Vermont news

• It’s not all about taxes, stupid

  13-01-2026 00:25 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is Zoie Saunders is Vermont’s secretary of education. Education transformation in Vermont is not just about property taxes. It is about building and sustaining the best education system in America.At a moment when nearly every other state is diverting dollars away from public education, Vermont has chosen a different path. Last year, a bipartisan coalition passed Act 73—a bill that doubles down on public education as the great equalizer, the pathway out of
  
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• Judge denies bail in deadly vehicle chase despite report blaming Rutland police

  13-01-2026 00:19 via vtdigger.org
  Tate Rheaume in Rutland County Superior criminal court on Tuesday April 9, 2024. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerA Vermont judge has rejected a renewed request to release a former Rutland County man facing a murder charge stemming from a vehicle pursuit that killed a young Rutland City police officer.David Sleigh, an attorney for Tate Rheaume, argued in recent court filings that revelations from an internal affairs investigation that criticized officers’ actions in the July 2023 deadl
  
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• Montpelier council chooses next city manager after months-long search

  12-01-2026 23:37 via vtdigger.org
  Montpelier Mayor Jack McCullough, right, with Kelly McNicholas Kury. Courtesy photo.This story by Carla Occaso was first published in The Bridge on Jan. 11, 2026.After a months-long process, the Montpelier City Council announced on Jan. 11 its choice of Kelly McNicholas Kury to be the next city manager of the city. McNicholas Kury, of Pitkin County, Colorado, is due to start Feb. 17. Meanwhile, Facilities and Sustainability Director Chris Lumbra is serving as acting city manager following the d
  
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• How Vermont pays for schools — and how it might change

  12-01-2026 23:17 via vtdigger.org
  Members of the House Ways and Means Committee listen to testimony on education finance during a remote joint meeting with other House and Senate committees at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Jan. 25, 2024. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerVermont’s education funding system is notoriously complicated and totally unique.Following years of rising property taxes — and a watershed 2024 election animated, in part, by a debate over how the state pays for its schools — lawmakers en
  
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• Lawsuit claims Burlington underrepresents Republicans on voter registration board 

  12-01-2026 23:10 via vtdigger.org
  Burlington City Hall. Photo via Adobe StockA civil lawsuit claims Burlington is flouting state law by avoiding appointing more Republicans to a board responsible for maintaining the voter registration list and ensuring fair elections. The city has filed a motion to dismiss.Filed Nov. 25 in Vermont Superior Court by two residents, the lawsuit alleges the city “has refused to permit Republicans their statutory-required, minimum representation” on the Board for Registration of Voters.T
  
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• Hundreds gather at Upper Valley ‘ICE Out for Good’ actions over the weekend

  12-01-2026 22:17 via vtdigger.org
  Brian Clancy, of Lebanon, joins a chant during a rally in Lebanon, NH, on Saturday, Jan. 10, condemning Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the killing last Wednesday of Renee Good in Minneapolis, Minn. “I’m pissed off, quite frankly,” said Clancy. “and I’m a middle class white male, and I’m terrified.” More than 300 people attended the rally. Photo by James M. Patterson/Valley NewsThis story by Marion Umpleby was first published in the Valley News
  
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• Parent Child Centers help families meet basic needs in critical moments

  12-01-2026 17:48 via vtdigger.org
  It is increasingly common for staff at the Parent Child Center of NCSS to receive daily requests from families seeking support to meet their basic needs. Many are facing impossible choices between buying groceries, diapers, or paying their heating bill. Inquiries regarding these necessities have steadily increased across the community, and both Parent Child Centers and VCP network agencies are providing the resources to meet these needs.The Role of Parent Child Centers in Supporting Vermont&rsq
  
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• ‘A once-in-a-generation opportunity’: Housing infrastructure program kicks off this month

  12-01-2026 11:00 via vtdigger.org
  Construction continues on a housing project in Colchester on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThis story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.The city of St. Albans recently bought the longtime office building of the local newspaper. Officials want to build apartments there – but first, the place needs work, and a new state program could help foot the bill. Dirty soil must be clea
  
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• Young Writers Project: ‘Can we be friends?’

  11-01-2026 12:30 via vtdigger.org
  “A Moment’s Pause,” by Bradee Traverse, 17, of West RutlandYoung Writers Project is a creative, online community of teen writers and visual artists that started in Burlington in 2006. Each week, VTDigger publishes the writing and art of young Vermonters who post their work on youngwritersproject.org, a free, interactive website for youth, ages 13-19. To find out more, please go to youngwritersproject.org or contact Executive Director Susan Reid at
  
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• The rise and fall and rise of Vermont-schooled skier Mikaela Shiffrin

  11-01-2026 12:00 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont-schooled Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates a successful World Cup run at the Killington Ski Resort. Photo by Andrew ShinnThe last time many Vermonters saw Mikaela Shiffrin, the Alpine ski racer was standing atop Killington’s Superstar trail, seemingly a minute away from scoring an unprecedented 100th World Cup win.Then, figuratively and literally, she went downhill fast.The Burke Mountain Academy graduate had snagged the lead in the first of two giant-slalom runs on Nov. 30, 2024, only
  
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• Student-charged bill would give voting rights on school boards

  11-01-2026 11:30 via vtdigger.org
  South Burlington high school student Isa Harrington (third in from the right) sits with students from the Governor’s Institute this summer. (Courtesy photo)Isa Harrington, a South Burlington High School student, is a firm believer in the democratic process — even though she hasn’t had a chance to exercise her rights to the fullest extent yet, as she is only 17.Still, the right to vote has been heavy on her mind since the summer months, when she joined the Governor’s Inst
  
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• Final Reading: Those sketchy, too-good-to-be-true ticket sites? They are — and some lawmakers want them gone.

  10-01-2026 00:57 via vtdigger.org
  The Flynn Theater in Burlington during a March 2019 speaking event featuring then-presidential candidate John Hickenlooper. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerPicture this. You love the Indigo Girls. Imagine your excitement, then, when you discover they’re playing at your favorite local venue, The Flynn, in Burlington. You click the first link and go to purchase tickets, only to discover an exorbitant $250 price tag. You love the Indigo Girls, but you also need to pay your mortgage, so you pa
  
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• State issues probation to Bennington program caring for people with intellectual disabilities

  10-01-2026 00:02 via vtdigger.org
  United Counseling Service’s headquarters on Ledgehill Drive in Bennington. Photo courtesy of United Counseling ServiceState officials gave a warning to United Counseling Service this December: Fix your longstanding problems, or risk losing your current ability to operate.The state’s problem with the nonprofit provider’s service lines for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities include safety concerns that “put clients and staff at risk of harm” &mda
  
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• Vermont’s pagans find comfort and creativity in new surge of interest in witchcraft

  09-01-2026 22:13 via vtdigger.org
  Jillian Kirby at home in Burlington on Friday, January 2, 2026. Kirby sometimes describes herself as a “placebo witch”. Kirby has become an ordained atheopagan cleric, part of a community of atheists who incorporate pagan beliefs. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerMaggie Byers first felt drawn to paganism during a rough patch in her life. Her marriage fell apart during the Covid-19 pandemic, and she began to reevaluate many aspects of herself that she’d taken for granted: he
  
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• Signaling or substance? Vermont lawmakers propose restrictions on ICE, but their enforcement is questionable. 

  09-01-2026 12:52 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Nader Hashim, D-Windham, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, at the Statehouse in Montpelier on April 16, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerCan Vermont lawmakers restrict how federal immigration authorities operate in the state?Democrats are poised to try this session, mulling legislation that would limit where civil immigration arrests can occur and would prohibit law enforcement officers from wearing masks in most cases. Vermonters should be able to visit sensitive locations
  
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• Signaling or substance? Vermont lawmakers propose restrictions on ICE, but enforcement is questionable. 

  09-01-2026 12:52 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Nader Hashim, D-Windham, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, at the Statehouse in Montpelier on April 16, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerCan Vermont lawmakers restrict how federal immigration authorities operate in the state?Democrats are poised to try this session, mulling legislation that would limit where civil immigration arrests can occur and would prohibit law enforcement officers from wearing masks in most cases. Vermonters should be able to visit sensitive locations
  
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• Stevie Paquette: When ethics are questioned, Vermonters deserve answers — not sponsored narratives

  09-01-2026 01:12 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Stevie Paquette, a Colchester resident pursuing a master’s degree in social work, with an interest in ethics, human rights and Palestinian self-determination. I am writing this as a Vermonter, a constituent and someone who is openly anti-Zionist and believes in the legitimacy and self-determination of the Palestinian people. I also believe deeply in ethical, transparent government and public accountability. When a number of local lawmakers traveled to Israe
  
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• Final Reading: House tax chair weighs potential revenue losses due to Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’

  09-01-2026 00:50 via vtdigger.org
  Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, D-Brattleboro, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, listens to testimony during a committee meeting at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Thursday, Jan. 8. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThat’s what Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, D-Brattleboro, wants the Vermont tax system to be, she said Thursday morning. But following the passage of federal tax law changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, she said, that lofty goal may have become harder to ensure. And she worries
  
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• Rep. Casey Toof, Vermont House’s No. 2 Republican, to resign

  08-01-2026 23:16 via vtdigger.org
  Rep. Casey Toof, R-St. Albans Town, speaks during a press conference held by Republican representatives to discuss an education reform bill at the Statehouse in Montpelier on April 8, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe No. 2 Republican in the Vermont House, Rep. Casey Toof of St. Albans Town, will resign his seat next week. Toof has served as assistant minority leader since 2023 and has represented his Franklin County town in the chamber since 2019.The 40-year-old said he’s leaving
  
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• Citing damning report of police actions, attorney calls for release of suspect in crash that killed Rutland officer

  08-01-2026 23:09 via vtdigger.org
  Tate Rheaume waves to his family as he is held on bail in Rutland County Superior criminal court on April 9, 2024. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe attorney for a Rutland County man facing a murder charge in a fatal crash that killed an officer is asking a judge to reconsider an order holding his client without bail, citing an internal affairs report that strongly criticizes the actions of police leading to the deadly chase.David Sleigh, a lawyer for 22-year-old Tate Rheaume, in recent c
  
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• School districts would face spending caps under bill by Vermont Senate’s leader

  08-01-2026 22:19 via vtdigger.org
  Senate President Tempore Phil Baruth, D/P-Chittenden Central, right, confers with Sen. Alison Clarkson, D-Windsor, at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Wednesday, Jan. 7. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerVermont school districts could see their spending capped beginning in 2028 if the Legislature passes a bill introduced Thursday by Senate Pro Tempore Phil Baruth, D/P-Chittenden Central.The bill, S.220, is meant to contain the growing cost of public education in Vermont while lawmakers get back to
  
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• Final Reading: Has Burlington’s special accountability court worked?

  08-01-2026 00:52 via vtdigger.org
  Jaye Pershing Johnson on Jan. 3, 2024. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerCourt backlog. The phrase has defined a malaise that’s permeated the Vermont Legislature’s work on public safety initiatives in recent years. When Covid-19 slowed down the judicial system, criminal cases piled up, leading defendants and victims to wait years for resolution.Enter the Chittenden County accountability docket. Proposed by Gov. Phil Scott last fall, the pilot project dedicated court time and
  
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• Vermont Health officials reaffirm existing childhood vaccine schedule in light of federal changes

  07-01-2026 23:51 via vtdigger.org
  Dr. Rick Hildebrant, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Health, speaks before the Senate Health and Welfare Committee at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Wednesday, Jan. 7. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scaled back federal guidelines for childhood vaccines Monday, moving six immunizations out of the “recommended” category. Following the federal action, Vermont officials and health experts are reaffirming the state’s
  
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• Lawmakers try to keep education reform on track as Gov. Phil Scott calls the issue Vermont’s ‘most critical challenge’

  07-01-2026 23:39 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Seth Bongartz, D-Bennington, left, and Rep. Peter Conlon, D-Cornwall, right, chairs of the Senate and House education committees respectively on March 13, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerMONTPELIER—Vermont lawmakers in the early days of the 2026 legislative session are trying to keep the education reforms started last session on track.But the efforts appear on shaky ground after the state’s school redistricting task force refused to deliver a map of proposed consolidated s
  
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• Vermont Conversation: ‘An act of war’ — Sen. Peter Welch on Trump’s Venezuela and Capitol insurrection

  07-01-2026 22:55 via vtdigger.org
  
  
  U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont on July 7, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe Vermont Conversation with David Goodman is a VTDigger podcast that features in-depth interviews on local and national issues. Listen below and subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get podcasts.President Donald Trump marked the new year by launching a military assault on Venezuela and abducting President Nicolás Maduro. Some 75 people in Venezuela were killed i
  
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• ‘We just need to do it’: In address to lawmakers, Gov. Phil Scott stays bullish on education reform plans

  07-01-2026 20:45 via vtdigger.org
  Gov. Phil Scott enters the House of Representatives chamber to deliver his State of the State address at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Wednesday, January 7, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerMONTPELIER — In his annual address to Vermont legislators Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Phil Scott urged the House and Senate to move forward with the sweeping education reform project lawmakers started last year at his administration’s urging.But as the 2026 legislative session got underway th
  
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• Resolutions become reality as goals turn into achievements

  07-01-2026 16:39 via vtdigger.org
  The new year offers an opportunity to reflect upon aspirations—and commit to the work needed to achieve them. Students of all ages are putting in the effort to bring their goals to fruition. Education continues to shape pathways for learners at every stage, and 2026 brings new possibilities for learning of all kinds. The stories revisited below highlight seven student experiences.Full-time firefighting is in Bailey’s futureBailey Shepard’s goal grew from the sense of belonging
  
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• Jewish group files ethics complaints against Vermont legislators who took paid trip to Israel

  07-01-2026 00:55 via vtdigger.org
  Wafic Faour speaks during a press conference during which activists called for the resignation of five state representatives who recently went on an Israeli-sponsored trip to the Middle-Eastern country at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday, Jan. 6. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerMONTPELIER — A Jewish group that opposes Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has lodged ethics complaints against the five members of the Vermont House who traveled to Israel last September on a trip tha
  
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• Benjamin Brickner: Vermont’s cost crises are connected. Our solutions should be, too.

  07-01-2026 00:46 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Benjamin Brickner, of Pomfret. He is a practicing attorney and chair of the Pomfret Selectboard.As towns and school districts across Vermont finalize their budgets, local officials are staring down a familiar question: with healthcare, housing, personnel and other non-discretionary costs out of control, what gets cut?For Pomfret and its 916 residents, hard choices are inevitable. Road maintenance may be scaled back. Overworked staff may go without needed support. Taxes sti
  
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• Final Reading: First day of the Vermont Legislature brings back-to-school feel. Just ask the kids.

  07-01-2026 00:06 via vtdigger.org
  Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington,, addresses her colleagues on the first day of the second year of the legislative biennium at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday, Jan. 6.Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerHappy first day back to school session! How was your summer? The floors are a little cleaner and the eyes are a little brighter as the both the Senate and the House of Representatives begin their second year of the biennium. The House gaveled back into session Tuesday mo
  
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• Ethics complaints against senators with private school ties dismissed by Senate panel

  06-01-2026 23:08 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Scott Beck, R-Caledonia, left, and Sen. Seth Bongartz, D-Bennington, right, listen as Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, D-Brattleboro, speaks as House and Senate members of the education reform bill conference committee meet at the Statehouse in Montpelier on May 28, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe Vermont Senate Ethics Panel dismissed two complaints against Sens. Seth Bongartz, D-Bennington, and Scott Beck, R-Caledonia, and found their conduct was not unethical under the state’s Sena
  
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• Clear theme emerges on opening day of Vermont’s Legislature: Tough choices ahead

  06-01-2026 22:59 via vtdigger.org
  Representatives chat in the House chamber before the start of business on the first day of the second year of the legislative biennium at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday, Jan. 6. From left to right are Rep. Chris Taylor, R-Milton; Rep. Lisa Hango, R-Berkshire; and Rep. Leland Morgan, R-Milton. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerMONTPELIER — House Speaker Jill Krowiniski had some less-than-cheery opening remarks to her colleagues to kick off the 2026 Vermont legislative session.“
  
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• Your starter kit for the 2026 Vermont legislative session

  06-01-2026 22:55 via vtdigger.org
  Read the story on VTDigger here:Your starter kit for the 2026 Vermont legislative session.
  
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• Martha Boyce Colyer

  06-01-2026 15:53 via vtdigger.org
  Born March 26, 1953Albany, N.Y.Died Dec. 31, 2025Colchester, VermontDetails of servicesIn lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lund Family Center in Burlington or a charity of your choice, especially those that help children and families.Martha Boyce Colyer of Colchester, wife of Lawrence (Larry) Keyes died on Dec. 31, 2025 at home in the presence of her family.Martha was born in Albany N.Y. She attended the Albany Academy for Girls.She received a BA in Art from Elmira Colleg
  
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• Final Reading: Here’s your indispensable tool for surviving the 2026 legislative session

  06-01-2026 00:45 via vtdigger.org
  The Speaker’s gavel and podium in the House of Representatives chamber at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Jan. 7, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerVermont’s legislative session this year will be one for the ages. Can lawmakers pull off the generational transformation of the public education system they started last year, or will they take an easier way out? What state programs will be on the chopping block during an agonizing budget cycle? How will electeds try to counteract the
  
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• VTDigger’s staff photographer looks back on his 15 favorite images of 2025

  06-01-2026 00:34 via vtdigger.org
  As the new year gets underway, we’re taking a moment to look back at the images that helped tell Vermont’s story in 2025. From civic engagement and legislative whispers; surprise federal visits and overlooked municipal drama; to the end of a critical housing program and the expansion of an immigration crackdown — VTDigger was on the ground to capture the scene.
  Our veteran staff photographer Glenn Russell selected and reflected on his favorite images of the year.U.S. Departmen
  
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• Gov. Phil Scott taps Christina Nolan and Michael Drescher for state’s highest court

  05-01-2026 20:31 via vtdigger.org
  Christina Nolan and Michael Drescher. Photos courtesy of the Office of Gov. Phil ScottGov. Phil Scott made two appointments to the Vermont Supreme Court, naming one former top federal prosecutor and another currently serving in that role for Vermont to fill the open spots on the state’s high court.  Scott, a Republican, announced in a press release Monday the appointments of Christina Nolan, who served as U.S. Attorney for Vermont from 2017 to 2021 during the first President Don
  
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• Suzanne Chant

  05-01-2026 17:11 via vtdigger.org
  Born Sept. 29, 1951Darby, PennsylvaniaDied Dec. 25, 2025Colchester, VermontDetails of servicesA memorial service is planned for spring.Suzanne Chant, 74, of South Burlington, died on Dec. 25, 2025, alongside family and friends, after a long illness.Suzanne is survived by her children Gerry Canavan and wife Jaimee Hills, Patrick Canavan, and Ariel Chant and partner Will Willoughby. She was “Susu” to grandchildren Hannah, Zoey, Dalton, and Connor, and step-granddaughters Jal
  
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• Anne Pratt Slatin

  05-01-2026 16:50 via vtdigger.org
  Born Oct. 31, 1944Buffalo, N.Y.Died Oct. 17, 2025Stamford, N.Y.Anne Pratt Slatin passed away on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, at The Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, N.Y., at the age of 80 from pneumonia.
  She was born on Oct. 31, 1944, in Buffalo, New York, to Mary McNeil and Wilson Holly Pratt. Her early summers were spent at Camp Otsego in Cooperstown, where she began as a camper and later taught sailing — friendships from those years stayed with her for life.In 19
  
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• Bruce Cole

  05-01-2026 16:19 via vtdigger.org
  Born April 19, 1933Medford, MassachusettsDied Dec. 24, 2025Marlboro, VermontDetails of servicesHe has been laid to rest in King Cemetery in Marlboro. A celebration of life for Bruce will be held mid-April 2026. Letters of condolence can be sent to the family at P.O. Box 133, Marlboro, Vermont 05344.Bruce Cole, 92, of Marlboro, passed away peacefully on Dec. 24, 2025, surrounded by his family. Born on April 19, 1933, in Medford, Massachusetts, Bruce was the son of Barbara Sawyer Cole a
  
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• Molly Gray is running for Vermont lieutenant governor — again

  05-01-2026 15:00 via vtdigger.org
  Lt. Gov. Molly Gray speaks to a crowd at the Amtrak station in St. Albans July 19, 2021. File photo by Riley Robinson/VTDiggerBURLINGTON — Molly Gray, the former Vermont lieutenant governor who also ran, unsuccessfully, for a seat in Congress, wants her old job back.Gray announced her campaign for the state’s second-highest office Monday morning at a coffee shop in the South End of Burlington. Gray is running as a Democrat; if she wins the party’s primary in August, she’
  
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• Vermont’s congressional delegation condemns attack on Venezuela and capture of Maduro

  04-01-2026 16:05 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Bernie Sanders, left, Rep. Becca Balint, center, and Sen. Peter Welch. Photos by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerVermont’s congressional delegation condemned the U.S. military’s attack on Venezuela over the weekend that led to the capture of the country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro.U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, and Vermont Democrats U.S. Sen. Peter Welch and U.S. Rep Becca Balint, all labeled Maduro a brutal authoritarian but said President Donald Trump’s attacks on the
  
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• Eyeing cuts to federal support, Vermont lawmakers face tough decisions over food and heating assistance

  04-01-2026 12:54 via vtdigger.org
  Rep. Theresa Wood, left, and Sen. Ginny Lyons. File photos by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerTheo Wells-Spackman is a Report for America corps member who reports for VTDigger.Facing federal funding cuts and potentially faltering tax revenues ahead of this week’s legislative session, Vermont lawmakers say decisions over food and heating assistance programs serving their most vulnerable constituents will be particularly difficult.“We’re coming back to the basic hierarchy of needs he
  
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• Corinth studio offers a window into an artist’s life

  04-01-2026 12:30 via vtdigger.org
  Kathy Chapman works on cleaning a segment on a stained-glass window. Photo by Amelia Cunningham.Amelia Cunningham is a reporter with the Community News Service, part of the University of Vermont’s journalism internship for Bradford Journal Opinion.CORINTH — At the end of a long, wood-lined road in Corinth, Kathy Chapman’s studio stands nestled among the trees. The modest workspace — with panoramic views of the surrounding forest — serves as a quiet refuge from the
  
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• U.S. Nordic skiing’s future is a Vermonter with a pioneering family past

  04-01-2026 12:00 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont cross-country racer Ben Ogden competes in the 2023 Nordic World Ski Championships in Slovenia. Photo by Matthias Schrader/Associated PressUniversity of Vermont graduate Ben Ogden — a two-time NCAA Nordic champion, 2022 Olympian and 2023’s fastest young male World Cup sprinter — “just might be on the verge of taking American cross-country skiing where it hasn’t been before,” the New York Times recently reported.“He’s never really seen a rac
  
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• Michael Long: Streamlining housing permits shouldn’t sideline the public

  04-01-2026 12:00 via vtdigger.org
  Dear Editor,The permitting and appeals process for housing and other development in Vermont should be streamlined. Legal challenges can be lengthy, expensive and onerous, and delay is often the central — and winning — strategy. But projects can be challenged, successfully or not, only by parties with substantial funding and sustained commitment. That reality leaves much of the public on the sidelines, even though public policy should serve the public interest first.From that perspec
  
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• Jerry Ward and John Bossange: Hijacking the abundance myth

  03-01-2026 00:35 via vtdigger.org
  Jerry Ward lives in Randolph and is a retired physician. John Bossange lives in South Burlington and is a retired school principal. Both serve on the Board of Directors of Better (Not Bigger) Vermont.The panic stirred up by some of our leaders regarding the so-called housing crisis appears to be rooted in a loosely defined abundance narrative that has been adopted to justify rapid growth without fully accounting for its consequences.Recent commentaries published in VTDigger by Julie Moore, secr
  
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• Waterbury’s former dairy farm owners struggle to move on

  03-01-2026 00:30 via vtdigger.org
  George Woodard now raises beef cattle after closing his Waterbury dairy operation of 48 years. Photo by Sarah Andrews.Sarah Andrews is a reporter with the Community News Service, part of the University of Vermont’s Reporting & Documentary Storytelling program.
  WATERBURY — For 48 years, George Woodard woke up before dawn and milked his cows. His day would end the same way, in his barn with the herd. For many of those years, Woodard’s 200-acre farm was booming. Now, the
  
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• Ludlow police chief ID’d as shooter of man allegedly armed with knife in New Year’s Day incident

  03-01-2026 00:13 via vtdigger.org
  Ludlow Police Chief Jeffrey Warfle shot and injured a man on New Year’s Day after the man allegedly pulled a knife at a downtown hotel where he had been living, according to Vermont State Police. The wounded man, Jaime Gomez, 18, was taken to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, where he was continuing to receive care, Vermont State Police said in a press release Friday.Ludlow Police Chief Jeffrey Warfle. Courtesy Vermont State Police.State police, who are he
  
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• Two lawmakers appointed to fill Vermont House and Senate vacancies before session begins

  02-01-2026 22:01 via vtdigger.org
  Gov. Phil Scott speaks during his weekly press conference at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerGov. Phil Scott has appointed two new lawmakers to fill vacancies in the Vermont Legislature days before the start of the session next week. John Benson, a managing partner at the engineering firm DuBois & King who currently serves as chair of the Brookfield Selectboard, will fill the vacant Orange County Senate seat left by Republican La
  
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