Vermont news

• Curt McCormack: Raise the minimum wage

  15-03-2018 00:05 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Rep. Curt McCormack, of Burlington, a Democrat who represents the Chittenden 6-3 district in the Vermont House of Representatives.
  We know that a lot of middle-aged people, including couples, work full time at the minimum wage, which means that they do not make enough to provide just the basics for their families.
  So, what can we do? We can start by gradually raising Vermont’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, so working people can meet the basics to c
  
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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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• Federal agency cancels sending Vermont workers to assist ICE in Minnesota

  27-01-2026 00:36 via vtdigger.org
  Federal immigration officers deploy tear gas Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has reportedly canceled its plan to send some of its Vermont workers to Minnesota — for now.According to an employee who works for the federal agency in one of its Vermont offices, USCIS notified workers by email Monday that its plan to temporarily deploy a few employees to Minnesota to assist the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or
  
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• Snowed in — unless you’re skiing: Vermont schools close as slopes fill up

  27-01-2026 00:11 via vtdigger.org
  Winter storms blanketed Vermont with snow over the weekend and Monday, forcing schools to close, impacting road conditions and driving the masses to ski slopes. At least 8 inches of snow accumulation was reported across that state, with some locations reporting close to 15 inches over the course of the storm, according to the National Weather Services. Snow from the storm was lighter and more powdery because of the low moisture content, according to Adrianna Kremer, a meteorologist in
  
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• Gov. Scott calls on Trump to ‘pause’ immigration crackdown after agents kill Minnesota man

  26-01-2026 17:09 via vtdigger.org
  About 300 protesters gather outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Williston on Tuesday, January 20, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe day after federal immigration agents fatally shot Minneapolis protestor Alex Pretti, Vermont Republican Gov. Phil Scott condemned the violence of federal immigration agents. “Enough…it’s not acceptable for American citizens to be killed by federal agents for exercising their God-given and constitutional rights t
  
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• Solving student mental health and affordability challenges through partnership

  26-01-2026 15:35 via vtdigger.org
  From L to R: NKHS Lincoln Street School Team: Renee Norrie, Jennifer Thompson (STJS Special Educator), Brahms Barrett, Jennifer Alexander-Whitmore, Hannah Ainsworth
  As Vermont grapples with education reform and rising property taxes, one partnership, among many in the Vermont Care Partners (VCP) network, is proving that innovation through collaboration can address both student mental health needs and affordability concerns in the Northeast Kingdom. This year, St. Johnsbury School District and N
  
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• Even more mail delays, explained: How two quiet USPS changes are reshaping delivery in Vermont

  26-01-2026 12:55 via vtdigger.org
  A postal worker assists a customer at the post office in Montpelier on Oct. 7, 2024. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe U.S. Postal Service in Vermont has quietly implemented changes to the way mail is processed that are expected to further slow down the delivery speed of many mail categories for Vermonters. Vermont is the latest region to join Regional Transportation Optimization, a new strategy that ends evening collection of mail that’s more than 50 miles away from regional m
  
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• Amy Spear and Megan Sullivan: Vermont trails the nation

  25-01-2026 13:03 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Amy Spear, president of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, and Megan Sullivan, vice president of government affairs for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.Each year, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce sets legislative priorities grounded in one core objective: advancing the Vermont economy. As we enter the 2026 session, Vermont stands at a defining moment. Affordability pressures, demographic decline and rising operating costs are converging just as our state needs more worke
  
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• More than a dozen athletes with Vermont ties named to U.S. Olympic team

  25-01-2026 12:56 via vtdigger.org
  Mac Forehand of Winhall executes a trick in a World Cup freestyle ski finals in Colorado in 2022. Photo by Hugh Carey/Associated Press
  Ask Julia Kern about her upcoming trip to Italy and she’ll talk up the appetizers and savory scenery. Then comes the main course — the one where she’ll compete alongside more than a dozen other athletes with Vermont ties at the 2026 Winter Olympics.Like a majority of the state’s qualifying skiers for Alpine, biathlon, cross-country and fr
  
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• As child care growth gains momentum across Vermont, some regions lag behind

  25-01-2026 12:52 via vtdigger.org
  Jena Desautels, left, helps her daughter Adalee Pelletier, age 4, get dressed at Little Shepherd Child Care and Preschool in St. Albans City on Thursday, Jan. 22. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerTheo Wells-Spackman is a Report for America corps member who reports for VTDigger.Nicole Streeter thought she’d had it tough when she found only minimal child care options for her daughter while living in North Hero. Then, she and her husband moved to Franklin County.“There were no openi
  
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