NEWPORT — Anyone who lives in the Northeast Kingdom is invited to NEK Day at the Statehouse on Friday, January 29 starting at noon. This event is a chance to connect virtually with legislators and other NEKers to celebrate the region, share priorities, and learn what’s been happening at the state level. The event will…
NEWPORT — The Sacred Heart Alumni Association is again offering college scholarships to qualifying seniors at Lake Region Union High School, North Country Union High School, United Christian Academy, or a home-schooler who will be graduating in 2021. To qualify, the applicant, or his or her parent or grandparent must have graduated from or attended…
NEWPORT — Preservation Trust of Vermont has awarded Memphremagog Community Maritime (MCM) and the Northern Star a $50,000 community revitalization grant that will help preserve and support the activities of the local cruise ship. MCM is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote and provide educational, research, and tourism opportunities that bring people together…
NEWPORT — The Northeast Kingdom Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation made $115,800 in grants to 27 organizations in Orleans, Essex, and Caledonia counties in fall 2020. This year’s awards represent a combination of grants to organizations supporting education, food access, the arts, and outdoor engagement. “In this challenging year, the Foundation and our donors…
NEWPORT — The Northeast Kingdom Council on Aging recently announced that Linda Caamaño will join as Options Counselor. The Options Counselor is responsible for both office and field-based work, management of calls sent from the information and referral helpline staff, and the delivery of person-centered options counseling to clients in Orleans, Essex, and Caledonia counties.…
NEWPORT — The public is invited to join a virtual meeting next week to discuss fish health in Lake Memphremagog. The meeting will be hosted by the Agency of Natural Resources on Wednesday, December 9, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. Rick Levey, an environmental scientist with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, and Pete Emerson,…
DERBY — Despite being limited to only three events this year, Kingdom Games still managed to help raise $8,678 for two local charities. The two local charities included Umbrella, which serves and advocates for survivors of domestic and interpersonal violence, and The Halo Foundation, which provides support for cancer patients and their families. At the…
NEWPORT — With Katherine Sims recently elected State representative for the Orleans-Caledonia district, the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative (NEKC) says they are now on the hunt for their next high-impact leader. The NEKC’s mission is to improve the quality of life for all NEK residents through coordinated economic and community development. Their vision is a strong,…
NEWPORT — Sgt. Debra Munson has been promoted to commander of the Derby State Police Barracks. Lt. Munson’s predecessor is Lt. Walter Smith, who is retiring in early 2021, and the effective date of the promotion is set for Nov. 8, 2020. Munson started her career with the state police in January 2011. Following graduation…
NEWPORT — Russ Ingalls of Newport will join Robert Starr of North Troy in Montpelier this January after both picked up over 20 percent of the vote in the two-seat Essex-Orleans Senate District race. Starr, a Democrat, received 8,668 votes, and Ingalls, a Republican, picked up 7,739. Other candidates in the five-person race all received…
NEWPORT — Green Mountain Farm-to-School says they recently partnered with the Vermont Everyone Eats program to distribute prepared meals to people negatively impacted by the pandemic. The group says they are delivering 350 meals per week in the NEK. The program reimburses local restaurants for preparing locally-sourced meals for Vermonters struggling with food insecurity. According…
HOLLAND — The Drift Dusters Snowmobile Club, in cooperation with US Border Patrol, recently repaired a bridge on the international boundary in Holland. In 2018, Drift Dusters opened the nation’s first internationally shared snowmobile trail in Holland. This is the only known trail that is shared by two separate snowmobile clubs in different countries. Since…
NEWPORT — Next spring there will be a new vessel on Lake Memphremagog ready for easy, peaceful, and healing excursions on the water. Starting just after Memorial Day, Floating Grace, a 22 ft Duffy, 100 percent electric-powered picnic boat recently shipped to Newport, will be available to take people and their families from around the…
NEWPORT — The Marathon Swimmers Federation recently recognized Phil White for a decade of work in developing open water swims in the Northeast Kingdom. White was the recipient of the 2019-2020 MSF Service to Marathon Swimming Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to the sport in a non-swimming role. He was the leading nominee from a round…
NEWPORT — The Ben & Jerry’s Foundation has awarded the local justice center in Newport with a $7,500 grant to create change. This is the second award they have made to the center for this work. The Orleans County Restorative Justice Center has been working for about a year to raise awareness about the experiences…
WEST GLOVER — Kingdom Games wound down its revamped 2020 season of small group socially distanced running, biking, and swimming events at the eighth annual Fly to Pie. Winning the marathon run was 21-year-old Ed Coleman, of Somerville, MA, with a time of 3:39:27, and 44-year-old Deborah Downs, of Watertown, MA, who was not far…
GRANBY — Police say they located a 57-year-old man who went missing in Granby. Yesterday, Northeast Kingdom Human Services reported that Yvon Quirion had not been seen since Sunday at around 9:00 a.m. He was also missing last week for nearly 20 hours. State police requested assistance from Vermont Fish and Game Wardens to start…
NEWPORT — North Country Hospital was recently recognized for promoting organ, eye, and tissue donation. The hospital has participated in the donate life campaign for the past several years to educate the community about the organ donation process and success stories of lives saved. Even in the midst of a worldwide crisis, 127 hospitals and…
NEWPORT — Green Mountain Farm-to-School (GMFTS), a small nonprofit based out of Newport, has been working to fight ongoing COVID-19 related food insecurity while contributing to local economic recovery by connecting local farmers with the charitable food system. Their local food hub, Green Mountain Farm Direct, works with more than 30 local farms and producers…
NEWPORT — Do North Coworking and NorthCountry Federal Credit Union are presenting the second annual NEK Entrepreneurship Week on October 12-17, this time in a fully virtual format. This week of free events will highlight local resources that can help entrepreneurs, makers, and creatives establish businesses right here in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, with events hosted…
EAST CHARLESTON — NorthWoods recently announced they received $5,000 from the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund. This grant is funded by customers of Bass Pro and Cabela’s who choose to round up their purchases and is distributed to conservation organizations and projects that align with their mission to inspire people to enjoy, love,…
NEWPORT – Each year the Vermont Council on Rural Development recognizes leaders who have had a transformative impact on their community with the Vermont Community Leadership Award. This year the award will go to Des Hertz of Burke and Mike Strait of Brighton. Des Hertz is a resident of Burke Hollow where she lives with…
COVENTRY — The Northeast Kingdom International Airport will mark its 75th anniversary on Saturday, August 22, 2020. The airport, formerly known as Newport State Airport, sits at the southern shore of Lake Memphremagog and provides service to Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom and our Canadian friends across the border. The airport has grown substantially since its opening…
EAST CHARLESTON — The NorthWoods Stewardship Center’s Conservation Science Department says they have been looking at class 4 roads in the Northeast Kingdom that have had erosion troubles. A class 4 road as defined by the State of Vermont is a road that is not a state highway, an important town highway, or traveled town…
NEWPORT — Vermont’s North Country Chamber of Commerce announced yesterday that they have canceled this year’s Fall Festival and Chilifest. Both are annually held on the last weekend of September. “With the closing of the border and the continued health risk to visitors and local residents alike, the chamber’s board of directors felt it was…