By Sarah Mearhoff/VTDigger On Monday afternoon, July 17, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg stood on a newly carved cliff, hands on his hips as he surveyed carnage at the Inn by the River, located in this rural Northeast Kingdom town. The former presidential hopeful and now-member of President Joe Biden’s cabinet traveled from Washington,…

  The past few days have seen flood devastation throughout Vermont, a stark reminder of what the state experienced from Tropical Storm Irene a dozen years ago. The “Vermont Strong” slogan showed that Vermonters were resilient and would persevere to overcome any obstacles thrown their way.  And while there was not a hurricane or tropical…

  By Polly Mikula Frank Pastor and Patrick Hemenway, two members of the state’s National Guard Response Force (NGRF), toured damages in Killington, Monday, July 17, with Selectman Jim Haff. “Our job is to be the liaison between the state and the local response, you know...whether it’s the Select Board or whoever the emergency managers…

   This past weekend, July 14-16, 2023 Paul Foley, 9, of Hartland  competed with the Upper Valley Aquatic Center in the NE BGSC LCM 10&U Championship swim meet held at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The NE BGSC LCM 10&U Championship meet was held in long course meters (50 meter pool) and was a…

  The Woodstock municipal manager and the Village Board of Trustees have selected Joseph Swanson as the next police chief for the Woodstock Village, serving 900 residents.  Swanson, who was sworn in July 14, grew up in Woodstock and currently serves as the sergeant for the Woodstock Village Police. He originally joined the Woodstock Police…

  Patricia A. Mattson, 81, passed away suddenly on July 5, 2023, at her home in Barnard, Vermont. She was born on April 1, 1942, in Queens, New York, the daughter of Thomas and Katherine (Gillespie) Harkins. She grew up in Oyster Bay, New York. Pat Mattson spent a number of years living in Connecticut…

  By Curt Peterson The Killington Select Board called an Emergency/Special Meeting inspired by repairs by residents following the recent storms. Some property owners’ culverts are within the town right-of-way, and selectmen want to warn that any culvert they install may be deemed “temporary” and have to be replaced as required by the terms of…

VFFC has plan for contamination By Katy Savage The winter farmers market in Rutland is slated to return to the Vermont Farmers Food Center (VFFC) this fall, as organizers work to remedy contamination issues.  A partial corrective action plan for the contamination, estimated to cost $800,000, was submitted to the Agency of Natural Sources on…

  Farmers discouraged by flood, but resilient, as recovery work begins By Katy Savage Rebecca Ruplin woke up at 2 a.m. Monday, July 10 to the sound of pounding rain outside her window.  “There was basically a waterfall coming down our driveway,” she said. She and her boyfriend used a backhoe and tractor in the…

  By Polly Mikula The town of Killington closed on a 70-acre piece of land off Nanak Way on Friday, July 7, for $700,000. The purchase is part of the town’s ongoing Killington Forward initiative, which, in addition to building a municipal water system and reconstructing Killington Road to be safer and support multimodal transportation…

Hartland town manager search begins By Curt Peterson Following a brief public interview and an executive session on July 5, the Hartland Selectboard voted unanimously to contract with Tom Yennerell of Municipal Management Services in Springfield to assist the board in its town manager search.  David Ormiston, the previous town manager for six years, was…

  By Katy Savage The city or Rutland is gaining five new employees. The Board of Aldermen voted 7-3 on July 3 to allocate about half of an expected $1.1 million surplus, which typically goes to taxpayer relief, to fund the new positions.  City officials said the creation of the new positions is a proactive…

  The Killington World Cup Foundation (KWCF) has awarded 31 grants totaling $270,000 to Northeast area nonprofits in nine states for the upcoming ski season (23/24). Grant amounts ranged  $1,500-$18,000, and all recipients are registered nonprofit organizations or have a fiscal sponsor.  The KWCF grants were created with the aim of promoting winter sports and…

  By Emma Cotton/VTDigger More than a year of public protest over a plan to use herbicides to control an invasive weed in Lake Bomoseen has come to an unexpected and, in some ways, anticlimactic end: The state is poised to deny the permit.  The application and full draft decision can be viewed at bit.ly/0317App. The decision…

  The question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” has become one that requires innovative solutions to address such issues as, the shortage of essential workers, the changing socio-economic landscape, and the value of lifelong learning. Over the past three years, for example, the challenge of finding a reputable electrician, plumber,…