Bridge build to shake up Main Street

The Agency of Transportation plans on turning Main Street into a one-way street starting this spring to accommodate the rebuilding of the Community Center Bridge, according to Roger Whitcomb, an engineer with the Agency of Transportation.

Town eyes federal stimulus funds

Springfield hopes to take advantage of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus program and get local approval at town meeting for $9.2 million in water and sewer improvements.

SOM Stunned by Board Decision

When the Springfield Board of Selectmen voted to cut the annual $20,000 capital appropriation to support Springfield on the Move, Executive Director Mary Helen Hawthorne said she was shocked.

Dog killed in house fire

Firefighters were called to a home on Brook Street shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday. The owner got out unharmed. Firemen were able to rescue birds and other animals that were inside the burning house. However, one dog did die. The cause of the fire is under investigation, extent of the damage not yet certain.

Stiff jail sentence for brutal kidnapper

Calling him a menace to Vermonters' safety and one of the most dangerous criminals she has been in contact with in her career, a district judge Tuesday sentenced a Springfield man to jail for virtually the rest of his life.

Defendant denies kicking dying man

A Springfield man denied charges Tuesday he kicked a man who lay dying from multiple gunshot wounds.

Governor weighs in on school budget

Gov. James Douglas praised the Springfield School Board on Monday for its effort to keep spending down, but he said the board still hadn't met his goal for level-funding this year.

Governor paints a grim economic picture

After laying out a slimmed-down budget in Montpelier last week, Gov. Jim Douglas gave Springfield business and community leaders a sobering forecast of the state's immediate economic future on Monday.

Signs of life at the old movie theater

A crane was observed working along the side of the burned-out hulk of the old movie theater.

Springfield's Person of the Year Named

Friday night brought a festive gathering of Springfield's business leaders to Crown Point Country Club.

Filming Begins For Obama Invitation

Filming has begun for the Obama Advertisement the fourth graders at Park Street School are making to send to the White House in an attempt to get President Obama to visit them and Vermont.

Students Shoot for Presidential Visit

Video: Click on image to play...

Man faces charges in daughter's death

Andrew L. Bedner Jr. is facing a second-degree murder charge in the death of his 8-week-old daughter last summer.

Bedner Charged with Murder

Andrew L. Bedner, Jr., may be spending the rest of his life behind bars. Prosecutors increased what had been first-degree felony aggravated domestic assault accusations against the Springfield resident, 28, in the beating death of his infant daughter, Cadence, last summer.

Springfield Father Charged with Baby's Murder

Video: According to court papers, Andrew Bedner, 28, of Springfield, admitted to striking and squeezing his 8-week-old daughter Cadence two separate times in an effort to get the baby to stop crying. Click on image to play...

Board moves ahead on new school budget

The Springfield School Board finalized the language and monetary amounts of the articles to be presented to voters at town meeting for the school district's 2009-10 budget.

30 + 5 program works to improve student nutrition

With childhood obesity rates out of control, the 30 + 5 program is working to improve the student lunch and snack offerings at area schools.

Woman Fined for Trash Attack

Springfield resident Kathleen Horton pleaded guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct on Jan. 20
for having dumped garbage in a neighbor's apartment.

Springfield Select Board approves $9.7M budget

A sharply divided Springfield Select Board Monday approved a new $9.7 million town budget, which would require a 2.8 percent increase in taxes.

Wanted: Families to buy a Springfield home

The Springfield Area Habitat for Humanity is seeking applications from families looking to buy a home in Springfield. The house is available now and the homeowner would take on a 20- to 30-year interest-free mortgage of $70,000.

Chicken, beer dispute leads to charges

A Springfield man denied charges a dispute over beer and chicken led him to punch a 15-year-old boy in the head last week.

Fridgid cold

This morning Springfield registered its coldest temperature of the season so far. 17 degrees below zero at 8 a.m. Thankfully, there was no wind along with the low temperature.

Fish or cut bait?

The debate over baitfish laws. Ice fishing huts like Wayne Stowell's--warmed by a portable heater and reeking with the scent of a decade's worth of catch--used to gather in big numbers on this icy cul-de-sac in Springfield, but today there were only four.

Ice Fishermen at Hoyt's landing

2 principals to cover 3 schools

Next fall, Springfield's three elementary schools will be operating under two principals, under the proposed budget adopted by the School Board Thursday night.

Board finds $800K in cuts

Expressing worry about the local economy and the impact on residents, the Springfield Select Board cut about $800,000 from the proposed $9.1 million town budget.

School board adopts level-funded 2009 budget

After issuing a series of cuts made in response to Act 82 and motivated by the dire financial situations of many town taxpayers, the Springfield School Board adopted a proposed $24.9 million budget Thursday night. The budget will be presented to Springfield voters on March 3, the statewide town meeting day.

Project calls for "Codapedists"

Greenbranch Publishing and Betsy Nicoletti, of Springfield, VT, today announced the formation of Codapedia™ the largest collaborative online encyclopedia for medical coding and reimbursement for physician services.

Town hits cops to pinch budget

The proposed Springfield $1.7 million police department budget took the brunt of the first round of budget cuts Monday night, as the Springfield Select Board started trimming the $9.1 million budget, which has a 9 percent increase.

School Board slashes trips, sports

Field trips, athletics and after-school programs are all on the chopping block after nearly $1 million was cut from the proposed budget for the Springfield School Board.

$900,000 cut from school budget

After an initial budget proposal of $25.8 million, administrators in the Springfield School District have pared more than $900,000 to make the budget easier on the wallets of the town's taxpayers.

Board looking to trim town budget proposal

More cuts made, ranging from $50 to $18,000. It was a cordial, though intense, back-and-forth between the heads of Springfield's library, its fire and police chiefs, and the select board on Monday night as line items in the proposed budget were reduced, or in some cases, eliminated altogether.

Ambulance hits truck in downtown square

At about 3:10 p.m. on Jan. 12, Amanda LeFebvre, 19, of Lefebvre Ambulance, out of Bellows Falls, was transporting her critically ill grandfather to Springfield Hospital. As she approached the downtown square, she went to pass a flat-bed trailer hauling heavy equipment owned by M&M Excavating and being driven by Andrew Stowell, 40, of Chester. Police stated that LeFebvre tried to pass Stowell on the left, but hit the left corner of the trailer.
The impact caused LeFebvre employee Robert Grover, 25, to fall to the floor, injuring his shoulder, head and spine; both he and the 83 year old man were taken to the hospital by Springfield Ambulance.
The trailer unit sustained about $1,000 in damage at the left rear corner. The LeFebvre ambulance took moderate damage to the passenger side of an estimated $5,000.

D.C. group promises progress at Fellows complex

There might not seem to be much going on at the old Fellows Gear Shaper complex in downtown Springfield, but Springfield Regional Development Corp. officials say a lot of progress is being made toward its redevelopment.
One Hundred River Street LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based group, is leasing the former industrial complex from the owner, Precision Valley Development Corp., with a promise to purchase it.