Bennett’s Former Stepfather Indicted for Producing Porn



Bennett’s Former Stepfather Indicted for Producing Porn By Sandy Vondrasek Brooke Bennett’s former stepfather, Raymond A. Gagnon, has been indicted on new federal child pornography charges in federal court in San Antonio, Texas. The new charges allege that Gagnon, 40, "did knowingly use, persuade, induce and coerce a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing […]

Bethel Selectboard Supports Repair Of Town Hall



  Bethel Selectboard Supports Repair Of Town Hall By Chris Costanzo   Bethel’s Old Town Hall venerably rises high above the village at the north end of Main Street. (Herald / Bob Eddy) After a generation of debate over the fate of Bethel’s decrepit and currently unused old town hall building, the town’s citizens will vote on November 4 whether […]

ECFiber Project Supported, But Faces Uncertain Market



ECFiber Project Supported, But Faces Uncertain Market By Sandy Vondrasek With 22 towns signed up, and after months of planning, the ECFiber project is poised to move into its financing phase. Just as financial markets are tanking, and economists are talking about a global recession. Still, ECFiber board members—all of them volunteers—and Project Director Tim Nulty are hopeful that their […]

Politics Mixes Well With Pie at Debate



Politics Mixes Well With Pie at Debate By Sandy Vondrasek For a "tough" year, economically and politically, the candidates’ debate sponsored Tuesday night by the Randolph Area Chamber of Commerce was an impressively cordial affair. The mood was set in part by the venue. The debate, traditionally held in RUHS’s Murray Auditorium, moved this year to Patrick’s Place in Randolph […]

OSSU Surveys Residents On Top Educational Goals



OSSU Surveys Residents On Top Educational Goals OSSU Surveys Residents On Top Educational Goals After holding a series of "community conversations" about what Orange Southwest schools should do to make sure students are prepared for the future, the OSSU Board is ready for the next step. According to board chair Laura Soares, the board has summarized a list of the […]

Braintree Asks for Delay On ‘Order To Reappraise’



Braintree Asks for Delay On ‘Order To Reappraise’ The following is a summary of the Sept. 30 meeting of the Braintree Selectboard, written from approved minutes submitted to The Herald. Town Treasurer Janice Thresher reported that $103,500 in taxes has come in so far. There was a discussion about the timing of the payments due to residents whose refund was […]

GMN Forest Opens Trails For Horses, Mt. Bikes



GMN Forest Opens Trails For Horses, Mt. Bikes Green Mountain National Forest officials are increasing opportunities for equestrian and mountain bike enthusiasts on some of the existing roads and trails throughout the Forest. Within the Forest, in the towns of Goshen and Ripton, the Forest is designating multiple trails for equestrian use. "These trails were designed and built for snowmobile, […]

Van Pool Riders Enjoy Savings, Convenience and Company



Van Pool Riders Enjoy Savings, Convenience and Company By Martha Slater Each weekday at 7:15 a.m., Brenda Berry and Suzanne Pickett of Brookfield, Jennifer Bryan of Randolph, Alan Livingston of Sharon, Ellen Parr Doering of Randolph Center, Judy Miro of East Randolph, and Ned Swanberg and Pat McIntosh of Sharon, meet at the new Park & Ride at Exit 4 […]

Vermont’s Justices of the Peace Help Towns Function Successfully



Vermont’s Justices of the Peace Help Towns Function Successfully By Scott Beavers A few months back, while casting my vote in the primary elections at the Tunbridge Town Hall, I heard a couple of the volunteers talking about the Justice of the Peace (JP) position. Someone wondered out loud how many people really knew what JP responsibilities included. I quickly […]

Barber Shop Opens on SoRo Green



By Martha Slater The village of South Royalton once again has its own barber shop. Opened October 7 in a large sunny room in an old Victorian brick building facing the green, Jeff’s Barber Shop is open Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday from 8-11:30 a.m. Although the large sign planned for the front window isn’t in […]