AMANDA SWINHART and PATRICK WHITTLE, Author at The Rapid City Post

Competitors raise their darts as part of the opening ceremony for the Northeastern Atlatl Championship in Addison, Vt., Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Amanda Swinhart)

Ancient spear-throwing tool brings fun and history to Vermont competition

September 20, 2025

A few dozen enthusiasts of ancient hunting tools participated in the Northeast Open Atlatl Championship in Addison, Vermont. The competition took place on Saturday. Humans invented the atlatl thousands of years ago for use as a spear-throwing hunting tool. They were used to hunt massive animals such as woolly mammoths in the days long before recorded history. Now, they are the passion of a group of hobbyists and anthropology lovers who see the atlatl as a way to learn about history and have fun.

FILE - In this undated and unknown location photo released by the Department of Homeland Security shows Border Patrol Agent David Maland posing with a service dog. (Department of Homeland Security via AP, File)

Woman with ties to cultlike group appears in court after border agent’s killing

June 24, 2025

A woman charged in the death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent has appeared in Vermont federal court in one of multiple criminal cases linked to a cultlike group known as Zizians. Authorities say Teresa Youngblut fired the bullet that killed agent David Maland during the January traffic stop. They say another agent fired back, wounding Youngblut and killing her companion, Felix Bauckholt. Youngblut appeared in court on Tuesday for a discovery hearing. The Zizians are a group of followers of Jack LaSota, a computer scientist who has blogged as “Ziz” on subjects including veganism, gender identity and artificial intelligence.

AMANDA SWINHART and PATRICK WHITTLE.

Ancient spear-throwing tool brings fun and history to Vermont competition

Woman with ties to cultlike group appears in court after border agent’s killing

Finance.