By Brooke Geery Editor’s note: This is the seventh part of a series called “Chasing Vertical” where we chat with the skier or rider who wins the monthly vertical feet challenge at Killington Resort. Vertical feet are tallied on the Killington Resort app and a real time leaderboard is accessible to all. When the lifts…

The May 3 luncheon meeting of the Ludlow Rotary Club (LRC) featured Dr. Linda Thomson speaking to Rotarians and guests. Her topic was “Changing old mumpsimus to new sumpsimus,” or, hanging on to old beliefs even in light of new scientific research. She was referring to the scientifically proven positive effects of medically overseen hypnotism.…

By Brett Yates The Chittenden Chit Chat, a longtime municipal newsletter, appears poised to resume publication after a years-long hiatus. Chittenden Emergency Management Director Jan Sotirakis floated the idea during the Select Board’s April 25 meeting. “This has been bugging me probably ever since our team stopped working on it, but I really feel that…

By Katy Savage The Castleton Select Board unanimously decided Monday, May 9 to oppose the use of herbicides to control milfoil in Lake Bomoseen. Castleton joined the towns of Hubbardton and Fair Haven, which have also publicly opposed herbicides after outcry from residents. Castleton board members planned to write a letter urging the Lake Bomoseen…

Thirty-seven competitors from five states went head-to-head racing down the whitewater of the White River in Stockbridge on Saturday, May 7. It was the first annual Peavine Whitewater Race—a fundraiser for Ridgeline Outdoor Collective. After a mass start at the Route 100 bridge near Ted Green Ford, paddlers in a wide variety of solo and…

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…