Rutland local Anna Tadio has co-founded Vermont’s first Young Democrats group along with Giovanni Falco.. Falco currently serves as the president of the organization while Tadio serves as general counsel.  The founders and board of directors of the Vermont Young Democrats officially launched the organization last week,  joining the Vermont Democratic Party at the…

By Katy Savage Samuel Koroma came to Vermont last August hoping to escape hardships from back home, but the hardships seem to have followed him. Koroma, 26, grew up in a rural area west of Freetown, Sierra Leone in West Africa. Just after his family dropped Koroma off at the airport so he could attend…

  By Curt Peterson Lisa Ransom, vicar at The Church of Our Savior at Mission Farm since 2020, says the original mission for Mission Farm, expressed in 1895 when Elizabeth Wood Clement gifted the 180-acre property to the Episcopal Church, includes providing beneficial service to the community that is now Killington. Historically, the farm has…

  By Matthew Durkee Editor’s note: Durkee is the New England Regional president and leads Community Bank’s team. He’s a native Vermonter and has been active in the local banking community for his entire 30+ year career. Like many other states in the U.S., Vermont is facing a severe affordable housing crisis. Affordable Housing Month…

By Brooke Geery Not many people can say they’ve covered New York’s Central Park with snow, but Greg Hiltz can. A select few people can say they’ve pulled off making enough snow for a World Cup course in one night, and they’d probably have to thank Hiltz for it. In his 45-year career making snow…

  $3,250 goal to receive a 2:1 matching grant POULTNEY—Realizing an action goal from Poultney Comes Together, a 2019 community workshop, Poultney residents will soon be able to enjoy public murals downtown thanks to a recently launched crowdfunding campaign. The campaign is sponsored by the Vermont Dept. of Housing and Community Development’s Better Places program and led by…

  Four local nonprofit organizations received $5,000 grants from Heritage Family Cares 4 You’s (HFCares4U). The 2023 recipients were Community Cupboard, Vermont Farmers' Food Center, Vermont Achievement Center and Northshire Day School.   People who donate at least $15 annually to HFCares4U become “Friends of the Foundation.” Friends have the opportunity to vote for the…

  Alpine Bike Works in Killington is now the first east coast retailer authorized to ship Giant bicycles direct to customers across the country.   The new program was announced in early April and allows select retailers who meet the stringent requirements set forth by Giant to ship Giant bicycles nationwide.  It comes at a…

  One evening last week, I received a phone call from one of our region’s most thoughtful volunteer fundraisers, a soft-spoken community leader I admire tremendously. After we discussed the purpose of her call — to secure hosts for an event to benefit a vital housing nonprofit — we proceeded to other topics. When she…

  By Curt Peterson About a dozen of Ed Finley’s neighbors and friends were gathered by their vehicles on a Clay Hill Road meadow in Hartland to witness release of a red-tailed hawk that had been rehabilitated at Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS). The event was a unique memorial dedicated to Finley, resident on…

  Mark Foote, 30, became the department's first full time paid firefighter (other than the chief),  as well as the head of the EMS program at the end of April. “My medical first response kind of career, if you will, started when I was 16 years old,” Foote said. “I’m not a native to Killington,…

  Glenn Burres, 58, was named Assistant Fire Chief, a 25 to 30-hour a week part-time position in the beginning of April. Burres moved to Killington about 16 years ago after retiring as the deputy chief of a fire department in Newburgh, New York. “I worked up from being a firefighter up to deputy chief…

  The new municipal dept. now employs three plus volunteers, seeks growth to ensure shorter response times By Polly Mikula KILLINGTON — Over the past three years, fire and rescue services in Killington have undergone some of the most radical changes in its history: In 2020, the new Public Safety Building was completed; in 2022,…

  Slate Quarry Park,  located at 76 Main Street in Poultney, has received a 2023 Vermont Public Places Honor Award  as one of Vermont’s exemplary public places.  Slate Quarry Park is a pocket park sited in a central location on Poultney’s Main Street. It was constructed in 2021-2022 and is built of varying hues of…

By Victoria Gaither When permanent cosmetic tattoo makeup artist Angelly Graves moved to West Rutland two years ago with her husband, Miguel Graves, she knew right away it was home. “I love this community; we tried Miami. I like some things about Miami, but I am calm, and it’s calm here,” said Graves.  Graves is…