CALAIS, WORCESTER – The Washington Central Unified Union School District (WCUUSD) configuration committee, the school board and district leadership have recommended the consolidation and closure of two elementary schools, Calais Elementary School and Doty Elementary School, citing low enrollment as a contributing factor. An election to vote on whether or[Read More…]
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Essential Services Complex plans unveiled
HARDWICK – During an evening meeting last Wednesday, Jan. 21, town officials and an architect laid out problems with the buildings occupied by three of Hardwick’s essential services and plans for a new campus to accommodate them, said Town Manager David “Opie” Upson. The Creamery Road property where the town[Read More…]
Hazen teacher reductions proposed, educators suggest cuts to administration
HARDWICK – With just a month to go before the deadline to set school budgets before Town Meeting Day, the Orleans Southwest Supervisory Union (OSSU) budget and its five school district budgets remain far from final approval. In the face of rising health care costs, general inflation, contracted salary increases[Read More…]
Area school district draft budgets up over 10%
HARDWICK AREA – Draft school district budgets in the Mountainview Union School District, Craftsbury and Wolcott are all up over 10%, with Stannard, having no school of its own, lower. In the second draft of a proposed budget, the Mountainview Union Elementary School District (MVUESD) board looked at a decrease[Read More…]
Sterling’s 67 year legacy to evolve again
CRAFTSBURY COMMON – With news that Sterling College will be ending its degree programs in the spring, residents have expressed concern about a Craftsbury institution vital to the small community. Alumnx have come forward to share a deep love and appreciation for their time there. An item on Tuesday’s Craftsbury[Read More…]
Walden Town Report wins state awards contest
WALDEN – The town report of Walden, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, earned an award in the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT) annual Town Report Contest. Walden’s report was among nine finalist award winners in three population categories selected from 62 entries by a panel[Read More…]
Sen. Douglass announces plans to resign after release of private group chat
ORLEANS COUNTY – Vermont Senator Samuel Douglass, who served on the Senate Sexual Harassment Prevention Panel, last week faced calls to resign following a Politico report Tuesday afternoon that revealed young GOP leaders on a private Telegram group chat joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape. Tuesday, the Governor’s office[Read More…]
Town forest discussions, updates on land purchase continue
HARDWICK – Hannah Redmon from the Trust for Public Land and Rachel Kane with the Hardwick Conservation Commission joined the select board at its October 2 meeting to share an update on the purchase of land for a proposed Buffalo Mountain Town Forest. Redmon and Kane were there to answer[Read More…]
Demolition of 24 Sawmill Lane set for Wednesday as FEMA buyout
HARDWICK – This Wednesday, Oct. 8, the first property in Hardwick to be demolished as part of the FEMA buyout program due to damage from the July 2023 flood, will be taken down. Demolition of the property at 24 Sawmill Lane, across from Poulin Lumber, is being managed by ReArch[Read More…]
U.S. Border Patrol, ICE detain 9 individuals Friday
HARDWICK – A dark vehicle heading west on Wolcott Street a little after 7 a.m., Friday, had its drive interrupted when a white vehicle behind it turned on its siren and lights, pulled around it and brought it to a stop. Behind it two other law-enforcement vehicles stopped too. The[Read More…]
Less is more in observing and recording ICE activity
HARDWICK – Several people who observed U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity Friday in Hardwick expressed concern about those who were detained, in one case referring to those who had left the scene of a traffic stop as having been kidnapped by ICE. Another observer said[Read More…]
Stannard Church awarded $75,000 restoration grant
STANNARD – The Preservation Trust of Vermont (PTV) announced recently a Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization grant of $75,000 to the Town of Stannard for the preservation of the Stannard Church.“The Stannard Church, built in 1886, is the most iconic and architecturally significant of the Town’s three public buildings. The Town[Read More…]
