Archive - Dec 8, 2011 - Page
MIDDLEBURY — Tropical Storm Irene blew out of Vermont more than three months ago, but its after-effects continue to be seen not only in the form of scarred asphalt and damaged roads, but on the ledgers of human service agencies trying to raise money to put people back on their feet.
MIDDLEBURY — A visit from the Mexican consul general last Saturday brought out hundreds of members of an often invisible population in Addison County.
In a fair-like atmosphere at the Champlain Valley Unitarian Universalist Society in Middlebury, Mexican nationals — many of them workers on area dairy farms — applied for passports and ID cards, registered to vote, sought medical help and received guidance on labor rights and educational opportunities from staff of the Mexican Consulate in Boston and from various other organizations.
MIDDLEBURY — When the opening strains of organ and choral music swell to fill Mead Chapel each December for the annual Lessons and Carols service, many area residents sense they have truly entered the Christmas season. Now in its 40th year, the program of Bible readings and carols for choir, organ and congregation is an invitation for community members to be transformed.
BRISTOL — A vibrant community discussion about public input in Bristol municipal government has grown out of an incident last month, when acting Bristol Planning Commission Chair Chico Martin refused to accept public comments from resident John “Slim” Pickens.
MIDDLEBURY — The UD-3 school board this month will further refine a 2012-2013 budget draft for Middlebury Union Middle and High schools. The current draft reflects a 4.1-percent increase in spending just to cover contracted teacher salary raises and benefits, projected hikes in energy costs, and a rise in special education transportation expenses.
BRISTOL — A land-use zone prohibiting resource extraction is one of the central elements of the Bristol Planning Commission’s proposed town plan update. Due to this zone’s importance and a recent discrepancy over its exact boundaries, the commission this week decided to revisit this part of the plan at a special meeting on Jan. 3.
Acting Chair Chico Martin explained at Tuesday’s commission meeting that this was possible because the town plan had not yet been presented to the selectboard for its review.
RIPTON — Middlebury College’s Nordic ski center in Ripton has completed a new five-kilometer ski trail and enhanced its ski shop in a major step forward in the effort to make Addison County a better draw for those interested in winter sports and recreation.
The new trail has been certified for national and international competition, and was one of the key elements that helped Middlebury solidify its bid to host the NCAA Skiing Championships in 2013, according to Mike Hussey, director of the Carroll and Jane Rikert Nordic Center.
GRANVILLE/HANCOCK — In the days and weeks after Tropical Storm Irene hit Vermont in late August, it wasn’t uncommon to see excavators in rivers across the state, clearing culverts and rebuilding riverbanks.
The White River in Granville and Hancock was no exception.
