Vermont news

• New public noticing system puts environmental permitting information on online hub

  18-01-2018 16:32 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Department of Environmental ConservationJanuary 17, 2018
  Contact:Jessica MendizabalDepartment of Environmental [email protected]
  MONTPELIER – Once considered out-of-sight, the state’s environmental permitting system just got a massive makeover that’s turning heads. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently launched the Environmental Notice Bulletin (ENB). Now, for the first time ever, there is an online hub that gi
  
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• Why Vermonters won’t call Fish and Wildlife about bears

  02-08-2026 16:40 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,A recent article in VTDigger provided good information about human encounters with bears. Mostly, though, it focused on comments by staff at the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department complaining that people do not call them when they encounter bears.In the article, it seems no one understands why people do not call the department when a bear gets into their garbage. Ironically, a letter published in VTDigger in May has already explained why, with supporting data. Walter Medwid provid
  
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• World War II soldier’s remains returned home to Bennington

  02-08-2026 15:27 via vtdigger.org
  
  The recently identified remains of World War II soldier Bernard Sweet returned home to Bennington on Thursday, Aug. 30. Photo by Danny Zaffarano/Bennington BannerThis story by Jim Therrien was first published in the Bennington Banner on July 31, 2026.BENNINGTON — The long journey of Bennington native Bernard Sweet, who died in the Philippines during World War II, came full circle on Thursday evening when his remains were escorted back to his hometown.Army Pfc. Sweet was 21 when he died in
  
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• Local property dispute lands tea farmer in hot water

  02-08-2026 14:51 via vtdigger.org
  
  Amber Collett Terway, the owner of Tilia Tea, harvests calendula at her microfarm in Barre on July 31, 2026. Photo by Erin Petenko/VTDiggerBARRE — On a cool, damp morning in Barre, Amber Collett Terway harvested her resin calendula flowers with nothing but a plastic bin and her bare hands. The sticky yellow flowers, valued for their medicinal properties, were destined for one of Terway’s “Quiet Mind” tea blends sold through her small-batch tea company, Tilia Tea.&nb
  
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• A Vermont farmer has a growing voice in Trump’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ campaign

  02-08-2026 14:13 via vtdigger.org
  
  John Klar, a Brookfield farmer and conservative voice in Vermont politics, has garnered a growing role in the Make America Healthy Again movement. Klar is pictured at his home in June 2020. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerJohn Klar has long had a prominent and at times provocative voice in conservative politics in Vermont. But since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became the U.S. health and human services secretary, the Brookfield cattle and sheep farmer has been finding a new, seemingly larger platf
  
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• Vermont keeps a list of where large crowds gather. The feds get a copy.

  02-08-2026 13:44 via vtdigger.org
  
  Thousands of people participate in a Fourth of July parade in Warren on Saturday, July 4, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerState and federal authorities looking for potential threats have long monitored parades, sporting events and county fairs in Vermont — and some town officials are only now finding out. Last week, town clerks throughout Vermont received an email asking if they would voluntarily hand over a list of potential public and private events of at least 2,500 attendees
  
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• After years of debate, Stowe caps short-term rentals

  01-08-2026 13:28 via vtdigger.org
  
  Downtown Stowe. Photo via Adobe StockThis story by Patrick Bilow was first published in the Stowe Reporter on July 30. Stowe has officially enacted regulations on certain short-term rental properties in town.The action, taken by the town selectboard last week, activates amendments to the town’s short-term rental ordinance and ends years of debate over how to regulate those properties to potentially create more long-term housing opportunities for residents of Stowe — or whether
  
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• ‘My thoughts were distorted’: Woman gets at least 10 years in Rutland fatal shooting

  01-08-2026 00:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  Judge Cortland Corsones presides in Rutland County Superior criminal court in Rutland in Jan. 2026. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerRUTLAND – A judge has approved a plea deal and sentenced a Rutland County woman to at least 10 years in prison for fatally shooting a man inside an apartment four years ago stemming from a drug-related dispute.Judge Cortland Corsones handed down the sentence to 39-year-old Courtney Samplatsky during a hearing Friday in Rutland Superior criminal court.&nbs
  
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• Regulators reject Route 100 quarry in Morristown

  01-08-2026 00:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  A 12-acre hill along Route 100 in Morristown. Photo by Gordon Miller/Stowe ReporterThis story by Patrick Bilow first appeared in the News & Citizen on July 30, 2026. After a two-year deliberation, the state Act 250 commission has rejected a Morristown business’s proposal to build a quarry operation on land across Route 100 from the Morrisville-Stowe Airport.Garret Hirchak, CEO and founder of Manufactured Solutions Inc., has for years been trying to build an industrial park on the
  
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• Vermont Green FC men will compete for national championship Saturday

  31-07-2026 22:26 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Vermont Green FC men’s team defeated Laredo Heat 7-1 on July 27, 2026, to earn a spot in the USL2 championship. Courtesy Vermont Green FCTheo Wells-Spackman is a Report for America corps member who reports for VTDigger.Vermont Green FC’s men’s team will return to the national championship Saturday after high-scoring wins last weekend over Asheville City SC and Laredo Heat in Texas. The Burlington-based team, on the brink of a second consecutive championship and u
  
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• Vermont is not for sale

  31-07-2026 21:36 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by John Bossange, president, and Jerry Ward, a board member, of Better (not bigger) Vermont.The pro-development advocates finally got it right. Vermont is in trouble but not for the reasons offered in a recent VTDigger opinion piece written by representatives of the Vermont Futures Project, the Vermont Professionals of Color Network, the Vermont Business Roundtable, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, Let’s Build Homes and the Lake Champlain Chamber.Vermont is in trouble b
  
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• The only licensed prosecutor leaves Addison County office

  31-07-2026 17:24 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Addison County Superior criminal court in Middlebury. File photo by Alan Keays/VTDiggerThe only state prosecutor with a law license in Addison County is leaving the job next week. Without a deputy state’s attorney, embattled State’s Attorney Eva Vekos — who has been temporarily barred from practicing law — would be the only state prosecutor in the county. In the absence of a deputy attorney in Vekos’s office, the Vermont Attorney General’s Offic
  
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• Kenneth Nalibow

  31-07-2026 16:29 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born: 01/12/1942Hanover, New HampshireDied: 07/29/2026New Port Richey, FloridaDetails of service:A memorial service is planned for a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Vermont Public, in support of its work with Vermont Public Radio.Kenneth Nalibow, retired Associate Professor of Russian at the University of Vermont, died at the age of 84.
  Ken was the son of Helen (Diamant) Nalibow and Joseph Nalibow of Woodstock, Vermont. From an early age, he was obsessed with hi
  
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• Dispute over evidence preservation heats up in border agent’s killing

  30-07-2026 23:49 via vtdigger.org
  
  Police cruiser lights. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerA legal battle is brewing over cellphones and other devices used by law enforcement around the time of a shootout in which a federal agent was killed in northern Vermont.Teresa Youngblut, 22, of Seattle, faces several charges, including murder, in the death of Border Patrol Agent David Maland during a traffic stop in January 2025 that turned into gunfire on Interstate 91 in Coventry.With the trial still to be set, the prosecution this w
  
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• Round 2 of rabies vaccine bait drop begins Saturday

  30-07-2026 23:10 via vtdigger.org
  
  A rabies vaccine bait pack. The capsules are used to vaccinate wild animals such as raccoons against rabies. Photo courtesy Vermont Department of HealthThis story was first published in the Waterbury Roundabout on July 28, 2026.Another round of rabies vaccines for wildlife will be distributed around Vermont starting on Aug. 1, according to the Vermont Department of Health.This August rabies vaccine bait drop is the typical time this exercise is done. This year, an earlier round of vaccine was d
  
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• Vermont nonprofit sees $500,000 gift to create youth homelessness services endowment

  30-07-2026 21:50 via vtdigger.org
  
  Favor Ellis, executive director of Elevate Youth Services in Berlin, on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerTheo Wells-Spackman is a Report for America corps member who reports for VTDigger.Elevate Youth Services in Barre has received a $500,000 endowment gift to support youth homelessness services, the organization announced earlier this month. Leadership said the donation, which comes from the Burlington-based Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation, will provide the
  
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• The U.S. can’t ignore its own human rights law on Israel

  30-07-2026 20:35 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor, Accountability is a foundational pillar of government that ensures political leaders are fulfilling their duties honorably and legally. As a 14-year-old student from Waterbury observing the world’s political actions today, what frightens me most is the federal government’s lack of accountability. This is especially highlighted in the conflicts in the Middle East. The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, requires that any security assistance or arms prov
  
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• Vermont Democrats are destroying New England’s local governance tradition

  30-07-2026 19:36 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Todd Heyman, a co-owner of Fat Sheep Farm & Cabins, who lives in Hartland.The Vermont Democratic Party is off course. In the shadows of highly technocratic laws, New England’s cherished wisdom tradition of direct democratic rule is being destroyed, even though Vermont remains a predominantly rural state with no signs that it has outgrown its chosen form of local government. Under Act 181, the Democratic leadership dramatically increased the power of regional
  
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• To the mayor’s surprise, Gov. Scott directs state police to patrol Burlington

  30-07-2026 18:31 via vtdigger.org
  
  Vermont State Police cruisers seen in Burlington in Jan. 2025. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerState police troopers will again patrol downtown Burlington after a directive from Gov. Phil Scott that caught the city’s mayor off guard. The governor directed state police to patrol the Queen City after having conversations with community and business leaders who “voiced concerns about public safety,” according to Amanda Wheeler, Scott’s spokesperson. Burlington
  
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• ACLU files federal claims against ICE over March 11 South Burlington raid

  29-07-2026 23:28 via vtdigger.org
  
  Jisella Johana Patin Patin is led out in handcuffs by federal law enforcement agents in South Burlington in March 12026. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerTwo South Burlington residents have filed federal claims against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, alleging agents used excessive force and unlawfully detained them during a botched March 11 immigration raid.The American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont filed the claims Wednesday on behalf of José Estrada Jerez, a U.S. citize
  
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• Vermont must pass the Defend the Guard Act

  29-07-2026 23:24 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor, As a student at Vergennes Union High School, I drive by the Vermont National Guard Armory every day on my way to school. When practicing emergency evacuation drills, students line up and walk across the street into the armory. As in many other communities, the Vermont Guard is integrated into our lives. This is why legislation known as the Defend the Guard Act, introduced as H.355 in the latest legislative biennium, is a bill that Vermont communities and legislators shoul
  
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• School boards exist to serve the public, not silence it

  29-07-2026 23:16 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Timothy Maciel, a member of Vermont Rural Schools Community Alliance.Rebecca Foster’s recent commentary in VTDigger on the topic of school boards should concern every Vermonter, not just those who oppose artificial turf.What happened at the Champlain Valley School District board meeting represents something far more troubling than a disagreement over athletic fields. It reflects an alarming breakdown in transparency and accountability. When hundreds of residents inve
  
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• Vermont Conversation: Author Chris Bohjalian on writing, activism and challenging the language of genocide

  29-07-2026 22:30 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.Chris Bohjalian arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of “The Flight Attendant,” Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at Pacific Design Center. Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/APA teen golf prodigy launches a powerful drive that kills a golf caddy at a to
  
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• Brattleboro drops idea of tax hike meant to aid its hospital’s endangered birthing center

  29-07-2026 18:09 via vtdigger.org
  
  Supporters of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital’s birthing center march in the town’s recent Fourth of July parade. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDiggerBRATTLEBORO — A week after proposing a municipal tax hike to help Brattleboro Memorial Hospital’s fiscally ailing birthing center stay open, the town selectboard dropped the plan Tuesday night upon the suggestion of leaders at the southeastern Vermont healthcare hub.“I’m worried about this tax,” Dr. Tony B
  
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• A pharmacy chain in Vermont implemented AI for efficiency. It’s led to delays, incorrect information and privacy concerns.

  29-07-2026 13:27 via vtdigger.org
  
  Kinney Drugs in Essex Junction on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerIn voicemails, spam folders and text messages across Vermont, an artificial intelligence tool is filing through years of pharmaceutical records, incoherently listing drugs and requesting the wrong refills on sensitive medication. And customers often have no idea they agreed to it.“He calls you all the time, and he doesn’t say what the drug is,” said Kathy Callaghan, a Vermont customer
  
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• Burlington man denies charges of smashing police van window and injuring trooper during ICE raid protest

  29-07-2026 00:08 via vtdigger.org
  
  Colin Wesley Palmer is arraigned in Chittenden County Superior criminal court in Burlington on July 28, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerBURLINGTON — A Burlington man has denied misdemeanor charges accusing him of breaking the window of a police van and hurting a trooper during a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid and related protest in South Burlington.Colin Wesley Palmer, 24, entered not guilty pleas during a hearing Tuesday in Chittenden Superior criminal court in Burlin
  
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• Vermont’s day of reckoning is here

  28-07-2026 23:45 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Miriam Voran, who practices psychoanalytic psychotherapy in Montpelier and West Lebanon, New Hampshire. She is on the clinical faculty at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.Two years in a row, devastating floods slammed Vermont. Last year brought unprecedented drought. The 2025 drought alone cost Vermont farmers more than $15.9 million. The 2023 and 2024 floods cost tens of millions more.Nature is screaming: You’ve blown past environmental limits!  But
  
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• Vermont’s economy is in good shape, state economists say, but AI boom is a threat

  28-07-2026 23:25 via vtdigger.org
  
  Economists Jeff Carr, right, and Tom Kavet at the Statehouse in Montpelier in January 2026. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerMONTPELIER — Vermont’s economy is in “impressive” shape, the state’s top fiscal analysts reported Tuesday, especially after what they described as a year of chaotic decisions by the Trump administration that are threatening economic stability.Massive business spending to develop artificial intelligence technology is one of the few things k
  
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• Vermont schools are on the slide

  28-07-2026 23:14 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,For years, the reassuring answer to worry about Vermont’s schools has been a comparison: Vermont scores above the national average. That was true for decades. This year it survives on one of four federal checks — and the national average itself has been falling. Vermont has been falling faster.I pulled together a public dataset putting nearly every Vermont district’s test results on the federal National Assessment of Educational Progress scale, using Stanford&rsquo
  
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• Judge finds Vermont’s federal grants can’t be rescinded if political priorities shift

  28-07-2026 21:37 via vtdigger.org
  
  A cyclist pedals along the bikepath at Waterfront Park in Burlington in June 2021. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerNew sidewalks or bike paths for seven municipalities in northern Vermont are on hold after an Environmental Protection Agency grant was halted abruptly last year when the agency determined the projects no longer aligned with the government’s goals.The $877,000 grant for the Northwest Regional Planning Commission, which covers around 20 municipalities in Franklin and Grand
  
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