2021-10-28 E-Edition

Program Sparks Student Growth

Electrical Course Preps Students For In-Demand Trade

Under the expertise of a returning alumnus with years of experience as an electrician, students at Randolph Technical Career Center have been building experience as they prepare to enter one of the more in-demand, lucrative, and diverse trades in the country. Standing just beyond a wooden framework built for his program, 1997 RTCC alum-turned instructor Jeremi Lyford handed out copies […]

Schools Poised For Vaccine Mandates


Schools in the White River Valley Supervisory Union and the Orange Southwest Supervisory District are still awaiting guidance on if and when they may need to mandate vaccinations for their employees. In early September, President Joseph Biden announced that a rule would be forthcoming requiring all employers with 100 or more employees to verify that all employees are vaccinated or […]

Federal Judge Okays Covering VLS Murals


Federal Judge Geoffrey Crawford ruled Wednesday that Vermont Law School can cover up two controversial murals in its Chase Community Center, despite the artist’s protests. The ruling is expected to be appealed by artist Sam Kerson, who painted the murals in 1993. According to Crawford’s ruling, the images titled “The Underground Railroad, Vermont and the Fugitive Slave,” depict “the evils […]

Piper’s Creativity, Curiosity Foster Myriad Passion Projects

Photography, Astronomy, Podcasting Among Evolving Pursuits For Polymath

Grinning widely as he pulled his photography-themed face mask down to take another gulp of espresso, Mario Piper politely ducked a question about how he maintains his drive to make new things and seek out new experiences. “I think every person has creativity,” he said, pausing briefly before launching into a spirited discussion about learning, creating, and exploring. Hailing from […]

Wolfe Tends To Royalton Church Flock

Takes Interim Role As Congregation’s Pastor

After about a year and a half of making do with an empty pulpit, the First Congregational Church in Royalton has picked Tunbridge resident Benjamin Wolfe to serve as interim pastor at the historic white church on Route 14. Wolfe, whose contract with the church will run through the end of the year, said he was looking forward to helping […]

Indigenous Vermont Crops Cultivated by Abenakis


Several crops have been cultivated in Vermont for centuries by indigenous Abenaki tribes. Of great significance to the Abenaki are the “seven sisters,” corn, beans, squash, sunflower, Jerusalem artichoke, ground cherry, and tobacco. Carbon dating of corn cobs recovered from archaeological sites in Vermont reveals that corn was cultivated as early as 1110 AD. A reliable variety for home gardeners, […]

Bethel Wastewater System Releases Untreated Sewage


According to a report filed with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, the Town of Bethel’s wastewater treatment facility discharged approximately 22,981 gallons of untreated sewage into the Third Branch of the White River last week. After observing decreasing daily flows through the town’s wastewater-treatment plant over a three-day period, utility workers carried out a field inspection of a dual-chamber […]

‘Walk In the Wild Woods’ On Halloween Evening

Bethel Rotary and community partners from the WRVHS Honor Society, WRVMS leadership team, Boy Scouts, Bethel Fire Department, Bethel Recreation Center, and volunteers will be putting together a spooky Wild Woods trail on Halloween evening for students and accompanying families. It will run from 6-7:30 p.m. on Halloween evening Sunday, Oct. 31 in a short wooded trail leading from the […]

Randolph Selex Nix Climate Petition, Discuss Projects


Nearly everything on the Randolph Selectboard’s agenda passed unanimously during its Thursday-night meeting, but the first item, whether to lend support to a legislative proposal touted by the town’s energy committee, took most of the board’s attention. The selectboard met Thursday, Oct. 21 in a hybrid remote and in-person meeting. All members of the board were present—Tom Ayres, along with […]