Vermont news

• Communities divided over proficiency based learning

  09-04-2018 01:46 via vtdigger.org
  Rep. David Sharpe chairs the House Education Committee. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  For almost 150 years, teachers, parents and students in Vermont tracked progress using a percentage system. The higher the better, and as long as you got a certain score at the end of the year, and spent enough hours in class, you passed to the next grade.
  A few years ago, the state decided the old way of doing things wasn’t working anymore, and in 2014, the State Board of Education adopted educat
  
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• Matt Wormser: Vermont needs real education reform, not more reports

  30-01-2026 13:03 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Matt Wormser, a member of the Shelburne selectboard.As a member of the Shelburne selectboard, one of the unfortunate benefits of my service is the continual reminder of tradeoffs, which acutely come into focus during budget season. This year, we are struggling to maintain services and limit our property tax increases to twice the rate of inflation — an unsustainable pace even in the best of times.This pales in comparison to the forecast for my colleagues on the
  
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• More extreme cold to hit Vermont, capping off week of below-zero temperatures

  30-01-2026 00:43 via vtdigger.org
  A truck leaves the town garage in Bolton with a fresh load of sand to treat local roads on Thursday, January 29, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerEmergency shelters and warming centers that have stayed open throughout a long week of cold temperatures are beginning to feel the strain as extreme lows are expected again Thursday night, according to the National Weather Service.“We’re tired, but we’re happy that we’re helping people,” said Roxanne Carelli, executiv
  
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• A ‘top priority in this building’: Senate health committee seeks to broaden access to primary care

  30-01-2026 00:38 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Ginny Lyons, D-Chittenden Southeast, speaks on the floor of the Senate at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerIt was 4:30 on a Friday afternoon when Dr. Anne Morris faced a problem that may sound all too familiar for many primary care providers. By Morris’s telling, a patient looked at her, teary-eyed, and asked, “Why does everything have to be so hard?”In this particular instance, Morris, who is a primary care physician
  
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• New immigration legal services expand into southern and central Vermont

  30-01-2026 00:10 via vtdigger.org
  Jill Martin Diaz, executive director of the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project in Burlington, Aug. 27, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerImmigrant communities in southern and central Vermont will have expanded access to legal services through a new partnership announced this week. The new program, the Immigration Community Lawyering Initiative, is a partnership between Vermont Legal Aid and Vermont Asylum Assistance Project. Through the initiative, Vermont Legal Aid is setting up a forma
  
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• Senate panel won’t recommend Micheal Drescher for Vermont Supreme Court 

  29-01-2026 23:29 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont Supreme Court appointees Christina Nolan and Michael Drescher speak before the Senate Judiciary Committee at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Jan. 13, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerMONTPELIER — After receiving hundreds of emails about the governor’s two latest appointees for the Vermont Supreme Court, senators in the Judiciary Committee on Thursday failed to vote in favor of supporting Michael Drescher and voted unanimously to recommend Christina Nolan. The two nominee
  
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• Senate panel won’t recommend Michael Drescher for Vermont Supreme Court 

  29-01-2026 23:29 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont Supreme Court appointees Christina Nolan and Michael Drescher speak before the Senate Judiciary Committee at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Jan. 13, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerMONTPELIER — After receiving hundreds of emails about the governor’s two latest appointees for the Vermont Supreme Court, senators in the Judiciary Committee on Thursday failed to vote in favor of supporting Michael Drescher and voted unanimously to recommend Christina Nolan. The two nominee
  
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• Rutland City mayor Mike Doenges announces resignation

  29-01-2026 18:43 via vtdigger.org
  Mike Doenges. Photo courtesy of Mike DoengesRutland City Mayor Mike Doenges is stepping down from his post midway through his second term, he said Thursday.Doenges will remain in the role until Feb. 27, less than a week before Town Meeting Day on March 3, according to his announcement.
  The decision came after Doenges received a “once-in-a-decade” opportunity to return to his former employer in the technology sales sector, and he made the choice for the long-term benefit of him and h
  
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• Vermont schools are making headway to address chronic absenteeism, but rates remain stubbornly high

  29-01-2026 16:24 via vtdigger.org
  A kindergarten classroom. Photo via Adobe StockThe Maple Run Unified School District in Franklin County has made some meaningful progress toward addressing chronic absenteeism, a persistent problem for school districts since the Covid-19 pandemic.Bill Kimball, the district’s superintendent, said he’s seen a 17% decrease in the number of students considered chronically absent through the first quarter of this school year compared to last year.Meanwhile, more than two-thirds of the di
  
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• Laura Hill-Eubanks: Quiet, please!

  29-01-2026 13:03 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Laura Hill-Eubanks, a Vermont attorney with expertise in environmental law and policy. Vermont has a noise problem. There are a significant number of loud motor vehicles on our roads, and they are getting louder and the noise more pervasive. There are two main sources of loud motor vehicle noise. The first is the practice of modifying mufflers and exhaust systems on motorcycles, cars and trucks to deliberately increase their noise level. The second is l
  
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• Rubaina Anjum: What will you do when ICE comes for you?

  29-01-2026 01:04 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Rubaina Anjum, a graduate student at the University of Vermont (UVM) studying economics and sustainability. She is a member of UVM Graduate Students United, United Autoworkers Local 2322. The views expressed here are Anjum’s and do not necessarily reflect those of UVM.A couple of weeks ago, I took the Amtrak Vermonter to Northampton, Mass., gazing out the window as the train wound its way through the snow-covered countryside. Our state’s picturesque landsc
  
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• Mary Sullivan: Honor Burlington’s vote on guns in bars

  29-01-2026 01:02 via vtdigger.org
  Dear Editor,Last March, more than 86% of Burlington residents voted to ban guns from bars because of the sensible and simple belief that guns and alcohol do not mix. This ordinance change will make our people feel safer while they enjoy everything downtown Burlington has to offer, including our great pedestrian mall and our wonderful restaurants and pubs.Unfortunately, we’ve yet to see it implemented. All charter changes must be approved by the Vermont Legislature before being e
  
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• Winter weather compounds Vermont’s shortage of blood donations

  29-01-2026 00:36 via vtdigger.org
  Photo via Adobe StockThe recent winter storm and extreme cold have worsened an already severe shortage of donated blood, according to the American Red Cross’s Northern New England Region. On Monday, following a winter storm that dumped up to 20 inches of snow across Vermont, the Red Cross canceled its blood drives in the state, forgoing the collection of 47 units of blood, according to Jennifer Costa, the New England region’s communications director for the organization.“
  
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• Lawmakers weigh expanded consumer protections as fiber optic transitions spark concern

  29-01-2026 00:34 via vtdigger.org
  Spools of fiber optic cable seen at the NEK Broadband offices and warehouse in Danville on Sept. 3, 2025. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerTalks between lawmakers and business leaders grew fractious Wednesday morning as the House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee considered a bill intended to strengthen consumer protections for fiber optic utilities, particularly in rural areas. Sarah Davis, of Fidium Fiber, told the committee that such a bill was not only unnecessary but also
  
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• Windsor County Sheriff Ryan Palmer denies sexual misconduct charges, says he won’t resign

  28-01-2026 23:47 via vtdigger.org
  Windsor County Sheriff Ryan Palmer appears at his arraignment in Rutland County Superior criminal court in Rutland on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerRUTLAND — Windsor County Sheriff Ryan Palmer has pleaded not guilty to several criminal charges accusing him of sexual misconduct and stalking.Palmer’s arraignment Wednesday afternoon in Rutland County Superior criminal court came a day after Vermont State Police announced they had summoned him to court to f
  
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• Rutland County sheriff deputy fired for racist messages, misconduct letter says

  28-01-2026 22:38 via vtdigger.org
  Rutland County Sheriff Department on January 28, 2026. Photo by Greta Solssa/VTDigger
  A Rutland County sheriff’s deputy was ousted from the department this week after he sent racist text messages, an internal affairs investigation found.In a group chat with other officers, former deputy Ryder Paskevich sent an image of officers in Klu Klux Klan garments taking Black people into custody, according to a Brady letter sent on Tuesday by Rutland County States Attorney Ian Sullivan. Paskev
  
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• Vermont Conversation: Local clergy see Minnesota as ‘testing ground’ for Trump’s immigration crackdown

  28-01-2026 22:32 via vtdigger.org
  
  
  Rabbi David Fainsilber of the Jewish Community of Greater Stowe and Rev. Dr. Becca Girrell, pastor of the United Community Church of Morrisville, at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, AL, on a visit during an interfaith civil rights trip in 2025. Photo courtesy of Rev. Becca GirrellThe 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
  
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• Esther Charlestin, Gov. Scott challenger in 2024, launches lieutenant governor bid

  28-01-2026 18:09 via vtdigger.org
  Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Esther Charlestin speaks with other attendees at a party function in Burlington on October 4, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerEsther Charlestin, the former Democratic nominee for governor of Vermont, launched a bid for the state’s second-highest office on Wednesday.Charlestin is the third Democrat to join this year’s race for lieutenant governor. Molly Gray, who held the office from 2021 to 2023, announced her bid just after Ne
  
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• Kim Fitzgerald: Healthy aging starts with housing

  28-01-2026 01:08 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Kim Fitzgerald, chief executive officer of Cathedral Square, a Vermont nonprofit affordable housing organization.Vermont has one of the oldest populations in the nation, a severe housing shortage, and rising health care costs. As the legislative session begins, new research offers evidence about an investment that addresses these realities: age-specific, affordable housing with supportive services for adults 55 and older.A recent study from NORC at the University of Chicag
  
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• South Burlington students start school food pantry for classmates

  28-01-2026 01:06 via vtdigger.org
  Seniors Ally Leduc, left, and Katie Williamson, at South Burlington High School’s new food shelf, which they launched shortly before the school’s winter break. Photo by Sophia BalunekThis story by Sophia Balunek was first published in The Other Paper on Jan. 22, 2026.j28% of students this year in the South Burlington School District qualify for free or reduced lunch, which means they are living at or below the poverty line, according to data presented at a November school board meet
  
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• What happens when the state and towns clash over reservoirs

  28-01-2026 00:49 via vtdigger.org
  Berlin Pond is the City of Montpelier’s water supply on Nov. 7, 2022. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerSometimes, the law is a head scratcher.Take, for example, the Thurman W. Dix Reservoir, a little over 100-acre pond in Orange that serves as Barre City’s water supply. The Granite City owns all the land around the reservoir, allowing fishing access at two designated points and granting hunting permission through permits. But because the reservoir provides clean water to tho
  
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• Windsor County Sheriff charged with soliciting prostitution, other sex crimes

  28-01-2026 00:35 via vtdigger.org
  Windsor County Sheriff Ryan Palmer’s walks through the former state prison on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.. (Valley News – James M. Patterson)Windsor County Sheriff Ryan Palmer is facing 12 criminal charges after he was arrested Tuesday for a slew of sex crimes.The Vermont State Police began investigating Palmer in July after receiving anonymous tips about possible mismanagement of funds within the sheriff’s office, according to a state police press release. “During the
  
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• Vermont clergy travel to Minneapolis to observe and protest Trump’s immigration crackdown

  28-01-2026 00:00 via vtdigger.org
  People protest against ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) in downtown Minneapolis, Sunday, Jan. 25. Photo by Adam Gray/APMore than a dozen Vermont faith leaders traveled to Minneapolis last week to see the impacts of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown first-hand and bolster the ranks of people there who have protested against the government’s actions.The group of 14 clergy were invited on the trip by local religious leaders. Some of the Vermont leaders were on t
  
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• ‘Disaster response’: The extraordinary efforts to prevent homeless Vermonters from freezing to death

  27-01-2026 23:22 via vtdigger.org
  Sarah Russell, emergency services director at the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, encourages an unhoused person to go with her to a cold weather shelter in Burlington on Friday, Jan. 23. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThis story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.BURLINGTON – Sarah Russell steered the shuttle bus into the grocery store parking lot where, a few minutes before, a stranger
  
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• Former Vermont Department of Corrections chief to lead Rikers Island jails

  27-01-2026 23:03 via vtdigger.org
  Department of Corrections Commissioner Nicholas Deml speaks in Montpelier on May 2, 2023. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerNick Deml, former commissioner of the Vermont Department of Corrections, will lead the Rikers Island jail complex in New York City. Federal district judge Laura Taylor Swain picked Deml for the role Tuesday, the New York Times reported. In May, the judge first decided an outside official — rather than a member of the mayor’s staff — shoul
  
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• Sky Barsch to step down as CEO in June

  27-01-2026 16:50 via vtdigger.org
  Sky Barsch at an event in Warren. File photo. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe Board of Trustees of the Vermont Journalism Trust today announced that Sky Barsch has decided to step down as Chief Executive Officer of VTDigger, effective June 1, 2026. Sky will continue to serve as CEO until then, working closely with the Board and leadership team to advance the organization’s priorities and support a strong, thoughtful transition. Sky joined VTDigger in 2023 at a pivotal moment, foll
  
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• Briana Kohlbrenner: End-of-life care is under threat

  27-01-2026 13:05 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Briana Kohlbrenner, a volunteer coordinator with University of Vermont Home Health and Hospice and a member of the Hospice United union bargaining team. University of Vermont Home Health and Hospice (UVMHHH) is at a crossroads. As Vermont’s population ages, the demand for hospice care is growing. We encourage community members to access hospice services early, as it allows patients and their families more time to focus on individualized goals and be support
  
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• Maryellen Griffin: Evictions cause homelessness. We can’t afford more.  

  27-01-2026 00:53 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Maryellen Griffin, a staff attorney with Vermont Legal Aid who lives in Danville.The data confirms what common sense tells us: eviction is a leading cause of homelessness. Thousands of Vermonters are already homeless, including hundreds of children, and legislative proposals to speed up evictions will only make things worse.  Landlords filed 1,818 eviction cases in Vermont in 2024. If we speed up the eviction process, where will these households go? 
  READ MO
  
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• Vermont is failing to meet its energy-reduction targets, state auditor finds

  27-01-2026 00:43 via vtdigger.org
  Photo via Adobe StockVermont is failing to meet and monitor its own longstanding goals to formally reduce the amount of energy the state consumes — laws and systems aimed both at reducing cost and impact on the environment — according to a recent report from the State Auditor’s Office.At the center of auditor Doug Hoffer’s report are the shortcomings of two initiatives: the State Agency Energy Plan, which is an evolving document providing guidance since 1992 for state ag
  
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• Vermont government is failing to reduce its energy use to meet its reduction targets, state auditor finds

  27-01-2026 00:43 via vtdigger.org
  Photo via Adobe StockVermont’s state government is failing to meet and monitor its own longstanding goals to formally reduce the amount of energy the state consumes — laws and systems aimed both at reducing cost and impact on the environment — according to a recent report from the State Auditor’s Office.At the center of auditor Doug Hoffer’s report are the shortcomings of two initiatives: the State Agency Energy Plan, which is an evolving document providing guidanc
  
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