By Cristina Kumka RUTLAND — Preliminary statistics from a data expert working for the Rutland City Police Department show that calls for service since the start of this year are down 24.9 percent compared to the same time last year. Meanwhile, drug crimes are up 28.4 percent, an indicator of proactive policing and more people…

By Morgan True, VTDigger.org Vermont’s second largest hospital says its rates are likely to grow by 8.4 percent next fiscal year, because payments from government programs that cover health care services aren’t keeping up with inflation. In a letter to the 1,100 employees of Rutland Regional Medical Center, CEO Tom Huebner said the hospital board…

By Cristina Kumka KILLINGTON — Town Manager Seth Webb recently outlined scenarios that might convince voters to repeal the town's local option sales and use tax that flows $450,000 into town coffers annually. The Economic Development and Tourism Commission (EDTC) meeting, held Monday July 14, at the town offices, was attended by town, resort and…

By Cristina Kumka KILLINGTON — Town Manager Seth Webb recently outlined scenarios that might convince voters to repeal the town’s local option sales and use tax that flows $450,000 into town coffers annually. The Economic Development and Tourism Commission (EDTC) meeting, held Monday July 14, at the town offices, was attended by town, resort and…

Fourth vote set for July 22, includes over $100K in additional cuts By Lee J. Kahrs BRANDON – The public has made it clear that it does not want a significant tax increase, and the select board has listened, but if voters don’t pay their taxes, it doesn’t matter what budget is approved. On Monday,…

Long time resident of Killington, Helen Bates is turning 95 years old on July 21. Her family is  having a card shower for her. Please send cards to Grandma Bates, Mountain View Center, 9 Hayward Ave., Rutland VT 05701. She would to get cards from all of her longtime friends!

Sunday, July 20 at 4 p.m.— KILLINGTON — This Sunday friends and family are invited to celebrate the life of Kenneth, “Ken” or “KB,” Budzyna, at the Foundry at Summit Pond in Killington at 4 p.m. Budzyna was 66 years old when he passed away suddenly, June 4, after a heart attack in Florida. Budzyna lived…

Killington town and resort discuss plan to repeal local option tax By Cristina Kumka KILLINGTON — Town Manager Seth Webb recently outlined scenarios that might convince voters to repeal the town's local option sales and use tax that flows $450,000 into town coffers annually. The Economic Development and Tourism Commission (EDTC) meeting, held Monday July…

By Hilary Niles, VTDigger.org updated Wed, Mar 12, 2014 06:18 PM Vt. is joined by three other New England governors echoing Obama's call Gov. Peter Shumlin wants to increase the state's minimum wage from $8.73 per hour to $10.10 per hour, by 2017. Shumlin's pitch matches that of President Barack Obama, who's calling for the…

By Karen D. Lorentz updated Wed, Feb 22, 2012 11:44 AM The challenges are many: the recent economic downturn; climate change and erratic winters; an ever-more sedentary society; societal shifts with two-worker families which causes time poverty; school activities that limit the ability of families to travel in winter; more alternative leisure activities; and an…

By Karen D. Lorentz updated Wed, Jan 25, 2012 03:07 PM Vermont's third oldest ski area and one of the first thirty in North America, Pico is a mountain where a sense of community and the joy of snow sports prevail. Since its Nov. 27, 1937 debut, skiers of all ages have found Pico to…

By Karen D. Lorentz posted Jan 2, 2013 Hopefully you have been reading about the new Andrea Mead Lawrence Lodge that the Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports program and the Pico Ski Education Foundation are engaged in building at Pico to facilitate and enhance their respective programs. By sharing the two-story building, they will each…

By Karen D. Lorentz posted Sep 19, 2012 Charlie Wise was introduced to skiing after his father attended the 1932 Lake Placid Winter Olympics and "decided I should learn to ski. I was taught how to herringbone up the hill but not how to turn," Charlie said of learning on a Long Island golf course…

By Karen D. Lorentz posted Aug 30, 2012 A big man with a Vermont sense of humor and abundant Yankee ingenuity, Royal Biathrow was one of the first locals to notice the potential in the Killington Ski Area. A logger since high school, he "saw the price of logs drop as plastics came out in…

By Karen D. Lorentz posted May 23, 2012 On April 23, VPR aired a commentary by Bill Mares that confirmed a long held misgiving. Sometimes critics don't give credence to intelligent leaders because the critics have an agenda that is less than totally honest or a passion that is more personal than legitimate. Most Killington…