Fire Destroys Chelsea House



An early morning fire erupted in an unoccupied Chelsea house Saturday, Feb 22. Firefighters believe the source to have been a suspended gas-fired furnace on the first floor. Chelsea firefighters arrived on the scene at 8:22 a.m. after the fire was reported from just across the street at the Orange County Sheriff’s office. The small, yellow cape, which sits directly […]

School Bus Driver Charged With Fondling Children



School Bus Driver Charged With Fondling Children A 44–year-old Tunbridge man who has driven Randolph school buses for 24 years was arrested last Friday and charged with molesting two boys, 9 and 12, and with possessing child pornography. Some of the incidents occurred on the school bus. Following his arrest, Jonathan B. Ashworth was held on $50,000 cash bail over […]

Snowmobile Hits Car, Driver and Baby Hurt



Snowmobile Hits Car, Driver and Baby Hurt A Hancock woman and her baby were injured in a snowmobile-car collision on Route 100 in Stockbridge last Wednesday. Rebecca Bettis was northbound in her 1998 Ford Taurus when a snowmobile came on the road off the VAST trail and struck the passenger side of the car, police said. The car went into […]

Selectboard Candidates Tell Their Priorities



Selectboard Candidates Tell Their Priorities A rather loud forum was held Tuesday evening at the Chandler Gallery for four candidates for the Randolph Selectboard. It was loud not because of the comments, which were generally pleasant and gracious, but because the Randolph Singers were rehearsing music by Leonard Bernstein just upstairs. Pretty loud, and lots of rhythm. Well, and loud […]

Norman Runnion’s Column



MONTPELIER—If it’s Thursday afternoon, it’s showtime in the statehouse, or wherever Gov. James Douglas happens to be that day. Showtime is a news conference. Usually it’s in the governor’s spacious ceremonial office on the second floor of the Capitol building, down the hall from the House and Senate chambers.. Sometimes it’s in a conference room adjacent to the governor’s working […]

Daniels Resigns Suddenly As Voke Center Head



Daniels Resigns Suddenly As Voke Center Head Nan Daniels, director of the Randolph Area Vocational Center, has resigned abruptly, sources said this week. Andy Becker, chair of the RAVC board, confirmed yesterday that Daniels had resigned and that Bill Sugarman, who has been co-op coordinator, will take her place through the end of the year. Her resignation was effective as […]

Two Generations of Vintons Back in the Old Sugarbush



Two Generations of Vintons Back in the Old Sugarbush Jeff Vinton of Braintree was all business recently as he unloaded a huge shipment from the Leader Evaporator Company. About a dozen family and friends showed up to help position pans and hoods on the arch already constructed in the middle of the dairy barn, which was built by Sam Vinton, […]

So Royalton Town Band Hopes For Voter Approval of New Bandstand



So Royalton Town Band Hopes For Voter Approval of New Bandstand Dick Ellis is a man with a musical mission. Heading into his 57th(!) season as director of the South Royalton Town Band, Ellis would dearly love to spend at least part of that season directing the band in a brand-new home. After outgrowing the present bandstand (built in the […]

RUHS Doesn’t Own Ballfields



Randolph’s annual school district meeting, held 10 a.m. on Town Meeting Day, has annually been pretty much of a ho-hum affair, ever since the switch to voting on the budget and for school board members by Australian ballot. This year, however, there is an article of substance to be discussed on the floor. It’s Article IV, which asks if the […]

Genetically Modified Foods Are Topic at VLS Saturday



Genetically Modified Foods Are Topic at VLS Saturday A program on the controversial topic of genetically modified foods will be held Saturday night Feb. 22, at the Vermont Law School in South Royalton. A 5:30 p.m. pot luck supper will be followed by the talk by Percy Schmeizer, a farmer from Saskatchewan, who will discuss his experiences with agro-chemical giant […]