Vermont news

• James D. Carr

  26-06-2026 23:43 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born: 02/01/1926Halifax, Vt.Died: 06/23/2026Bellows Falls, Vt.Details of service:July 18, 2026, 11:00 a.m., Oak Hill Cemetery, Bellows Falls, VTJames D. Carr was born on February 1,1926 in W. Halifax, Vermont the son of Donald and Lu (Brown) Carr. He attended schools in W. Halifax and Putney. At age 14, he dropped out of school and went to work on a farm in Putney for room and board for 50 cents a week. He moved to Bellows Falls with his family at age 15 and worked at Hubbard, Parker
  
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• Rockwell was ‘At Home in Vermont’

  27-06-2026 13:22 via vtdigger.org
  
  Shelburne Museum Curator Carolyn Bauer stands in front of the three Norman Rockwell paintings the museum owns. Photo by Sophia Balunek/Shelburne NewsThis story by Liberty Darr was first published in the Shelburne News on June 25, 2026.“In New York, the models I’ve had to depend on are all washed-out and unhealthy. Up here, I not only encounter practically every type of American I’ll ever have to use, but they look healthy!”The quote by iconic illustrator Norman Rockwell
  
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• West Rutland man killed in hit-and-run, state police say

  27-06-2026 01:26 via vtdigger.org
  
  A Vermont State Police cruiser seen in Burlington on Thursday, January 23, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerA West Rutland man was killed there early Friday morning in a hit-and-run crash on Main Street, and investigators are searching for the driver who fled, according to Vermont State Police.Devin Pierro, 30, of West Rutland, was walking west on Main Street near Whipple Hollow Road around 5:25 a.m. when a passing vehicle struck him, according to state police. He was pronounced dead at the
  
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• Beta Technologies plans to expand campus to 100 acres

  27-06-2026 00:32 via vtdigger.org
  
  Flyers for Beta Technologies’ Shunpike Road June 10 meeting to discuss growth plans with neighbors were still visible last week. Photo by Sophia Balunek/The Other PaperThis story by Liberty Darr was first published in The Other Paper on June 25, 2026.It’s no surprise that Beta Technologies, the electric aviation tech giant, has plans to build an empire in the Green Mountain State.But the company has now publicly showcased some preliminary plans to build out its campus off Williston
  
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• Driver faces charge of DUI with death resulting in Orleans County crash that killed passenger

  27-06-2026 00:24 via vtdigger.org
  
  A Vermont State Police cruiser seen in Burlington on Thursday, January 23, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerA Lowell man faces a charge of drunken driving with death resulting after a crash that killed a woman riding in the side-by-side vehicle he was driving Thursday night, according to Vermont State Police.Charging documents state that police were notified of the crash at around 10:30 p.m. on Newton Road in Lowell when Randy Lemieux II, 27, was driving a Polaris RZR. The vehicle rolled ov
  
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• In post-pandemic Vermont, the high-end destination wedding industry has ‘exploded’

  26-06-2026 22:33 via vtdigger.org
  
  Wedding cocktails are held at the formal gardens of Hildene, the Lincoln Family Home in Manchester. Photo courtesy of Jesse SchloffTheo Wells-Spackman is a Report for America corps member who reports for VTDigger.When Emily Pierson decided to get married in Vermont, she knew she had to act fast before venues and vendors booked up.Having often visited her mother’s childhood stomping grounds in the Green Mountain State when she was younger, the Las Vegas-based educational consultant sa
  
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• Lyme disease is on the rise in Vermont. Here’s how to protect yourself and still enjoy the outdoors

  26-06-2026 22:17 via vtdigger.org
  
  A tick on a blade of grass waiting for a host. Its front legs are outstretched to allow it to latch onto the host. Photo by Leroy Baptiste/Creative CommonsPatti Casey remembers some news organization calling her job one of the “ten worst jobs in the world, ever.” But to Casey, “It’s kind of cool.” Casey is director of a Vermont Agency of Agriculture program tasked with monitoring the state’s tick population. So from spring to early summer, her team
  
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• Trust in Vermont Fish and Wildlife is eroding 

  26-06-2026 20:05 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Brenna Galdenzi, the president of Protect Our Wildlife.Trust is a fragile thing — hard to earn, easy to lose. For wildlife protection advocates, trust in the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s leadership has never really been earned and keeps slipping further away. Earlier this year, the department began discussing bear management and the need to kill more bears. Notably, at the Fish and Wildlife Department Board meeting on June 17, the department ackn
  
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• Marcel Rocheleau

  26-06-2026 19:53 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born: 06/10/1949St. Albans, Vt.Died: 06/19/2026Morrisville, Vt.Details of service:Military ServiceJuly 9, 11:00 a.m.Vermont Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Randolph, Vt.Arrangements are in the care of Lamoille Funeral Home. Online condolences may be made at www.vtfuneralhomes.comMarcel Lucien Rocheleau died in his home in Morrisville, Vermont on Friday June 19th, at age 77.Marcel was born June 10, 1949 in St. Albans to Ovila and Gabrielle (Godin) Rocheleau.He attended St. Albans schools and enjoyed
  
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• Housing Authority seeks Hartford-area land donations

  26-06-2026 00:07 via vtdigger.org
  
  Clean shovels await ceremonial duty at a ribbon-cutting. File photo by Hilary Niles/VTDiggerThis story by Liz Sauchelli was first published in the Valley News on June 24, 2026.The Vermont State Housing Authority is looking for landowners in Hartford and the surrounding area who are interested in subdividing part of their properties to build single-family homes.This year, the public corporation launched Move-In Vermont to connect with municipalities, nonprofits and private landowners who have va
  
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• Elizabeth “Leslie” Frydenlund

  25-06-2026 23:39 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born: 03/25/1953Bennington, Vt.Died: 06/22/2026Burlington, Vt.Details of service:Please join us for a cheerful celebration of Leslie’s life on Saturday, August 1st at the Greg Brown Lodge from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 264 Hardack Drive, St. Albans, VT 05478.Elizabeth “Leslie” Frydenlund of West Swanton, Vermont. passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on June 22, 2026.  A woman of boundless warmth and witty humor, Leslie was born on March 25, 1953 in Bennington,
  
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• Don’t let Donald Sinex anywhere near Burlington’s downtown

  25-06-2026 23:09 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Ron Jacobs, who lives in Winooski.Now that Burlington High School will be returning to its previous grounds in a new building, the question is what will happen to the building formerly known as Macy’s.  Developers are proposing a variety of possibilities. One is a developer who contributed significantly to the failure of the former CityPlace mall project, Donald Sinex, the owner of the Macy’s building. In 2016, Sinex and then-Mayor Miro Weinberge
  
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• Creditors in Vermont Catholic bankruptcy case seek access to an estimated $500M in parish assets

  25-06-2026 22:41 via vtdigger.org
  
  Ludlow’s Church of the Annunciation is one of nearly 70 local parishes overseen by the Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDiggerClergy abuse claimants have asked a court to allow them to pursue an estimated half-billion dollars in local parish assets as part of the Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese’s current bankruptcy case.The state’s largest religious denomination filed for Chapter 11 protection in the fall of 2024, arguing that a past series of pri
  
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• Zizian member tied to border patrol agent killing in Vermont now charged in the deaths of her own parents

  25-06-2026 22:07 via vtdigger.org
  
  Michelle Zajko, who is associated with a cultlike group known as Zizians that is linked to several deaths across the U.S., is escorted into court for a pretrial hearing on trespassing, gun and drug charges in Cumberland, Md., Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Scolforo, File)A member of a cultlike group who authorities allege was tied to the fatal shooting of a border patrol agent in Vermont is now facing charges of killing her parents in Pennsylvania years earlier. The new murder charg
  
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• Vermont utilizes food shelves to provide children with free meals during summer break

  25-06-2026 21:21 via vtdigger.org
  
  Seven-year-old Vivian Denney takes food from Culinary Manager Justin Pfanzer at Feeding Champlain Valley in Burlington on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerFor Vermont children from food-insecure families who rely on school lunches as their most dependable meal, advocacy groups are filling the summer gap with free meal programs.At a food site in Burlington at the Community Resource Center, an average of five to 10 kids a week stop by and are met with a food shelf, soup kitc
  
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• Vermont passed its education law. Now comes the hard part.

  25-06-2026 19:39 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Flor Diaz Smith, president of the Vermont School Boards Association and eastern representative and chair of the legislative committee of the National School Board.On June 18, Gov. Phil Scott signed into law an education transformation bill that aims to strengthen Vermont public schools and districts, make efficient use of public funding, and ultimately ensure the success of all students and graduates. H.955, the final bill approved by the General Assembly and signed b
  
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• Seeking technical education, schools may be looking inward

  25-06-2026 01:26 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Center for Technology Essex in Essex Junction.File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThis story by Liberty Darr and Briana Brady was first published in The Other Paper on June 18, 2026.This month, more than 5,000 seniors across Vermont graduated from high school. A significant portion of those teens graduated from the state’s career and technical centers.Of the more than 20,000 high school students in Vermont, around a quarter enroll at one of the state’s 17 career and technical ce
  
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• Vermont Attorney General will not prosecute state trooper who fatally shot unarmed Putney man

  25-06-2026 00:35 via vtdigger.org
  
  A Vermont State Police crime scene team member at the site of the Scott Garvey shooting in July 2025. File photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDiggerVermont Attorney General Charity Clark declined Tuesday to prosecute a state police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man who was experiencing a mental health crisis last year. Vermont State Police Trooper Peter Romeo fatally shot 55-year-old Scott Garvey in his Putney home on July 7, 2025. Romeo opened fire on Garvey after police entere
  
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• Candidates backed by Vermont’s Bernie Sanders sweep House primaries in New York City

  25-06-2026 00:07 via vtdigger.org
  
  U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT., speaks during a Get Out The Vote rally ahead of New York’s primary election, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)A slate of progressive Democratic candidates for Congress backed by Vermont’s independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani swept their primary elections Tuesday.The victories, in one case over a five-term incumbent, showed that the wave of support on which Mamda
  
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• ‘A ray of hope’: A Franklin County dairy facility to reopen this fall amid a spate of shutdowns

  25-06-2026 00:05 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dairy cows behind a barn in Vermont in March 2022. File photo by Riley Robinson/VTDiggerA longtime plant manager is buying a recently shuttered Franklin County dairy facility and reopening it this fall, a rare bright spot for a Vermont dairy industry battered by a string of recent production shutdowns.John Ovitt said he plans to take ownership of the Franklin Foods plant Sept. 1 and will reopen it as Franklin County Cheese, producing some of the same line of products as the previous operation b
  
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• Vermont Conversation: Cartoonist Tillie Walden celebrates early American queer love in Vermont in new book

  24-06-2026 23:45 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.From left: “Charity & Sylvia” graphic novel by cartoonist Tillie Walden; A self-portrait of the cartoonist Tillie Walden, who is a former Vermont Cartoonist Laureate.In the early 1800s, Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake spent 44 years as li
  
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• Patriotism is not a dirty word

  24-06-2026 23:10 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Shawn Tester, the chief executive officer of Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital.A few months ago, rummaging through some old memorabilia, I came across a large bronze commemorative medallion my grandfather gave me during our nation’s bicentennial celebration in 1976. I was only 5 years old at the time, but I still remember the exuberance and pride that seemed to fill every corner of our community — flags waving from front porches, parades winding through to
  
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• Vermont’s classrooms are a Big Tech sales pitch

  24-06-2026 22:16 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Laura Derrendinger, who co-leads the Vermont Coalition for Independence, Reconnection and Liberation.With the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding approaching, it is time to declare Vermont’s schools independent of so-called Big Tech. The online and digital product companies — Google and Apple chief among them — are this era’s mercenaries, hired to maximize profits by putting their products directly in front of a captive audience of scho
  
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• A federal judge orders an ICE detainee with mental illness released, finding her six-month detention unconstitutional

  24-06-2026 02:53 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington in August 2024. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerRUTLAND — A Haitian asylum seeker arrived at a Vermont prison having been prescribed psychiatric medication weeks earlier, but prison healthcare providers and outside experts disagreed about the kind of treatment she needed while incarcerated in the state, according to testimony in a federal case that ended Monday when a judge ordered her release.“The list really goe
  
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• Drunken driving case may linger for Addison state’s attorney due to new disciplinary action

  23-06-2026 23:40 via vtdigger.org
  
  Addison County States Attorney Eva Vekos pleads no contest to a DUI charge in Chittenden County Superior criminal court Burlington in Dec. 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerBURLINGTON —  Prosecutors don’t want Addison County State’s Attorney Eva Vekos’ drunken driving conviction expunged from her record yet, because they say the move could jeopardize a new professional disciplinary proceeding against her. A delay in expungement, which the defense opposed and
  
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• National Weather Service classifies West Woodstock storm as EF1 tornado

  23-06-2026 23:25 via vtdigger.org
  
  Broken trees stand on the hill across the Ottauquechee River from the home of Bryon and Jen Lockhart in West Woodstock after a powerful storm swept across the Upper Valley on Thursday, June 18, 2026. Photo by James M. Patterson/Valley NewsThis story by Marion Umpleby was first published in the Valley News on June 22, 2026.WEST WOODSTOCK — Meteorologists from the National Weather Service have deemed the storm that wreaked havoc in the area of Bridgewater and West Woodstock on Thursday an E
  
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• Calling nuclear power clean doesn’t make it true

  23-06-2026 23:18 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,Gov. Phil Scott selling Vermont the nuclear kool-aid is unacceptable. The governor insists that nuclear power is clean. He supports developing small modular nuclear reactors in Vermont. In an attempt to meet Vermont’s carbon commitments, the state wants to substitute the definition of “clean” for “renewable” to justify nuclear’s inclusion with H.601. Nuclear energy is neither clean nor green. We must do better. We need solutions that are truly sus
  
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• Vermont needs better housing, not just more of it

  23-06-2026 20:40 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by John Bossange, the president of the board of directors of Better (not Bigger) Vermont.Few would deny that we have a shortage of lower and moderately priced housing available for hardworking Vermonters. Sadly, what is being constructed now is often pitched at wealthy second-home and out-of-state buyers rather than local Vermont families. Worse, the new housing is often poorly located and is either an unsightly scar on the natural landscape or a depressing blight along a maj
  
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• Court says it might dismiss Vermont Catholic diocese bankruptcy case if progress isn’t made soon

  23-06-2026 19:57 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese is selling its South Burlington headquarters at 55 Joy Drive for $3.13 million as part of its current bankruptcy case. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDiggerA U.S. bankruptcy judge has told the Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese she might dismiss the church’s bid to reorganize its depleting finances if a viable plan isn’t submitted soon.The state’s largest religious denomination filed for Chapter 11 protection in the fall of 2024 after a past ser
  
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• Jimmy ‘The Iceman’ De Pierro

  23-06-2026 16:23 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born: 07/30/1946New York City, NYDied: 06/18/2026Colchester, VTDetails of service:A celebration of life is being planned for next summer.Jimmy “The Iceman” De Pierro, passed away June 18th, at the age of 79. Raised in Queens, he had many adventures as a bike messenger in New York City, a welder, a clam digger and a professional gambler. He came to Vermont in the 70s with friends to seek a different way of life in the North East Kingdom.Jim became known around Vermont for many things
  
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