Saturday, January 3 NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street started 2009 with a big rally Friday as investors, brushing aside a disappointing report on manufacturing, sent the Dow Jones industrials up more than 250 points and to their first close above 9,000 in two months. All the major indexes shot up more than six percent for the week.   Full Story

Saturday, January 3 Just when history is seeming relevant again for young people following the election of the nation's first African American president, the Douglas administration is considering slashing funding for historical sites around Vermont to help deal with a budget deficit. This is a bad case of bad timing.   Full Story

Saturday, January 3 BENNINGTON — Municipalities across the state may be forced to either abandon highway projects or raise local taxes if a freeze on highway aid to towns continues. The Legislature's Joint Fiscal Committee chose last month to freeze highway aid payments due to municipalities in January.   Full Story

Saturday, January 3 SHAFTSBURY — The town will be moving to a high-deductible health plan for its employees as part of an ongoing effort to control costs. Select Board Chairman Lon McClintock said the costs of the current plan had gotten too high to bear. "If we kept our current plan, that would result in a 16 percent increase in our premiums," McClintock said.   Full Story

Saturday, January 3 BENNINGTON — The past year in local sports saw as many teams walk away from state tournaments with championship trophies in their hands as it saw teams come achingly close to their ultimate goal only to fall just short. In Bennington, the top story of the year was the historic performance of Scott Legacy's Mount Anthony Union High School wrestling team, which set a   Full Story

Saturday, January 3 NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — John Travolta's teenage son, Jett, died in the Bahamas after apparently suffering a seizure and hitting his head at his family's vacation home, authorities said Friday. A house caretaker found Jett, 16, unconscious in a bathroom late Friday morning.   Full Story