County firefighters rise to the occasion

While the temperature was dropping steadily outside of the Eagles Club in Vergennes this past Wednesday evening, Jan. 17, spirits remained high inside the building, where over 160 local firefighters gathered for the 80th annual meeting of the Addison County Firefighters Association. 

Addison County Sherriff’s Department officials have been looking to speak with two individuals they believe are responsible for illegally dumping used needles and other trash in Lincoln last month. 

The Mount Abraham Unified School District board on Tuesday adopted a $37,014,566 budget for fiscal year 2025 that, if approved by voters in March, would increase total spending by $3,145,666, or 9.29% over the current year. 

From serene hiking trails to historic downtown centers, Addison County is filled with numerous natural and cultural destinations waiting to be explored. 

Herpetologist Jim Andrews has received some particularly noteworthy news — accounts of reptiles and amphibians active in late December, a time of year when those creatures have typically gone dormant for the winter.

Co’Relous Bryant has spent the past few months adjusting to a major change of scenery. This past summer, he left the skyscrapers of Manhattan for the mountains of Vermont, relocating to Addison County to lead the United Church of Lincoln. 

A young boy describes the moments after a bomb is dropped on the theater he and his family are sheltering in. A new mother remembers the book her husband gave her during a conversation she feared would be their last.

Bristol is making headway on several capital improvement projects around town. 

The Bristol Have a Heart Food Shelf has served a record number of local families during the past few months, a feat the nonprofit has accomplished with help from the Shaw’s supermarket in town.

While the maple season likely won’t be in full swing for another month or two, the unusually warm freeze-and-thaw cycle in December enabled some county sugarmakers to already begin collecting and boiling sap. 

The Mount Abraham Unified School District Board will welcome at least a few new faces this spring, as three longtime board members have decided they will not seek re-election when their terms expire in March. 

The Saturday evening fire destroyed the single-family home on Plank Road and killed Shannon Warden’s three dogs, though no human beings were reported injured.

The hills of Lincoln are certainly alive with the sound of music. That’s in part due to the 2023 reopening of Pepperbox Studio, a recording studio run by Lincoln resident and record producer Kristina Stykos that she originally founded in Chelsea.

“We want to offer (seniors) a place where they can meet locals, share their interests, as well as engage in activities that they would enjoy,” Program Coordinator Jackie Steponaitis said of the new offering. 

Collaboration has been a key part of Katie Male-Riordan’s work as director of the New Haven Community Library.