This Week’s News
Leicester’s Kris Francoeur overcame family tragedy to build a career as a writer
Though we’re now woefully familiar with the dangers of recreational fentanyl, there was a time when it was just another opioid painkiller, before it was discovered by heroin addicts looking for an even more intense high.
A new holiday is born in Brandon: ‘Halfoween’
As another long Vermont winter finally takes its leave, we emerge from our hibernation, squinting into the sun and looking for something fun to do. And Colleen Wright thinks she has just the ticket: a new holiday called “Halfoween.”
Brandon SB discusses police cars, housing, and SolarFest
The Brandon Selectboard convened for its regular meeting on Monday evening.
Names lost in Vermont, Part 48: Sird, Gordon, and Cline
A visit to Brandon’s old Catholic Cemetery on Maple Street last December seemed to underscore how much history had been lost in its empty spaces and broken stones.
Indie Bookstore Day in Brandon was a success despite the dreary day
Saturday in Brandon dawned gray and rainy: weather not compatible with hand-painted outdoor banners or helium balloons.
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.
