High school students from Franklin-Essex-Hamilton BOCES in Malone are stepping out of traditional classrooms and into the construction field.

Around 80 juniors and seniors enrolled in Career and Technical Education classes are diligently working on building a modular home on campus, aiming to diversify housing options in the North Country.

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Riley Dinsmore, a 19-year-old Ticonderoga resident and the proud owner of “That’s RAD!!” is the visionary behind this vintage haven.

For Riley, the arcade is not just a business venture, but a dream come true. Having faced tough times at the age of 13 when diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Riley found a passion in video games during his half-year-long treatment.

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Not sure how to purchase your first home in this marketplace? Join the Virtual Open House Party for 1st Time Home Buyers March 20th hosted by Seven Days VT.

READ MORE ABOUT THE OPEN HOUSE PARTY COURTESY OF SEVEN DAYS VT AND REGISTER HERE:

Earth and old tires breath life into this year-round self-sufficient greenhouse home better known as an Earthship. The greenhouse was designed in 2022 for an intentional living community, Awakening Mountain, by one of its residents, Brenden McBrier, 33. The owner of Regenerative Retrofits, a design and build company, he specializes in sustainable architecture and small-scale food production, also known as permaculture. He based his greenhouse concept, which he plans to replicate across the country, on the Earthship style of architecture, which uses natural and upcycled materials to collect and store Earth resources like energy from the sun and rainwater and grow food on-site.

READ MORE ABOUT BRENDEN McBRIER’S EARTHSHIP COURTESY OF SEVEN DAYS HERE

Continuing it’s 50-year run, the guesses continue to roll in on when the ice is out in the Northeast Kingdom’s Joe’s Pond. Last year, over 11,000 tickets were sold. Despite the warm weather, the ice is holding strong. Ticket sales continue to be brisk.

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Trooper Michelle Archer was chosen as December’s Officer of the Month by The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, an organization that tells the story of American law enforcement and honors those who died in the line of duty.

READ MORE ABOUT TROOPER ARCHER’S HEROISM COURTESY OF WPTZ HERE

Lydia Littwin’s 5-year-old son, Ari, received a potholder loom as a gift last year, and he put it to good use. Ari and his mom set up a small booth at the Foam Brewers Market and sold $200 worth of potholders. Half of of the proceeds went to Art from the Heart, an organization dedicated to providing art supplies to patients.

READ MORE ABOUT THIS 5-YEAR-OLD ENTREPRENEUR COURTESY OF SEVEN DAYS HERE

The Artful Ice Shanties will be displayed at Retreat Farm (45 Farmhouse Square, Brattleboro, Vermont).

Visitors are welcome from dawn to dusk. Park at Retreat Farm, stop in at the welcome hut near the farmhouse, and then head into the square to see the shanties now until February 24th

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARTFUL SHANTIES WITH WPTZ’S JACK THURSTON

Whether serenading your sweetheart long distance or in person, Green Mountain Chorus offers their 4-part harmonies as a unique Valentine’s Day Gift.

READ MORE ABOUT SERENADING YOUR SWEETHEART COURTESY OF WPTZ’S MICHAEL CUSANELLI

Local camp directors say the problem is real. In fact, some have announced changes to their registration systems this year, though adding more capacity is much harder, given staffing and space constraints. They offered a few suggestions to help parents in the meantime.

READ MORE ABOUT THE SUMMER CAMP SCRAMBLE COURTESY OF SEVEN DAYS HERE