VT — The Rutland City Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying a man wanted in connection with a burglary at a local dental office Authorities have released photos of the suspect and are urging anyone who can identify him or has information about the incident to come forward The police department has provided a contact number for tips and asks callers to reference case number 25RL004815 Chris Rose is the assigned investigator for the case tips can be submitted through the Rutland City Police Department's Facebook page WEST RUTLAND — A Rutland City woman was arrested early Sunday morning for allegedly violating an active abuse prevention order in West Rutland on May 4 after Vermont State Police received a report of the violation on Barnes Street Troopers determined through their investigation that Munger had violated an active Relief from Abuse Order and transported to the Rutland Barracks for processing She was subsequently lodged at Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility due to active arrest warrants Munger is scheduled to appear at the Vermont Superior Court – Rutland Criminal Division on May 5 at 12:30 p.m to answer to the charge of Violation of an Abuse Prevention Order document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id" "a1a6df105889671417ae56afcd0188a1" );document.getElementById("heb7d81fb2").setAttribute( "id" and website in this browser for the next time I comment Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInRUTLAND (WCAX) - Police have released the name of a man who was shot and killed in Rutland early Tuesday morning It happened at 43 Summer Street at about 2:45 a.m They say he died at the scene and his death was a homicide Investigators say they have interviewed several people in connection with the incident Police say they believe this is an isolated incident and there is no threat to the public Secured the scene and the investigation began The scene has been processed with the assistance of the Vermont State Police,” Rutland City Police Chief Brian Kilcullen said Rodrigues’ body was sent to the medical examiner for an autopsy Anyone with information is asked to call city police at 802-773-1816 This is Rutland City’s first homicide this year Mount Anthony freshman Bella Moore (left) defends near the sideline during Thursday's 15-1 home win against Rutland Mount Anthony first-year Violet Kinney attacks the Rutland cage Kinney accounted for two of MAU's 15 goals in the blowout victory Patriots senior Hannah Saunders (22) defends against Rutland's Lola Sparks.  While the Patriots entered Thursday’s home-opener with just two games under their belt the early results were clear: this senior-laden team has a chance to contend in Division I this spring MAU totaled 36 goals while conceding just five The Patriots continued that torrid pace on Thursday BENNINGTON — While the Patriots entered Thursday’s home-opener with just two games under their belt running away from Rutland for a 15-1 victory The entire offense returns for the Patriots many with three years of varsity experience Senior captain Roey Rella-Neill is among that group scoring three goals within the game’s first six minutes to set the tone early Alicia Harrington played the role of closer against Rutland – scoring both of MAU’s fourth quarter goals Harrington also finished with three on the day finding the top shelf midway through the first quarter and again in the third Lexi Allard is another senior with plenty of varsity experience That level of experience puts pressure on opposing defenses who aren’t able to prioritize one or two scoring threats MAU had eight different goal scorers as it cruised to its third victory in as many outings this spring starting from our senior class out,” she said “We’ve been working hard to build towards where they’re at now and that’s proof of their dedication to being their best.” While MAU’s seniors have been extremely productive the level of attention they command on the field has created openings for the underclassmen to produce notched a pair of goals each against Rutland Fellow freshman Jadyn Hughes didn’t end up in the box score but applied pressure on the Rutland cage with solid cuts With a lack of numbers to field a junior varsity team MAU has five freshmen on this year’s roster The leap from middle school to varsity is a significant one but this year’s MAU team is uniquely situated to handle that transition “Not having numbers for a JV program makes it a big jump for freshmen as they come on to the varsity level,” MAU coach Alyssa Trudel said “I’m really proud of how they are all stepping up having that leadership relationship from the seniors down to show them that example and how they want to show up Sophomore Cate Cummings was thrown into the fire as a freshman last spring That year of varsity experience appeared to help her on Thursday as she finished with a team-high three assists along with a score The senior leadership extends to the opposite side of the field Taylor Lampron is a steady presence protecting the goal She turned Rutland away on a handful of point-blank shot attempts in the win The senior didn’t concede a goal until late in the fourth quarter Rutland’s Julie Tu found the back of the net with less than five minutes remaining making it 14-1 at that point and the game already in a running clock scenario Senior defender Abby Hodges brings another veteran presence to the MAU defensive unit Junior Maddie Brimmer has made the switch from attack to defense and her play has helped MAU limit opponents to a total of six scores through three games “She’s doing a great job locking it down with that low D,” Trudel said of Brimmer “I’m really happy with my low D working together.” MAU (3-0) gets its toughest test of the young season on Saturday Michael J. Mawson can be reached via email at mmawson@benningtonbanner.com Get the latest headlines every morning in TheBeat We'll send breaking news and news alerts to you as they happen Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device (WGXA) — The Rutland Middle School teacher who allegedly wrote a racial slur on a classroom board has submitted her resignation effective immediately According to a Bibb County School District (BCSD) statement an investigation into the incident led the Bibb Superintendent to tell the teacher DID YOU HEAR? | Parents, experts in Middle Georgia question Kennedy's quest to find cause of autism The district said it does not tolerate "racially offensive language" and accused Finch of going directly against the expectations of a teacher "The investigation into this matter has convinced the District that Ms Finch has violated the core principles of what is expected of our teachers and staff," wrote BCSD Dan Sims wrote a letter to Finch informing her of his intention to recommend her termination to the Board of Education Sims nodded to Finch's assertion that she wrote the slur on the board as part of a "teachable moment to address a student's question about cultural differences," but claimed her actions were inappropriate READ MORE | Mother claims Jones County Schools failing to meet IEP standards for her children Sims noted her submitted resignation notice effective at the end of the school year but wrote he would still move forward with her termination given the "severity" of her actions The district also reported her conduct to the Professional Standards Commission for a further investigation into violations of the Code of Ethics for Educators Finch is also ineligible for rehire in the district BCSD told WGXA that Finch has been an educator for 30 years Stick with WGXA where we're keeping you ready for what's next [This story has been updated with additional information.] A 20-year-old Princeton man suffered life-threatening injuries when his motorcycle crashed with an SUV on the afternoon of April 14 in Rutland The Rutland police said the motorcyclist collided with a Subaru Forester that had crossed the center line on Main Street was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center was also taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center with injuries that were not considered life-threatening Monaco said he did not know Brown's condition April 15 The crash is under investigation by the Rutland police with the assistance of the Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council's crash reconstruction unit Monaco said investigators are trying to determine why the SUV crossed into the oncoming lane of traffic (WGXA) — The Bibb County School District (BCSD) is investigating an educator at Rutland Middle School who reportedly wrote a racial slur on a classroom e-board Thursday afternoon A post online that garnered heavy attention appears to show a teacher standing next to a racial slur which had an asterisk in place of one letter written on an e-board in front of a classroom of students A video was also posted in the comments that looks to show another faculty member confronting the teacher who wrote the slur Rutland Middle School families were notified of the incident Friday morning through the school district's Remind app A message from BCSD emphasized their position on the incident standing firm against actions taken by the teacher "The Bibb County School District is aware of a classroom incident in which a Rutland Middle School teacher used racially insensitive language during a lesson," said BCSD in a statement "We want to be clear: This language was inappropriate and does not reflect the values of our District or the expectations we hold for our educators The District’s Human Resources Department is actively investigating the matter and will take appropriate action in line with our policies." BCSD added that the safety and success of its students is the top priority parents and faculty alike to notify them of any concerns "At the center of everything we do are our students—their safety and their success," the statement reads "Our mission is to maximize student achievement and social-emotional well-being by building a sense of community in safe That means creating classrooms where every child feels seen we encourage you to reach out to your school’s administration Counseling services will also be available to provide support to any students and staff as needed." The school district did not clarify whether or not disciplinary actions have been taken against the teacher a staff member at Walnut Grove High School was recently fired after a video surfaced online writing the N-word on a classroom board while students cheered The staff member could be seen writing out the word with the final letter missing before a student was heard shouting “R.” The staff member then wrote out the full word Westbrooks says they will wait for the results of the BCSD investigation before pursuing any direct action where we're keeping you ready for what's next Labor negotiations are souring in Rutland City schools, where the school board has just rejected the recommendations of an independent fact-finder's report Board members argue the report was flawed — and unaffordable for taxpayers The union says the district's teachers are among the lowest-paid in the region Union president Sue Tanen has been working in Rutland schools for nearly 20 years The district is no stranger to difficult contract talks but the union has accepted the recommendations of fact-finders in the past — even when it didn’t like them “We accepted it all the times it wasn't exactly what we wanted it to be and they're refusing to accept it — trying to make it seem like it's not valid who has been leading negotiations on behalf of the board says the district is just doing its due diligence “We want to give the teachers as much as we possibly can we have a fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers,” Seward said “It's right that we look at the fact-finding report with our eyes wide open go through all the facts that are in there More from Vermont Public: With shaky support, an education reform bill passes the House Seward says that the board is planning to release additional details soon about its analysis of the report’s flaws is that the fact-finder underestimated the cost of his proposals Negotiations between the district and its 273 teachers have been ongoing since December 2023 The two parties have already tried and failed mediation Salaries and sick time have been the key points of contention Where some districts gave their educators special time off when they needed to quarantine during the pandemic educators in Rutland just blew through their sick time doesn’t match what neighboring districts offer “We are one of the lowest-paid in the area Rutland City teachers also receive a city pension in addition to the state’s pension and board members argue the fact-finder did not adequately take this benefit into account “I’m not saying that we are at the top of the charts but when you add our pension … we are close to the top,” Seward said More from Vermont Public: Vermont's post-pandemic teacher shortage has gotten worse There's a 30-day cooling off period after a fact-finder's report is issued where educators can't strike and management can't impose a contract The last teachers strike in Vermont took place eight years ago, in Burlington. Enter your email to sign up for The Frequency See more newsletters Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message but Guay's emotions came from a happy place Guay and her West Rutland teammates cut down the nets one more time at Barre Auditorium 1 Golden Horde clamped down on two-seed Long Trail from the opening tip to seize a 46-21 victory and claim the program's fourth straight title Guay closes out a record-breaking career with 2,279 points "My heart is so sad to be done with my girls And West Rutland's defense proved too much for Long Trail pressure and a bevy of blocks in the paint turned defense to offense in a flash More: 2025 Vermont high school girls basketball championships: How to watch, schedule, scores the defending champs were in control at 31-10 "We really prided ourselves on our defense," said Guay While she was well under her 21.3 points-per-game average Guay came away with four steals and just as many assists if not more Guay opted to find a teammate for transition buckets rather than take it herself That unselfishness was a common trait for Guay over her five seasons at West Rutland Aubrey Beaulieau (nine points) and Bella Combs (eight) also produced for the Golden Horde (20-3) who's three losses were to Hartford twice and Windsor More: What drives Peyton Guay? Titles, team bond mean more than breaking Vermont scoring record Joseph (2015-18) and Chelsea (1980-83) as the only D-IV programs to seize a four-peat CVU (2013-2017) and Essex (1995-1998) in D-I are the only teams to claim five in a row in girls basketball Guay and West Rutland went 86-8 over this four-year run We are going to be part of the history books for a very long time," Guay said Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5 Imagine if you couldn’t use your own toilet because of a water shortage and you and all of your neighbors had to pay to use a public restroom That’s the premise of the Tony Award-winning musical Urinetown, which will be performed this Friday and Saturday at Rutland’s Paramount Theatre by the Paramount Players Music director Cameron Wescott and director Jeff Hull lead a cast of 21 local performers Wescott says Urinetown the musical has an irreverent dark humor and complex score that audiences will love “It's really a dystopian piece focused on a premise of a drought and a water shortage and so the only place that you can go is to a public bathroom they send you to an infamous place called Urinetown.” “Urinetown … just like it sounds,” laughs Westcott “Most people think it’s 'You Are in Town,'” says Haley Yarrusso “I think Urinetown as a title is a little offsetting when you first hear it," she says Hope has just finished college and is starting a job in the family business played by Rutland resident and veteran performer Chris Doyle He is the founder and president of the Urine Good Company who basically controls a lot of the water in a very post-apocalyptic world.” The elder Cladwell uses the water shortage to his financial advantage and in one of his signature numbers gleefully croons “I took this town that formerly stank … I took this town and made it smell swank The storyline follows Hope’s romance with Bobby Strong the leader of an unlikely group of rebels who fight back against Cladwell and the absurd toilet charges they’re forced to pay Doyle and music director Wescott say the songs are funny and nuanced and may remind audiences of other Broadway shows like: Fiddler on the Roof Urinetown premiered in 2001 and was nominated for 10 Tony Awards. It won three. corporate greed and tariffs could have been ripped from today’s headlines “The old saying goes: 'History may not repeat itself The Paramount Players will perform Urinetown Friday, April 11 at 7 p.m., and at 1 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 12 at Rutland's Paramount Theatre Rutland’s mayoral race has taken several twists this month Members of the city police department say false statements made by one of the candidates made them look greedy and negatively impacted the department’s contract negotiations and the race is also colored by the work history of the two men running for the job Both Rutland Mayor Michael Doenges and his challenger Henry Heck are well known in the city and both men describe their relationship as professional was a manager at Applebee's and a city alderman when former mayor Christopher Louras tapped him to be city clerk in 2008 Heck held that position for more than 14 years until Doenges dismissed him shortly after being elected mayor in 2023 you get to build your cabinet,” Doenges told Vermont Public in a recent interview “And the people who were in line with my vision stayed and the people that were not aren’t here anymore.” who was reelected to the Board of Aldermen last year “I’m definitely not a disgruntled employee .. Heck sees taxation and crime as the two biggest issues affecting Rutland He said his supporters are upset by the way the city has handled homelessness a proposal to move the library and traffic flow changes made to local roadways Instead of returning a more than half-million dollar surplus to taxpayers in 2023, Doenges created five new municipal positions, including an executive assistant “We are going to out-tax the normal Vermonter who wants to be here They are not going to be able to afford to live here.” Heck said officials at city hall need to make tough choices But while Heck talks a lot about the high cost of living in Vermont he doesn’t offer many specifics as to what he would cut or new ideas on how he’d tackle Rutland’s challenges except to say he’d do a better job as mayor at making locals feel heard meeting them within their little communities or their neighborhoods .. and to let the bad guys know that they're not welcome here.” the 44-year-old incumbent with a background in tech sales he’s just getting started on his mission to make Rutland more welcoming "Housing drives economic development in this community Housing drives lower rent prices if we have more of it.” Doenges said the city was able to bring in $8 million of state funding for a program called Roofs over Rutland “This allows people to get low interest loans to invest in market-rate and above market-rate housing," Doenges explains "The idea is we're bringing investment to the city without costing the taxpayer any money.” He said $6.5 of that $8 million has already been applied for More from Vermont Public: Rutland wants to fix their 'housing log jam' He said his office is also focused on public safety Doenges said he’s lobbied state lawmakers for retail theft initiatives that add teeth to repeat offender laws and minimum sentencing guidelines for crimes involving certain drugs that he said have become rampant in Rutland “Another thing that we're doing is something called the neighborhood stabilization initiative.” This is a program Doenges said the city started about a year ago to target drug houses with our fire department and our DPW and our rec departments and PD and take that drug trade out of that neighborhood." Policing Rutland became a flashpoint in the mayoral campaign earlier this month whose Honda pickup has a pro-police thin blue line flag flying from the back made disparaging comments about a local police officer and alleged salary demands during a campaign interview they want to be paid for 60 hours and work 40 hours,” Heck said on Feb during a Facebook Live ride-along event streamed by Rutland City Patrol Heck’s comments outraged members of the police department who are in the midst of contract negotiations with the city — negotiations that union officials said were brought to an impasse Police Chief Brian Kilcullen expressed his anger at a Feb. 3 Rutland City Board of Aldermen meeting inappropriate and contrary to his oath as a member of the board to represent things truly as they come to his knowledge," Kilcullen said "His claim is irresponsible in that it has the likelihood to erode trust in members of the police department and may adversely impact police encounters with the public." Heck has apologized, but disputed police union claims that his comments as a member of the Board of Aldermen had derailed contract negotiations He attended the most recent meeting of the Rutland City Police Commission and personally apologized to Commander Charles Whitehead the Rutland city police officer he had disparaged during the Facebook event “I fully take responsibility of what was said I don’t know how I’m going to repair this or mend this Doenges said he recused himself from the incident but said amid contract negotiations it was important for city officials to maintain confidentiality Last week, unions representing more than 130 Rutland municipal and school department workers announced they were endorsing the incumbent Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors We recognise you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore cannot grant you access at this time e-mail us at customerservices@rutlandherald.com or call us at 802-747-6121 When we asked Vermonters across the state what they want politicians focused on in the next election It’s a huge problem affecting older Vermonters who want to downsize and a large number of working Vermonters — like Jenel Ronn and Caty Manning — who feel like homeownership has become an impossible dream The Rutland couple want so badly to buy their first home two-bathroom house was going to be a half-million dollars,” said Ronn And it had massive mold in the basement,” she went on it's fine!'" they laughed in mock exasperation “I went to a good college,” she explained ticking off an imaginary list with her fingers I’m a director of a team of seven people,” she said More from Vermont Public: Rutland voters share what's on their minds as they get ready to vote You can hear stories like this all over Vermont "When we look at what’s needed in the community for housing,” explained Rutland Mayor Michael Doenges “there's something I like to describe as the housing log jam.” Rutland has plenty of single family homes is older Vermonters are hanging on to them even though their kids are grown and gone Many are paid for and those with mortgages don’t want to give up the low interest rates they locked in years ago energy efficient smaller homes and apartments to downsize to and people like Jenel Ronn and Caty Manning “We have to clear the log jam,” says Doenges “And any time we're building any kind of housing it's going to start to clear that log jam up in different ways.” One way Rutland is trying to clear it up is to create more affordable housing the kind older homeowners on a fixed income might want to move to so they don’t have to shovel a driveway or mow the lawn anymore Doenges says one such project is going up on an empty lot on Forest Street in southwest Rutland The Housing Trust of Rutland County plans to build 30 new mostly one-bedroom affordable apartments next year Six will be reserved for people coming out of homelessness Click here to see what the Forest Street project will look like. “With the design that the Housing Trust has it's a really good fit for what's in demand right now.” In addition to the 30 apartments on Forest Street the Housing Trust’s Executive Director Mary Cohen says they plan to renovate nine other existing apartments and add 22 new affordable units in another part of Rutland and an additional four units of affordable housing in Castleton in the next 24 months she says they'll help chip away at that log jam duplexes and accessory dwellings that are not being used Aaron Jones is the home and rental repair coordinator with NeighborWorks of Western Vermont, a nonprofit housing advocacy group in Rutland Jones has been helping landlords access state and federal funding to renovate this type of housing and bring it back on line “It seems like a lot of property owners have vacant buildings that they're waiting for waiting for the opportunity to come around waiting for whatever inspires them to begin that project." Jones says right now, money from the Vermont Housing Improvement Program which targets lower income renters and those coming out of homelessness has been the spark many landlords across the state have needed this type of funding has helped bring 48 affordable units online in Rutland alone Jones says funding doesn’t come close to meeting demand city officials believe middle and higher end housing is also needed to break up the log jam New development in that area has been harder to come by because, traditionally, rents in Rutland have been lower than in other parts of the state “That change really opens us up to being profitable for these developers — to be able to come in rent them out and know that they're going to make money back for their investors.” Rutland has invited approximately 30 larger developers to come to Rutland later this month to see available properties and meet the local players who worked in technology sales before becoming mayor “Exposure is your your number one tool for getting people to at least recognize that something exists you don't know you want it until you you want it people don't know that there's opportunity until they see it NeighborWorks' Melanie Paskevich says any way the city can make the permit and financing process easier for a developer is helpful and she applauds the city for taking a more concierge-style approach “It's really hard to make development make sense financially," she admitted Purcell is a first time housing developer who moved to Chittenden Vermont during the pandemic to be closer to her husband’s family She says help from city planning and zoning officials has been invaluable in her efforts to create seven upscale one-bedroom apartments in former office space in downtown Rutland opportunities for funding and tax rebates and all of this is so complex,” she said there's so many different things in different departments that you can go to Can I change what I'm doing so that it is applicable to me?'” “It’s laying open on my desk right now,” she laughed What do I not know that I don't know?' So yeah The one thing causing her delays right now is pushback from a disgruntled neighbor who had to give up his office for her new apartments Pushback from neighbors is a problem many developers encounter that can add additional expense to a project In one of the busiest sections of downtown Rutland long time local developer Mark Foley shows off several upper floor apartments he’s creating in the historic Gryphon Building tall windows and nicely appointed kitchens he also wants to offer higher end downtown living But renovating historic buildings or sites that need extensive cleanup is expensive Foley says he spent $400,000 just to replace an elevator and says new sprinklers added even more to his bottom line To help future developers Rutland hopes to create a tax increment financing, or TIF district, next year it would funnel increased tax revenue from newly developed properties towards cleanup or needed infrastructure upgrades The city has also dropped water and sewer rates for housing projects until 2028 See a complete list of Rutland's housing development incentives here. Housing developers can apply for a local tax stabilization program that makes increases in property taxes easier to swallow And the city reduced one time change-of-use permit costs for housing developments Mark Foley says the permit change alone will save him about a thousand bucks on each of the 24 one- and two-bedroom apartments he’s creating I think that the mayor and others saw that the city's benefiting from all this forever,” added Foley says he’s putting so much emphasis on housing and calling for a thousand new units by 2028 economic development is a natural occurrence that will trickle down from the pieces that are put in place with the housing.” If we don’t focus on housing and the city’s future Doenges says people like Jenel Ronn and Caty Manning will simply move away and buy a house somewhere else This story is part of Vermont Public’s Citizens Agenda approach to election coverage We’re asking a simple question: What do you want the candidates to be discussing as they compete for your votes Front Porch Forum is our lead outreach partner for this project Vermont Public wants to ensure that YOUR concerns inform our candidate debates Share your thoughts using the form below — and sign up to get email updates from Vermont Public throughout the election season Submissions related to the 2024 election are now closed See all of Vermont Public's 2024 election coverage. Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience I lived on a small cul-de-sac called Rutland Court There were woods and a creek out back for us to explore We learned to ride our bikes in the street Playdates spilled from one backyard to the next I think the Teravail Rutland gravel tire would have fit right in The Rutland is a tire that’s up for getting dirty, exploring the world, and best of all, it’s fun to ride. I’ve rolled the Teravail Rutland gravel bike tire over countless miles The Teravail Rutland features three distinct tread profiles across the tire The ramped center tread is clustered in a chrevron pattern that’s designed to roll fast while taller-still side knobs provide maximum bite I tested the narrowest Rutland available in order to ensure a fit with my frame, though Teravail offers the tire in widths up to 2.2″, which is proper MTB territory to be sure. With a directional tread pattern that clearly takes its cues from purely off-road tires, I can see this as a good choice for bikepacking the Teravail Rutland delivers better than average climbing traction in the rear I’d be happy to run the Rutland front and rear; on its own I think it’s slightly better suited as a front tire and I haven’t experienced any punctures Teravail positions the Rutland as a “mixed terrain,” all-weather tire I found the tire handles well on both gravel roads and singletrack trails though most of my test rides took place in dry conditions I did roll through the occasional sticky stuff and in those cases the tire proved to shed clay and mud effectively and there aren’t many signs of wear despite hundreds of miles of testing is that it’s not as grippy or sticky as a tire that uses a softer compound Through rough terrain and also on the road the Teravail Rutland is a comfortable tire The Light and Supple 120tpi casing on the tire I tested delivers a good amount of flex for comfort and grip I generally tested the tire with about 40psi of pressure and found that results in a good balance of comfort and traction with flat protection and control The 700x35c size appears to be the only version with a 120tpi casing; all other sizes utilize a 60tpi casing The Teravail Rutland feels very similar to the WTB Raddler and one that’s pretty popular among riders It appears the Rutland may be slightly heavier than an equivalent size Raddler tire mixed-terrain rides are mostly gravel and singletrack the Teravail Rutland is a good buddy to take exploring beyond the ‘hood Enter your email for the top stories in mountain biking plus product picks and deals delivered to your inbox each week she held various administrative assistant roles while working for the Louisiana State Government She adored her grandchildren and wanted to be involved in everything they were doing in their lives She also enjoyed taking care of her beloved dogs and puppies throughout her life She is survived by her husband of 45 years Leeland Kilpatrick and wife Tracie; daughter Kelli Kilpatrick Kerr and husband Scott; brother James “Pepper” Rutland and wife Connie; grandchildren and Breelyn Kilpatrick; and great grandchildren Hulan Rutland; and her previous spouse and father of her children Relatives and friends are invited to attend the funeral service at Resthaven Funeral Home A visitation will be held at the funeral home beginning at 10:00 a.m Family and friends may sign the online guestbook or leave a personal note to the family at www.resthavenbatonrouge.com.  Rutland Mayor Michael Doenges has won reelection He beat former city clerk and Board of Aldermen member Henry Heck with about 56% of the vote in Tuesday's Town Meeting Day election Doenges was all smiles Tuesday night as unofficial results came in and he said he was gratified by the strong mandate for the path he was taking and all three of those things are directly interlocked and we need to continue on that path," Doenges said "And we heard loud and clear that the voters in Rutland are excited about that." The 44-year-old incumbent was first elected in 2023 and touted growing housing in the city as a priority along with making Rutland a more welcoming The mayor's mission resonated with voters like Larry Walter who said he likes the direction the city has taken under Doenges' leadership Walter said he walks and bikes a lot and is especially happy about changes to traffic flow on Routes 4 and 7 designed to slow motorists down "It's a heck of a lot easier to get around now and much quieter," Walter said calling the change "a Godsend." He worried if Heck became mayor the road diet would likely be changed back Rutland residents Jeri Tyl and Janice Semp said they weren't sure who they were going to vote for initially and liked things about both candidates But the women said derogatory comments Heck made about the local police department during a campaign event last month More from Vermont Public: Why Rutland's complicated race for mayor has unions weighing in Heck, a former longtime city clerk in Rutland, apologized for the comments, but unions representing more than 130 Rutland municipal and school department workers, including police and firefighters, endorsed Doenges. "I believe our police need as much support as we can give them and that just changed my vote to Mayor Mike,” Semp said Rutland voters resoundingly approved their school and municipal budgets and green-lit a $3.8 million capital improvement bond to be paid for by the city’s new 1% sales tax The money will be used to repair and improve municipal buildings Rutland residents Sheila and John O’Connor said they hesitate to spend more city money but both voted in favor of the budgets and bond "You have to invest in the infrastructure," John added Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message A South Dakota school district facing declining enrollment looks to its future Doing so has caused tension and pain for many in the community The division was apparent at the latest Oldham-Ramona-Rutland School District meeting The district faces a stark choice — build and pay for a new school Monday night's meeting included "Item E" — discussion and action to consider the censure of board memeber Brooke Albertson “It was kind of like a public shaming for something no one had talked to me about asking me why I’ve done the things I’ve done said the things I’ve said,” Albertson said Albertson said it was frustrating to find out the board was censuring her She says she was blindsided by the censure and embarrassed to have it in front of the entire district This all stems from a petition that came about from frustration over the future of the district – particularly from those in the Rutland area rather than continue the effort to come up with money for a new school When Albertson was asked to sign the petition “I want nothing but the best for every single kid here," Albertson said "We have amazing kids here and I’ve been trying to do what’s the best thing to do here to keep them here so they have the best education and opportunities in life The petition went around to dissolve and I had to really think about it.” Board President Lance Hageman said that justified the decision to censure everything the board stands for," Hageman said "The board is 100% for the school and the education and everything So that goes against everything and what she was elected for.” But Albertson said it’s deeper than a decision to dissolve the district and actually doesn’t indicate which way she leans at all She says the decision goes back to 2022 when Rutland was considering whether to join the Oldham-Ramona district The consolidation was designed to save both districts money amid low enrollment The consolidation vote passed in both districts by a few percentage points Albertson said the decision to consolidate was not easy And we did not want to consolidate," Albertson said and my superintendent that said that at the time there are some things that are bigger than the five of us There’s decisions that we might not like that are bigger than us We have to put it in the hands of the district.” exemplifying the contention between Ramona and Rutland residents Board President Hageman said the divide between Ramona and Rutland has grown over the last two years as the district weighed what to do Ramona and Rutland areas voted three times on bonds to build a school along Highway 81 at a spot central to the entire district the votes reached a majority but failed to receive the necessary 60% supermajority the district was approved for $20 million in capital outlay certificates to demolish and rebuild it in the current condemned Romana school building The board decided to put out a fourth bond vote to try one more time for the central location Hageman said one of the sad parts is the people of Ramona wanted to have the most centralized location I think the first three were 75-80% of those people voted to put it on Highway 81 after we got the capital outlay certificates 65% of the people in Ramona voted to put it on 81 yet," Hageman said "So the majority of the people that voted here in this facility The board has shifted focus toward the demolition and rebuilding of a school at the existing site in Ramona Supporters say it's the only viable solution after the bond votes failed The problem for the people of Rutland is the distance with some living up to an hour away from Ramona Some would rather see the district dissolved so they could go to nearby schools like Brookings or Sioux Valley Sarah Wilson is a mother of a freshman from Rutland She said dissolving is more beneficial to students who live far away from Ramona But she feels this isn't being recognized by the board “It’s not that our voices aren’t being heard it’s almost like they’re being muffled with mistruths and being characterized as not unifying," Wilson said Hageman said he thinks people aren’t seeing the full picture or scope of the issue “It’s sad that some of these people had to get this petition to dissolve the district because they’re not paying attention to the implications that that’s going to have on employment also the aspect of these kids being uprooted from their homeschool to another school,” Hageman said Hageman and others say dissolving the district would be bad for students Brody and his friend Lucas Wall gathered 60 high school signatures in a petition to keep the district in an effort countering the petition to dissolve the district He said it goes to show just how much division the issue has caused "You kind of get a feeling who’s for the school And you see that their kids have signed the petition just kind of showing the differences in opinion that exist even between families — and how their kids would want it but they don’t But their kids would lose a lot of their social life just having to go to a new school for one or two years instead of staying here and finishing out school," Brody said As board member Brooke Albertson left the gymnasium “It does nothing but divide this district more and more And we are setting the example that it’s okay to treat people like this in our district And the divide is so huge and it gets just bigger every month by us doing things like this and not acting like adults and talking things through," Albertson said We are setting the example for people to do this to others People are attacking people on Facebook and kids As more information and additional discussion is expected in next month’s meeting Both Hageman and Albertson can at least agree that it’s sad to see what the issue has done to the community Correction: An earlier version of this story erroneously identified Sarah Wilson as Sarah Strong.