By Julia Purdy PAWLET—On Aug. 28, 2016, a community watershed event titled “Five Years Vermont Strong—Tropical Storm Irene, Five Years Later: Where Are We Now?” was held in Pawlet to remember the devastating impact of Tropical Storm Irene on Aug. 28-29, 2011, and revisit the lessons learned. The theme was flood resiliency and preparedness for…

BOMOSEEN—State officials recently discovered the presence of an invasive clam species in Lake Bomoseen, according to a news release Tuesday, Aug. 30. The Asian clam has been documented in surrounding regions like Lake George, N.Y., but has not been found in Vermont until now. Asian clams, like zebra mussels, are filter feeding organisms that can…

HARTFORD—Due to the growth of Upper Valley Aquatic Center’s (UVAC) membership base, increased day pass use from the community, and especially an increase in the number of families using the center, the Upper Valley Aquatic Center’s board of directors has approved an expansion plan. “We listened to feedback from our members and guests and realize…

CHITTENDEN—It’s the end of August, which means students in the towns of Chittenden and Mendon who attend Barstow Memorial School are headed back to school. This year, students will welcome a few new staff members to the building, including nurse Amy Ridlon, third grade teacher Coral Ward-Torelli and head custodian Alison Patterson. There has also…

RUTLAND—Registration is open for a free workshop being offered to Vermont food and beverage processors and manufacturers who want to be fully compliant with environmental laws. The Department of Environmental Conservation’s Environmental Assistance Office is hosting the Food for Thought workshop to accommodate the need for the growing food and beverage industry to access information…

By: Lani Duke Sheriff grabs pot The Rutland County Sheriff’s Department culminated a two-week investigation into local marijuana cultivation with the eradication of 249 plants found in Clarendon and Rutland Town Sept. 1. The plants were found in three separate growing areas and had a street value of about $500,000. This is the second major…

By Julia Purdy MENDON—Work continues along sections of US Route 4 in Mendon and Rutland Town as VTrans crews and contractors repair and replace features of the Route 4 corridor in two spots: the ravine on the west side of Route 4 between Meadow Lake Drive and Wheelerville Road, and at the Norman Rockwell Museum,…

RUTLAND– Avery Mullan of Proctor, Vt., and Kira Simonds of Whiting, Vt., recently participated in STAR Events (Students Taking Action with Recognition) at Family, Career and Community Leaders of America’s (FCCLA) 2016 National Leadership Conference in San Diego, Calif. They joined more than 8,500 nationwide members, advisers, alumni, and guests of FCCLA, gathered July 3-7…

Water supply serviced 90 in Killington KILLINGTON—Pico Village Water Corporation, which operates a local water supply system in Killington, has agreed to pay $37,000 in civil penalties to the state of Vermont, according to a Aug. 29 news release from Attorney General Bill Sorrell. The settlement comes after the state pursued violations concerning the management…

By Emma Cotton RUTLAND—Rutland native Kerry Branon returned home this weekend for the Vermont premier of her first feature documentary film, “Huntwatch,” which aired Sunday at the Middlebury New Filmmaker’s Festival. She was excited to share the film, which protests eastern Canada’s commercial harp seal hunt, with her family and friends—and to bring home even…

By Polly Lynn RUTLAND—On Saturday, Aug. 27, community members gathered at Rutland Regional Medical Center and folded 800 origami elephants. The event, put on by Tuttle Publishing, of North Clarendon was “an effort to help the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) raise awareness of the plight of elephants all over the world,” according to the news…

By Julia Purdy RUTLAND—Workers are nearing the finish line to remove the false front siding from the Clement Building at the corner of West Street and Merchants Row. For several weeks, the sidewalk has been cordoned off and, high overhead, Kevin and Joseph Lafaso of Mike Balestra Building & Remodeling, working from a cherrypicker, have…

By Adam Federman, VTDigger.org RUTLAND — An inmate of the Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility in Rutland died Tuesday, Aug. 23, five days after being hospitalized, according to a Corrections Department official. Mike Touchette, the department’s director of correctional facilities, said inmate Scott Clark experienced a “medical emergency” and was transferred to Rutland Regional Medical…

As Vermonters mark the fifth anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene, a new report from the Congressional Budget Office  (CBO) warns that damage from severe weather in future decades is expected to become increasingly common in Vermont and throughout the United States because of climate change. Tropical Storm Irene, which began as a hurricane in the…

Patients come to Cardiac Rehab at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington to rebuild their heart muscle, literally. One couple found that Cardiac Rehab can also exercise their figurative heart muscles, too. Ray Merriam, of Bennington, had a heart attack in 2010. He recovered with help of Cardiac Rehab, and has been coming to the…