By Stephen Seitz LUDLOW—A recent school shooting in Florida and a close call in Fair Haven, where a student plot was foiled in time, have school systems everywhere pondering their safety measures, and the Two Rivers Supervisory Union is one of them. “School safety is one of our highest priorities,” Two Rivers Superintendent Meg Powden…

By Karen D. Lorentz Okemo Mountain Resort has announced its 2018-19 season pass options and with them the new benefits of a partnership with Vail Resorts’ Epic passes. On March 14 Vail Resorts, Inc. announced that the Triple Peaks resorts of Okemo, Mount Sunapee (N.H.), and Crested Butte (Colo.) were the latest areas to join…

KILLINGTON—Food waste comprises about a third of the waste Americans throw away in landfills and is in fact the largest solid waste contributor to landfills. Food scraps in landfills produce methane, a gas with 25 times the global warming potential than carbon dioxide. Vermont’s recycling law, Act 148, bans the disposal of food scraps by…

By Julia Purdy PITTSFORD—Since 2016, Pittsford BTS Retail LLC has been trying to gain approval to build a Dollar General store in the north end of the village, on Plains Road. BTS’ latest attempt was its third hearing before the Zoning Board of Adjustment in Pittsford Monday, March 12, attended by about 40 townspeople. In…

Sunday, March 18, 1 p.m.—MIDDLETOWN SPRINGS—Maple lore and demonstrations, sweet treats from local kitchens, a raffle and a silent auction featuring local artists and craftspersons, merchants and professionals highlight the 30th annual Maple Festival of the Middletown Springs Historical Society on Sunday, March 18 from 1-4 p.m. The event will feature a demonstration of early maple…

RUTLAND—Rutland Recreation’s basketball tournament had a different focus this year: sportsmanship! The tournament, which held 44 games in less than 10 days, took place Feb. 24 to March 3 at Rutland high school. New this year, a sportsmanship code of conduct was read at the beginning of each game by local high school athletes from…

By Julia Purdy and Polly Lynn Mikula With 32 inches of new snow in the past week at Killington and a possibility of 8-12 more inches by Wednesday, March 14, the old weather proverb seems to be proved true: March has come in like a lion! Winter Storm Quinn was the second Nor’easter to strike…

Laurie Canterbury and how Hairball came to be By Karen D. Lorentz Laurie Canterbury volunteers with the mountain ambassador team at Killington Resort. She was born in Palmer, Mass., and lives on the same small lake where she grew up. She loves the peacefulness and the outdoors and learned to ski at a “three-trail ski…

By Colin Meyn, VTDigger Before it became the vehicle for universal background checks and increasing the legal age to purchase guns, Senate bill S.55 had a fairly simple purpose: clear the way for the state to get rid of hundreds of abandoned or unlawful guns currently in storage. While the initial aim of S.55 was straightforward,…

By Katy Savage RUTLAND—Gov. Phil Scott emphasized the need to reverse Vermont’s declining population trend during a legislative breakfast at the Franklin Conference Center on Monday, March 12. “For years we’ve seen, on average, six fewer workers in our workforce, three fewer kids in K-12, and — c ertainly the most concerning — nearly one baby…

CASTLETON—Encouraging a more fit and healthy lifestyle for Castleton students, faculty, and staff, the university recently launched its newest fitness initiative, CU Move for 60. A collaboration between the Student Government Association, Campus Activities Board, Health & Physical Education Club, Wellness Center, and the Campus Wellness Committee, the initiative features a wide range of classes and…

By Julia Purdy MENDON—The recently formed Mendon Economic Development Committee (MEDC) aims to improve Mendon’s economic health, looking ahead to the town-wide reassessment scheduled for 2020. The group took another step toward that goal Tuesday, Feb. 20, by discussing a tax stabilization measure and reviewing draft survey questions for Mendon businesses. Both items have been…

On Town Meeting Day, Vermont residents from 35 towns voted overwhelmingly in favor of resolutions seeking climate solutions. The exact wording of each resolution varied, but all the resolutions acknowledged the severity of climate change, urged the State of Vermont to meet its goals for 90 percent renewable energy, and called for a fair and…

It seems like all good things must come to an end at some point. Fortunately, in this case, it is for a good reason. Ted Crawford, one of the owners of Prestige Real Estate, has decided to retire to spend more time with his growing family (six grandchildren plus one on the way). Heidi Bomengen…

By Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Bridgewater, Chittenden, Killington & Mendon It was great to see so many people at the town meetings in each of the district towns last week. Bridgewater’s meeting was unique in the sense that it was held at the Long Trail Brewery, which had closed its popular restaurant on Tuesday to allow…