This Week’s News
Ice Ice Baby: Proctor rink plans to open this week
While many folks have appreciated the relatively mild winter so far, enthusiasts of outdoor winter recreation have been deprived of some of their favorite pastimes.
Into the wilding: Trading lawns for meadows
I’m seeing changes here in Brandon. Someone has an entirely edible garden surrounding their house where a lawn once was. It’s beautiful.
Brandon Police Report: Cat on a coal tin roof
An argument between two intoxicated people on River Street on Jan. 23 began the week for Brandon Police.
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.
Photos of the Week
Sports
Otter Valley puts up a fight, but loses in Championship game to powerhouse Woodstock
The Otter Valley football team made an unanticipated trip to the Vermont Division 3 championship game but lost 65–14 to a fast and dominating Woodstock team that featured 13 seniors.
OV football stuns BFA Fairfax; will play division championship
Last Saturday, in a show of outstanding football, the Otter Valley Otters defeated the BFA Fairfax Bullets in a show of stellar offense and gutsy defense. On a raw day with occasional sleet, a crowd of 300 showed up in Fairfax to witness the semifinal game which looked to be a sure thing for the Bullets, who were undefeated at 10-0 versus the Otters at 5-4.
OV Football wins big in playoffs, moves to state semis
Isaac Whitney had a huge game, gaining 180 yards and scoring 4 touchdowns to lead the Otter Valley football team to a 46–14 playoff win over rival Mill River Saturday night under the new lights at Markowski Field.
Local group proposes multi-town community rec center
On a rainy Sunday afternoon, a bunch of middle-aged friends in Pittsford want to play some pick-up basketball. Or some older folks want to continue their daily exercise walks when the snow is knee deep outside in winter. Or some kids want to play volleyball but the school gyms are all closed. Where can they go?
‘Game Seekers’: local hunters use online platforms to reach an audience
Fall in Vermont means foliage, cider, pumpkins, and, for a good number of our neighbors, hunting. Every year, people across the state pick up their bows and rifles and head out into the woods, hoping to bag a big-antlered buck or a fat, feathered turkey.

