Vermont news

• Lawmakers consider cracking down on forced arbitration

  10-01-2018 03:57 via vtdigger.org
  Myriam Gilles, a professor of law at Yeshiva University, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee recently. Photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDigger
  After Kimberly Matson lost her job with Reinhart Foodservice in Burlington, she took the matter to federal court.Matson, according to court papers, felt she had been wrongfully terminated out of retaliation.
  Reinhart responded to the lawsuit by seeking to move the dispute to arbitration, a process Matson had agreed to when she joined the company. Last
  
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• Young Writers Project: ‘The Brave’

  18-01-2026 12:55 via vtdigger.org
  “Above the Clouds,” by Juniper Franks, 14, of FairfieldYoung Writers Project is a creative, online community of teen writers and visual artists that started in Burlington in 2006. Each week, VTDigger publishes the writing and art of young Vermonters who post their work on youngwritersproject.org, a free, interactive website for youth, ages 13-19. To find out more, please go to youngwritersproject.org or contact Executive Director Susan Reid at srei
  
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• Hinesburg and new police union agree to three-year contract

  18-01-2026 12:54 via vtdigger.org
  The Hinesburg Community Police Department seen on Thursday, February 20, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThis story by Briana Brady was first published in The Citizen on Jan. 15, 2026.The Hinesburg police union, recognized by the town last June, has officially inked a contract with the town of Hinesburg.The contract, which will go into effect in July, is set to last until June 2029 and outlines a slew of worker protections and benefits along with a step system for annual pay raises. The co
  
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• Capping a historic career, Stratton-trained skier Jessie Diggins is anything but retiring

  18-01-2026 12:53 via vtdigger.org
  Jessie Diggins meets with members of the Bill Koch Youth Ski League this past summer at Stratton Mountain. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger
  Many teenagers wallpaper their bedrooms with pinups of hot celebrities. Jessie Diggins, the most-awarded U.S. cross-country skier in history, instead tacked up an “Endless Winter” poster of a less-recognized hero: Vermonter Bill Koch, the first American Nordic racer to win an Olympic medal.“He looked like he was having fun,” Di
  
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• In Lamoille, school enrollment projected to decline by decade’s end

  18-01-2026 12:50 via vtdigger.org
  The one-room Elmore School. Courtesy photoThis story by Patrick Bilow was first published in News & Citizen on Jan. 15, 2026.A study commissioned by the Lamoille South Supervisory Union predicts that school enrollments in Stowe, Morristown and Elmore will decline 10% by the 2030 school year, reflecting trends in rural towns throughout Vermont as the state ages and grows increasingly expensive.At recent Stowe and Elmore-Morristown school board meetings, Lamoille South Supervisory Union Super
  
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• Emilie Tenenbaum and Sharron Harrington: Why Vermont must stay committed to child care

  18-01-2026 12:00 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Emilie Tenenbaum, the executive director of Let’s Grow Kids Action Network, and Sharron Harrington, the executive director of the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children.Across political lines and communities, most Vermonters agree that young families should be able to afford to live and work here. The good news is that the long-term investments in child care arising from Act 76 (Vermont’s landmark child care law passed in 2023) are moving
  
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• Narain Batra: Growth is pushing the Upper Valley to breaking point

  17-01-2026 02:35 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Narain Batra, a professor, historian, journalist and author whose work spans freedom, artificial intelligence, media and geopolitics. The Upper Valley, a most extraordinary economic and cultural heartbeat of the vast twin-state region, is currently at a turning point where outstanding institutional growth is colliding with a bucolic infrastructure that’s pushing against its limits and raising the question of affordability.The colossal footprint of Dartmouth Heal
  
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• Hartford justice center helps people get on their feet after prison

  17-01-2026 00:40 via vtdigger.org
  Isaiah Taylor, of White River Junction, rotates pizzas on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. Taylor is the assistant manager at the LISTEN Dining Hall in White River Junction. Taylor has been helped by the Hartford Community Restorative Justice Center. Photo by Jennifer Hauck/Valley NewsThis story by Sophia Langlois was first published in Valley News on Jan. 13, 2026.WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Isaiah Taylor recalls growing up in Woodsville in an extended family beset by violence and drugs. When he sough
  
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• Final Reading: It’s a bird, it’s a plane — it’s ‘unidentified anomalous phenomena’ Vermont lawmakers want to investigate

  17-01-2026 00:30 via vtdigger.org
  Rep. Troy Headrick, I-Burlington, speaks before the House Government Operations Committee at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Friday, Jan. 16. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerHe started with an apology.“If your inbox looks at all like mine since the introduction of this bill, I think I owe you all an apology,” Rep. Troy Headrick, I-Burlington, told the House Government Operations and Military Affairs Committee.Why had Headrick’s bill — one of more than 600 in play in the H
  
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• Stowe resorts lobby for short-term rental cap carveouts

  16-01-2026 23:36 via vtdigger.org
  A snow bank at von Trapp Lodge. File photo by Gordon Miller/Stowe Reporter
  This story by Aaron Calvin was first published in the Stowe Reporter on Jan. 15, 2026.As the Stowe Selectboard continues to consider a cap on the number of short-term rentals, the town’s major resorts are arguing that they should be exempted from further regulation.Consideration of a short-term rental cap began last fall, when the planning commission sent a letter to the selectboard recommending such a re
  
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• Lawmakers take up stopgap funding for Section 8 housing vouchers 

  16-01-2026 22:20 via vtdigger.org
  Kathleen Berk, executive director of the Vermont State Housing Authority, speaks to lawmakers about financial challenges related to the Section 8 federal housing voucher program on Nov. 5, 2025 in Montpelier. David Littlefield / Vermont PublicThis story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.With federal funds dwindling for a key housing assistance program, Vermont lawmakers are looking at using state money to slo
  
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• BlueCross BlueShield’s new CEO takes over as insurer faces federal and statewide challenges

  16-01-2026 21:53 via vtdigger.org
  On Saturday, Beth Roberts officially took the helm as the new president and CEO of BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont.Less than a week later, the window closed on open enrollment for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans, without any extension of the federal tax credits that made those plans affordable for thousands of Vermonters.It’s no secret that Roberts assumes the role as the health care industry — and her new employer, specifically — faces dire straits.
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• Vermont’s top economists say state revenue on track despite fears of downgrade

  16-01-2026 17:40 via vtdigger.org
  Economists Jeff Carr, right, and Tom Kavet brief the Emergency Board on the forecast for state revenues at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Friday, January 16, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerMONTPELIER — The economists tasked with diagnosing Vermont’s fiscal health every six months kept their top-line revenue estimates almost unchanged in a new report to a panel of lawmakers and Gov. Phil Scott on Friday.However, Tom Kavet and Jeff Carr told the state’s Emergency Board, t
  
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• Vermont’s top economists say state revenue is steady as tight budget cycle nears

  16-01-2026 17:40 via vtdigger.org
  Economists Jeff Carr, right, and Tom Kavet brief the Emergency Board on the forecast for state revenues at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Friday, January 16, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerUpdated 5:05 p.m.MONTPELIER — The economists tasked with diagnosing Vermont’s fiscal health every six months kept their top-line revenue estimates almost unchanged in a new report to a panel of lawmakers and Gov. Phil Scott on Friday.At the same time, Tom Kavet and Jeff Carr told the state&
  
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• School-based mental health in a time of unknown funding and increased need: creative collaboration at Lamoille County Mental Health Services

  16-01-2026 16:51 via vtdigger.org
  Stepping into the 25-26 school year, Lamoille County Mental Health Services’ (LCMHS) School Based Mental Health Services, like many of the Vermont Care Partners network agencies, partners with local school districts to address the changing needs of school communities. While continuing to offer Success Beyond Six services that are funded through local dollars, with a Medicaid match that assists in making services more affordable to schools and districts, LCMHS’ School Based Clinician
  
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• Kayce Bradley: Stop attacking our independent schools

  16-01-2026 00:53 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Kayce Bradley, who lives in Concord. She has two sons and is an independent hairstylist.  This past December, my son Cody packed his bags for Michigan to begin a specialized welding program. He has found a career path he is passionate about and is confident in his skills after earning a high school diploma with high honors.If you had seen him several years ago, before he started high school at St. Johnsbury Academy, you might not have believed this future was pos
  
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• Loralee Tester: Kindness can’t fix a state in crisis

  16-01-2026 00:52 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Loralee Tester, the executive director of the Northeast Kingdom Chamber of Commerce.Vermonters are, without question, some of the most well-meaning people you will ever meet. We shovel each other out after snowstorms. We show up with casseroles. We volunteer, donate, coach and serve on boards — sometimes four or five or more. We respond when help is needed, not because we have to, but because it is who we are.That generosity is one of Vermont’s greatest st
  
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• Final Reading: Facing growing uncertainty, Vermont food assistance leaders seek new funds. Lawmakers say money is tight.

  16-01-2026 00:36 via vtdigger.org
  Clients visit the HOPE (Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects) food shelf in Middlebury on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerFood assistance leaders are pushing hard this legislative session to expand aid programs and fill gaps left by federal cuts — but the response from lawmakers continues to be cautious.Becka Warren, who manages the Vermont Food Security Coalition, told the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry on Thursday afternoon
  
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• Vermont organizations merge accessible recreation and conservation goals in ‘first-of-its-kind’ outdoor center in Rochester

  16-01-2026 00:07 via vtdigger.org
  The Rochester land has an established trail network connected to the Ridgeline Outdoor Collective’s multi-use Rochester Valley network, as well as the larger Velomont Trail system — and public access is now secured for the future. Photo courtesy of Vermont Land TrustRochester will be home to the first multiuse, adaptive outdoor recreation center in Vermont, project partners Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports and Vermont Land Trust announced Wed
  
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• Candidates to lead Vermont National Guard say they’d resign if facing unlawful order

  15-01-2026 21:26 via vtdigger.org
  Brigadier General Hank Harder and Colonel Brent Zeigler, the two candidates vying to be the next Adjutant General of the Vermont National Guard. Photos by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerMONTPELIER — The two candidates vying to be the next leader of the Vermont National Guard both told lawmakers this week they would resign that post rather than carry out an unlawful order from their superiors in the state or federal government.Vermont’s Legislature elects an adjutant general, which is the top
  
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• Champlain Valley schools face federal investigation over transgender athlete policy

  15-01-2026 18:08 via vtdigger.org
  Ninth-graders arrive for the first day of school at Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg on Wednesday, August 25, 2021. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerVermont’s largest school district is being investigated under federal allegations that it has violated laws surrounding transgender student athletes’ participation in sports.The Champlain Valley School District is among 18 entities in 10 states being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil
  
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• Ryan McLaren, former top aide to Peter Welch, enters lieutenant governor race

  15-01-2026 17:00 via vtdigger.org
  Ryan McLaren announced he’s running for lieutenant governor in January 2026. Courtesy Ryan McLaren.Updated at 5:30 p.m.Ryan McLaren, a former top aide to U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., announced a campaign to be the state’s next lieutenant governor on Thursday.The Essex Junction resident’s bid was widely expected. He will face former Lt. Gov. Molly Gray, who announced her 2026 campaign for the state’s second highest office last week, in this year’s Democratic primar
  
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• Ryan McLaren, former aide to Peter Welch, enters lieutenant governor race

  15-01-2026 17:00 via vtdigger.org
  Ryan McLaren announced he’s running for lieutenant governor in January 2026. Courtesy Ryan McLaren.Ryan McLaren, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., announced a campaign to be the state’s next lieutenant governor on Thursday.The Essex Junction resident’s bid was widely expected. He will face former Lt. Gov. Molly Gray, who announced her 2026 campaign for the state’s second highest office last week, in this year’s Democratic primary. On the Republican sid
  
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• Valerie Ann Sevene

  15-01-2026 16:15 via vtdigger.org
  Born Feb. 26, 1954Burlington, VermontDied Dec. 29, 2025Clinton, KentuckyDetails of servicesA celebration of life will be held at a later date.Valerie Ann Sevene (Place), 71, of Clinton, Kentucky, passed away peacefully in her home with her loving family by her side, after a short battle with lung cancer. She was born in Burlington, to Wilfred H. Place and Elodia E. Cramer-Putnam.Valerie had a deep love for her family and brought joy to all who knew her. She also loved the beach; campi
  
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• Stephanie Jill Mapes

  15-01-2026 16:00 via vtdigger.org
  Born Jan 3, 1961Wilmington, DelawareDied Jan. 6, 2026Burlington, VermontDetails of servicesAt Stephanie’s request there will be no formal services at this time, she asked for a springtime memorial service. With peace in her heart and her loved ones by her side, Stephanie Jill Mapes, age 65, peacefully put her angel wings on and sailed into her new life on Jan. 6, 2026. She leaves her husband Scott Michael Mapes, son Scott Lennon Mapes and his fiancé Cosette Giro
  
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• Vermont school bus companies are hard to come by. The lack of competition is causing transportation costs to rise.

  15-01-2026 12:51 via vtdigger.org
  Champlain Valley School District school busses in Hinesburg on Monday, January 5, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerYears ago, when the Mountain Views Supervisory Union would bid for student busing services, officials would get several competing offers to pick from, the district’s superintendent recently pointed out.Now, the district is lucky if they get a single bid, Superintendent Sherry Sousa said. And they’re not alone.Over the past decade, Vermont has seen fewer and fewer co
  
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• Brian Bloomfield: Equity means giving the shorter kid a stool

  15-01-2026 01:27 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Brian Bloomfield, Ph.D., head of school at Lyndon Institute and chair of the Council of Independent Schools for Vermont.In my first year of teaching, a mentor pulled me aside to talk about equity. I was struggling to connect with a few students, and she offered a simple illustration: if two students are trying to reach the top of a cabinet and one is shorter, treating them the same does not give them the same chance. Equity means giving the shorter student a stool.Nearly 3
  
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• Vermont Conversation: Cartoonist Alison Bechdel on hope, humor, and ‘waking up’ in dark times

  15-01-2026 01:17 via vtdigger.org
  
  
  Alison Bechdel. Photo by Elena SiebertThe 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 wherever you get podcasts.“Who can draw when the world is burning?” asks celebrated Vermont cartoonist Alison Bechdel in her new graphic novel, Spent.This tension between the political and personal has been a deep well for Bechdel in
  
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• Final Reading: Should Vermont end its first-of-a-kind PCB testing program in schools? 

  15-01-2026 00:36 via vtdigger.org
  Committee chair Rep. Peter Conlon, D-Cornwall, speaks during a meeting of the House Education Committee at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Thursday, Jan. 8. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerI’d venture that most high school buildings do not have escalators. Not in Vermont at least. Burlington’s high school students, however, have a big one, right smack in the middle of their makeshift school at the former Macy’s department store.For five years, the former outlet has served as a
  
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• Senators interrogate Vermont Supreme Court nominee about prosecuting on behalf of Trump

  15-01-2026 00:03 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont Supreme Court nominee Michael Drescher, center, speaks before the Senate Judiciary Committee as fellow nominee Christina Nolan, second from left, listens at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday, Jan. 13. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerMONTPELIER — Michael Drescher prosecuted cases on behalf of the federal government in Vermont during the first year of President Donald Trump’s administration —  which dealt him historic immigration cases like those of Rümeys
  
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