Vermont news

• Vermont House approves expansion of access to Medicaid, Medicare

  27-03-2024 23:34 via vtdigger.org
  
  Rep. Lori Houghton, D-Essex Junction, chair of the House Health Care Committee, questions Sarah Teachout of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Vermont during Teachout’s testimony at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Feb. 14. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Credit: Glenn Russell
  The Vermont House voted Tuesday to give preliminary approval to a bill that would expand access to federal health insurance programs for Vermonters up to age 21, pregnant residents and older Vermonters.The bill, H.721, also d
  
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• David Alastair Lewis

  27-03-2024 23:05 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born Oct. 20, 1952Bennington, Vermont
  Died March 18, 2024Los Angeles, California
  Details of services
  The family plans to hold memorial services at a later date.David Alastair Lewis, 71, died Monday, March 18th, 2024, at Kaiser Hollywood Hospital in Los Angeles, California surrounded by his loved ones and a wonderful team of Emergency and ICU department staff. David was under the care of his physician, team of specialists, and chaplains at Cedars Sinai Medical Center.He is survived by his wife o
  
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• ‘An extra seasonal pop’: Vermont businesses see dollar signs in eclipse traffic 

  27-03-2024 22:11 via vtdigger.org
  
  Total solar eclipse merch. Photo courtesy of Lynn Luczkowski/Moon over Vermont
  Total solar eclipse merch. Photo courtesy of Lynn Luczkowski/Moon over Vermont
  Total solar eclipse merch. Photo courtesy of Lynn Luczkowski/Moon over Vermont
  Only the northern third of Vermont’s land mass falls into the “path of totality” for the solar eclipse coming to the region on an upcoming Monday afternoon. But businesses across the state hope to benefit from the visitors expected to flock her
  
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• Help is always available at 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

  27-03-2024 21:22 via vtdigger.org
  
  Imagine a feeling so dark that hopelessness sets in, and you feel the only solution is to end your life. Or you, a family member, or friend are struggling with a mental health or substance use concern and don’t know where to turn for guidance. Help is only three digits away. 988 was designed to improve access to crisis services in a way that meets our country’s growing suicide and mental health related needs. With the launch of the 3-digit 988 number on July 16, 2022, the name also
  
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• Vermont Conversation: Filmmaker Bess O’Brien turns her camera on hunger, poverty and those ‘just getting by’

  27-03-2024 20:47 via vtdigger.org
  
  
  Filmmaker Bess O’Brien, left, and her new film, “Just Getting By.” Images courtesy of Bess O’Brien
  Filmmaker Bess O’Brien, left, and her new film, “Just Getting By.” Images courtesy of Bess O’Brien
  Filmmaker Bess O’Brien, left, and her new film, “Just Getting By.” Images courtesy of Bess O’Brien
  The Vermont Conversation with David Goodman is a VTDigger podcast that features in-depth interviews on local and national iss
  
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• Join our Spring Member Drive and send a brand-new book to a Vermont child

  27-03-2024 19:58 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear reader,VTDigger shines a light in dark places and tells important stories that make a real difference in people’s lives. Democracy needs this sunlight to flourish.This spring, I’m writing to ask you to support our local journalism and brighten the world of a Vermont kid by sending them a brand-new children’s book. 
  Donate now
  As a parent, I can see firsthand how reading opens young minds to different possibilities and new ways of seeing the world. I think journalism
  
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• How to choose the best college: one that you can actually afford 

  27-03-2024 17:07 via vtdigger.org
  
  The updated FAFSA was delayed this fall, and the impact of that three-month delay rolled down the line to colleges, families, and students. College financial aid offices are now scrambling to process student financial data and to get their aid decisions out to families as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, students—many of whom have multiple acceptance letters in hand—are waiting to find out how much assistance each school will offer them, so that they can decide where they’ll be
  
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• Vermont Supreme Court suspends law license of Addison County’s top prosecutor

  27-03-2024 15:15 via vtdigger.org
  
  Addison County State’s Attorney Eva Vekos in court in Middlebury on Feb. 12. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Credit: Glenn Russell
  Addison County State’s Attorney Eva Vekos in court in Middlebury on Feb. 12. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Credit: Glenn RussellAddison County State’s Attorney Eva Vekos in court in Middlebury on Feb. 12. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Credit: Glenn Russell
  The Vermont Supreme Court has suspended the law license of Addison County State’s A
  
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• VTDigger wins a dozen awards in regional journalism competition

  27-03-2024 15:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  Local Tigray community members are joined by people from Boston and Portland, Maine, for a march and rally in Burlington on April 29, 2023. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  Local Tigray community members are joined by people from Boston and Portland, Maine, for a march and rally in Burlington on April 29, 2023. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerLocal Tigray community members are joined by people from Boston and Portland, Maine, for a march and rally in Burlington on April 29, 2023. Photo by Glenn R
  
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• Henry Coe, Effie Brown and Walter Medwid: Would a sugarmaker do this?

  27-03-2024 13:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Henry Coe of Danville, Effie Brown of Derby and Walter Medwid of Derby, volunteer members of Don’t Undermine Memphremagog’s Purity, also known as DUMP.No sugarmaker would operate his boiling rig without attending it. Yet Casella Waste Systems, multibillion-dollar owner of the Coventry landfill, failed to be precautionary when it understaffed an unpermitted experimental leachate treatment project, resulting in the Feb. 24 accidental spill of nearly 9,000 gallons
  
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• Tom Kay: Focus on the causes of our state’s problems, not the symptoms

  27-03-2024 12:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,Yes, after reading this article about the future of Vermont’s community schools, it is clear that there is a dire need for some (many?) folks to get assistance so their children can focus on academic achievements, rather than fears about their food, shelter or clothing. A community school coordinator can help provide these resources. But why is this even needed?Maybe it has to do with Vermont’s policymakers who are determined to “improve our choices” or &
  
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• Vermont seeks to implement new federal health care reform program 

  27-03-2024 11:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  Jenney Samuelson, secretary of the Agency of Human Services, testifies at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Feb. 13. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Credit: Glenn Russell
  Jenney Samuelson, secretary of the Agency of Human Services, testifies at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Feb. 13. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Credit: Glenn RussellJenney Samuelson, secretary of the Agency of Human Services, testifies at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Feb. 13. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Credit: Glenn R
  
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• Meg Mott: How civics can save us from ourselves

  27-03-2024 11:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Meg Mott of Putney, where she is Town Meeting moderator. She taught political theory and constitutional law at Marlboro College for 20 years. Democracy has much to recommend it: access to public officials and opportunities to complain. Unlike a monarchy, with a single person in charge, a democracy gives ordinary citizens the chance to think beyond their private concerns and ponder the public good. Through argument and persuasion, citizens in a democracy have a cha
  
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• Final Reading: Senate advances bill to counter ‘attacks’ on libraries 

  27-03-2024 01:14 via vtdigger.org
  
  Linda Donigan, children’s librarian at the Bennington Free Library, as seen on Nov. 22, 2022. The Vermont Senate has advanced a bill aimed at increasing protections for Vermont librarians and their patrons. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  I don’t know about you, but I was raised on a strict TV diet of PBS Kids (no “Suite Life of Zack & Brody,” or whatever his name was, for me). One of my favorite shows was “Arthur,” and one of the show’s most i
  
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