Memorial Day weekend through June 4, the Vermont State Police (VSP) will be increasing enforcement efforts to promote safe, responsible driving in support of Operation C.A.R.E. (Crash Awareness and Reduction Effort) and Click It Or Ticket. Operation C.A.R.E. is a national campaign by state police agencies across the country to decrease human suffering on our…

By Jasper Craven, VTDigger Rob Quist, a Democratic poet cowboy from Montana strongly supported by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., lost in a special election for the state’s sole House seat, Thursday, May 25. Quist’s Republican challenger, Greg Gianforte, won roughly 50 percent of the vote despite being charged with misdemeanor assault Wednesday after allegedly…

By Julia Purdy RUTLAND  TOWN—Vermont has dozens of explored ancient sites that date as far back as 10,000-13,000 years and feature cookfires, refuse dumps, implements and workshops, points, pottery, charcoal and bones, shells, petroglyphs and even burials. Many more lie undisturbed beneath the surface on glacial plateaus, high in the mountains or alongside lowland creeks…

George Vincent Lyons, 92, died Wednesday, May 24, 2017, at Rutland Regional Medical Center. George Lyons was born in Troy, N.Y., May 25, 1924, son of Emma C. Ahearn and William J. Lyons. He was a 1941 graduate of St. Joseph’s High School, Troy, N.Y., a 1950 graduate of Siena College, Albany, N.Y., and went…

Phoenix Books funds sculpture, honoring Vt. author Rudyard Kipling RUTLAND—Work on the first carving announced in a planned series of historical stone sculptures in downtown Rutland will begin in August—but organizers say the “second” sculpture will be completed before the first. The second planned project, a tribute to “The Jungle Book” and famed Vermont author…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger Gov. Phil Scott became the first governor in the country to veto a bill that would legalize marijuana. Scott announced Wednesday, May 24, he will send the bill, S.22, back to the Legislature. However, the governor said he is “offering a path forward.” If lawmakers make certain changes to the legislation,…

By Erin Mansfield, VTDigger RUTLAND—Sen. Kevin Mullin, R-Rutland, is stepping down from his position as state senator to become the top health care regulator in the state. Mullin, 58, of Rutland Town, will be the chair of the Green Mountain Care Board, which regulates health insurance prices and hospital budgets, among other things. The chair…

By Daryle Thomas May is National Barbecue Month. There are places in this country where it’s warm enough to be outside burning food without having to wear a parka. Vermont is not one of those places until Memorial Day, when our barbecue season officially starts. In honor of the event, you may have loaded up…

WOODSTOCK—On May 10 the staff of Worthy Kitchen, a craft beer and farm diner in Woodstock, presented the Vermont Foodbank with a check for $8,200 to fight hunger. This donation is the result of their annual Night Before The Night event. For five consecutive years, Worthy Kitchen has brought people together to share a meal,…

By Alan J. Keays, VTDigger RUTLAND — The Board of Aldermen is expected to be looking at a $1 million surplus when it sets the tax rate in July. However, it appears all of that surplus may already be accounted for. The city anticipates a $3 million unassigned fund balance at the end of the…

Green Mountain Power announced Tuesday, May 23, that it has a  new  way for customers  to be part of the energy revolution by reducing energy use, saving money and helping GMP reduce peak energy demand for all customers. GMP’s new eSmartwater program includes an Aquanta™ smart water heater controller that lets clients heat water when…

KILLINGTON—Summit Lodge Golf Classic is set to tee off Friday, June 2 in its fifth annual golf tournament, Tee Off for Autism, held at Green Mountain National Golf Course, Barrows Towne Road, Killington. Registration starts at noon, with a 1 p.m. shotgun start. $130 per player includes greens fees, cart, teams of up to five…

RUTLAND—Habitat for Humanity of Rutland County is pleased to announce the the second annual benefit golf tournament to be held at Proctor Pittsford Country Club Friday, May 26. The tournament will benefit Habitat for Humanity and its upcoming construction project at 42 Cleveland Ave. in Rutland city. The project will build a new single family…

Honors, awards, and congratulations PAWLET—The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards recently named 14-year-old Riley Callen of Pawlet as one of America’s top 10 youth volunteers of 2017. In the eighth grade, she founded an annual hike that has raised more than $250,000 in search of a cure for brain tumors. The Vermont State Colleges Board…

Rutland City discusses local option tax City Treasurer Wendy Wilton urged the Board of Aldermen consider a local option tax that would fund liability payments to the city pension fund. Wilton proposed the city retire its city charter provision for taxing meals, entertainment, and lodging, while expanding the 1 percent entertainment, meals and lodging tax…