Robert F. Smith
Judge’s ruling clears closing of pharmacy
A judge's denial of a motion for a restraining order has likely sealed the fate of yet another independent Vermont pharmacy - but its former owners, who sought the judicial intervention, say they will open a new pharmacy once they regain control of their commercial space.
Greater Falls Pharmacy at 78 Atkinson St. will close at the end of the day on Friday, Sept. 29, and the current operators will be filing for bankruptcy.
Railfans visit Bellows Falls
Green Mountain Railroad hosts the Massachusetts Bay Railroad Enthusiasts for a trip through a historic Vermont rail route
Rail enthusiasts from around New England rolled into town on the morning of Sept. 23. They soon rolled back out again - this time, riding in one of four rail passenger cars pulled by Green Mountain Railroad's Engine 405, the F. Nelson Blount. This rail fan trip for 150...
Lawsuit seeks to prevent pharmacy from closing
Current owners announce closure of Greater Falls Pharmacy as previous owners ask for injunction to keep the business operating
In the latest legal confrontation in a long string of civil claims and counterclaims surrounding one of the last independent pharmacies in the area, the former owners of Greater Falls Pharmacy are seeking judicial intervention to keep the current owners from closing the business. On Sept. 8, Michelle and...
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Bellows Falls Rotary celebrates its 100th anniversary
The Bellows Falls Rotary Club is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, having been chartered on Nov. 9, 1923. The community service organization has included many of the community's leading business people during its century-long history and has been involved with numerous projects to benefit the local region. Rotary's motto is "Service Above Self." Its main focus has been to fight disease, provide clean water and sanitation, support women and children, promote local economies, and support environmental protection. The organization...
High levels of PCBs put BFUHS gym, auditorium off limits
A mandatory test for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) revealed the presence of the toxic carcinogen at Bellows Falls Union High School. The building's gym and auditorium tested highest for contamination and have limited use at this point. The state law enacted in 2021 - the first in the nation - requires indoor air quality tests for PCBs for all schools built or renovated in the decades prior to 1980 in Vermont. PCBs - a group of organic compounds made from carbon,
Music at a sacred time, in a sacred space
Hallowell is a local group of singers who volunteer to sing at the bedsides of people facing the end of their lives. Formed after a small group sang for a dying friend in 2003, Hallowell now includes dozens of singers and is publicly celebrating its 20-year anniversary on Saturday, Aug. 26, from 1 to 3:30 p.m., at the Kiwanis Shelter in Living Memorial Park. A one-of-a-kind chorus when it started, Hallowell has been instrumental in inspiring and training hundreds of...
From river’s depths, a vestige of Bellows Falls history emerges
During the first week of August, Great River Hydro, which owns the hydropower dam on the Connecticut River between Bellows Falls and North Walpole, New Hampshire, began a drawdown of the river upstream of the dam in order to repair one of the dam's spillways, damaged during the July 10–11 flood. The low water revealed what is left of the series of more than a dozen stone piers on the bottom of the main river channel, upriver from the dam.
Making a rainbow visible
What started out as a few random events celebrating LGBTQ Pride month in June has snowballed into a cohesive program of more than a dozen events that have included movies, concerts, a drag show, dances, picnics, an Amtrak whistle stop, displays, a photo exhibit, and more. “It all just fell into place,” said Susan MacNeil, a member of Keene Pride and a founding member of the Pride Planning Committee. “We began by thinking it would be nice to book four...