By Evan Johnson Volunteers maintain glades at the Brandon Gap, Saturday, Nov. 4. By Evan Johnson Backcountry skiers and other off-piste enthusiasts came out in force for the fifth annual Vermont Backcountry Forum on Saturday, Nov. 4 in Rochester. Presented by the Rochester Area Sport Trails Alliance (RASTA), the Catamount Trail Association (CTA) and the…

By Alan Keays, VTDigger The largest independent Canadian beer company says a small Rutland brewery has stolen its moose. Moosehead Breweries Limited, based in Saint John, New Brunswick, sued the Hop’n Moose Brewing Co. last week in federal court in Vermont, alleging trademark infringement. The Canadian firm alleges that the moose image the downtown Rutland…

Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) Director Erica Bornemann has requested a Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to determine if the state qualifies for a federal Public Assistance disaster declaration.  The request asks for assessments in Addison, Chittenden, Essex, Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Washington, and Windham counties. To qualify for…

By Alan Keays, VTDigger City Treasurer Wendy Wilton has been appointed by the Trump administration to a federal post. Wilton, who has served as the city’s elected treasurer for more than 10 years, has been named the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency state director for Vermont. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, in a news release late Friday, announced the…

EAST DORSET— The family of Sandy Casey has announced the creation of a scholarship fund in her memory. The Sandy Casey Scholarship Fund, honoring the life of the East Dorset native who was killed in the Las Vegas shooting on Oct. 1, will be overseen by a committee, including Sandy’s father Steven Casey, the president…

KILLINGTON— For the fourth year, Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, a nationally recognized nonprofit that provides sports and recreational programming on a daily, year-round basis to people with disabilities, will participate in the world-recognized charitable giving campaign, #GivingTuesday, on Tuesday, Nov. 28. It will harness the generosity of two donors: an anonymous Vermont Adaptive family…

KILLINGTON— For the last 25 years, the Vermont Brewers Association (VBA) has been running a brewers’ festival on the waterfront in Burlington. New for 2018, the brewers are getting together to create a collaboration festival outdoors in the picturesque mountain setting of Killington Resort on March 24. This smaller, more intimate festival, will have 30…

RUTLAND— The first in a planned series of sculptures highlighting local and regional history, was unveiled today, beginning a new chapter for downtown Rutland and the city’s ongoing revitalization. The sculpture, a massive bookstand holding a 3 foot high, open “Jungle Book,” its characters rising off the pages, was carved by Vermont artist Sean Hunter…

RUTLAND— Chapter 1, Vietnam Veterans of America, will rededicate the Rutland County Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Main Street Park in Rutland Saturday, Nov. 11, at 10 a.m. A brief ceremony will feature a new marble sculpture of a Vietnam soldier, the addition of 13 names to the Honor Roll of those men and women from…

By Stephen Seitz LUDLOW— A local committee dedicated to keeping the Black River High School open has invited the Ethan Allen Institute to speak on school choice. The Black River Independent School Committee (BRISC) will hear what the conservative Institute’s Rob Roper has to say on Nov. 14. The presentation will be given at the Ludlow…

By Lani Duke School back in session at Castleton CASTLETON—Castleton Elementary students returned to school Oct 31 after evacuating the school the day before. A small fire in a ceiling junction box caused officials to move students by bus to Castleton Village School to assure they would be warm and safe. Noticing a smoky odor…

By Lani Duke Wastewater release traced to a 50¢ fuse More than 1 million gallons of untreated sewage flowed into Otter and East creeks Aug. 5. At the time, Department of Public Works Commissioner Jeffrey Wennberg attributed the release to operator error, but the real culprit was a 50-cent fuse, the Rutland Herald reported. When…

Killington Police responded to 12 incidents between the dates of Oct. 28 and Nov. 3, including traffic stops, a drunk driver and a telephone scam, or almost two per day. At around 5 p.m. on Oct. 28, police responded with Killington Fire to a fire alarm activation on Barrows Towne Road. At around 6 p.m.…

Devil’s Bowl Speedway is getting back to basics, and that includes a return to Sunday night racing in 2018. As the historic Vermont stock car racing facility coverts its half-mile track from asphalt surface to natural clay, management is working diligently on the format for the 52nd season next summer. The decision to race on…

Wonderfeet Kids’ Museum is pleased to announce it has received a $102,000 grant to be disbursed over three years from The Canaday Family Charitable Trust to provide elementary school teachers with educational resources and programs in the subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math in Rutland County. The grant allows Wonderfeet personnel to deliver the…