Vermont news

• East or West, Hometown Favorite Mikaela Shiffrin Draws Cheers in World Cup Race

  28-11-2016 02:25
  Shiffrin, who won her 10th consecutive World Cup slalom on Sunday, has ties to both sides of the United States.
  
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• Jeremy R. Baker: Expressing our disappointment in the failure of S.304 to pass the House

  15-05-2024 15:02 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,As the president of the Vermont Retail Lumber Dealers Association (VRLDA), I write to express our disappointment in the recent failure of S.304 to pass the House. This bill held the promise of making a significant impact on workforce development in our state.The VRLDA represents locally owned, independently operated lumber and building material (LBM) dealers, and we have been staunch advocates for S.304. This legislation aimed to establish a cohesive system that would bridge academic
  
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• Leo Pond: Responsible development is needed in Vermont

  15-05-2024 12:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Leo Pond, a Vermont-licensed real estate agent at Blue Ridge Real Estate.
  Recent debates in VTDigger from Ali Jalili and Howard Krum have shed some light on the issue of development in Vermont. It’s crucial to advocate for a balanced approach that acknowledges the value of responsible development. Jalili highlights the essential role of for-profit developers in meeting the housing needs of our communities. He rightly emphasizes the important efforts developers u
  
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• Homeless Upper Valley couple faces ‘a very tough situation’

  15-05-2024 12:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  Nichole Rogers, left, pets her Rottweiler, Diesel, while Ben Harper fashions a handle for a rake in front of their camper, parked on a pull-out on Route 14 in Sharon on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Photo by Alex Driehaus/Valley News.This story by Frances Mize was first published in the Valley News on May 10.SHARON — With homelessness at record levels in Vermont, an Upper Valley couple’s precarious living situation toppled last month following a trespassing order from the state and com
  
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• Barre voters return Thom Lauzon to mayorship

  15-05-2024 02:27 via vtdigger.org
  
  Thom Lauzon. Photo by Natalie Williams/VTDigger
  City Councilor and former Mayor Thom Lauzon will return as mayor of Barre, following the city’s delayed local elections on Tuesday. Lauzon defeated fellow Councilor Samn Stockwell by a vote of 902 to 645 — or 58% to 41% — according to unofficial results provided by the city clerk’s office. Lauzon is a local accountant, property owner and developer who served as Barre’s mayor for 12 years before moving to his
  
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• Man charged with killing ex-girlfriend asks court to throw out his murder charge due to ‘insufficient’ evidence

  15-05-2024 01:33 via vtdigger.org
  
  Deven Moffitt. Photo courtesy of Vermont State Police
  A Bennington man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and burying her near a gravel pit is asking the court to dismiss his murder charge, saying the state’s evidence rests solely on two jailed informants.The defendant, Deven Moffitt, 33, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Jessica Hildenbrandt in July 2019. Hildenbrandt of Ballston Spa, New York, had been missing for a couple of months when her remains were found near
  
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• Final Reading: It’s the last one, until 2025

  15-05-2024 00:47 via vtdigger.org
  
  Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, D-Brattleboro, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, left, confers with Sen. Jane Kitchel, D-Caledonia, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee outside the Senate chamber at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Thursday, May 9, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  And just like that, another legislative session has come and gone. The Vermont Senate and House gaveled out for just about the final time early Saturday morning, closing out the second legislative sessi
  
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• Open meeting carveout for Truth and Reconciliation Commission becomes law without Phil Scott’s signature

  15-05-2024 00:08 via vtdigger.org
  
  Gov. Phil Scott speaks during his weekly press conference at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  Gov. Phil Scott has allowed a bill to become law without his signature that, among other measures, allows members of the Vermont Truth and Reconciliation Commission to hold deliberations outside of the requirements of the state’s Open Meeting Law.Scott said he refused to sign the bill, H.649, because of that provision. It allows a majority
  
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• Former Vermont man charged for alleged role in death of James ‘Whitey’ Bulger reaches plea deal

  14-05-2024 22:30 via vtdigger.org
  
  Sean McKinnon. Photo courtesy of Marion County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office
  A former Montpelier man charged for his alleged role as a lookout when crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger was beaten to death in federal prison has reached a plea deal.A federal prosecutor filed paperwork Monday in U.S. District Court in West Virginia indicating that Sean McKinnon has “executed a binding plea agreement.” Terms of the deal, including what charges he was admitting to as well
  
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• Lawmakers pass flood disclosure requirements for home sellers, landlords

  14-05-2024 21:34 via vtdigger.org
  
  An excavator digs out access to a manufactured home that was flooded in Berlin on July 13, 2023. File photo by Natalie Williams/VTDigger
  This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.A few years ago, when Corinne Cooper was considering leasing a lot at a manufactured home park in Berlin, she had some sense that the park had experienced minor flooding in the past. But, she said, she didn’t receive much in
  
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• Burlington mayor proposes closing budget gap with one-time funds, tax increases

  14-05-2024 20:44 via vtdigger.org
  
  Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak speaks during a Tuesday morning press conference, where she announced the city had closed a projected $13.8 million deficit for fiscal year 2025. Photo by Corey McDonald/VTDigger
  BURLINGTON — Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak on Tuesday announced that her administration had identified a “range of revenue sources and cost saving” measures to close a projected $13.8 million budget deficit.Mulvaney-Stanak, who took office in April, is proposing rais
  
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• Welcome to Maple Mountain Homestead

  14-05-2024 20:26 via vtdigger.org
  
  Join us at Maple Mountain Homestead, where a New York City native and a suburbanite from New Jersey have rewritten their lives by homesteading on a beautiful mountainside in Vermont. Stephanie, once trapped in the 9-5 grind of New York City, found her passion in nature and organic food, leading her to embrace permaculture and regenerative agriculture. José, a city dweller turned naturalist, now devotes his time to birdwatching and stewarding the land. Together, we invite you to learn, gr
  
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• Two classmates from North Country High School look to engineer their future

  14-05-2024 18:56 via vtdigger.org
  
  Cooper Hodgeman and Tate Parker have been challenging each other since elementary school, particularly when it comes to building things. “My earliest memory of Tate was the fourth-grade garden trellis building contest. I was so mad when his group beat mine for first place,” says Cooper, who lives in Derby. While the two friends were separated for a while shortly after Tate’s trellis team took home the win—when Tate’s family moved to Newport—they met
  
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• Health insurers seek large premium increases 

  14-05-2024 18:14 via vtdigger.org
  
  Photo via Adobe Stock
  Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont and MVP, the only insurers that sell health plans on the state’s insurance marketplace, are seeking permission to increase insurance premiums between roughly 9% to 19% for the upcoming year.Blue Cross Blue Shield is seeking an average premium hike of 16.3% for individual health plans, which consumers buy directly from the state’s insurance marketplace. Premiums for small group plans, for small employers with 100 or fewer employ
  
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• Police say masked man killed in apparent drug robbery in St. Johnsbury as search continues for suspect

  14-05-2024 15:35 via vtdigger.org
  
  A Vermont State Police crime scene truck is parked outside an apartment building on Summer Street in St. Johnsbury where authorities are investigating a fatal shooting that took place Monday night. Photo by Alan J. Keays/VTDiggerUpdated 5:06 p.m.
  ST. JOHNSBURY — Vermont State Police said an apparent robbery over illegal drugs turned deadly Monday night when a man wearing a mask tried to break into a St. Johnsbury apartment and was shot and killed by a person inside the residence who then
  
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• Police probe ‘suspicious’ death of man in St. Johnsbury; no one in custody

  14-05-2024 15:35 via vtdigger.org
  
  Vermont State Police say they are investigating the “suspicious” death of a man whose body was discovered following a report of a late Monday night shooting on Summer Street in St. Johnsbury.Police said in a press release issued Tuesday morning that the name of the deceased man was unknown. Nobody related to the incident was in custody at that time, police said. They called it an “isolated event with no generalized threat to the community at large.”The deceased man’
  
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• Cari Kelley: Let’s talk about mental health and how to keep each other safe 

  14-05-2024 15:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Cari Kelley of Grand Isle. She is a certified Mental Health First Aid and QPR instructor and workplace donor relations manager for United Way of Northwest Vermont.
  May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time for all of us to think about ways we can support each other while also checking in on our own mental health. Over the past year I’ve been thinking about this a lot through my experiences as a certified instructor of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and QPR, a suic
  
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• Latimer Hoke: When Green Up Day is treated as free trash pickup day

  14-05-2024 13:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Latimer Hoke of Milton.
  In lieu of Adopt-a-Highway programs, Vermont has “Green Up Day.” It recently made WCAX news that the town of Milton had a noticeable problem with people dumping their household trash and piles of tires on the side of the road, treating Green Up Day as something of a “free trash pickup day.” I’m certain Milton was not the only town with this problem.I recently moved home to Vermont after seven years in Montana. In Montan
  
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• Vermont is planning for a new women’s prison. Critics say it’s too big.

  14-05-2024 12:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  In an “honors” living unit at Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility, women are given greater liberties like doing laundry when they want. Photo courtesy Vermont Department of Corrections
  Owen Carpenter-Zehe is a reporter with Community News Service, part of the University of Vermont’s Reporting & Documentary Storytelling program. He wrote this story on assignment for Vermont Public. On a recent morning in March, Tanya Gagne talked about the building where she&rsqu
  
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• David J. Stecklare

  14-05-2024 01:45 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born Jan. 27, 1943Burlington, VermontDied May 13, 1996Burlington, VermontMemory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. You will live in our memories forever.Your loving family
  Read the story on VTDigger here:David J. Stecklare.
  
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• Months before Vermont’s primaries, secretary of state hires new elections director

  14-05-2024 00:21 via vtdigger.org
  
  A Milton voter marks their ballot on Town Meeting Day, Tuesday, March 7, 2023. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  Séan Sheehan, a veteran of several state agencies, is Vermont’s new elections director, Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas announced Monday. Sheehan will head her office’s elections division, which administers state elections and oversees campaign finance reporting and lobbyist disclosures. He takes the reins in the midst of a busy election
  
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• ‘They know where they’re going’: Watch out for turtles on the roadways  

  13-05-2024 23:49 via vtdigger.org
  
  Turtles are on the move and may be encountered on roads. The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is encouraging drivers to keep an eye out for them and, if safe to do so, help them cross the road. Photo courtesy of Dale Cockrell via the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department
  The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is urging motorists to watch out for turtles crossing roads during their peak breeding season, which begins now and will continue until roughly mid-June. Drivers should be espec
  
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• Pesticides, pet stores and animal welfare: 3 agriculture bills head to Gov. Phil Scott

  13-05-2024 23:29 via vtdigger.org
  
  The legislature considered bills this session on (clockwisde from top left) the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores, neonicotinoid pesticides, animal welfare and independent repairs for farm and logging equipment. Stock photos via Pexels and Pixabay.Bills related to animal welfare, pesticide use and pet stores are headed to the governor’s desk. A fourth agriculture-focused bill, which would have allowed farmers to more easily repair their equipment, lost support in its final stages and wi
  
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• Ex-corrections officer charged for alleged role in smuggling tobacco into Rutland prison

  13-05-2024 22:45 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility in Rutland on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerA state corrections officer who resigned his job amid a probe earlier this year is facing a criminal charge for allegedly helping to smuggle tobacco into the Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility in Rutland. David Orvis, 28, of Rutland, was issued a citation last week to appear in court in Rutland next month to face a misdemeanor charge of neglect of duty by a
  
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• George Longenecker: AI goes to college 

  13-05-2024 13:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by George Longenecker of Middlesex.
  I wanted to find out how easy it would be for a student to use artificial intelligence instead of their own minds. It’s been a few years since I retired and AI has made huge strides.ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a chatbot developed by OpenAI. Launched in 2022, AI is the fastest-growing software application in history, with 100 million users and a value of $80 billion.  It’s only on
  
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• Rev. Devon Thomas: UVM, don’t punish student protesters

  13-05-2024 12:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by the Rev. Devon Thomas, pastor of the Ascension Lutheran Church in South Burlington.
  As a pastor, I feel it is my professional and moral responsibility to speak to the crisis of conscience facing our nation and state.As of this writing, the civilian death toll in Gaza stands at around 34,654 according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. A third of these casualties are children.I do not say this without hesitation, and I thank my Jewish sisters and brothers who have already
  
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• After the flood, Johnson’s Foote Brook Farm forges ahead

  13-05-2024 12:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  Tony Lehouillier and Bruce Kaufman lower a black walnut tree into the ground at Foote Brook Farm as part of a regenerative farming project conducted by a team of volunteers last Friday. Photo by Aaron Calvin/New & CitizenThis story by Aaron Calvin was first published by the News & Citizen on May 9.The day after last July’s catastrophic flooding inundated Foote Brook Farm in Johnson — ruining or damaging crops, barns, machinery, feed and fertilizer — Tony Lehouillier go
  
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• Young Writers Project: ‘Words slipping through my grasp’

  12-05-2024 14:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  “A Library of Secrets,” by Ace Lafountain, 16, of Montpelier
  Young Writers Project is a creative online community of teen writers, photographers and artists, which has been based in Vermont since 2006. Each week, VTDigger features the writing and art of young Vermonters who publish their work on youngwritersproject.org, a free, interactive website for 12- to 18-year-olds. To find out more, visit youngwritersproject.org, or contact Executive Director Susan Reid at sreid@youngwritersp
  
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• Stowe Mountain Resort reaches parking lot agreement after lengthy appeal

  12-05-2024 14:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  Stowe Mountain Resort. File photo by the Stowe Reporter
  This story by Tommy Gardner was first published in the Stowe Reporter on May 9.Two years after Stowe zoning officials denied Stowe Mountain Resort a permit for a 286-space parking lot and neighbors to the proposed site opposed it, the sides have come to an agreement that essentially splits the difference.A settlement reached in Vermont Environmental Court on March 14 will allow the resort to construct a 150-space paved parking lot in its H
  
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• Bill Schubart: Can we get our legislative act together?

  12-05-2024 13:02 via vtdigger.org
  
  I don’t know whether it’s the natural wariness of Vermont’s early immigrants who succeeded the native peoples who had foraged and hunted here for millennia but were largely driven north into Canada by the colonial newcomers, or whether it was the Milton Friedman neoliberalism that swept American politically when Reagan came to power in 1981 and told us that government itself was the problem, not the solution, but Vermonters seem to have a natural wariness of government. Vermont
  
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