Vermont news

• A new flood threatens Vermont: Dark money

  12-07-2026 16:05 via vtdigger.org
  
  Are you a billionaire? No? You still deserve a voice in our politics. Yet ordinary Vermonters are being drowned out by outside money flooding our elections. A record $1.9 billion was spent by dark money groups in the 2024 federal elections, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.We have the Supreme Court to thank for this. Its decisions have allowed individuals, corporations and foreign interests to spend vast sums influencing elections. Our neighbors in Maine supported a ballot initi
  
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• Middlebury taps new housing development tool

  12-07-2026 15:22 via vtdigger.org
  
  Construction on a housing project in Vermont. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThis story by John Flowers was originally published in the Addison Independent on July 9, 2026.MIDDLEBURY — The town of Middlebury is dipping its toe into a new state program designed to help Vermont communities unlock housing opportunities by investing in critical public infrastructure.It’s called the Community and Housing Infrastructure Program, a statewide tax increment financing tool created in 202
  
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• Tunbridge fire chief pushes back against new forest fire warden law

  12-07-2026 14:12 via vtdigger.org
  
  West Windsor Firefighter Oden Cramer wets the edge of a 2.5 acre patch of burned ground to make sure a brushfire does not reignite in West Windsor, Vt., in April 2026. File photo by James M. Patterson/Valley NewsThis story by Sofia Langlois was first published in the Valley News on July 9, 2026.TUNBRIDGE — In the wake of a new Vermont law designating every fire chief as forest fire warden, some fire chiefs, including in Tunbridge, have opted not to accept the role at this time.Per Act 162
  
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• As strong El Niño develops off the Pacific, experts say Vermont impact is tough to tease out

  12-07-2026 13:10 via vtdigger.org
  
  The drought has led to low water in the St. Albans reservoir. Seen on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerParticularly warm water forming along the coasts of North and South America have caught the eyes of weather watchers across the globe, but the impacts on Vermont are murky for now.The warming and associated weather patterns are known as El Niño, a natural climate phenomenon where strong winds that normally push warm waters from east to west are weakened a
  
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• The nation is craving protein, but Vermont dairy isn’t cashing in

  12-07-2026 12:32 via vtdigger.org
  
  Tom Bellavance of Dairy Farmers of America, left, speaks during a meeting of farmers and others concerned with the recent closures of dairy production facilities in the state in North Hero on Thursday, July 2, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerDozens of dairy farmers from across the state drove to Grand Isle on July 2 with the intention of talking about a recent dairy plant closure. Instead, a larger issue emerged: Some dairy processors are giving up on Vermont, and the state is failing to c
  
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