Vermont news

Vermont needs fewer small towns and some taller buildings

04-10-2026 16:18 via vtdigger.org

Dear Editor,As VTDigger’s recent reporting clearly indicates, over its last several sessions, the Vermont Legislature has danced around the predominant and defining cause of Vermont’s historic dilemma. Our lawmakers lack the courage to tackle this reality with the bold, decisive steps that a forthright statement of the problem requires. Absent the necessary clarity of definition, half-measures and inadequate solutions dominate their discussions, and the long-suffering people of Verm

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Wood banks prep for long winter months

04-10-2026 15:40 via vtdigger.org

Students help load wood onto a truck to be delivered to families in need in the area. Photo by Gordon Miller/News & CitizenThis story by Liberty Darr and Patrick Bilow was first published in the News & Citizen on Sept. 17, 2026. One in three Vermonters will heat their homes with wood this winter, but as the cost and difficulty of sourcing wood increases for some, a handful of local organizations are providing free cords to those in need.Recently volunteers donned safety gloves and

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After a costly dry spell, a wetter outlook

04-10-2026 14:51 via vtdigger.org

People walk along the beach at St. Albans Bay in September 2025. The 2025 drought brought water levels on Lake Champlain to near record lows. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerDroughts like the one that cost Vermont farmers nearly $16 million last year might be becoming less common, a new Dartmouth College study suggests, as increased rainfall makes dry spells less frequent and less intense across the Northeast.But farmers shouldn’t pack up their irrigation equipment just yet.“Wha

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Vermont officials and advocates tackle voting accessibility concerns ahead of November election

04-10-2026 13:57 via vtdigger.org

A voter carries ballots past a booth in Shelburne on Primary Day, Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerVoter rights advocates are pushing on several fronts to ensure voting access for Vermonters ahead of the general election in November.The Secretary of State’s office launched a voter accessibility task force in coalition with advocacy groups last year that focused on expanding resources for people with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, survivors of domes

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An Essex County officials’ parking fight puts taxpayers in a tight spot

04-10-2026 12:58 via vtdigger.org

The Essex County Courthouse in Guildhall, center, sits between the Meeting House (left) and the Essex County Sheriff’s Department on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerEssex County’s sheriff and assistant judges have taken a simmering parking fight to court, leaving taxpayers caught between the cost of stopping construction and the risk of paying to redo it.“Would it cost more to delay the project and design it correctly,” said Brice Simon, the

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