On Dec. 1, Gov. Peter Shumlin applauded approval of Vermont’s new rules placing the strictest limits in America on the number of powerful, addictive painkillers that can be dispensed by medical professionals. “In 2015, enough painkillers were handed out in Vermont to give every man, woman, and child a bottle of 100 pills,” Gov. Shumlin said. “That needs…

WEST RUTLAND—Third graders in Mrs. Maxham’s and Mrs. Turgeon’s classrooms at West Rutland School received a very special gift recently: a dictionary. The dictionaries were donated by Rutland South Rotary Club as part of Project Dictionary. Rutland South Rotarians have visited third grade classrooms in eight Rutland County Schools for the past 15 years to…

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is reminding hunters and anglers aged 65 to 68 who want a permanent license, but don’t yet don’t have one, to buy one before midnight on Dec. 31, 2016. Starting Jan. 1, the eligible age will be raised to 70, and that license will be free. A permanent hunting…

RUTLAND – The ribbon was cut by Sean Manovill at the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce in celebration of the opening of Club Fitness in Rutland. Club Fitness offers brand new equipment, top level personal training, classes, a great atmosphere and no contracts. Club Fitness of Vermont focuses on client’s personal growth, physically and emotionally, according…

WINDSOR—Windsor Southeast Supervisory Union recently received $4,044 in grant funds for kitchen equipment to ensure students have greater access to nutritious foods throughout the school day. Schools benefiting from this grant include Albert Bridge School in Brownsville, Hartland Elementary School, Weathersfield School, and Windsor Schools. “We are thrilled to have been chosen as a recipient…

POULTNEY—Seventeen Green Mountain College students and four faculty members spent the fall semester studying the social, economic and environmental dynamics affecting the north country region in Vermont and the Adirondack region of New York. Their culminating project, a comprehensive vision for building sustainable, resilient communities in the region, will be presented on Dec. 13 at…

Special Olympics USA announced Killington as the site of its one and only team training camp, prior to when it will send a 210 member delegation to represent the United States at the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games, being held March 18-25, 2017, in Austria. Included in the U.S. delegation will be three athletes…

RUTLAND—Rutland’s oldest “sleep shop,” Vermont Bedrooms, has joined the city’s rooftop revolution by going solar. Business owners Bill and Rob Beanland worked with SunCommon of Waterbury to install a 73-panel solar array on the roof of their 32-year-old business. Vermont Bedrooms chose solar as a means to cut costs and strengthen their business by generating…

Castleton grads mark career accomplishments CASTLETON—At its fall convocation, Castleton University President David Wolk recognized Vermont State Game Warden Jenna Reed as the school’s Outstanding Young Alumna for 2016. The state’s only female game warden, she graduated in 2010 with a degree in environmental science, then joined the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and completed…

Police recognized for bravery, service, saving lives RUTLAND—The Police Service Award went to Cpl. Damon Nguyen during the Rutland City Department’s third annual awards ceremony Dec. 1. Nguyen had stopped an altercation between a man with a baseball bat and another brandishing a running chainsaw, surrounded by a crowd of about 40 last March. He…

BRIDGEWATER—A 62-year-old Bridgewater resident died from injuries resulting from a three-car accident this past Tuesday, Nov. 29. Vermont State Police were notified of the crash on Route 4 in Bridgewater near Pearson Road. At the time of the crash there was freezing rain and the road surface was partially covered in ice. Bridgewater resident Susan…

PITTSFIELD—On Friday, Dec. 2, at 4:44 p.m. Vermont State Police Troopers from the Rutland Station responded to a one vehicle traffic crash located on Vermont Route 100 at the South Hill Road intersection located in Pittsfield. Through investigation it was determined Susan April, age 67 from Waterbury, Vt., was traveling north on Route 100, with…

BENSON—A New Jersey man died from injuries resulting from a crash in Benson, Vt. last week. On Monday, troopers from the Rutland State Police Barracks responded to the site of a single vehicle crash on Vt. Route 22A, near the intersection of North Cross Road. According to police, Doris and John Leffler of Sparta, N.J.,…

SOUTH ROYALTON—On Dec. 2 at 2 p.m., Lynn Zorn, age 61 of South Royalton, was stopped on I-89 South near Mile Marker 2 for traveling at a speed of 103 m.p.h. in her Blue 2011 Saab 93 Turbo. Zorn was cited roadside to appear before the Windsor County Superior Court at a later date where…

On Monday, Dec. 5, 2016, between 6:30 and 9:40 a.m., Vermont State Police at the Rutland Barracks responded to several calls regarding minor motor vehicle incidents involving motorists that had slid off the snow-covered roads due to driving too fast for the conditions. The majority of these calls occurred on the main arteries including routes…