By Sally McCay, UVM Photo A student tosses an orange into the garbage can at lunch. School lunch study proves mandated fruits and veggies going into trash Less than a month before Congress votes on whether to reauthorize a controversial program mandating healthier school lunches, a new study confirms the suspicions of school officials—many students…

RUTLAND–Aiming to fill the Rutland Community Cupboard with everything from tuna and pasta to cereal and peanut butter, Green Mountain Power announced on Aug. 25 a 21,000-item goal for the 2015 GMP Fill the Cupboard Challenge. Businesses, clubs, schools, sports teams, churches and other organizations are encouraged to register for the challenge, then collect food…

A study released Aug. 26 by researchers at the University of Vermont paints a picture of school meals that experts at Hunger Free Vermont say is misleading. New school meal regulations that were put into place at the start of the 2012-2013 school year in an effort to add more whole grains and increase fruit…

IRA — On Sunday, Aug. 30, at 11:19 a.m. EMS and Vermont State Police responded to the town of Ira, for a report of a nine year old girl who had been accidentally shot by her father. The child, McKenzie P. Ezzo, had reportedly been shot in the stomach by her father, Randy A. Babcock…

A record number of students applied to the University of Vermont this year, and this week, UVM welcomes its new class—the most academically talented in school history. Incoming students earned an average GPA of 3.53 on a 4.0 scale and an average SAT score of 1197, a 12-point increase over last year. The Class of…

Courtesy of Gerrie Russell Steve Wood portrays the sixteenth president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. By Gerrie Russell Friday, Sept. 4 at 1:30 p.m. — RUTLAND — Bernard Osher, a native of Biddeford, Maine is an extremely successful business man and community leader whose continuing philanthropy has touched many lives. The Bernard Osher Foundation, established in…

RUTLAND — The Vermont State Fair runs Friday, Sept. 4 through Saturday, Sept. 12. The agricultural area is open daily 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Daily Free Entertainment includes Circus Hollywood, racing pigs, petting zoo, Friesian horses, pony rides, The White Shadow, Al the Artist and more. Get all the info at vermontstatefair.org or call 802-775-5200.…

Photo courtesy of Woodstock Terrace Anne Herz of Woodstock doing what she loves best WOODSTOCK — At 79, local resident Anne Herz shows no signs of slowing down. Well into her retirement, Herz has been donating a large portion of her time volunteering for The Thompson Senior Center, which acts as a resource and advocate…

A two-day tax “school” is planned for two locations in November to update tax practitioners, accountants and other tax professionals on new tax legislation, regulations and rulings. The dates for the 2015 University of Vermont (UVM) Extension Income Tax Schools are Nov. 10-11 at the Champlain Valley Exposition, Essex Junction, and Nov. 17-18 at the…

Eight elementary schools throughout New Hampshire and Vermont are celebrating, because each has been awarded a special literacy sponsorship valued at $25,000 for the 2015/2016 school year from the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF), an independent nonprofit based in Waterbury Center, Vt. Each school given a special CLiF Year of the Book sponsorship will receive a…

By Stephen Seitz The Vermont Farmers Food Center has teamed with medical care providers to target patients whose chronic conditions could be improved by bettering their diets. The 12-week program is called Health Care Share and continues through Sept. 23. Health Care Share was the topic of a recent “Insight” program on PEGTV, aired throughout…

Rutland City New bank branch opens The Bank of Bennington recently opened a commercial loan production office at 110 Merchants Row, staffed primarily by Tim Collins, regional vice president and senior commercial lender. It joins branches in Arlington, Bennington, and Manchester. The 45-year-old bank has $400 million in assets, with aims to expand its Rutland…

Act 46 continues to pose conundrums for schools RUTLAND COUNTY—Act 46 leaves the officials of the 750-pupil Rutland Southwest Supervisory Union seemingly caught in a dilemma. To change from a supervisory union to a supervisory district with a single board and a single budget, the four towns of Ira, Middletown Springs, Poultney, and Wells need…

By Wendy Reese PITTSFIELD — Mary Russ of White River partnership returned to the Pittsfield Selectboard on Aug. 18 to answer questions and address concerns regarding the next steps for the Parmenter Place buyout properties (proposed Parmenter Park). FEMA provided 75 percent of the funds for the buyout of the properties destroyed in Tropical Storm…

Rich Cowden, director of the Fine Arts Center at Castleton University lists the benefits of the series for the university and the community. Bruce Bouchard and Rich Cowden present Project 240, a 17-event series which culminates with the Election Night Gala, Nov. 8, 2016. By Polly Lynn RUTLAND – “An informed electorate is a prerequisite…