James Joseph Fiore of Killington born Nov. 1, 1950 in Everett, Massachussetts passed away peacefully with his family by his side on May 6, 2023.  He was predeceased by his parents Janette and Gerald Fiore of Everett, Massachussets  and his brother Gerald Fiore of Reading. He is survived by his brother Michael and his wife…

  By Victoria Gaither  While much of the world has moved on from winter activities, that’s not true at Killington Ski Resort. For an entire group of people, ski season is just starting. “Spring skiing at Killington brings out the different, unusual, and downright weird, but in a good way,” said Dawn Baker visiting from…

  Staff report Rutland City may shut off water and sewer for residents who aren’t paying their bills for the first time in more than 10 years.  Rutland City Treasurer Mary Markowski told the Board of Aldermen Monday, May 15 that such a move is unprecedented in her tenure. "Collection is difficult but there are…

By Polly Mikula On Thursday, May 11, bids for the first phases of the municipal water project in Killington were revealed and selected. Two contracts were up for bid: Contract 1-3A, estimated at $20.2 million, which includes transmission line from the wells to the high service pump station on Route 4 and up across East…

West Rutland was one of seven municipalities that received a downtown transportation fund grant. West Rutland received $172,091 to improve sidewalks. Gov. Phil Scott and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) announced awards of over $1 million in downtown transportation fund grants in designated downtowns and eligible designated village centers on May 4.…

By Katy Savage After closing down in November 2022, the Belmont General Store in Mount Holly is reopening this summer with new owners. Alissa Tilly, 28, bought the store, which dates back to the 1840s, two weeks ago.   “We want to start small and then start adding on,” she said. Tilly grew up in…

By Katy Savage After community members sounded off concerns about losing their only grocery store in Rochester, Mac’s Market has a new owner and is slated to reopen this month. John Sikandar is taking over the store on May 19 and plans to open it under its new name — Village Grocery — on May…

By Polly Mikula The Rutland Free Library (RFL) has reinvigorated renovation plans to make the library (in its current location) more user-friendly, accessible and meet modern needs. And it hopes to get $500,000 — about a third of the total project cost —from the state through Federal ARPA funds set aside for libraries.  RFL recently…

By Curt Peterson Thirty Woodstock High advanced French students have participated in a virtual language and culture exchange program with 20 peers — 10 in Beirut, Lebanon and 10 in Tunis, Tunisia, using Zoom. Language teacher Colleen O’Connell has developed and managed the program for two years. She has been trained as a facilitator by Soliya,…

By Curt Peterson Following weeks of sometimes difficult meetings and negotiations, and after a brief executive session, on May 8 four Hartland selectboard members unanimously approved a separation agreement involving former town manager David Ormiston. “(It) is in their respective best interests,” the agreement begins, “to cease their employment relationship.” Ormiston was put on “paid…

By Katy Savage Margo Thompson remembers the day she decided she wanted to build robots and pursue STEM for the rest of her life.  She was about 10 years old and building lego robots at a summer camp, where she was partnered with a boy.  “I was sitting there and he was doing it all,”…

Phillip Modesti, who graduated in 1990, will deliver the commencement address at Castleton University’s 235th commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 13, 2023.   Modesti currently serves as global vice president for Medical Education at Establishment Labs, a global, high-tech medical device and aesthetics company that designs, develops, manufactures, and markets a product portfolio consisting of advanced…

  By Katy Savage Sen. Peter Welch  sounded off his concerns about the nation’s first potential debt default — a measure that could have a catastrophic impact on food security, Welch said, as he spoke to a crowd of 200 people at the Vermont Foodbank’s annual Hunger Action Conference at the Killington Grand Hotel on…

By Steven Jupiter Editor’s Note: Steven Jupiter is board member and frequent contributor to The Reporter, which is a nonprofit, community-supported newspaper as of Jan. 1, 2023. As of last week, the historic Brandon Inn has a new owner: Isidro “Sid” Beccar-Varela.  The Inn’s previous owners, Joel and Darcy MacClaren, passed the torch to Beccar-Varelaafter…

Small amphitheater in Killington is part of a master plan to better connect, engage with community and nature By Polly Mikula Mission Farm in Killington is situated on four acres of open land with an orchard. Behind it 176 acres of forest rises up the mountainside and the Ottauquechee River flows in front separating the…