By RUSSELL JONES The Proctor Selectboard has settled on a design concept, the eleventh draft so far, for renovating the town offices to make them handicap accessible. They met for a special meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 6, to discuss what the selectboard and the designing firm said was a nearly finished design. “A lot of […]
Month: August 2019
Brandon teen burning up the Devil’s Bowl track
By RUSSELL JONES For most teenagers, the summer before their senior year of high school is a time for hanging out with friends, enjoying time without worrying about their studies and relaxing in the warm weather. For Alyza McKeighan, relaxing has been the furthest thing from her mind this summer. McKeighan is a rookie driver […]
Test scores show students close to poverty falling behind their peers
Free and reduced lunch program comes under fire By RUSSELL JONES A snapshot from the state of how local schools performed on state tests show a sharp disparity in performances between those on free and reduced lunches and those who are not on the program. Now, a new change in federal law could compound that […]
The Brandon Buzz
A tribute to Art Doty By BEN LAWTON Art Doty was indeed the father of mosquito control in the Otter Creek valley. During the early 70s, the Lake Dunmore /Fern lake Association had been doing some mosquito control, albeit primitive by modern standards. The group involved in the spraying asked Art if he would be […]
Youth Conservation Corps makes trails, bridges through marsh
By RUSSELL JONES WEST RUTLAND — A small group of dedicated youth have spent the past two weeks toiling in the hot sun, braving mud and mosquitos, to improve the quality of the trails in the West Rutland marsh. The Vermont Youth Conservation Corps has been working on a project in the area to clean […]
Otter Creek wetlands class change altered after opposition
By RUSSELL JONES BRANDON — The steering committee that has been working to reclassify the Otter Creek wetlands from a Class II wetlands to a Class I wetlands announced this past week that they would be seeking to change the classification only for parcels of land that have willing landowners. The move comes after the […]
Carrying the torch
Dunmore Hose Co. celebrates 125 years By RUSSELL JONES BRANDON — The Brandon Fire Department reached a milestone over the weekend — an open house for its 125th anniversary. Although it was not the first fire department in Brandon, the Dunmore Hose Company is the longest lasting and the current firefighting force for the town. […]
Local racers fare well at Devil’s Bowl
By RUSSELL JONES ORWELL — Middlebury driver Justin Comes, the “High Side Hustler,” was the fastest around the track on Sunday night at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. Comes won the Sportsman Modified feature to turn a bad run of luck around, highlighting an event that also saw Anthony Ryan, Chris Murray, David Sartwell-Cornell, and Evan Roberts make […]
Dynamic duo retires
For 25 years, Leicester camp bridged gap to help keep kids engaged over summer By RUSSELL JONES LEICESTER — Bittersweet. That was the word on everyone’s lips as they enjoyed a pancake breakfast at the Leicester Central School building on Friday, Aug. 2. It was the last day of the Summer Alive program for Leicester, […]
Area drug stores get new name
By RUSSELL JONES ADDISON COUNTY AND BRANDON — The effects of a $4 billion business deal announced in 2017 are just now rippling through our part of Vermont. Rite Aid stores in Brandon, Bristol and Middlebury last week hung signs or banners announcing the new name of the retail drug store — Walgreens. Under the […]