By Peter D’Auria/VTDigger The Vermont House gave final approval on Monday, May 9 to a bill intended to ban racist and offensive school mascots, overriding objections that the legislation would erode school districts’ autonomy. S.139 would direct the Vermont Agency of Education to create a state policy for school branding, including mascots, slogans, logos and…

State Police responded to an aircraft crash on a runway at the Rutland-Southern Vermont Regional Airport in Clarendon around 1 p.m. on May 7. At the time of the crash the aircraft, a 1961 Mooney, was occupied solely by the pilot, William C. Giesey of Philadelphia. Giesey told police that while landing the aircraft, he…

By Brett Yates Pittsfield’s delayed Town Meeting proceeded without a hitch on Tuesday, May 3, according to town officials. Longtime moderator George Deblon presided over a gathering of “approximately 51” residents by the count of Town Clerk Tricia Fryer. “It was the quickest town meeting I think I’ve ever been to,” Select Board member Joyce…

The Vermont Warden Service responded to the reported fatal shooting of a German shepherd dog in Tunbridge on Saturday, April 23. The dog was reported missing by its owner on April 20 and was located by the same on April 23. Game Warden Sergeant Jeffrey Whipple responded to the scene and opened an investigation. “As…

By Angelo Lynn In a reversal from a Town Meeting Day vote that saw the Otter Valley Unified Union School District budget go down to defeat, 522-462, district voters on Tuesday turned out in support of the $22.7 million budget, 420-359. Voter turnout was lower than the March 1 vote by about 200 votes, said…

Town brands ‘Killington Forward’ as overarching plan to accomplish water, road and affordable housing — $62.3 million of infrastructure financed by a combo of sources By Polly Mikula On Monday night, May 2, the town of Killington held its third public hearing for its proposed Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district and financing plan. The hearing…

The Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT) released an independent analysis of Vermont’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) program Tuesday, April 19, that concluded that TIF helps Vermont meet its smart growth goals, promotes long-term planning, and contributes to net-growth in the Education Fund. The report comes as the Vermont Legislature considers expanding TIF to…

By Karen D. Lorentz It’s not every day that one meets a woman working in a “non-traditional” job at a ski area. But Halley Riley-Elliott is not only comfortable in the work clothes of a mechanic fixing machines, she’s also at home in make-up and gowns competing in beauty pageants. And she loves doing both!…

First Stop Board Barn in Killington has been granted the 2021 Bicycle Retailer Excellence Award by the National Bicycle Dealers Association (NBDA). The National Bicycle Dealers Association is a non-profit organization established in 1946 which promotes the interests of cycling and specialty bicycle retail across North America. The NBDA has certified First Stop Board Barn…

By Katy Savage About 20 people attended an Act 250 prehearing conference at the Killington Public Safety Building April 29 for a 104-unit residential housing development at Bear Mountain, called Base Camp at Bear Mountain. If approved, the development will be the first true ski on-ski off housing units at Killington Resort, according to the…

Staff report The Mountain Times won five awards for excellence in journalism, marketing, design and multimedia storytelling at the New England Better Newspaper Competition, which took place April 29-30, in Boston. The Mountain Times competes in the largest class of weekly newspaper (those with circulations over 5,000/week) making the competition very steep. For journalism, the…

Inaccurate data reduced ranking from No. 3 to No. 30 in the past two year By Curt Peterson U. S. News and World Report magazine is well-known for its annual ratings of colleges and high schools. Windsor Central Unified Union School District (WCSU) enjoyed Woodstock Union’s 2020 No. 3 ranking among 56 Vermont schools as…

By Katy Savage Wonderfeet Kids’ Museum is moving from Center Street in Rutland to Green Mountain Power’s Energy Innovation Center on Merchants Row, tripling the size of the museum to 9,000 square feet and expanding programming. “We’ve been in the building we’re currently in for seven years,” Wonderfeet Executive Director Danielle Munroe said. “We truly…

By Curt Peterson Killington Recreation Director Sarah Newell described her department’s “growing pains” to the Select Board at its April 25 meeting. She’s asked for an additional $22,500 in her town budget for FY2023 to fund a full time recreation program coordinator position. Newell told the Mountain Times she expects new programs that the coordinator…

By Brooke Geery On Thursday and Friday, April 21 and 22, all current employees of Killington Resort were invited to pull up to the gas pumps outside the vehicle maintenance building, where various members of the Resort Leadership Team (RLT) — from Pico and Summer Operations Manager Rich McCoy to Director of Marketing & Sales…