By Julia Purdy RUTLAND—On Wednesday, March 29, Vermont Dept. of Forests, Parks & Recreation hosted a public information open house at its offices, 271 North Main St. in Rutland, to inform the public about and take input on long-range management goals for the Blueberry Hill Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The planning process begins with scoping…

Craig Douglas Phillips “Fluffy”, 62, died Wednesday evening, March 29, 2017, at the Rutland Regional Hospital following a six year battle with cancer. He was surrounded by family at the time of his passing. Craig was born on Oct. 19, 1954, in Rutland, Vt., the son of Raymond Andrew and Joyce Ann (Wardwell) Phillips. He…

By Julia Purdy Gabby the cat is a licensed medical animal who rides on Matty Oldenshaw’s shoulder and warns him of an impending epileptic seizure. Oldenshaw, a sidewalk musician, can usually be found in downtown Rutland on Wednesdays at the corner of the Walmart parking lot or under the awning of the Yellow Deli on…

By Mike Faher, VTDigger State regulators have approved a massive Windsor County solar array that will be four times the size of any such project built in Vermont so far. The Coolidge Solar project, to be built in Ludlow and Cavendish, will be capable of producing 20 megawatts of power. The largest existing array in…

By Alan J. Keays, VTDigger It’s not easy to promote several messages at once, but Luke Stafford says he’ll give it his best shot. “We’re going to have to walk that fine line together as a group here of not diluting our effort so much that it doesn’t have any impact, but trying to please…

By Stephen Seitz RUTLAND—Students from Rutland High School and Rutland Middle School both claimed first place at the third annual 3D Modeling Event, held this year on March 24 at the Vermont Technical Center in Randolph. “This was our third year of participation,” said the students’ coach, Rutland High STEM teacher Laurie Wilson. “With that…

CASTLETON—Beginning with the April room selection process for fall 2017, Castleton University will offer gender-inclusive housing options, a concept that stems from work by the University’s President’s Council on Inclusive Excellence. Allowing residence halls to be a diverse living environment for all students, dorms both on and off campus will feature gender-inclusive bathrooms and bedrooms…

CHESTER—Four Vermont 4-H teens earned a place on the state 4-H Horse Quiz Bowl team by achieving the highest overall scores in the Senior Division, ages 14 and older, in statewide competition on March 11 held at Green Mountain Union High School in Chester. It was sponsored by University of Vermont (UVM) Extension 4-H and…

KILLINGTON—Burlington-based nonprofit Puppets in Education (PiE) received funding from National Life Group Foundation to support a morning of bully prevention and empathy-building programs for Killington Elementary School Monday, March 13. Students shared their experiences and learned tips and tools to keep themselves and others safe while becoming a caring bystander. These empathy-building presentations provided a…

By Julia Purdy A new kind of nature book is hitting the stands. “The Mountain Manifesto: A Call to Protect the Green Mountains” is a detailed statement that aims to elevate the level of discourse around ridgeline development for industrial wind from the corporate bottom line of dollars and cents to a new, moral bottom…

The Agency of Natural Resources announced today that Walgreen Eastern Co., Inc., the owner of three Vermont Walgreens stores, was fined $20,000 for producing and selling batteries in Vermont without an Agency-approved battery stewardship plan. Under state law, manufacturers of “primary” batteries are required to identify how they will contribute to the free collection and…

WOODSTOCK—If there was a community disaster, would you be prepared? Would you like to learn skills that will help you, your family, and your community during an emergency? Would you like to help out when needed, but don’t know what to do or where to go? The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) basic training program…

WOODSTOCK—Billings Farm & Museum has joined more than 100 history organizations around the country in endorsing the History Relevance Value Statement and declaring the importance of teaching and learning history. To celebrate, Billings Farm is urging history fans to post a selfie enjoying their favorite historical spot and use the hashtag #HistoryRelevance. The value statement…

Police race bias closed bar, Greeno claims Rutland City faces a federal civil rights law suit, filed by former bar owner Charles “Chip” Greeno March 21 in U.S. District Court. Claiming law enforcement targeted his business because of the race of his clientele, Greeno seeks damages “in excess of $75,000.” Greeno’s business, The Local, 24…

School children are learning Castleton fifth-graders will attend StarBase in Rutland for five sessions. The curriculum is designed to excite young people to the possibilities that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) offer. Seventh-graders in Castleton science class recently studied the physical and chemical properties of molecules as evidenced in basic chemical reactions. In their…