Discover More from This Category: Local News

Helen Bates turns 95 years young

July 16, 2014
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!

Remembrance celebration for Ken Budzyna held Saturday

July 16, 2014
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

July 16, 2014
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…

Shumlin calls for $10.10 minimum wage by 2017

July 14, 2014
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…

Ski industry adopts conversion challenge: Killington and Pico lead with innovative programs

July 10, 2014
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…

Pico Mountain: One of Vermont’s best-kept secrets enjoys renaissance as updated classic

July 10, 2014
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…

Empowerment through sports, when spirits soar

July 10, 2014
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…

Once upon a time in history: A Wise move

July 10, 2014
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…

Once upon a time in history: One of the original Killington couples, Royal and Norma Biathrow

July 10, 2014
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…

Facing obstacles: History lessons after an important apology bring hope for progress

July 10, 2014
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…

Vermont ski industry alive and well

July 10, 2014
By Karen D. Lorentz posted Jul 3, 2013 Skier visits near all-time record Vermont just recorded one of its best ski seasons ever, despite a later than usual start for most areas. In fact, it may have been the best season ever if one examines the numbers and accounts for the actual methodology used to…

KMS Highline venue receives $50,000 boost from Powdr Corp

July 10, 2014
By Karen D. Lorentz updated Thu, Dec 26, 2013 06:14 PM Powdr Corporation, the parent company of Killington Pico Ski Resort Partners, has donated $50,000 to the Killington Mountain School (KMS) for a project that creates a vastly improved and expanded competitions venue on the Highline Trail at the mountain. Killington Mountain School is an…

Once upon a time in history

July 10, 2014
By Karen D. Lorentz posted May 23, 2013 Leslie Leete Smith: Killington's first daughter and olympian Some expectant parents play music to their unborn child; Leslie Leete Smith's parents planned a ski area. Born just three months before Killington debuted in December 1958, Leslie literally grew up at the mountain. She recalls the story of…

Deluge renders a veritable ‘who-dun-it’ of Irene Storm, rescue, and recovery

July 10, 2014
By Karen D. Lorentz updated Wed, Aug 28, 2013 06:43 PM Chances are you will know some of the people in the book; perhaps you are even in the book! I live on a mountain 2,230 feet above sea level along the spine of the Green Mountains. To get anywhere we descend about 430 vertical…

Once upon a time in history: Mrs. Claus guides Santa, a winter tale for skiers

July 10, 2014
By Karen D. Lorentz posted Dec 20, 2012 It was 1926 and Santa was stuck. What new toys could he and his elves make for kids and adults in the Rutland Region? "I know," said Mrs. Claus. They have one of those big ski jumps in Springfield, MA, so why don't you and your elves…