By Evan Johnson KILLINGTON—A Rochester (Vt.) man is facing felony charges stemming from a single-vehicle crash last week that left his mother dead. Joseph Mailhot pleaded not guilty to two counts of gross negligent operation with death resulting and DUI #1- drug with death resulting at his arraignment, Friday, Oct. 6 in Vermont Superior Court,…

By Evan Johnson KILLINGTON—Seated in the Peak Lodge at the summit of Killington Mountain, resort officials and members of the Killington Pico Area Association (KPAA) set their sights on the coming winter season and the events and developments slated to come with it. KPAA news KPAA President Howard Smith brought the audience up to date…

BURLINGTON—A scientist at the University of Vermont and four of his undergraduate students have discovered 15 new species of “smiley-faced” spiders—and named them after, among others, David Bowie, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. You won’t find them in Washington, D.C., Hollywood, or Vermont, but on Caribbean islands and other…

BURLINGTON—Vermont’s first winter sports show, the VT Ski + Ride Expo, is coming back to Burlington this year, Oct. 7-8, with a new location: the downtown Hilton. Vermont’s premiere winter sports show, VT Ski + Ride Expo is being put on by the Rotary Club of Burlington for a second year. It benefits the Flyin’ Ryan…

By Tiffany Danitz Pache, VTDigger The board of trustees of the Vermont State College system unanimously appointed Karen Scolforo to be president of Castleton University, Thursday afternoon at its annual retreat. In December, Scolforo will take over for retiring President Dave Wolk. VSCS Chancellor Jeb Spaulding backed the board’s decision. “We know we can’t clone Dave Wolk, but…

By Alan Keays, VTDigger A Vermont native who earned high school and college degrees in the state before becoming a middle school special education teacher in California is among those killed in the worst mass shooting in the nation’s history Sunday night in Las Vegas. Sandy Casey, 35, was born and raised in Dorset, the…

By Alan Keays, VTDigger Several victims of crime spoke out Tuesday, Sept. 19, at a “listening” forum in Rutland hosted by the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services, Waterbury. They talked of feeling guilty for coming forward, not getting justice and the impacts of what happened to them that they live with every day. “This…

By Alan Keays, VTDigger The head of the state Department of Public Safety and an advisory panel say a trooper has been cleared of any wrongdoing in a traffic stop that a New York assemblyman said left a Brooklyn rabbi and his family feeling “terrorized.” Rabbi Berl Fink, 57, said the trooper had his gun…

The board of directors of Special Olympics Vermont named Sue Minter as the new president and CEO on Thursday, Sept. 28. Minter will replace Lisa DeNatale, who is retiring after six years leading the organization. Minter joins the statewide sports organization, serving children and adults with intellectual disabilities, with 12 years of executive and legislative…

By Alan Keays, VTDigger A longtime Rutland attorney has been sentenced to seven months behind bars for understating income on his federal taxes. John Canney III, 63, was sentenced Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Burlington. In addition to the seven-month jail term, Judge Christina Reiss also ordered that Canney pay a $15,000 fine…

By Steve Costello The Rutland Region has once again been well-represented with nine young professionals being recognized by Vermont Business magazine as Vermont’s rising stars. The local winners – Andy Paluch from Come Alive Outside, the husband and wife team of Dan and Leslie Doenges from Vermont Sport and Fitness, Eliza Wilcox from Green Mountain…

By Karen D. Lorentz It’s been a busy year for the Killington real estate market, and while prices are moving up slightly for some properties, they still represent good values, real estate agents report. They note that Killington has “the best prices for a major resort area” and there is good inventory available although some…

By Stephen Seitz RUTLAND—A Superior Court judge in Rutland Superior Court ordered Rutland real estate developer John Ruggiero to pay the state of Vermont more than $2.1 million to settle a brownfield lawsuit in a civil trial held on Sept. 25. Ruggiero, a former attorney who represented himself, told the court he would have a…

By Evan Johnson RUTLAND — At a small event in Rutland City Hall on Thursday, Sept. 21, members of Donate Life Vermont demonstrated how a small decision could have life saving consequences for others. In November of 2011, Penny and Jeff Sirjane received news that their 18-year-old daughter Marley had died in a car accident…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger A former student is suing Norwich University, claiming the institution did not take sufficient steps to protect her and others from sexual assault. In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Vermont this week, Lauren Morrissey claims that Norwich University was negligent for failing to take action against a student who…