Vermont news

• Nancy N. Thayer

  07-08-2026 23:37 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born: 05/13/1025Evanston, IllinoisDied: 07/22/2026South Burlington, VermontDetails of service:A memorial service will be held at The Residence at Quarry Hill, 435 Quarry Hill Rd., South Burlington on Friday, Aug. 28 at 3 p.m. A celebration of Life will be held at the First Congregational Church, Essex Junction, on Saturday, Aug. 29 at 4 p.m.Nancy Noyes Thayer, 101, passed away peacefully on July 22, 2026.Born on May 13, 1925, in Evanston, Illinois, to George Frederick Noyes and Dorothy Hall Noy
  
  Read more

• Cut the fat out of Act 250

  13-08-2026 23:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,We needed Act 250 in 1970 because most small towns did not have sufficient regulations or the capacity to effectively administer the sudden flood of applications for large development projects. But, as with all bureaucracies, the administrators of Act 250 became seduced by their power and came to believe they knew best what was best for Vermont. The process of Act 250 requires an applicant to work through a district coordinator. Not a bad idea in theory, but once you becom
  
  Read more

• Without Holocaust education, Vermont students can’t understand Israel

  13-08-2026 21:15 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor, Vermont Friends of Israel is deeply concerned about the state of education in Vermont schools that allowed 14-year-old Zoya Bianchi to become so certain of her moral clarity regarding the world’s most complex conflict and so convinced of the evils of America’s closest ally. This is a failure by the adults and institutions that have shaped her understanding.However, it comes as no surprise. Vermont is one of only eight states nationwide and the only one in New Engla
  
  Read more

• Killington passes budget after second vote but tumult still reigns

  13-08-2026 12:56 via vtdigger.org
  
  Killington’s welcome sign pictured in 2022. File photo by Natalie Williams/VTDiggerLocal issues drove high voter turnout in Killington for the August primary Tuesday as residents weighed in on a special revote on the town budget. Over 40% of the town’s voters cast ballots on the $7.6 million budget, with 59% of those who voted supporting the measure. Voters previously shot down a budget that was $600,000 more on Town Meeting Day in March.The budget vote comes against a backdrop
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• How Amanda Janoo, a progressive political outsider, won Vermont’s Democratic primary for governor

  13-08-2026 01:07 via vtdigger.org
  
  Candidate for governor Amanda Janoo speaks during a Democratic Party unity rally in Burlington on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerAmanda Janoo seemed to have none of the typical advantages on her side going into Tuesday’s Democratic primary for governor of Vermont.She had both raised and spent less campaign money than her opponent, Aly Richards. She had fewer endorsements from current and former lawmakers. And compared with Richards — the former head of a
  
  Read more

• Incumbents largely hold on in Vermont’s legislative and statewide primaries

  13-08-2026 00:55 via vtdigger.org
  
  Theo Wells-Spackman is a Report for America corps member who reports for VTDigger.Deputy State Auditor Tim Ashe held off newcomer Nick Graeter. Ashe is pictured here in August 2020. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDiggerAs Vermont voters went to the polls for Tuesday’s primary election, they sought change, citing concerns such as tax policy, education reform and wealth inequality.But while Democrats selected a progressive political newcomer and self-described “long shot” candid
  
  Read more

• Part-time Vermonters aren’t the enemy

  13-08-2026 00:11 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,Housing is a complicated issue. My husband and I have been coming to Vermont to ski and recreate for well over 50 years. He was a part-time ski instructor, so we could afford to ski. He paid Vermont income tax on his salary. In anticipation of retirement and after putting our sons through school, we were finally able to afford to buy a home in Vermont 16 years ago. Along with our growing family, we have loved being part-time Vermonters. 
  READ MORE
  Since when did paying pro
  
  Read more

• Washington Central district vote opens new route to school closures

  12-08-2026 23:08 via vtdigger.org
  
  A school bus arrives to pick up kids on the first day of school in August 2021. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerResidents of the Washington Central Unified Union School District have voted in favor of a new procedure that would allow the entire district to decide on the fate of individual school closures rather than leaving it up to individual towns. The vote amended the district’s articles of agreement to allow the district to close a school after a majority vote in favor by bot
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Vermont Conversation: ‘What can I do?’ Ami Fields-Meyer on what global dissidents can teach Americans

  12-08-2026 22:53 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.Ami Fields-Meyer is co-author with journalist Julia Angwin of “On Courage: How to Be a Dissident in an Age of Fear.” Provided photoAs President Donald Trump intensifies his campaign of retribution against his political opponents and unleashes
  
  Read more

• Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George prevails in hotly contested primary race 

  12-08-2026 21:58 via vtdigger.org
  
  Chittenden County States Attorney Sarah Fair George speaks during a press conference in Burlington on Monday, June 13, 2022. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerChittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George has held off a challenger in the Democratic primary race for the top prosecutor post in the state’s most populated county.Voters also decided Tuesday other races in countywide law enforcement posts in Vermont. George garnered 15,931 votes in primary balloting, finishing ahead o
  
  Read more

• Vermont doesn’t have a housing shortage. It has an affordability problem.

  12-08-2026 19:09 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Matt Swenson, the founder of Omnidex Solutions, an independent research and strategic analysis company. He lives in Vermont.For years, Vermont politics has run on one diagnosis: not enough housing. The prescription never changes: Build more, build denser, permit faster.Supply matters. But it no longer explains what we’re seeing. In Vermont’s largest rental market, vacancy hit 3.3% this summer, up from under 1% during the pandemic years. More than 1,300 rental u
  
  Read more

• Amanda Janoo wins Vermont’s Democratic governor primary

  12-08-2026 05:04 via vtdigger.org
  
  Amanda Janoo waits for results in her race to be the democratic nominee for governor in Burlington on Primary Day, Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerAmanda Janoo narrowly won Vermont’s Democratic primary for governor Tuesday, according to the Associated Press, after a campaign that called for sweeping progressive policy changes and limiting how much the state relies on federal funding.Janoo, an economist, has never run for office before and was virtually unknown bef
  
  Read more

• ‘A long shot’: Amanda Janoo wins Vermont’s Democratic primary for governor

  12-08-2026 05:04 via vtdigger.org
  
  Amanda Janoo celbrates her victory in her race to be the democratic nominee for governor in Burlington on Primary Day, Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerUpdated 11:57 p.m.BURLINGTON — Amanda Janoo narrowly won Vermont’s Democratic primary for governor Tuesday, according to the Associated Press, after a campaign that called for sweeping progressive policy changes and limiting how much the state relies on federal funding.Janoo, an economist, has never run for of
  
  Read more

• Molly Gray wins Democratic primary for lieutenant governor of Vermont

  12-08-2026 02:26 via vtdigger.org
  
  Molly Gray, candidate for the democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, greets a voter in Colchester on Primary Day, Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerTheo Wells-Spackman is a Report for America corps member who reports for VTDigger.Molly Gray prevailed in a closely-watched Democratic primary for Vermont Lieutenant Governor Tuesday evening. She will face incumbent Lt. Gov. John Rodgers in November’s general election.The Associated Press called the race just aft
  
  Read more

• The results from Vermont’s 2026 primary election

  11-08-2026 23:34 via vtdigger.org
  
  Weston Bird, 8, accompanies Kristen Bird as she fills out a ballot in Essex Junction on Primary Day, Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThis story was updated at 11:06 p.m. Updates will continue into the night of Aug. 11, 2026.Across Vermont, thousands turned out for primary day, casting ballots in contested races for U.S. House, governor, lieutenant governor and many more county and local positions. The VTDigger newsroom covered the primary election with reporters, e
  
  Read more

• The latest results from Vermont’s 2026 primary election

  11-08-2026 23:34 via vtdigger.org
  
  Voters walk in and out of a polling place in Essex Junction on Primary Day, Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThis story will be updated throughout the night of Aug. 11, 2026.Across Vermont, thousands turned out for primary day, casting ballots in contested races for U.S. House, governor, lieutenant governor and many more county and local positions. The VTDigger newsroom is covering the primary election with reporters, editors and photographers across the state. Here
  
  Read more

• Vermonters deserve honesty about the failure of the data center bill

  11-08-2026 23:08 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,The recent commentary by Ben Edgerly Walsh, the climate and energy program director at the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, did not explain where the data center bill, H.727, went wrong. There is no question that the House did indeed do great work on H.727, ensuring strong protections for the environment, communities and ratepayers via joint jurisdiction between Act 250 and the Public Utility Commission.  The Senate further tightened up the language and improved the
  
  Read more

• When disaster strikes Vermont, where is Washington?

  11-08-2026 22:22 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,Every night, the news brings us stories of families losing their homes to floods, tornadoes, wildfires and other disasters. The scale of this natural devastation reflects a growing national crisis. Yet where are the reports of our government responding to the enormous needs of people who are clearly suffering?Are the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Red Cross and relief organizations expected to shoulder the growing burden of helping hundreds of families whose homes have bee
  
  Read more

• At the polls, Vermont primary voters seek change

  11-08-2026 22:11 via vtdigger.org
  
  A voter carries ballots past a booth in Shelburne on Primary Day, Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerAcross the state, voters are hitting the polls on Tuesday to decide who will challenge Vermont Republicans come November in competitive Democratic governor and lieutenant governor races as well as several crowded local races. “I’m just hoping for change, and that no matter what party orientation, that our legislature and the governor can work together to re
  
  Read more

• For female school athletes: No white shorts, no worries

  11-08-2026 15:38 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Champlain Valley Union girls soccer team wears white uniforms in a match against Essex in 2025. File photo by Shelburne News.This story by Briana Brady and Liberty Darr was first published in the Shelburne News on Aug. 6, 2026.For anyone with a period, the anxiety is familiar: the worry that standing up from a seat or bending over to pick something up might reveal a red stain, that a tampon or pad might leak and everyone else will notice.For girls playing for their middle school or high sch
  
  Read more

• A traffic stop, a deportation and a test of Vermont’s Fair and Impartial Policing Policy

  11-08-2026 01:10 via vtdigger.org
  
  A protest by Migrant Justice at the Chittenden County Sheriff’s Department in South Burlington in December 2019. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerA Chittenden County sheriff’s deputy is under investigation for violating Vermont’s Fair and Impartial Policing Policy by calling U.S. Border Patrol to a Franklin County traffic stop that ended in an area farmworker being deported.The internal investigation could test the limits Vermont places on cooperation between local police a
  
  Read more

• New England, Canadian leaders tout cross-border ties in face of Trump’s latest tariff threat

  11-08-2026 00:28 via vtdigger.org
  
  Gov. Phil Scott speaks during a press conference at the end of a summit of New England governors and premiers from eastern Canada in Shelburne on Monday, August 10, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerSHELBURNE — Some of Canada’s top regional leaders on Monday touted the value of a close relationship with the U.S. and the need for both countries’ federal governments to reach a comprehensive trade deal in the face of President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threat.Their co
  
  Read more

• Kinney Drugs pulls back AI tool after customer complaints

  11-08-2026 00:12 via vtdigger.org
  
  Kinney Drugs inEssex Junction on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerWhen Kathy Callaghan called her local pharmacy for a prescription refill last Wednesday, she expected to hear the usual AI voice that had attempted to assist her for the last three months. Instead, a pharmacist picked up. “We were thrilled,” she said, describing her and her partner Dave Bellini’s reaction to the voice. The call came as the pharmacy, Kinney Drugs, recently pul
  
  Read more

• Family farms like ours need a farm bill that respects states

  10-08-2026 23:19 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,Long Wind Farm began in 1984 with a team of oxen and a simple goal: produce exceptional food while caring for the land. More than 40 years later, we’re still growing crops in Vermont soil and providing New England with fresh food year-round. Our success has come from earning the trust of our customers. Rather than overriding state protections, federal policy should support standards that promote responsible farming.That’s why we’re concerned about efforts to includ
  
  Read more

• Londonderry community convenes in the wake of local ICE raid

  10-08-2026 22:56 via vtdigger.org
  
  Morrow and Bliss speaking to attendees. Photo by Ryan Pacheco/Bennington Banner
  This story by Ryan Pacheco was first published in the Bennington Banner on Aug. 8, 2026.LONDONDERRY — Concerned citizens and community members packed a meeting room at Neighborhood Connections in Londonderry on Saturday, Aug. 8 to discuss recent immigration enforcement operations that resulted in five Ecuadorian individuals being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement a day prior. The community conver
  
  Read more

• DOJ sues Vermont, other states to stop in-state tuition for undocumented students

  10-08-2026 22:17 via vtdigger.org
  
  Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Wednesday, August 5, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)This story was produced in partnership with NOTUS, a publication from the nonprofit, nonpartisan Allbritton Journalism Institute. VTDigger has partnered with NOTUS to cover federal actions affecting Vermont.The U.S. Department of Justice filed lawsuits against Vermont, Connecticut and New York on Monday for allowing undocumented students
  
  Read more

• Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital cuts staff and beds despite pushback

  10-08-2026 17:42 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital in Berlin in Sept.2023. File photo by Natalie Williams/VTDiggerVermont Psychiatric Care Hospital has cut three staff members and four of its patient beds, a decision that has inspired pushback from staff and some lawmakers.The state-run hospital in Berlin is one of Vermont’s main facilities for acute inpatient mental health care.The Vermont Department of Mental Health, which runs the facility and confirmed the job cuts, said that a declining patient c
  
  Read more

• Congress must vote before the Guard goes to war

  09-08-2026 17:54 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,I am writing about the Vermont Defend the Guard Act, which focuses on our Vermont National Guard. Comments included questions about the appropriate strategy for saving our democracy and the notion that this bill would put a big target on the backs of our Guard members. I agree that we need to be strategic. Part of that strategy is the campaign for this act. A letter to Gov. Phil Scott and Vermont state legislators is circulating from Vermont National Guard veterans, their famil
  
  Read more

• Why a new federal definition of hemp has a Vermont industry holding its breath

  09-08-2026 16:47 via vtdigger.org
  
  Sunset Lake Farms CBD products for sale at Lake Effect Vermont dispensary in South Hero on Friday, August 7, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerTheo Wells-Spackman is a Report for America corps member who reports for VTDigger.A recent change in the federal definition of hemp is sending shockwaves through an entire Vermont industry, state regulators say. Last fall, federal lawmakers passed a budget law that included a definition of hemp and its associated products with a new maximum allow
  
  Read more

• Weathersfield Selectboard in limbo after resignations

  09-08-2026 15:39 via vtdigger.org
  
  Eric Hennessy, of Perkinsville, right, and Assistant Town Clerk Marion Ballam, left, react as the tabulating machine sucks in Hennessy’s ballot during voting for the Vermont Primary in Weathersfield, Vt., on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. Photo by James M. Patterson/Valley NewsThis story by Sophia Langlois first appeared in the Valley News on Aug. 6. WEATHERSFIELD — The Selectboard approved two member resignations at an Aug. 4 special meeting, where the remaining board of three launch
  
  Read more

Follow @NewsVermont_ on Twitter!