On March 1, the Killington Aquatic Club with 34 swimmers swam for 2 hours to complete a very successful Swim-A-Thon at Pico Sports Center. Many of the older swimmers swam up to 3 miles in the two hours, while the younger swimmers (as young as age 5) swam the most laps they ever had without…

RUTLAND—Cobra Gymnasts had an action packed weekend competing in both Bow, N.H., and Rutland. Level 4, 6 and 7 teams traveled to the Friendship Classic on March 4 at Granite State Gymnastics. Over 15 talented teams from all over New England attended the New Hampshire meet. On Sunday, March 5, Cobra Gymnastics hosted a Vermont…

RUTLAND—History was made for Vermont on Feb. 25 in Ocean City, Md., when the Rutland High School’s Varsity Cheerleaders won Vermont’s very first National Cheer Championship title against teams from across the country at the Reach the Beach National Competition. The day started with one of RHS’s stunting groups’ first-place win at the stunting competition.…

Governor Scott officially opens Vermont’s “sweetest season” The unseasonably warm days and crisp nights through February have had the sap gushing, and the 2017 maple season is not only underway but off to a promising start. Last year, Vermont produced almost 2 million gallons of maple syrup, from 4.85 million taps, which was an all-time…

Ron and the late Ellen Jeanne Willis announce the engagement of their daughter, Charmaine Noelle Willis, to Scott David Ward, son of Lynda and the late Baxter “Toby” Ward, of Searsport, Maine. Scott and Charmaine met while she was attending the University of Southern Maine and he was attending the Maine School of Law in…

A new report by The Solar Foundation cites Vermont as a national leader in the solar industry, ranking third for the number of solar jobs per capita. Between 2015 to 2016, solar jobs in Vermont grew by 29 percent, with an additional 400 solar jobs created in the state last year. “Each solar job means that a skilled craftsman, a…

By Polly Lynn Mikula A ranking of the 2017 Best Public Schools and Districts was recently released by Niche, a website that analyzes date about schools and neighborhoods across the country. Over 80,000 public schools and 10,000 school districts were analyzed to create the nationwide rankings, according to the news release. “For millions of families,…

By Evan Johnson Growing the Rutland region’s economy was the a subject of discussion at a legislative breakfast in downtown Rutland on Monday morning. The March 6 meeting organized by the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce and the Rutland Economic Development Corp. featured a panel of three representatives and one senator from their respective committees…

CASTLETON—Castleton University announced Thursday that it will be joining nearly 2,000 colleges and universities across the country in becoming a tobacco free campus beginning Aug. 1. In November the Vermont State Colleges board of trustees unanimously approved a measure to ensure all VSC institutions will be tobacco free by July 1, 2019. Castleton will become…

By Stephen Seitz LUDLOW—The town of Ludlow has a busy year ahead for its bridges, dams and culverts, and the first one is already underway. First on the list are upgrades to the Red Bridge Dam, which began in late February. Lake Rescue is north of Red Bridge and Pauline Lake is to the south…

By Alan J. Keays, VTDigger WHITE RIVER JUNCTION– U.S. Rep. Peter Welch attributed the largest crowd he’s ever had at a town hall meeting to someone who wasn’t even there: President Donald Trump. “This is bigger because of the times,” Welch said Friday evening, March 3. “There’s been an explosion of interest because of the…

By Evan Johnson RUTLAND CITY—The third third time was the charm for David Allaire. The 19-year veteran of the Rutland City Board of Aldermen successfully unseated sitting Mayor Chris Louras by a wide margin. Initial results on Tuesday evening showed Allaire taking 2,196 votes to Loura’s 1,420. Allaire, who could not be reached for comment…

Act 46 Modified Union District to be created By Polly Lynn Mikula KILLINGTON—Killington may be the first town in the state to rescind a local option tax. The 1 percent option taxes on sales as well as room, meals and alcohol were adopted in Killington in 2008. Rescinding the local option sales tax passed by…

RUTLAND—The Cobra Gymnastics team recently competed in the 2017 Hip Hop Classic at Woodman Athletics in Brattleboro, Vt. Teams traveled from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont to compete across eight sessions. This highly anticipated meet was fiercely competitive and full of energy, according to the Cobra coaches. With true dedication, the girls put their hard…

Poultney Area St. David’s Society held its 29th annual St. David’s Day dinner Feb. 26 in the Slate Valley in Granville, N.Y. It was an enjoyable, waited dinner and fellowship gathering which was followed by the society’s program, “Bring Something Welsh” show and tell. The show and tell began with presentations by members and guests after…