Volunteers at the annual Shrewsbury Ham Supper sit down to feast after all the guests were served. This year marks the 63rd annual event at the Shrewsbury Town Meeting Hall. By Karen D. Lorentz Vermont has a long history of people in small towns coming together at community suppers and ice cream socials. The social…

RUTLAND—On Thursday, Sept. 24, Vermont State Employee Credit Union (VSECU) announced its 2015 Student LIFT (Loan Independence for Today) award recipients—its annual awards program designed to help Vermonters pay down their student loan debt by awarding three recipients with $5,000 each in monthly loan payments, on behalf of each recipient. This year’s award recipients are…

RUTLAND — Phoenix Books officially opened its doors Monday, Sept. 28, to a crowd of supporters and customers anxious to support the store, independent bookselling and the ongoing revitalization of downtown Rutland. “It’s a spectacular addition to downtown and a symbol of the ongoing rebirth of the city at large,” Mayor Chris Louras said. “The space, the…

By George Cook, Extension Farm Safety Specialist, UVM Most people know of the Great Chicago Fire of Oct. 8-10, 1871. From that conflagration came the establishment of National Fire Prevention Week with the first official proclamation in 1925 by President Calvin Coolidge. This year it will run from Oct. 4-10. The 1871 fire killed up…

By Lani Duke Rutland At last! Dorr Drive scheduled to reopen Friday, Oct. 2 Dorr Drive Bridge and the closed section of Dorr Drive are scheduled to open Friday, Oct. 2. If you're in a hurry, you may still want to avoid the site; traffic runs only in alternating, one-way orientations while finish-up work is…

CASTLETON—On Oct. 8 the Rutland Region Workforce Investment Board’s Council on Youth will collaborate with the high school counselors of Fair Haven Union, Mill River Union, Mount St. Joseph Academy, Otter Valley Union, Poultney, Proctor, Rutland, and West Rutland to organize the fourth annual Sophomore Career Summit. Sophomores from across the Rutland region will meet…

A Spartan racer jumps over a fire, the final obstacle, at Killington Resort. By Polly Lynn The Spartan races took over the mountains at Killington Resort this past weekend for the annual race. Killington was the home of the Spartan World Championship last year, and this year’s course was equally as brutal, participants said. Steep…

By Polly Lynn Business has been good this summer for many area businesses with increased activities at Killington Resort, (mostly) cooperative weather and a growing local and national economy; now more are looking to join their ranks. This month, the region has officially welcomed a few new businesses and business owners to the community. Phoenix…

PITTSFORD—On Friday, Sept. 18, at about 5:45 a.m., members of the Vermont State Police, Pittsford Fire Department and Regional Ambulance Service were dispatched to a reported two-vehicle crash on Route 7 in Pittsford, Vt. Vehicles involved were a 2001 Oldsmobile Alero and a 1983 Honda Shadow motorcycle. Initial investigation concluded the vehicles struck each other…

BETHEL—Vermont State Police troopers responded to a report of a flagger struck by a vehicle in a construction zone on Route 12 in the town of Bethel. The flagger was identified as Justin Morse, age 35 of Bethel,and an employee of ADA Traffic Control. Morse was at the north end of the construction zone. The…

Thick fog thought to be a factor RUTLAND—On Friday, Sept. 18, at about 3:30 a.m., the Vermont State Police, the Rutland Town Fire Department and Regional Ambulance Service were dispatched to a single-vehicle rollover crash with entrapment at 1253 Route 7 North in Rutland Town. With assistance from first-responders, the operator, identified as Christopher M.…

RUTLAND—On Sept. 21 Green Mountain Power, the first utility to become a B-Corp, and Yeloha, a peer-to-peer solar sharing network, announced a groundbreaking partnership with a mission to unlock the benefits of solar energy for everyone—by sharing it. The partnership marks the first utility-adopted sharing economy platform to offer its customers the opportunity to generate…

Florence  McDonnell Florence L. “Flossie” McDonnell, 86, of Pittsford, Vt. and formerly of Stockbridge, died Tuesday evening, Sept. 15, 2015, at Rutland Regional Medical Center. She was born May 15, 1929 in Gaysville, Vt., the daughter of Royal and Carrie (Garrett) Luce. She attended Stockbridge Common School and graduated from Whitcomb High School in 1948.…

Leon Gonyo WEST HAVEN–Devil’s Bowl Speedway management and staff confirmed the passing of long-time stock car racing competitor Leon Gonyo, age 63 of Chazy, N.Y., Saturday, Sep. 19, 2015. Gonyo won the speedway’s final asphalt NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Modified race of the season on Saturday evening but succumbed soon after. According to witnesses, Gonyo appeared…

Submitted Dolly Parton sits with young readers to promote her Imagination Library program, which helps to distribute a new book to kids every month from birth to age 5. The Ludlow Rotary and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library aim to enhance local literacy LUDLOW—Imagine if every preschool child received a book in his or her…