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Property owners, contractors warned about culvert replacements, specs

July 19, 2023
  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

July 19, 2023
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…

‘It’s farming in Vermont’

July 19, 2023
  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…

Town of Killington secures 70 acres for workforce housing

July 19, 2023
  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

July 12, 2023
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…

Rutland City adds new positions

July 12, 2023
  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 awards over $270,000 in grants to 31 nonprofits across 9 states 

July 12, 2023
  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…

Denial of herbicide permit for Lake Bomoseen would end long controversy

July 12, 2023
  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…

Stafford Tech’s Bill Lucci helps students believe: What you’ll be, you’ll see

July 12, 2023
  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,…

Jim Haff, Roger Rivera and Arra Derderian receive Volunteer of the Year awards

July 12, 2023
By Polly Mikula Three prominent volunteers in Killington were recognized last week for their service to the town.  “We didn’t get to recognize last year’s volunteers at the Fourth of July festivities so we recognized them all last week,” explained Stephen Nisimblat, co-chair of the Killington Recreation Commission, which presented the awards.  Fourth of July…

Judge orders Slate Ridge owner Daniel Banyai to be arrested

July 12, 2023
  Banyai owes fines totaling $100,600 plus $200/day until property is compliant By Emma Cotton/VTDigger A Vermont judge has ordered the arrest of Daniel Banyai, the owner of the paramilitary training facility Slate Ridge in West Pawlet.  In a decision issued Thursday, July 6, Judge Thomas Durkin of the Environmental Division of the Vermont Superior Court…

State police investigate police shooting in Rutland

July 12, 2023
  The State Police investigation is continuing Wednesday, July 5, 2023, into this week’s non-fatal shooting by a member of the Rutland City Police Department. The men who were shot are identified as Randy A. Perez-Coiscou and Andy H. Perez-Coiscou. They are twin 21-year-old brothers from Springfield, Massachusetts. Both men remain hospitalized at the University…

Man pleads not guilty after killing Rutland police officer in car chase  

July 12, 2023
  By Katy Savage  The man charged with killing a Rutland City police officer and injuring two others in a two-mile high-speed pursuit to Woodstock Avenue on Friday, July 7 pleaded not guilty in Rutland Criminal Court on Monday, July 10. Tate Rheaume, 20, attended court virtually from his hospital bed at the University of…

Killington prepares for recovery

July 12, 2023
  By Polly Mikula Town officials held a special meeting Tuesday morning where they announced plans for recovery work after two weather events severely damaged town and state roads. The first event, Friday and into Saturday, saw flash floods and mudslides cut off East Mountain Road and Route 4, respectively. The second event, Sunday into…

‘It’s like a scene from Irene’

July 12, 2023
  Area residents rally in face of storm: Friday's flash flood through Monday's state of emergency By Katy Savage and Victoria Gaither It began with isolated flashfloods and a mudslide in Killington Friday, July 7, but rains continued — and worsened — Sunday and Monday escalating to become a State of Emergency. Estimates of  5-12…