The Carving Studio and Sculpture Center is dedicating public artwork at noon on Saturday, Aug.19, as part of the annual Rutland Town-wide celebration. The permanent installation at Northwood Park is in partnership with the town of Rutland.   Seven teenage sculptors carved the 14th public artwork in the Stone Bench Project from June 26 through…

  Vermont Emergency Eats (VEE), a smaller-scale version of Vermont Everyone Eats, the pandemic-era program that provided meals to food-insecure Vermonters, has launched in response to the recent flooding in the state. VEE is  providing meals to those affected in the nine counties in the Federal Disaster Declaration, which includes Rutland County.  Southeastern Vermont Community…

  By Tiffany Tan/VTDigger LUDLOW — The Timber Inn Motel is among roughly a thousand Vermont businesses damaged in last month’s historic flooding. Propelled by the raging Black River, floodwaters rose over 6 feet at the motel, wrecking guest rooms, machinery and outdoor structures. Three weeks after the deluge, the nine flooded guest rooms lay stripped…

  Un-permitted structures for paramilitary school must be removed and fines paid or face prison  Staff report A judge has thrown out a federal lawsuit against the town of Pawlet brought by resident Daniel Banyai as he attempts to build a paramilitary school. The lawsuit was dismissed Monday, Aug. 7 by U.S. District Court Judge…

  By Curt Peterson Four members of the Hartland Select Board grilled Daniel Peck, project manager for Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB) engineers, regarding three expensive glitches discovered during the now-notorious $1.5 million intersection reconfiguration in Hartland Three Corners. Board Chair Phil Hobbie outlined the issues, including failure to provide replacement street lighting in the project…

  By Curt Peterson Monday night, Aug. 7, found Hartland businessman David Cowdrey and his son Allan at Damon Hall for a final hearing regarding Cowdrey’s application for a town salvage yard permit. All signs point to eventual approval. The long-time auto repair and service provider has mapped out a 150’ x 75’ area where…

  By Karen D. Lorentz On a sunny Aug. 5, family, friends, and former colleagues of Norma Biathrow gathered at the Killington Grand Hotel to celebrate the life of a mother, grandmother, great grandma, sibling, friend, early Killington pioneer, and dedicated state police dispatcher on what would have been her 87th birthday.  As family and…

‘There will be a next time’: Ludlow emergency management director gears up for future calamities By Tiffany Tan/VTDigger Sometime in the afternoon of July 9, Angela Kissell and her husband began knocking on doors in this southern Vermont town, telling residents to prepare for a possible evacuation. She’d been following forecasts of a storm that…

“You can’t push the river…” By Julia Purdy This flood season brings back memories of past epic events. The Great Flood of 1927 blindsided the state and prompted rescue and remedial action by the state and communities — and, Tropical Storm Irene, which continued to rearrange the landscape a generation later. Now, whatever we are…

  On Thursday, Aug. 3, Scott Whittier, Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the Vermont office for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), presented a StormReady Certification to Rutland Regional Medical Center (RRMC). “I’m pleased to present this certificate to Rutland Regional Medical Center,” said Whittier. “This demonstrates that the hospital has met all of the criteria…

  Recent flooding has altered Vermont’s landscape and property owners understandably have questions. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has prepared answers to frequently asked questions:  Recent flooding moved the stream/river extremely close to my home/business. Will the state come and fix it?  If you feel your home or business is unsafe, take necessary measures…

  Staff report The Killington Fire Department needed to be called in Wednesday, Aug. 2 after 42 animals got stuck on the roof at the Sherburne Memorial Library. The animals climbed up the roof in the middle of the night, with the pigeon, a notorious troublemaker, leading the way. The annual event, which takes place…

  By Katy Savage Vermont’s animal shelters have achieved a “no-kill” status for the first time. The status comes from Best Friends Animal Society, a Utah-based  national nonprofit animal welfare organization. To achieve that status, all shelters in the state have to have at least a 90% save rate for animals.  “That’s a tremendous achievement,”…

  Once again this summer, on Thursday, July 27, Maclure Library was able to host a book giveaway thanks to a grant from the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF). The event was attended by 62 children and their families gathering at the Lothrop School gym to watch Vermont author Marv Klassen-Landis’ engaging storytelling, and each child…

  Staff report The Proctor Skate Rink opened a new playground this summer, thanks to a $50,000 town grant. Megan Cannucci and her husband, who started running the rink about six years ago, wanted to bring another summer activity to the park, in addition to roller skating.  Playgrounds in the area are located at schools…