News

Selectboard reviews draft nuisance ordinance

WILMINGTON- For several months, a committee has been working to draft a potential nuisance ordinance for the town. They presented their draft ordinance at the Tuesday, January 17, selectboard meeting. Selectboard members also discussed their water asset management plan and the common level of...

Halifax highway budget shows 10% wage hike

HALIFAX - The Halifax Selectboard updated their highway budget during a special meeting on Tuesday evening. They raised highway wages and their sand budget, and discussed the correct process for creating a resurfacing reserve fund.
Board member Tristan Roberts had originally proposed...

Parker found not guilty in 2016 shooting

BRATTLEBORO - On Thursday, January 19, a jury found Kevin Parker, formerly of Wardsboro, not guilty of second degree murder. Parker had been charged with the 2016 shooting death of Kirby Staib.
The trial lasted a week. In opening statements on Wednesday, January 11, the state said it...

DVFiber connects first homes

READSBORO - DVFiber, the communications union district that aims to provide high-speed fiberoptic internet to the entirety of the valley and the surrounding area, recently celebrated a big achievement. It wired its first homes with fiber.
DVFiber has long promised that it will go...

The Vermont Department of Taxes, which ordered the closure of the Hermitage Club several times in 2016 and 2017 for nonpayment of taxes, will receive $250,000 from the Hermitage bankruptcy estate.

Bankruptcy report finalized despite objection

BURLINGTON- A bankruptcy court judge approved the final report and distribution of remaining funds in the Hermitage Inn Real Estate Holding Company and Hermitage Club bankruptcy case over the objection of a former Hermitage manager.
Former Hermitage vice president and operations manager...

Merrill

American was forced to flee her longtime home in Ukraine

Note: This is the second in a 2023 series on the war in Ukraine. In this installment we talk to Ann Merrill, an American who has lived and worked in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv for almost two decades. Fluent in Ukrainian, Merrill translates for NGOs working in Ukraine as well as other work. News...

Not a lucky day: A tow truck pulls a town of Dover plow truck out of the ditch on Friday, January 13. Ice caused it to slide off the road. Mark Sprague

Dover to return to traditional Town Meeting day

DOVER- Selectboard members voted to warn this year’s Town Meeting for Tuesday, March 7, a return to traditional Town Meeting day following two years of pandemic-related postponements.
The board also set Wednesday, March 1, at 6 pm as the date for their public informational meeting to...

The Grand Summit Express chairlift at Mount Snow. File photo

Snowboarder injured after falling from chairlift

By Mike Eldred
DOVER- A young snowboarder was injured in a fall from a chairlift at Mount Snow last weekend, Vail Resorts has confirmed.
“We can confirm that on (Saturday) January 14. Mount Snow Ski Patrol responded to a report that a minor male snowboarder fell from the Grand...

Property boom drives down CLA, drives up town reappraisals

DEERFIELD VALLEY- The Vermont Department of Taxes’ recent release of the 2022 equalization study indicating that the common level of appraisal in most Vermont towns will fall significantly has left many Vermonters dreading huge tax increases in 2023.
The equalization study, conducted by...

Halifax residents to vote on adopting local option tax

HALIFAX - During their regular meeting on Tuesday evening, the Halifax Selectboard decided to include an article about a 1% local option rooms tax on the 2023 Town Meeting warning; proposed to raise highway department wages by 10%; and heard an update regarding DV Fiber.
State...