This Week’s News
WST features kooky musical comedy
In a fun, raucous and spooky production of “The Addams Family,” a musical based on the popular television show and movie, the Otter Valley Union High School’s Walking Stick Theatre showcases a bevy of talent as they present a fully in-person show after enduring no in-school performances last year during the pandemic.
COVID spike hits area towns
The latest town-by-town data from the state Department of Health reveals how much a new spike in cases has affected southern Vermont in particular, including several towns in Rutland, Bennington and the southern parts of Addison counties.
Rain dampens GOP rally; locals hold pride festival
Last Saturday, under steady rain, the much publicized ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ rally brought a bit over 100 folks to Brandon’s Central Park to lodge their voices of dissent against President Joe Biden and to listen to Vermont’s new GOP state party chair Paul Dame. Hours before Dame’s small group showed up, a group of local residents arrived at the Central Park’s Gazebo to hold a day-long Brandon Pride Event out of the rain.
Sen. Leahy to retire in 2022
After eight terms and nearly five decades in office, U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is retiring.
Scott to call lawmakers back into session to allow town mask mandates
Under pressure from Democratic leaders in the Legislature to do more to stem a record-breaking surge in cases, Gov. Phil Scott has offered a compromise.
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.