Vermont news

• Q&A with UVM commencement speaker James Fallows

  21-05-2017 13:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  Journalist and author James Fallows is delivering the address at the University of Vermont’s 216th commencement ceremony today.
  VTDigger caught up with Fallows for an interview from Washington, D.C., where he works as a national correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly. The following has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
  In your 20s you were President Jimmy Carter’s speechwriter. How did that come about?
  James Fallows. Courtesy photoThat was more or less by chance. Ther
  
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• Vermont needs fewer small towns and some taller buildings

  04-10-2026 16:18 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,As VTDigger’s recent reporting clearly indicates, over its last several sessions, the Vermont Legislature has danced around the predominant and defining cause of Vermont’s historic dilemma. Our lawmakers lack the courage to tackle this reality with the bold, decisive steps that a forthright statement of the problem requires. Absent the necessary clarity of definition, half-measures and inadequate solutions dominate their discussions, and the long-suffering people of Verm
  
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• Wood banks prep for long winter months

  04-10-2026 15:40 via vtdigger.org
  
  Students help load wood onto a truck to be delivered to families in need in the area. Photo by Gordon Miller/News & CitizenThis story by Liberty Darr and Patrick Bilow was first published in the News & Citizen on Sept. 17, 2026. One in three Vermonters will heat their homes with wood this winter, but as the cost and difficulty of sourcing wood increases for some, a handful of local organizations are providing free cords to those in need.Recently volunteers donned safety gloves and
  
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• After a costly dry spell, a wetter outlook

  04-10-2026 14:51 via vtdigger.org
  
  People walk along the beach at St. Albans Bay in September 2025. The 2025 drought brought water levels on Lake Champlain to near record lows. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerDroughts like the one that cost Vermont farmers nearly $16 million last year might be becoming less common, a new Dartmouth College study suggests, as increased rainfall makes dry spells less frequent and less intense across the Northeast.But farmers shouldn’t pack up their irrigation equipment just yet.“Wha
  
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• Vermont officials and advocates tackle voting accessibility concerns ahead of November election

  04-10-2026 13:57 via vtdigger.org
  
  A voter carries ballots past a booth in Shelburne on Primary Day, Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerVoter rights advocates are pushing on several fronts to ensure voting access for Vermonters ahead of the general election in November.The Secretary of State’s office launched a voter accessibility task force in coalition with advocacy groups last year that focused on expanding resources for people with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, survivors of domes
  
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• An Essex County officials’ parking fight puts taxpayers in a tight spot

  04-10-2026 12:58 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Essex County Courthouse in Guildhall, center, sits between the Meeting House (left) and the Essex County Sheriff’s Department on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerEssex County’s sheriff and assistant judges have taken a simmering parking fight to court, leaving taxpayers caught between the cost of stopping construction and the risk of paying to redo it.“Would it cost more to delay the project and design it correctly,” said Brice Simon, the
  
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• Jeffrey Mullins sentenced for role in fatal Hartford shooting

  03-10-2026 13:11 via vtdigger.org
  
  Jessica Lemay (left on Webex screen) gives her victim impact statement during the sentencing of Jeffrey Mullins (center) for his involvement in a fatal shooting last August. Photo by Alex Ebrahimi/Valley NewsThis story by Alex Ebrahimi was first published in the Valley News on Oct. 1, 2026. WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — One of three individuals involved in a botched robbery turned fatal shooting in Hartford has been sentenced to six to 10 years, suspended to six months in prison with 10 yea
  
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• Stepping inside Vermont’s creative spaces during Open Studio Weekend

  03-10-2026 00:32 via vtdigger.org
  
  Frank Saliani handles freshly thrown plates in his Montpelier studio, Green House Pottery. Photo by Emma RosenthalThis story by Emma Rosenthal was first published Oct. 1, 2026.Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, for the Bridge. Twice a year, the doors to Vermont’s creative spaces swing open, giving visitors a peek into pottery studios, galleries and artists’ workspaces across the state. Organized by the Vermont Crafts Council, Vermont
  
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• Amanda Janoo bests Phil Scott in September campaign fundraising blitz

  03-10-2026 00:23 via vtdigger.org
  
  Democratic nominee for governor Amanda Janoo, left, and Republican Gov. Phil Scott. Photos by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerVermont’s Democratic candidate for governor, Amanda Janoo, raised more money than Republican Gov. Phil Scott in September, according to newly filed campaign finance reports, putting her nearly level with the governor in cash on hand heading into the final month of the campaign.The fundraising numbers are another data point indicating this year’s race for governor is th
  
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• Hackers demand ransom from Slate Valley school district after compromising teachers’ personal data

  03-10-2026 00:04 via vtdigger.org
  
  Fair Haven Grade School. Photo Courtesy of Slate Valley Unified Union School District Communications Coordinator Lisa CacciatoreHackers are demanding hundreds of thousands of dollars in ransom from the Slate Valley Unified School District after hacking a district server last month and compromising teachers’ personal information, according to Superintendent Brooke Olsen-Farrell. The incident continues to wreak havoc on the district after hackers breached the district’s internet
  
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• Anti-ICE activists plan week of community engagement, learning and protest

  02-10-2026 23:33 via vtdigger.org
  
  Musicians from across the state play at a protest against ICE and CBP in St. Albans in May 2026. File photo by Emma Green/VTDiggerIn the eyes of Julie Macuga, the time is ripe for “mass civil disobedience.”She’s one of the main organizers for Shut Down ICE VT, which is hosting a week of community action against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Vermont. This is a small state, Macuga said, and activists need more “people power” to have a sustain
  
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• Disabled workers deserve an equal shot at jobs

  02-10-2026 22:09 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Natalie Sinkew, who lives in St. Albans.As a disabled citizen, I would like to address the struggles we face finding a place in the workforce. We are not asking for a job just because we have a disability. We are asking for the same opportunity as everyone else to apply for a job and show what we can do.The world is changing quickly. Technology, automation and artificial intelligence are becoming a bigger part of everyday life and the workplace. These changes can make life
  
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• 2 UVM Medical Center unions vote to authorize strike

  02-10-2026 16:37 via vtdigger.org
  
  Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals President Nicole DiVita, right, and Jacob Berkowitz, president of UVMMC Support Staff United, pictured on Oct. 2. Photo by Olivia Gieger/VTDiggerBURLINGTON — Two UVM Medical Center unions said Friday they have voted to authorize a strike. The vote gives the union leadership the authority to call for a strike and begin the legal notification process before staff officially take to the picket line. Union representatives said that 82
  
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• Federal court says U.S. agents can search phones at Vermont’s border with Canada without suspicion

  02-10-2026 00:19 via vtdigger.org
  
  The United States Border Inspection Station in Derby Line in March 2025. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerU.S. border agents can search people’s phones and other electronic devices without a warrant or any suspicion they’ve committed a crime, the federal appeals court covering Vermont ruled last month.The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, which also covers New York and Connecticut, stemmed from a bank fraud and money laundering case against a man in New Y
  
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• Stowe Mountain Resort hopes to cut new trails on Spruce Peak

  02-10-2026 00:17 via vtdigger.org
  
  The project is generally described as the clearing of .36 acres through the existing canopy for two new trails on Spruce Peak. Photo from Airbus, CNES / Airbus, Maxar TechnologiesThis story by Patrick Bilow was first published in the Stowe Reporter on Oct. 1, 2026.Stowe Mountain Resort is on a mission to make some of its terrain more approachable for guests ahead of the upcoming season.As the leaves change and crews test-fire snow cannons, the resort in August submitted an application to Vermon
  
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• Brattleboro Memorial Hospital promotes its financial consultant to post of interim CEO

  01-10-2026 23:13 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Brattleboro Memorial Hospital campus on Belmont Avenue. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDiggerBrattleboro Memorial Hospital has named the former chief financial officer of Windsor’s Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center as its new interim CEO.David Sanville, who recently has helped the Brattleboro hospital deal with a multimillion-dollar deficit, stepped into his new role at Thursday’s start of the 2027 fiscal year, the facility’s board of directors announced.“David
  
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• Peak foliage arrives in Vermont, and next week could bring year’s first flakes

  01-10-2026 22:31 via vtdigger.org
  Fall foliage in Warren, Vermont on September 29, 2026. Photo by Henry’s Weather Channel
  This year, VTDigger is teaming up with Henry’s Weather Channel to help answer the annual question of when and where peak foliage will make its appearance across the state.Each week, we’ll bring you an updated look at how foliage is unfolding statewide, paired with a weekend forecast, so you can plan your drive, hike or porch-sitting accordingly. Henry brings meteorological experience and on
  
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• Jack Sawyer, accused of foiled school shooting plot 8 years ago, is back in court on unrelated charges

  01-10-2026 22:08 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Vermont Superior Court building and the Orleans County Court House in Newport in March 2024. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerA Vermont man who spurred gun reform legislation eight years ago, after he was accused of plotting to shoot up a high school, was back in court — this time after allegedly breaking into the now-closed Sterling College.Jack Sawyer, 27, of Craftsbury, pleaded not guilty Tuesday during his arraignment in Orleans Superior criminal court in Newport to counts of g
  
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• One vote I’m proud of

  01-10-2026 20:29 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Conor Casey, who represents Montpelier in the Vermont House and is a co-chair of the Vermont Legislature’s Working Vermonters Caucus. You cast a lot of votes in the Vermont House. Some are easy. Some keep you up at night. And, if I’m being truthful, there are plenty I probably won’t remember 10 years from now.I’ll remember my vote for the Workers’ Rights Amendment.This November, Vermont voters will have the final say on Proposal 3, which
  
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• Can Vermont afford Proposal 3?

  01-10-2026 20:16 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Elizabeth Brown, who is the Vermont state director of the Fiscal Alliance Foundation.Vermont workers already have the right to bargain. Proposal 3 would lock in a system that costs us jobs, investment and taxes.According to a new analysis published by our organization, the Fiscal Alliance Foundation, Vermont’s population fell last year by a larger share than that of any other state. From 2015 to 2025, private-sector jobs grew 12.6% nationally. In Vermont, they fell 0
  
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• In a surprise move, Vermont’s Roman Catholic Diocese seeks to dismiss its 2-year-old bankruptcy case

  01-10-2026 15:05 via vtdigger.org
  
  The steeple of St. Charles Catholic Church in Bellows Falls. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDiggerVermont’s Roman Catholic Diocese is marking this week’s second anniversary of its request for a Chapter 11 financial reorganization plan by asking a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge to dismiss its case, which so far has cost $2 million in legal fees “with no end in sight,” church lawyers said.The state’s largest religious denomination had filed its initial call for help on
  
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• 1 in 5 Vermonters say they have struggled to keep up with rent and mortgage payments

  01-10-2026 11:15 via vtdigger.org
  
  Homes in Williston on Sept. 29. The median sale price of a primary home in Vermont has nearly doubled over the last decade. Photo by April McCullum/Vermont PublicCarly Berlin covers housing and infrastructure for Vermont Public, in partnership with VTDigger. One in five Vermonters report that they have struggled to keep up with housing payments in the last year.That’s according to the Vermont Public 2026 Poll. Twenty percent of people surveyed in September said they have been late or
  
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• Texas company presents ideas for future Vermont Yankee property use

  01-10-2026 00:38 via vtdigger.org
  
  A worker cuts apart a beam during the deconstruction of the former Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon in October 2023. The salvaged metal from the plant, which is not radioactive, is being recycled. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThis story by Olga Peters was first published in The Commons on Sept. 29, 2026. VERNON — PowerTransitions officials who held another community meeting on Sept. 23 faced community members who filled a meeting room, expressing skepticism and con
  
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• Court orders Dairy Farmers of America to keep paying its share of union employees’ health insurance after shuttering the St. Albans Creamery

  01-10-2026 00:17 via vtdigger.org
  
  Members of the Teamsters local 597 union picket outside the Dairy Farmers of America plant in St. Albans on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerA U.S. District Court judge has mandated that Dairy Farmers of America keep contributing its portion of the union workers’ health insurance after idling the St. Albans Creamery plant in August.The employees at the plant, which is a subsidiary of the Dairy Farmers of America co-operative, have been out of work since the plan
  
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• Putney affordable housing project opens after clearing court battles

  01-10-2026 00:08 via vtdigger.org
  
  Developers held a ribbon cutting event for a new affordable housing project in Putney on September 30, 2026. Photo by Carly Berlin/Vermont PublicCarly Berlin covers housing and infrastructure for Vermont Public, in partnership with VTDigger. When Stormy Gammon got the call that she and her family had been approved for an apartment at a new affordable housing complex in Putney, she cried. Gammon, her husband, and their son had been homeless, living in a shelter unit in Springfield, she
  
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• Vermont Medicaid braces for new rules coming for nearly 50,000 Vermonters

  30-09-2026 23:53 via vtdigger.org
  
  The People’s Health and Wellness Clinic in Barre in July 2020. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe first of a series of changes to Medicaid is set to take effect Oct. 1, put in motion by the federal budget bill passed in July 2025. The next round of changes begins in January.Combined, the changes to the state-federal health insurance program are expected to affect nearly 50,000 Vermonters, but that doesn’t mean that all will lose coverage, say healthcare advocates and Medicaid o
  
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• Vermont Conversation: ‘Gradually, then suddenly.’ Bestselling author Richard North Patterson on how American democracy was undermined.

  30-09-2026 23:46 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.Author Richard North Patterson, left, and his new book “Tripwires: 15 Twenty-First-Century Events That Undermined American Democracy — and How to Reclaim It.” Courtesy photos“Gradually, then suddenly, America reached the precipice
  
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• UVM awarded record $38M to create ‘AI twin’ of sick patients

  30-09-2026 23:21 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dr. Gary An discusses a record-breaking award for his research on AI “twins” at UVM’s Robert Larner College of Medicine on Sept. 30, 2026. Photo by Charlotte Oliver/VTDigger.BURLINGTON — For doctors struggling to treat patients with severe burns or infections, researchers at the University of Vermont are developing a not-so-human solution. They’re working to create an artificial intelligence “twin” of a patient, allowing doctors to test individuali
  
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• More cops can’t help downtown

  30-09-2026 19:59 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Brian Clifford, an abolitionist mutual aid organizer working in and around Burlington.We can’t police our way to making downtown Burlington feel safe. I do not mean we shouldn’t. I’m not saying we should choose a higher path rooted in care and healing. I mean we can’t, as in, it is literally not possible at this time.The idea that increased police presence will deter scary behaviors downtown makes logical sense. It’s been Burlington Police Dep
  
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• Burlington only has itself to blame for its decline

  30-09-2026 18:56 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Michael Pill, a lawyer who lives in Burlington.We recently bought a house in Burlington to age in place with younger family who live in the city. I am a confirmed leftist, a staunch anticapitalist with a doctorate in Marxian economic theory, a supporter of gun control and a Jew who believes that every human being is charged with the social mission of repairing the world in which we live. The struggle to eliminate all forms of prejudice that divide us is both an individual
  
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