Scrambler, Okemo’s premiere summit trail, is 3.2 miles long and…

WOODSTOCK— Construction of the new Suicide Six Elemental Bike Park is underway with facilities scheduled to open in July. “The Suicide Six Elemental Bike Park furthers the mission of the Woodstock Inn & Resort to remain a vibrant, year-round destination for both travelers and the community,” said Gary Thulander, president and general manager of the…

By Katy Savage RUTLAND— Plans to complete the City Creek Path are underway. The City Creek Path has been 10 years in the making. Once completed, it will be a paved, handicapped-accessible path that connects Giorgetti Park to the College of Saint Joseph. A new 0.3-mile segment, known as Segment 4 of the total 2.1…

By Julia Purdy The Mendon Economic Development Committee met in a public meeting Wednesday, June 6, to continue discussing ways to improve Mendon’s economic picture. Bryan Sell, a board member of the Pine Hill Partnership, shared with the committee a preliminary plan for an east-west mountain bike trail that would link Killington bike trails with…

By Chandler Burgess, courtesy Killington Resort The inaugural Bike and Brew in 2017 at Killington Bike Park saw an action packed weekend, including riders performing stunts like this backflip.

Diane S. Rosenblum, 71, died June 9, 2018, at her home as a result of cardiac amyloidosis associated with multiple myeloma. She was the wife of David A. Rosenblum of Killington. Also surviving are a sister, Karen Scappaticci, and her husband Howard Steinberg of Wilton, Conn., and two nieces, Lian and Sara Steinberg. A celebration…

By Katy Savage LUDLOW— Howard Barton Jr., an active community member who always put his family first, died June 2. He was 55. Barton was chair of the Ludlow Select Board, a position he held for 15 years. He previously served as captain on the fire department. He was on the cemetery commission and he…

Submitted Trish Fryer By Katy Savage PITTSFIELD— After 27 years, there’s a new face in the town office. Trish Fryer started training to be the new town clerk and treasurer about three weeks ago. She will be taking over from Pat Haskins, who is retiring after 27 years in August. “It will be very bittersweet…

KILLINGTON— The Agency of Natural Resources’ Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today that the Hemlock Ridge at Killington Owners Association, Inc., a condominium complex in Killington, was fined $19,500 for many years of failing to properly manage and maintain the public drinking water system supplying the complex. Public community water systems in Vermont are…