News
Stolen White River Junction weathervane returns after 40 years
By JOHN LIPPMAN
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — The theft was worthy of a Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys mystery: In the dark, early morning hours on a calm November morning in 1983 a pair of agile thieves used ladders and ropes to ascend the rooftop of the train depot in White...
New Woodstock program promises to pay landlords to rent to local workers
By LIZ SAUCHELLI
WOODSTOCK — A new program will provide financial incentives for Woodstock property owners to lease rentals to people who work in the area.Called “Lease to Locals,” the one-year pilot program, funded by $60,000 from Woodstock’s 1% local option tax,...
Lebanon Police to conduct active shooter training near Centerra
LEBANON — The Lebanon Police Department said it will conduct am active shooter training exercise in conjunction with FitKids Childcare at the River Valley Club at Centerra in Lebanon on Thursday, May 23.The exercise, which will run from 8 a.m. to noon...
Claremont couple pleads guilty to Medicaid fraud
By JOHN LIPPMAN
CONCORD — A Claremont couple has pleaded guilty to Medicaid fraud, seven months after being indicted on charges of submitting more than $40,000 in false mileage reimbursement for travel to treatment programs.Sarah LaPointe, 29, pleaded guilty in...
NH search crew finds remains of long-missing hiker in remote wilderness area
By DAVID BROOKS
The body of a hiker missing for almost a month was discovered in Dry River, apparently pinned under a boulder.William Donovan, 65, of Cambridge, Mass, who was last seen April 16, was located by searchers who were directed to the search area after gear...
Hanover voters consider Gaza cease-fire resolution following Dartmouth protester arrests
By PATRICK ADRIAN
HANOVER — Voters will consider a resolution at Tuesday’s Town Meeting calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and the West Bank and an end to U.S. military aid to Israel.The meeting takes place in the wake of the recent arrests of demonstrators at...
Food and shopping options expand in West Lebanon plazas
By JOHN LIPPMAN
WEST LEBANON — Spring is here and the Route 12A shopping plazas will be blooming with new retail businesses.Cold Stone Creamery and Planet Smoothie are in the works to open at Powerhouse Plaza, the latest national chains to stake out space along the...
They remember Vietnam protests. Now, they're facing charges after protesting the Gaza war at Dartmouth.
By KATE DARIO
Douglas Smith lives in Sharon, Vt., just across the border from New Hampshire. He’s legally blind, asthmatic, epileptic and undergoing treatment for cancer.And since October, the 83-year-old has also carved out time for weekly vigils around the Upper...
Special Town Meeting set for June 22 in Bradford, Vt.
BRADFORD, Vt. — The Selectboard last week scheduled a special Town Meeting for June to determine the fate of a scoping study of a bike path or sidewalk on Mill Street, also known as Creamery Road.The study would examine the feasibility of constructing...
Vermont congressional delegation calls on FEMA to improve flood recovery efforts
By JIMMY NESBITT
Vermont’s congressional delegation on Thursday called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to address shortcomings it said residents faced accessing federal assistance after the July 2023 floods.In a letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell,...
Vermont Legislature adjourns after a contentious 2024 session
By SARAH MEARHOFF and SHAUN ROBINSON
After a tumultuous day of dealmaking on housing, land use and property tax measures, the Vermont Legislature adjourned its 2024 session in the early hours of Saturday morning. The Senate gaveled out at 1:18 a.m. and the House at 2:07 a.m.The session...
Green Mountain Power hosts open house in White River Junction
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Green Mountain Power, an electric utility that services the majority of Vermonters, is scheduled to host an open house on Tuesday to discuss its next multi-year plan.The integrated resource plan, as it’s known, is updated every...
Phil Scott to seek 5th term as Vermont governor
By SARAH MEARHOFF
Gov. Phil Scott isn’t ready to hang up his hat.In an announcement issued Saturday evening, the four-term Republican governor said he will seek another two-year term in this year’s election cycle. “During my four terms as Governor, my team and I have...
In spite of budget defeat, Newport School Board approves pay raises for nonunion employees
By PATRICK O’GRADY
NEWPORT — The School Board last week voted 4-1 to make adjustments in the budget for the upcoming year and award nonunion employees of the school district a 2.5% raise.The adjustments, which totaled about $146,800 in salary, Social Security and...
Developers of planned Windsor park seek donations for matching grant
By LIZ SAUCHELLI
WINDSOR — Plans for a new park and recreational amenities in downtown Windsor could get a boost from a state program that provides matching funds for community projects. Windsor Railyard Recreation, a nonprofit organization led by businessman Terry...
Upper Valley school notes for May 13
Secondary honorsMascoma Valley Regional High School freshman Coral Guaraldi was honored with the New Hampshire National Council for Women in Information Technology Award for Aspirations in Computing. Guaraldi was one of ten New Hampshire high school...
Senate’s education funding bill makes dent in tax increase but kicks the can on big change
By ETHAN WEINSTEIN
The Senate’s version of the annual education funding bill, passed Wednesday night, would make a dent in Vermonters’ looming property tax increases but stopped short of changing the system. By and large, the bill punts tough questions about how to...
Single-family home price in NH hits record high — yet again
By PAUL BRIAND
One month after reaching an historic median price of $500,000 for a single-family home in New Hampshire, the price jumped to a record high yet again — to $515,000 in April.The factors that contribute to these rising prices — high demand and lack of...
Vermont opioid deaths decline for the first time since 2019, according to preliminary data
By JUAN VEGA DE SOTO
Opioid deaths among Vermonters appear to have dipped in 2023, according to new data from the state Department of Health, following three consecutive years of record-breaking fatalities. According to the report, which was released Wednesday, 231 state...
Homeless Upper Valley couple faces ‘a very tough situation’
By FRANCES MIZE
SHARON — With homelessness at record levels in Vermont, an Upper Valley couple’s precarious living situation toppled last month following a trespassing order from the state and complaints from nearby residents.In late March, the couple hired a tow...
