Administrative complexity, staff turnover, and poor recordkeeping contributed to millions of dollars in mistakes  State Auditor Doug Hoffer released a new audit Jan. 23 of Burlington’s Waterfront TIF district. TIF districts allow municipalities to designate an area for public infrastructure improvements, incur debt to pay for the work, and use a portion of the area’s…

By Curt Peterson Vocal resistance to the proposed reconfiguration of the Three Corners intersection in Hartland dominated the local listserv since Select Board member Jim Reilley responded to public comment to make a motion to delay sending out requests for proposals to contractors regarding the project. It was a last minute opportunity for the democratic…

By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger Two-thirds of Vermont’s 254 municipalities can expect a reappraisal order this year, according to the state’s Department of Taxes. And with so many townwide reappraisals in order, the state faces another issue: a lack of resources to handle the demand. “There’re not enough firms to go around to do this; that’s a huge…

By Tiffany Tan/VTDigger A Rutland housing organization plans to build dozens of housing units at the former College of St. Joseph and possibly convert an existing campus building into a child care center. The Housing Trust of Rutland County moved closer to implementing those plans last week, when it secured an option to buy the…

Can you tell readers a little bit about the history of Killington’s desire to develop a ski village? Mike Solimano: In 2001, I was hired as the director of finance, and there was already conversation about developing a village. And, I thought—there’s a lot going on in Killington and this is going to be really…

By Emma Cotton/VTDigger and Polly Mikula The start of the winter season has been difficult for snow sport enthusiasts across Vermont— and the Northeast. Save for one big storm in December in the south-central mountains — when Killington logged 2 feet of snow in one storm — the state (and entire Northeast) has remained mostly shades…

By Katy Savage Gilmore Home Center, which has been part of the Castleton community for more than 60 years, was destroyed in a fire on Sunday night. Castleton Fire Chief Heath Goyette said the building is a total loss. “They’re a staple operation in this community,” he said. “It’s going to be missed.”  Goyette first…

The World Cup is returning to Killington for the seventh time next year. The resort announced Jan. 17 that a new one-year contract had been signed. The race features the fastest female alpine ski racers in the world. Part of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation’s Audi FIS Ski World Cup Circuit, the Killington Cup…

By Katy Savage Rutland School Board members settled the mascot debate on Jan. 10 and decided Rutland High School will simply be called “Rutland.”  The approval of the name came after three years of contentious debate and community divide about what the mascot should be. The former Raiders mascot, deemed racist, was retired in August…

By Katy Savage When a dog went missing in the woods after a car crash in Killington, about 40 people teamed up to find him.  They printed fliers, organized search teams, hiked day and night and flew drones. They found the dog two days later.  Arlo, a 1-year-old pit bull mixed breed, was found near…

Since Nadia Comaneci set the precedent in 1976 with her first score of a perfect 10.0, it’s been the dream achievement of most gymnasts in the sport. This past weekend, Jan. 14-15, Hazel Mabey, an 8-year-old from Wallingford, scored Cobra’s first ever 10.0 on balance beam at the Royal Regal Classic in Essex, Vermont. Hazel…

By Victoria Gaither The calendar says it is the winter season, but mother nature is acting fickle. You never know what to expect from one day to the next. Rain, snow, and a drop in temperature, anything is possible.  Some visitors to Killington were experiencing this up-and-down crazy weather.  Donald Cossack of New Jersey said,…

Traffic was blocked for two hours on Route 4 in Killington due to a head-on collision after a car collided with a  tractor trailer around 4:30 p.m.on Jan. 13  Police said Joseph Ceccacci of Killington was traveling west on Route in the passing lane near Winterberry Road in a 2005 Dodge Ram pickup. Witnesses report…

By Karen D. Lorentz Every once in a while, you meet someone who was destined to work in the ski industry. That was the case in spades for Killington Snowmaking Manager Greg Gleason.  Because he grew up directly across the street from Song Mountain, in Tully, New York, he had a view of the snowmakers…

By Katy Savage Plymouth has a new retail cannabis shop.  Al Baram, the owner of the Salt Ash Inn, opened his new retail store, Green Union, beside the Salt Ash last weekend.  The building was a residential apartment, which Baram spent four weeks converting into a retail store before Christmas.   “Everyone really went above…