Vermont news

• Department of Labor announces workforce development director

  14-06-2017 17:28 via vtdigger.org
  
  News Release — Vermont Department of LaborJune 14, 2017
  Contact:Lindsay Kurrle802-828-4301
  Department of Labor Announces David Lahr as New Workforce Development Director
  MONTPELIER, VT – Commissioner of Labor, Lindsay Kurrle, announced the appointment of long-time Department of Labor employee David Lahr as the new Workforce Development Division Director.
  “As we work to align statewide workforce, education, and economic development resources necessary to develop a vibrant econom
  
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• Coffee for the community

  17-10-2026 14:30 via vtdigger.org
  
  Debbie Scherrer greets visitors to Saturday’s pop-up café on the porch of Rochester’s Kimball building. Photo by Tim Calabro/White River Valley HeraldThis story by Tim Calabro was first published in the White River Valley Herald on Oct. 8, 2026.When the Rochester Café closed early this summer, residents worried about losing more than a place to get breakfast. The café had been a gathering spot in the village center, and its closure came just before hundreds of v
  
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• Pro-Phil Scott super PAC launches ad buy, another signal Vermont governor’s race could be close

  17-10-2026 00:03 via vtdigger.org
  
  Democratic nominee for governor Amanda Janoo, left, and Republican Gov. Phil Scott. Photos by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerWith Election Day around the corner, big bucks are rolling into Vermont from a pro-Phil Scott super PAC tied to the Republican Governors Association. His challenger, Amanda Janoo, hasn’t received the same support from the analogous Democratic organization — and says she doesn’t want it — though her campaign has raised more money than Scott’s, the late
  
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• Addison County lands $3 million grant to fight addiction

  16-10-2026 22:49 via vtdigger.org
  
  These officials represent organizations that will deploy the $3 million grant, recently won by United Way of Addison County, to boost services for people struggling with substance use disorder. Pictured from left are Chelsea Delisle of the Charter House Coalition, Jubilee McGill and Danielle Wallace of the Peer Revery Center; United Way’s Celia Heath, Heidi Melbostad of Mountain Community Health, Helena Van Voorst of United Way, and Taylor Morley of the Counseling Service of Addison Count
  
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• In his third congressional race, Republican Gerald Malloy is looking for middle ground

  16-10-2026 22:37 via vtdigger.org
  
  Gerald Malloy, Republican candidate for Vermont’s U.S. House of Representatives seat. Photo by Emma White/VTDiggerIt’s been six years and two big losses since “Deploy Malloy” first entered Vermonters’ vocabulary — but this time he’s taking a different tack.    The slogan belongs to Gerald Malloy, a U.S. army veteran, former defense contractor at Lockheed Martin, Bowhead and Raytheon, and perennial congressional candidate in the Green
  
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• A free press under pressure: New York Times’ Eric Lipton speaks in Vermont

  16-10-2026 21:55 via vtdigger.org
  
  Eric Lipton, a four-time Pulitzer Prize winner and investigative reporter for The New York Times, talks to an audience at the Delta Hotel in South Burlington on 9 October 2026. Photo by Daria Bishop for Vermont Digger.Eric Lipton, an investigative journalist for the New York Times, spoke Friday, Oct. 9, at Delta Hotels in South Burlington about his reporting on profiteering within the Trump administration. More than 180 people attended the sold out event, hosted by VTDigger and Seven Days.Lipto
  
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• Popular Brousseau Mountain trail in Essex County conserved for peregrine falcons and future generations

  16-10-2026 21:32 via vtdigger.org
  
  The view looking southeast from Brousseau Mountain in Norton on September 4, 2021. Photo by K. Fiegenbaum/VTDiggerA remote, scenic hike in the border town of Norton has been permanently preserved for public access.Ann Sage, who grew up in the tiny Essex County town, and her husband, Victor Peters, sold a 21-acre parcel to the town of Norton this summer, Vermont Land Trust announced earlier this month. The town conserved the parcel, which hosts a quarter mile of the popular Brousseau Mountain Tr
  
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• Rural Vermont is losing its say over its own land

  16-10-2026 21:09 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Loralee Tester, executive director of the Northeast Kingdom Chamber of Commerce.In 1989, the Galick family sold its farm in West Haven to The Nature Conservancy. The family believed this well-established organization would protect the generations of labor they had given to the land they loved.The conservancy now plans to demolish it. The farmhouse, cow barn, creamery, sheep barn and machine shop are all slated to be torn down, even though some of the buildings date back to
  
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• Vermonters relieved and conflicted after Trump backs off execution livestream

  16-10-2026 00:50 via vtdigger.org
  
  An armed guard walks around the fortified Lawrence William Judicial Center as the sentencing phase for Maj. Nidal Hasan continues, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2013, in Fort Hood, Texas. Hasan was convicted of killing 13 of his unarmed comrades in the deadliest attack ever on a U.S. military base. Photo by Eric Gay/APNancy Welch was driving to the barn to see her horses when news of a planned livestreamed execution came over her car stereo. The barn is where she normally goes for an escape. This time, she
  
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• Barre wins flood recovery funds for long-awaited North End housing

  15-10-2026 23:13 via vtdigger.org
  
  The playground at Wobby Park in Barre City’s North End will be redeveloped into 17 townhomes. Photo by David Littlefield / Vermont Public
  Carly Berlin covers housing and infrastructure for Vermont Public, in partnership with VTDigger.A few months after flooding devastated Barre City in 2023, Gov. Phil Scott unveiled a bold vision for redeveloping his hometown. Buildings near the river in the city’s hard-hit North End neighborhood would be demolished and converted back to a floodplai
  
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• Expenses for EB-5 mop-up total $14 million as judge OKs $1 million more in fees

  15-10-2026 22:54 via vtdigger.org
  
  Michael Goldberg, the court-appointed receiver in the EB-5 fraud case, speaks at a Statehouse news conference in 2017. File photo by Michael Dougherty/VTDiggerMore than $14 million in legal and financial expenses have been rung up over 10 years since the largest investor fraud scandal in Vermont’s history, according to an Oct. 9 court filing by the receiver overseeing properties in the Northeast Kingdom that were engulfed in the scheme.Michael Goldberg, the court-appointed receiver, submi
  
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• Expenses for EB-5 mop up total $14 million as judge OKs $1 million more in fees

  15-10-2026 22:54 via vtdigger.org
  
  Michael Goldberg, the court-appointed receiver in the EB-5 fraud case, speaks at a Statehouse news conference in 2017. File photo by Michael Dougherty/VTDiggerMore than $14 million in legal and financial expenses have been rung up over 10 years since the largest investor fraud scandal in Vermont’s history, according to an Oct. 9 court filing by the receiver overseeing properties in the Northeast Kingdom that were engulfed in the scheme.Michael Goldberg, the court-appointed receiver, submi
  
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• Don’t pour more money into a broken healthcare system

  15-10-2026 22:28 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,Every attempt at public involvement in healthcare in Vermont in the last 25 years has not only failed, but left Vermont with some of the highest-cost healthcare and insurance in the world — though not the best outcomes.The public explanations for this situation appear to be tired bull: We are older and sicker and get less money from the government. Until we can publicly explain this train wreck and get some accountability, I would be extraordinarily reluctant to shovel more mo
  
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• After a stormy week, cold arrives and much of Vermont passes peak foliage

  15-10-2026 22:15 via vtdigger.org
  
  Fallen leaves cover a picnic table in Jericho Center on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. . Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  This year, VTDigger is teaming up with Henry’s Weather Channel to help answer the annual question of when and where peak foliage will make its appearance across the state.Each week, we’ll bring you an updated look at how foliage is unfolding statewide, paired with a weekend forecast, so you can plan your drive, hike or porch-sitting accordingly. Henry brings meteoro
  
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• Vermont’s land laws should incentivize people who heal the land

  15-10-2026 21:26 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Ben Falk, a land planner and the founder of Whole Systems Design. He lives in Moretown.“A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community,” the conservationist Aldo Leopold wrote in “A Sand County Almanac,” his classic account of restoring a worn-out Wisconsin farm. For 25 years, I’ve tried to put Leopold’s “land ethic” into practice at my beat-up, abandoned sheep pas
  
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• English programs face rising anxiety amid fears of immigration enforcement

  15-10-2026 20:15 via vtdigger.org
  
  Helene Rassias-Miles, Executive Director of the Rassias Center for World Languages and Cultures, leads a training session with her team while refining future lesson plans in Hanover, Nh., on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. Photo by Sophia Sahni/Valley NewsThis story by Sophia Sahni first appeared in the Valley News on Oct. 12, 2026.Across the Upper Valley, a network of free English language learning programs serves immigrants at every level.In Hanover, New Hampshire, the Supporting Refugees Club, crea
  
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• Robert A. Burley, FAIA

  15-10-2026 00:25 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born: 12/11/1927Buffalo, New YorkDied: 09/23/2026Shelburne, VermontDetails of service:There will be a memorial event to honor Bob’s life at the Mad River Glen Basebox on Saturday, October 24, at 2:00 p.m. All are welcome. Please bring memories and stories to share.Bob Burley read The New York Times nearly every day of his adult life, and would have appreciated us starting in Times style:Robert A. “Bob” Burley, a longtime resident of Waitsfield, who started his brilliant 60-yea
  
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• Vermont Conversation: Stealing Elections, American Style: Voting rights attorney David Walbert on how the 2026 election could be hijacked — and saved

  14-10-2026 23:47 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Vermont Conversation with David Goodman is a VTDigger podcast that features in-depth interviews on local and national issues. Listen and subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts.Author David Walbert and his latest book, “Stealing Elections, American Style.” Courtesy photoElection deniers, egged on by President Donald Trump, are now running elections in numerous locales across the country. The playbook for stealing el
  
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• Feds issue warning on grant funds after Vermont identifies own mistakes

  14-10-2026 23:11 via vtdigger.org
  
  Education Secretary Zoie Saunders, left, and Tammy Kolbe, acting State Board of Education chair. Photos by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerVermont spent nearly eight years incorrectly choosing schools that needed state resources to address widening achievement gaps, according to Zoie Saunders, Vermont’s secretary of education. The state caught the error itself this spring and reported the mistake to the federal government within hours — then heard nothing for months.Then, in September, offici
  
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• ‘Fuck the Flock cameras’: On big tech, Vermont’s candidates for governor differ on style and substance

  14-10-2026 22:48 via vtdigger.org
  
  A license plate reader camera on VT Route 7A in Manchester seen on Thursday, June 11, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger“Fuck the Flock cameras, dude. Let’s ban ‘em.”Amanda Janoo, the Democratic nominee for governor of Vermont in this fall’s election, left no room for doubt about her feelings on the controversial license plate readers used by police in Vermont and around the country in a social media video last week. In the same post, Janoo also said Vermon
  
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• Turn Trump’s $90 payment into a campaign check

  14-10-2026 22:05 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,Several acquaintances have told me they recently received $90 deposits in their checking accounts. They determined the money was sent under the authority of the president. Whether this was or is an attempt by President Donald Trump to buy people’s votes in the Nov. 3 election is something I don’t know. I do know I think it is a good idea that these acquaintances said they were donating their $90 to candidates of their choice.I will check with my bank this week to se
  
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• Engaged young voters across Vermont aim to get their peers to the polls

  14-10-2026 21:32 via vtdigger.org
  
  Voting stickers are pictured from a previous Vermont election. File photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDiggerIan Goldfeld said he has seen an uptick in attendance for the University of Vermont’s Political Science Club lately. Goldfeld, a junior who serves as the club’s president, said that the nonpartisan organization’s attendance fell after the 2024 presidential election, but that buzz surrounding November’s general election has students eager to learn about candidate
  
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• Cheaper tuition alone won’t get first-generation students to college

  14-10-2026 20:50 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by David Stahler Jr., a writing and literature teacher at Lyndon Institute.Vermont is making college more affordable, and that is good news. But a lower tuition bill doesn’t teach students how to apply, manage a college workload or see college as a place where they belong.For many first-generation and low-income students, the barrier is not the price. It is the distance between the life they know and the one no one has shown them how to reach. Federally funded Upward Bo
  
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• Former Vermont Rep. Noel Neely died two days before being found, documents show

  14-10-2026 17:38 via vtdigger.org
  
  A street sign for Douglas Hill Road in Norwich near the Neely residence. Photo courtesy of Valley NewsThis story by Alex Ebrahimi was first published in the Valley News on Oct. 13, 2026.NORWICH — Former Vermont Rep. Noel Neely died two days before police found her body, according to details from search warrant applications.The investigation, Vermont State Police wrote in an affidavit establishing probable cause to search her residence and a vehicle on the property, concerned “the su
  
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• Tuition free college or training? Yes!

  14-10-2026 17:19 via vtdigger.org
  
  As seasons change, it’s always a good time to think about what’s next and evaluate options. And when it comes to college, training, and career changes, there’s truly no better time than the present to go back to school, finish a degree, or start something new. Education unlocks economic opportunity. The cost of education is also a huge factor—but did you know VSAC and our partners offer many opportunities to earn a degree, tuition free?These programs are available t
  
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• An ‘arms embargo’ organization could cost Vermont dearly

  14-10-2026 00:18 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,The Vermont People’s Arms Embargo (VPAE) has listed 35 Vermont companies that support thousands of jobs across our state in what effectively amounts to a blacklist. These employers provide skilled work across a range of industries, including positions advertised at six-figure salaries. Their employees own homes, raise families and send their children to Vermont schools. Losing these employers and the jobs they support could be catastrophic for communities already struggling wi
  
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• Essex parking saga comes to a close

  13-10-2026 23:53 via vtdigger.org
  
  Construction of the Essex County Courthouse in Guildhall abuts the Essex County Sheriff’s Deprtment on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. . Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe Essex County sheriff lost his bid to block a parking lot redesign he says would jeopardize public safety.Judge Joseph McLean recently dismissed Sheriff Trevor Colby’s appeal, finding that his concerns about department operations did not establish grounds to challenge the project under local zoning bylaws.The revise
  
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• Essex County parking saga comes to a close

  13-10-2026 23:53 via vtdigger.org
  
  Construction of the Essex County Courthouse in Guildhall abuts the Essex County Sheriff’s Deprtment on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. . Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe Essex County sheriff lost his bid to block a parking lot redesign he says would jeopardize public safety.Judge Joseph McLean recently dismissed Sheriff Trevor Colby’s appeal, finding that his concerns about department operations did not establish grounds to challenge the project under local zoning bylaws.The revise
  
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• UVM Health watchdog turns its sights to Vermont’s broader healthcare system

  13-10-2026 23:45 via vtdigger.org
  
  Mike Smith pictured at the Vermont Technical College campus in Williston in May 2023. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe independent watchdog group tasked with assessing UVM Health’s finances since spring 2025 used the final months of its assignment to propose a broader look at how regulators, lawmakers and insurers can address healthcare affordability beyond the state’s largest health network. “We wanted to lay out some direction for everyone to pay attention to,&rd
  
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• Burlington man accused of killing his wife with a flashlight denies murder charge

  13-10-2026 23:24 via vtdigger.org
  
  Bal Khadka is arraigned in Chittenden Superior criminal court in Burlington on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Khadka is charged with second degree murder in the death of his wife Lila. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerA Burlington man is accused of killing his wife by beating her with a flashlight in front of young children, according to charging documents made public Tuesday. Bal Khadka, 44, through his attorney, entered not guilty pleas Tuesday morning during his arraignment in Chittenden Supe
  
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