This Week’s News
Town Meeting previews
Town Meeting Day is next week. Click here to see a preview for your town.
Bald Eagle removed from endangered list; but bumblebee, and others, are added
Seven species and three critical habitats received updated conservation designations on Vermont’s Endangered and Threatened Species List, including the highly anticipated de-listing of the bald eagle after over a decade of restoration efforts.
Schools with 80% vaccination rate can remove masks Feb. 28
Masking in schools — among the last remaining Covid mitigation measures in place for students — will soon be optional for schools with a student vaccination rate of over 80%, Governor Phil Scott announced at his regular press conference Tuesday, Feb. 15.
Zion Growers pursues Marble building
In addition to planning for the annual Town Meeting, Feb. 28-March 1, the Proctor selectboard heard an update on plans to revitalize the former Marble Museum complex at 52 Main Street by Zion Growers, which would operate an industrial hemp processing facility.
Guiles, Blais face off in selectboard race
In the one contested race in Brandon this year, one-term incumbent Tim Guiles will face challenger Marielle Blais for a three-year seat on the Brandon selectboard. This past week The Reporter sent each candidate seven questions to address in a question-answer format and given a word limit per answer.
Photos of the Week
Sports
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.
Six Otters named to Second Team All-Stars
After a successful season this fall, 10 members of the Otter Valley football team received postseason recognition from the Division III coaches.