This Week’s News
The Deeper Dig: To go big, or go bigger, on child care
Despite Vermont parents’ overwhelming demand for spots in child care and preschools, the supply remains limited. Parents all over the state sit on waitlists for months or even years.
Castleton rallies behind Gilmore Home Center after devastating fire
A staple of the Castleton community, the Gilmore Home Center building supplies and hardware store burned down Jan. 15.
New numbers highlight Covid-19’s impact on inpatient mental health care and emergency departments
New numbers reported this week suggest that inpatient psychiatric care capacity in Vermont slowly started to rebound last year, but still remains significantly below pre-pandemic levels.
Brandon Town Manager resigns
After the public portion of its meeting on Monday evening, the Brandon selectboard went into executive session to discuss a “personnel matter.” By Tuesday morning, that matter was no longer a secret: Dave Atherton, Brandon’s town manager since 2015, had announced his intention to resign, effective February 21.
Brandon SB talks shade trees, class 4 roads, and solar funding
In its regular meeting on Monday, the Brandon selectboard addressed several issues, including the Tree Warden’s shade-tree preservation plan, the designation of Briggs Lane as a Class IV highway, and the Brandon Energy Committee’s request for ARPA funding for a community solar array.
Photos of the Week
Sports
Mt. Abraham cruises past Otter boys in nail-biter, 57-42
The Mount Abraham boys basketball team took a trip down Route 7 for a clash with Otter Valley in a Saturday afternoon matinee at the “House of Noise” and used their size and speed to claim the win, 57-42.
Otter Valley wins on Senior Night
The Otter women welcomed the Wasps of Woodstock to Senior Night at the “House of Noise” on Friday, February 11 before a raucous crowd.
Otter Valley defeats Hartford, 36–34
The Otter Valley girls basketball team defeated the visiting Hartford Hurricanes, 36-34, on Friday, January 28 at the “House of Noise” in Brandon.
OV, Proctor, Westside winter sports teams kick-off the season
The COVD-shortened winter of the 2020-21 high school sports season is behind us, and the teams at Otter Valley are happy about that. The pandemic forced the school’s basketball programs, like those elsewhere, to play abbreviated seasons, and wrestling was sidelined for the entire season.
OV girl’s basketball drops opener
In a hard-fought season opening game in which the teams traded game-changing runs, the host Middlebury Union girls’ basketball team put together the decisive surge to outlast Otter Valley, 35-28.