Tradition Carries On, Like Clock Work

Strafford Town House Finds New Clock Keeper

Time marches on and so do clock keepers. Scott Knoerlein, who has been keeping the clock on the Strafford Town House tower for almost 20 years, is handing over the tower keys to John Echternach, a knowledgeable clock enthusiast who recently retired from a 40-year dental practice in Henniker, N.H. Knoerlein inherited the job from Strafford resident, Russ Farley, and […]

Warnings Include NewVistas Article

Opposition In Four Towns

A non-binding resolution to oppose the large NewVistas development plans has been added to the Town Meeting warnings for the towns of Royalton, Sharon, Tunbridge, and Stafford. The resolutions uniformly ask if the voters of the towns affected “shall… oppose the NewVistas development.” The additions to the agenda are being advanced by the Alliance for Vermont Communities (AVC), a group […]

‘First Branch’ Merger

Tunbridge, Chelsea Get Act 46 Details

Monday night, about 60 citizens of Tunbridge and Chelsea turned out to learn about a school district merger plan hammered out in December and January, after earlier attempts to find suitable Act 46 “dancing partners” didn’t work out. The merger proposal for Tunbridge and Chelsea, along with another two merger plans drafted by other White River Valley Supervisory Union districts, […]

Farmer Takes Reins at VSP Barracks



Lt. Roger Farmer, the new commander of the Royalton State Police Barracks, had to postpone an initial February 9 interview with The Herald, because he’d been called out the prior night, from 11:30 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next morning, for a search-and-rescue operation for a lost hiker in Roxbury. And, before The Herald caught up with the lieutenant just […]

Democrats Host Area Legislators at Vt. Tech

Money and Energy Key Talking Points

Energy and finance were the talk of the day Monday morning as area legislators gathered at VTC’s SHAPE center for a legislative breakfast. The event, hosted by the Orange County Democratic Committee, brought Democratic legislators and constituents together for a back-and-forth on issues facing lawmakers in Montpelier. In attendance were Democratic Reps. Tim Briglin and Jim Masland from the Orange-Windsor-2 […]

Running The Distance For STEM Scholarship



“I started on Saturday morning, finished early on Sunday morning, then I came back to work,” said Bethel School Board member Todd Sears after running 100 miles in the Rocky Raccoon Ultra-marathon race earlier this month. His final time was 22 hours, 34 minutes; placing first in his age group and 55th overall despite suffering a sprained ankle mid-race. Inspired […]

Legislature Cancels Recount, Declares Frenier the Winner




A much-anticipated legislative recount of an Orange County House race has been called off and Rep. Bob Frenier, a Republican from Chelsea, will retain his seat. The recount came to an end Wednesday morning before it even started when it was discovered that a ballot bag from Chelsea had a different seal than it had following an earlier recount of […]

Barre Man Charged In Tunbridge OD Death



On February 17, Vermont State Police arrested a 24-year-old Barre man, Jacob Rillo, on charges relating to the death of 26-year-old Jessie Boardman of Chelsea, concluding an investigation that began on August 13 of last year. In a release this week, VSP revealed that Boardman purchased the fentanyl-laced heroin from Rillo on the evening prior to his death. Boardman’s overdose […]

Man Blames Drug Addiction For Bethel Burglary Arrest



A Bethel resident who has been working at a Bethel farm in recent months was jailed this week after troopers said he confessed to breaking into a house, an act he blamed on his addiction to heroin. Harley MacDonald, 31, pleaded innocent this week to a felony count of burglary into an occupied dwelling and to a misdemeanor drunk driving […]

Three Drivers Are Charged With DUI



State police road patrols recently in Rochester, Bethel, and Royalton resulted in three—and perhaps four—citations for alleged DUI. • Two drivers were stopped on Monday when they were observed by radar traveling 80 mph southbound on Route 100 on the flats south of Rochester Village near Harvey’s Excavation. The speed limit there is 50 mph. Matthew Manning, 23, and Tyler […]