At VUHS middle school, students learn by doing

The halls of Vergennes Union High/Middle School were humming on May 9, when the school’s 8th-, 7th- and 6th-graders presented their finished year-end research or service projects to family and community members.

Vergennes Boy and Cub Scout Troop 539 would be doing well if the troop just maintained its membership at the current level of 20, ranging from Tiger novices to Eagle Scouts. Those numbers are better than average for Vermont troops.

The Vergennes City Council last week backed two agreements that tie the city’s immediate — and possibly its longtime — future to the property at 20 Armory Lane now owned by the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Vergennes.

The group exhibition features works by Steve Budington, Grace Hager, David Kearns, JoAnne Lobotsky, Jennifer McCandless, and Aimée Papazian. An opening reception will be held Saturday, May 3.

In separate incidents last week, Vergennes police cited two motorists for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Vergennes officials and residents are concerned about last week’s report in Seven Days of legal issues experienced by the Sentinel Group — including charges of sexual abuse of teenage program residents by employees.

Last week Seven Days published an article detailing a significant series of alleged, and in one case proven, abuse of juveniles at residential treatment facilities operated and/or overseen by the Sentinel Group. That company  has a contract to help design … (read more)

Seven years after Dan and Rebecca Hassan first thought of expanding the 38-bed Vergennes Residential Care elderly living home in the city’s downtown into the 88-bed Vergennes Grand Senior Living complex, the first residents moved into the new facility on … (read more)

After the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Vergennes announced last week that it will go on hiatus, an at-least-short term alternative has quickly emerged to fill the afterschool void for city-area families.

Valley Vista, the state’s largest substance use disorder treatment provider, will shut its Vergennes women’s facility by the end of the month and consolidate all patients at its Bradford location. The closure will result in the loss of 20 jobs.

People interested in the proposal to build an alternative truck route around downtown Vergennes are invited to learn the latest at an open house.

The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Vergennes announced on March 19 that is would be pausing its services effective March 31, as part of a strategic effort to reimagine and restructure the Club’s future. The last day of service for youth will be March 28.

The Vergennes City Council on March 11 took its first steps to crafting a budget for the city’s 2025-2026 Fiscal Year (FY26), as City Manager Ron Redmond presented a preliminary administration budget that called for a decrease in spending of about $18,000 … (read more)

The Vergennes City Council on March 11 reelected its deputy mayor, welcomed its newest member, made a slew of appointments, and said there were positions that remained open.

At the March 11 Vergennes City Council meeting, City Manager Ron Redmond introduced councilors via Zoom to the new coordinator of the Vergennes Farmers Market, Sarah Stillman.