This Week’s News
Brandon voters say no to budget and solar; Bailey, Ethier, & Nelson win seats on SB
After a tense election season in which Brandon residents expressed extreme frustration with budget increases and rising taxes, voters in the town rejected the proposed FY25 budget.
Otter Valley budget rejected
In what’s shaping up to be a season of “nay” in the area, the proposed OVUU FY25 school budget was rejected by district voters on Tuesday, with 891 votes (40%) in favor and 1325 votes (60%) against.
Pittsford’s Joe Gagnon leaves Selectboard but plans to stay involved
Joe Gagnon’s scarred face and wiry frame tell a tale of a man who’s labored hard his entire life. Now 87, he’s still working in the lumber yard that bears his name on land that his French-Canadian grandfather bought back in 1880.
Names Lost in Vermont, Part 19: Wisell and Welcome
By MICHAEL F. DWYER Five Wisell brothers all bore decidedly Yankee names: Clayton (1879–1964), Otis (1882–1949), Thaddeus (1888–1967), Fordyce (1889–1975), and Noble (1895–1969). Neither their first nor last names give […]
Photos of the Week
Sports
Meet young Vermont falconer, Kristen Lee
Suprisingly, I met Kristen Lee’s red-tailed hawk, Krueger, in the post office one day. He was there on a visit on Lee’s day off from her postal route.
OV wrestler Isaac Whitney earns title at big N.H. meet
Otter Valley Union High School wrestling made an outstanding showing at the 2025 Annual Minickiello Wrestling Tournament in Keene, N.H., on Saturday.
OV’s Lucas Politano signs deal to play Div I golf for Rutgers U.
The Politano family of Brandon extended its golf dynasty even further last Wednedsay when OV senior Lucas Politano signed a letter of intent to play golf for Division I Rutgers University in New Jersey.
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.
