Local News
Paying back the bond: A look at the safety nets
May 14, 2025
A common concern regarding the Rutland City TIF District is: what happens if the development doesn’t generate enough tax revenue to pay back the bond? This week’s article seeks to answer that question, as well as explain some of the safety nets that are in place to make sure the City remains financially secure. By…
StartUp Rutland’s gALPHA accelerator showcased the next generation of entrepreneurs
May 14, 2025
Following the success of its gBETA accelerator program last fall, StartUp Rutland—an initiative of the Chamber & Economic Development of the Rutland Region—launched a four-week sprint this spring unlike any other: the gALPHA accelerator, powered by gener8tor, a global accelerator and venture capital fund. Designed for aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage founders, the intensive program brought…
Rutland’s Vermont Farmers Food Center receives $466,143 in Resilient Food Systems grants
May 14, 2025
Polly Mikula The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) announced May 5 awards of the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI) in Vermont. The program targets two segments of the Vermont food system: Infrastructure and equipment. For infrastructure, Rutland’s Vermont Farmers Food Center (VFFC) was awarded the largest…
Pittsfield reverses course on local option tax
May 14, 2025
By Brett Yates On second thought... Approved just two months ago on Town Meeting Day, Pittsfield’s local option tax didn’t live long enough to see implementation. Following a petition drive led by business owners, 37 residents voted on May 10 to overturn the 1% surcharge on rooms, restaurant meals, and alcohol, which would have taken…
Rutland teachers prepared to strike Wednesday
May 14, 2025
UPDATE: Rutland teachers, Board avert strike Sides reached a tentative agreement just before the strike was set to begin Wednesday. Classes were not canceled. The agreement was announced in a short press release from Vermont-NEA, stating, "Details of the agreement have not been released. The agreement is pending ratification by the members of the Rutland…
Opinions/Columns
Under one roof: Vermont or bust!
May 7, 2025
Dear Editor, We’re heading north and so excited. We’re moving full time to Vermont! For decades we’ve been snow birds, like my parents, spending half the year in Bradenton, Florida. But now our Florida house is up for sale — a 1929 Spanish Mediterranean brimming with beauty and charm. A young family we hope will…
Stop the SAVE Act and protect women voters
May 7, 2025
Dear Editor, On April 10, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, H.R.22, passed the US House and is on its way to the Senate. The League of Women Voters of Vermont (LWVVT) opposes the SAVE Act because it requires American citizens registering to vote or updating registration information to present in-person proof of citizenship.…
Rutland can’t afford to lose Head Start,or the programs that keep us together
May 7, 2025
By Leslie Burg Editor’s note: Leslie Burg, Manchester, is a community member of the Rutland Head Start Policy Council and an emerita professor of literacy and disabilities at Northeastern University. Show the state and the country that Rutland will not stand by while its most vulnerable residents are abandoned. Rutland is a city that represents…
A practical strategy to the Global Warming Solutions Act
April 30, 2025
By Vermont Senator Anne Watson In a recent op-ed about the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA), Vermont’s cornerstone climate policy, Secretary Julie Moore accused legislative leadership of being “content” with “unattainable” climate pollution reduction requirements. As chair of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy, I feel compelled to respond, as I would not…
Gov. Scott is keeping promises
April 30, 2025
Dear Editor, I commend Gov. Scott and his efforts to make Vermont affordable through financial common sense and accountability to taxpayers. Gov. Phil Scott’s recent vetoes of the budget adjustment bill signals the end of one-sided policy-driven bills forced through the Vermont Legislature. With Vermont voters deciding last November to eliminate the Democrat/Progressive supermajority in…
Top Events
State News
At Vermont State University, Canadian college students navigate an uncertain political landscape
May 7, 2025
By Jackson Burden Community News Service Editor’s note: This story is via Community News Service in partnership with Vermont State University Castleton. At Vermont State University, Castleton, a vibrant community of Canadian students has long thrived, embracing the American dream while pursuing their college years in the U.S. in a welcoming academic haven. However, following…
Burke Mountain Resort is sold for $11.5 million
May 7, 2025
By Habib Sabet/VTDigger A federal judge has signed off on the sale of Burke Mountain Resort for $11.5 million, releasing the Northeast Kingdom ski mountain from nearly a decade of federal receivership. Judge Darrin P. Gayles issued the order in U.S. District Court in Miami formally approving the sale of Burke Mountain to Bear Den Partners LLC, a…
Vermont sees nation’s largest household income increase
May 7, 2025
Census Bureau data recently released indicates that Vermont was the nation’s leader in income growth from 2022 to 2023. Vermont median income grew 5.4% year-over-year, while the national median stayed roughly flat with a 0.15% decrease. Vermont’s median income increase represents a jump from below to above the national median. Vermont ranks 17th in household income.…
Leave turtles in the wild, Vermont officials warn
May 7, 2025
The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. urges residents not to keep wild turtles as pets, citing potential harm to animals and broader turtle populations. “Capturing a wild turtle and keeping it as a pet, even if only for a short time, is not only bad for that individual, but it could hurt turtle populations as…
Vermont sues Trump administration over funding for K-12
April 30, 2025
Attorney General Charity Clark recently joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Dept. of Education’s threat to withhold federal funding from state and local agencies that refuse to abandon lawful programs and policies that promote equal access to education in K-12 classrooms across the nation. On April 3,…
Arts & Entertainment
Listings May 14 – May 20
May 14, 2025
WED 5/14 LUDLOW6 p.m. Off the Rails – Learn to Line Dance POULTNEY7 p.m. Poultney Pub – Open Mic hosted by Danny Lang QUECHEE6 p.m. The Public House – Kim Wilcox RUTLAND8 p.m. Center Street Alley – Full PA/Backline Open Mic hosted by Josh LaFave WOODSTOCK5:30 p.m. Town Hall - Zack’s Place Presents: Z Lion…
Dozens turn out for 4th annual Peavine Whitewater Race despite rain
May 7, 2025
By Mike McDonnell Whitewater enthusiasts from all over Vermont and at least six other states converged on the White River in Stockbridge Saturday, May 3, to compete in the 4th annual Peavine Whitewater Race. In total, 52 racers disregarded the sporadic rain showers as they navigated the five miles of rapids between Ted Green Ford and…
‘Secret Mall Apartment’ takes street art to a new level
May 7, 2025
Director Jeremy Workman’s documentary, “Secret Mall Apartment,” spins a crazy yarn about a group of Rhode Island street artists who, in a brazen and ingenious-level piece of establishment corporate defiance, fooled the Providence Place security for four years by building a secret apartment within a hidden nook of the mall structure. Artist Michael Townsend is…
Steak on a bun: The Hangry Hogg smash burger is a local legend in the making
May 7, 2025
By James Kent If you’ve driven past the corner of West Street and Main in Rutland around lunchtime in the past few months, chances are you’ve recognized the food truck with the big pig chef logo on the side and large letters spelling out "Hangry Hogg" with the tagline, “Put some South in your mouth.”…
‘Z Lion King’ roars to life at Woodstock Town Hall Theatre
May 7, 2025
By James Kent Wednesday, May 14 at 5:30 p.m.—WOODSTOCK —The curtain rises on a heartwarming production this spring as Zack’s Place presents its annual community play at the Woodstock Town Hall Theatre. Admission is free, though donations are gratefully accepted to support the nonprofit’s enriching programs for adults with developmental disabilities. The Zack’s Place theater…
