FAIR HAVEN—Investigators are looking into a fire that occurred at an unoccupied building in Fair Haven early Sunday morning, Feb. 5. Firefighters with the Fair Haven Volunteer Fire Department were notified at approximately 1:15  a.m. of a structure fire at 8 Union Street in Fair Haven, Vt.. Upon arrival, the fire department discovered the unoccupied residence…

KILLINGTON—A Rutland man has been charged for trespassing at the Pico Sports Center on Wednesday, Feb. 1. State police from the Rutland Barracks responded to a reported trespassing complaint. Troopers identified Ivo Skoric, age 52 of Rutland, who had previously been issued a trespass notice. Skoric was cited for illegal trespass and is scheduled to…

By Karrie Etzler For many people around the world, Feb. 9 is just another ordinary day. But  for Vermonters, it’s a day etched in immense state pride. Thanks to the innovative Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley, whose discoveries in photomicrography, gave the world its first view of snowflakes in all their intricate beauty. Bentley was born in…

LUDLOW—The Ludlow Rotary has been providing scholarships to area students for more than 35 years. For 2017, the Ludlow Rotary has increased its scholarship funding from internal sources by 50 percent, or $3,000. At a minimum, the Ludlow Rotary expects to award the following scholarships in 2017 to students pursuing further education: $2,000 Daniel E.…

RUTLAND—High school seniors planning to attend college in visual arts can lower college tuition costs by applying for a 2017 Courcelle Scholarship offered by PEGTV. Two Rutland County high school seniors who exhibit a high level of proficiency and interest in visual arts and intend to pursue postsecondary education have the opportunity to win a…

Seeks public approval By Julia Purdy CHITTENDEN—On Jan. 18, 2017, the Chittenden Select Board held a special meeting to discuss the potential purchase of a sizeable piece of Chittenden by the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF). About 17 people attended, in addition to the entire Select Board, three planning commissioners and representatives of the Green…

Mendon resident Tracey Fowler has started a Valentine’s Day card contest to support a rescue clinic for special needs animals in Idaho where she got “Heath,” a stray pup who had been hit by a car and paralyzed in Tijuana, Mexico. Fowler is asking folks to sent a Valentine’s Day card with $1 (or whatever…

RUTLAND—A Rutland area robotics team will be headed to St. Louis, Mo., in April to compete in the FIRST® World Championships. FIRST sponsors robotics and technical competitions for students at all levels. The Robo-Rattlers compete at the FLL level, where students aged 9 through 12 design, build and program a LEGO robot to complete missions…

By Karen D. Lorentz For two weeks now rumors have been flying that Vail Resorts might be buying Stowe Mountain Resort. Those rumors were based on reports of CEO Rob Katz being seen at the mountain two weekends ago. Stowe This past December, the Mountain Times reported that retired Steamboat President Chris Diamond (now a…

By Lee J. Kahrs BRANDON — The Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union has no intention of retooling its school budgets or waiting until a May date to have voters weigh in, despite what Gov. Phil Scott outlined in his budget address. In it, Scott outlined a plan to take money out of the state education fund…

By Stephen Seitz and Evan Johnson Area voters seem happy with their town governments this year. Most races around the region remain uncontested, and there are few articles beyond the normal. In Killington, former Selectman Jim Haff is challenging incumbent Selectman Ken Lee for a three-year term. There is a petition article to change tax…

Rutland refugee resettlement future is uncertain By Adam Federman, VTDigger A federal court ruling in Washington state on Friday, Feb. 3, rescinded nearly all of the provisions of the Trump administration’s executive order on immigration, including the suspension of refugee resettlement. Anyone with a valid unexpired visa can now enter the country, and agencies that…

By Evan Johnson Citing his efforts to rejuvenate and grow the city he calls home, Rutland Mayor Christopher Louras formally kicked off his reelection bid on Monday evening with a call to Rutland residents to elect him for a sixth two-year term . Speaking to a packed audience in the The Bakery, Louras stood on…

VEDA approves Rutland Mental Health bonds The Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) recently approved up to $3 million in tax-exempt bonds to refinance Rutland Mental Health Services’ debt from the organization’s South Main Street construction project in 2008. In addition, VEDA approved up to $1 million in taxable bonds related to costs of constructing Mental…

Fair Haven categorized as economically distressed FAIR HAVEN—At the Jan. 17 Select Board meeting, Durfee said that the town may qualify for New Market Tax Credits, a U.S. Treasury program designed to spur economic development activity in economically disadvantaged communities throughout the country. With a median family income at or below 60 percent of Area…