Vermont news

• Candidates to lead Vermont National Guard say they’d resign if facing unlawful order

  15-01-2026 21:26 via vtdigger.org
  Brigadier General Hank Harder and Colonel Brent Zeigler, the two candidates vying to be the next Adjutant General of the Vermont National Guard. Photos by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerMONTPELIER — The two candidates vying to be the next leader of the Vermont National Guard both told lawmakers this week they would resign that post rather than carry out an unlawful order from their superiors in the state or federal government.Vermont’s Legislature elects an adjutant general, which is the top
  
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• Champlain Valley schools face federal investigation over transgender athlete policy

  15-01-2026 18:08 via vtdigger.org
  Ninth-graders arrive for the first day of school at Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg on Wednesday, August 25, 2021. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerVermont’s largest school district is being investigated under federal allegations that it has violated laws surrounding transgender student athletes’ participation in sports.The Champlain Valley School District is among 18 entities in 10 states being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil
  
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• Ryan McLaren, former top aide to Peter Welch, enters lieutenant governor race

  15-01-2026 17:00 via vtdigger.org
  Ryan McLaren announced he’s running for lieutenant governor in January 2026. Courtesy Ryan McLaren.Updated at 5:30 p.m.Ryan McLaren, a former top aide to U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., announced a campaign to be the state’s next lieutenant governor on Thursday.The Essex Junction resident’s bid was widely expected. He will face former Lt. Gov. Molly Gray, who announced her 2026 campaign for the state’s second highest office last week, in this year’s Democratic primar
  
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• Ryan McLaren, former aide to Peter Welch, enters lieutenant governor race

  15-01-2026 17:00 via vtdigger.org
  Ryan McLaren announced he’s running for lieutenant governor in January 2026. Courtesy Ryan McLaren.Ryan McLaren, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., announced a campaign to be the state’s next lieutenant governor on Thursday.The Essex Junction resident’s bid was widely expected. He will face former Lt. Gov. Molly Gray, who announced her 2026 campaign for the state’s second highest office last week, in this year’s Democratic primary. On the Republican sid
  
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• Valerie Ann Sevene

  15-01-2026 16:15 via vtdigger.org
  Born Feb. 26, 1954Burlington, VermontDied Dec. 29, 2025Clinton, KentuckyDetails of servicesA celebration of life will be held at a later date.Valerie Ann Sevene (Place), 71, of Clinton, Kentucky, passed away peacefully in her home with her loving family by her side, after a short battle with lung cancer. She was born in Burlington, to Wilfred H. Place and Elodia E. Cramer-Putnam.Valerie had a deep love for her family and brought joy to all who knew her. She also loved the beach; campi
  
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• Stephanie Jill Mapes

  15-01-2026 16:00 via vtdigger.org
  Born Jan 3, 1961Wilmington, DelawareDied Jan. 6, 2026Burlington, VermontDetails of servicesAt Stephanie’s request there will be no formal services at this time, she asked for a springtime memorial service. With peace in her heart and her loved ones by her side, Stephanie Jill Mapes, age 65, peacefully put her angel wings on and sailed into her new life on Jan. 6, 2026. She leaves her husband Scott Michael Mapes, son Scott Lennon Mapes and his fiancé Cosette Giro
  
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• Vermont school bus companies are hard to come by. The lack of competition is causing transportation costs to rise.

  15-01-2026 12:51 via vtdigger.org
  Champlain Valley School District school busses in Hinesburg on Monday, January 5, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerYears ago, when the Mountain Views Supervisory Union would bid for student busing services, officials would get several competing offers to pick from, the district’s superintendent recently pointed out.Now, the district is lucky if they get a single bid, Superintendent Sherry Sousa said. And they’re not alone.Over the past decade, Vermont has seen fewer and fewer co
  
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• Brian Bloomfield: Equity means giving the shorter kid a stool

  15-01-2026 01:27 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Brian Bloomfield, Ph.D., head of school at Lyndon Institute and chair of the Council of Independent Schools for Vermont.In my first year of teaching, a mentor pulled me aside to talk about equity. I was struggling to connect with a few students, and she offered a simple illustration: if two students are trying to reach the top of a cabinet and one is shorter, treating them the same does not give them the same chance. Equity means giving the shorter student a stool.Nearly 3
  
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• Vermont Conversation: Cartoonist Alison Bechdel on hope, humor, and ‘waking up’ in dark times

  15-01-2026 01:17 via vtdigger.org
  
  
  Alison Bechdel. Photo by Elena SiebertThe 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.“Who can draw when the world is burning?” asks celebrated Vermont cartoonist Alison Bechdel in her new graphic novel, Spent.This tension between the political and personal has been a deep well for Bechdel in
  
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• Final Reading: Should Vermont end its first-of-a-kind PCB testing program in schools? 

  15-01-2026 00:36 via vtdigger.org
  Committee chair Rep. Peter Conlon, D-Cornwall, speaks during a meeting of the House Education Committee at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Thursday, Jan. 8. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerI’d venture that most high school buildings do not have escalators. Not in Vermont at least. Burlington’s high school students, however, have a big one, right smack in the middle of their makeshift school at the former Macy’s department store.For five years, the former outlet has served as a
  
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• Senators interrogate Vermont Supreme Court nominee about prosecuting on behalf of Trump

  15-01-2026 00:03 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont Supreme Court nominee Michael Drescher, center, speaks before the Senate Judiciary Committee as fellow nominee Christina Nolan, second from left, listens at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday, Jan. 13. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerMONTPELIER — Michael Drescher prosecuted cases on behalf of the federal government in Vermont during the first year of President Donald Trump’s administration —  which dealt him historic immigration cases like those of Rümeys
  
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