This Week’s News
Names Lost in Vermont, Part 28: Gearwar
Thirty-five years ago, when Barry Gearwar appeared on my student rolls at Otter Valley Union High School, I encountered a surname I had never seen before. With good reason: the index for the 1900 census shows only one family group, for the entire country, with the Gearwar name living in Lamoille County.
Brandon SB discusses trucks, dams, and corporations
The Brandon Selectboard convened on Monday evening for its regular meeting.
Rene Sanchez takes the helm as RNESU Superintendent
It’s been a busy week for Rene Sanchez. On July 1, he took over as the new interim Superintendent at Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union, the district that includes Otter Valley Middle and High Schools, Lothrop Elementary in Pittsford, Neshobe Elementary in Brandon, Otter Creek Academy in Leicester, and the Barstow School in the town of Chittenden.
Photos of the Week
Sports
Namaste! Yoga options increase in our area
Yoga is a set of ancient practices, with origins in the Indian subcontinent thousands of years ago. The word itself means “union” in Sanskrit and is related to the English word “yoke,” in the sense of “to join together.”
OV’s Brooke Kimball named Unified Basketball Coach of the Year by Southern VT League
What really matters about sports? 2025 Southern Vermont League Unified Basketball Coach of the Year Brooke Kimball of Otter Valley said, “I love how much joy it brings.”
Nesobe Golf Club is no longer a “Hidden Gem”
Neshobe Golf Club hosted the 96th New England Amateur Championship with the best golfers in New England competing over three days.
A new generation of duckies takes the podium
The last few racing seasons, and all their attendant scandals, have left the local duckie community feeling unsettled.
Nifty Thrifty sponsors swim lessons for July 4th Duckies
Every July, hundreds of rubber duckies from all over the world descend upon Brandon for the Independence Day Duckie Race on the Neshobe River.

