• Skiing in June at Killington Mountain

    Skiing in June at Killington Mountain
    It's June and swimming and biking, not skiing come to mind, unless you're at Killington where die-hard skiers and riders are getting one last shot at winter.
  • Godnicks celebrates 100 years of furnishing Rutland

    Godnicks celebrates 100 years of furnishing Rutland
    Owners Brent, left, and Brian Godnick stand in the showroom of Godnicks Grand Furniture recently. Photo by Gabby Blanchard/Community News ServiceFor Community News Service, a VTSU-Castleton internship, for Rutland HeraldIn 1926, Irving Godnick opened the first furniture store of a now 100-year-old family business.“The business was started by Godnicks and is still run by Godnicks,” Brian Godnick said in a recent interview.In a small space upstairs in the Tuttle Block on Center Street
  • Man taken into custody in Vermont faces murder charge in his mother’s death in Massachusetts

    Man taken into custody in Vermont faces murder charge in his mother’s death in Massachusetts
    Ryan Hanafin appears on a video conference from Northeast Regional Correctional Facility in St. Johnsbury on Friday, October 9, 2026. Screenshot by Alan J. Keays/VTDiggerA Massachusetts man wanted in connection with the death of his mother in the Bay State appeared in a Vermont court Friday after he was taken into custody a day earlier in Warren.Ryan Hanafin, 22, agreed during a brief hearing Friday afternoon in Washington County criminal court in Barre to be extradited to Massachusetts. MassLi
  • PAC money is rolling in as Vermont’s election nears

    PAC money is rolling in as Vermont’s election nears
    “I Voted” stickers await voters who cast their ballots in Cambridge in March 2024. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerWith less than a month until Vermont’s general election, campaign cash is rolling in from political action committees and a group backing a proposal to enshrine the right to union organizing in the state Constitution.Of the roughly 70 PACs set up in Vermont ahead of the November election, the top five largest spenders have so far put a combined $233,265 into r
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  • School budgets run on diesel

    School budgets run on diesel
    Dear Editor,For most Vermonters, the price of gas is something they notice at the pump.But for our school leaders, fuel prices are something that’s everywhere, especially diesel. It is in the yellow buses rolling before sunrise, taking students to school and career and technical education programs and then carrying athletes to games and children home. When diesel prices rise, the money has to come from somewhere.Yes, rising fuel prices are now an education issue. Our school budgets run on
  • Police identify officer and victim involved in Williston shooting

    Police identify officer and victim involved in Williston shooting
    Police tape showing a blurred scene with vehicles and lights in the distance. Photo via Adobe StockVermont State Police have identified the people involved in Thursday’s police shooting in Williston. Officer Ethan Favreau joined the Williston Police Department in Sept. 2019, after having previously served with the Chittenden County Sheriff’s Office. Photo provided by Vermont State PoliceOfficer Ethan Favreau of the Williston Police Department shot and injured Michael McGovern,
  • John Rodgers sought to tie Molly Gray to ‘mistreatment of migrant workers.’ Here’s what records show.

    John Rodgers sought to tie Molly Gray to ‘mistreatment of migrant workers.’ Here’s what records show.
    The Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration, within the Department of Labor, issued two citations to Four Corners Farm that were settled in 2025. Photo by Liam Elder-Connors / Vermont PublicCarly Berlin covers housing and infrastructure for Vermont Public, in partnership with VTDigger.Republican Lt. Gov. John Rodgers launched a new line of attack against Democratic challenger Molly Gray at Vermont Public’s debate on Tuesday, accusing the farm operated by Gray’s family
  • John Rodgers sought to tie Molly Gray to ‘mistreatment of migrant workers.’ Here’s what records show

    John Rodgers sought to tie Molly Gray to ‘mistreatment of migrant workers.’ Here’s what records show
    The Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration, within the Department of Labor, issued two citations to Four Corners Farm that were settled in 2025. Photo by Liam Elder-Connors / Vermont PublicCarly Berlin covers housing and infrastructure for Vermont Public, in partnership with VTDigger.Republican Lt. Gov. John Rodgers launched a new line of attack against Democratic challenger Molly Gray at Vermont Public’s debate on Tuesday, accusing the farm operated by Gray’s family
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  • Michael DeForge

    Michael DeForge
    Born: 12/7/1949Montpelier, VermontDied: 10/01/2026Northfield, VermontDetails of service:There will be no public services for Michael. He will be interred at the Graves Cemetery in Duxbury next to his mother and father.Michael Charles DeForge, 76, of Morrisville passed away on October 1, 2026 at Mayo nursing home with his daughter Jasmine, his best friend Pete Jones, and his son-in-law Jonathan by his side.He was born to Marjorie (Bailey) DeForge and Robert DeForge in Montpelier, and was the eld
  • Vermont general election ballots mailed later than expected

    Vermont general election ballots mailed later than expected
    Official ballots sent out by mail to voters for the 2026 general election in Vermont. Photo by Noel Clark/VTDiggerSome Vermonters can expect their general election ballots a week late this year due to manufacturing problems, according to Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas. “We’ve never had a scenario like this,” she said.Election ballots were mailed to all registered Vermont voters on Wednesday, a week after the deadline mandated by Vermont’s universal mail-in
  • Police face barrage of questions but provide few answers about shooting by Williston officer

    Police face barrage of questions but provide few answers about shooting by Williston officer
    Photo via Adobe StockWILLISTON — Questions linger after authorities say a Williston police officer shot and injured a man early Thursday. A press conference by police Thursday afternoon revealed little about what led the officer to shoot the man. Police say the matter remains under investigation. The man was treated at the University of Vermont Medical Center for a gunshot wound to his hip, Maj. Ashley Barnes, commander of the state police criminal division, told reporters at th
  • A decade of remembering: Good grows from grief

    A decade of remembering: Good grows from grief
    Top from left: Janie Chase Cozzi, Eli Brookens; bottom from left: Cyrus Zschau, Mary Harris, Liam Hale.
    This story by Lee Kahrs was first published in the Waterbury Roundabout on Oct. 7, 2026.You can see them at night, white stars shining on the side of barns, bridges, businesses and homes in the Mad River Valley all the way to Waterbury. Not just during the holidays, but all year round, lit up in remembrance of five lives cut short.On Oct. 8, five families, multiple schools, communities spanni
  • Universal primary care is at the center of the race for governor. How would it work?

    Universal primary care is at the center of the race for governor. How would it work?
    Hospital staff tend to a patient on a gurney. Photo via Adobe StockProposals for universal primary care have become a central platform point in the race for Vermont’s top state office. The Democratic candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, Amanda Janoo and Molly Gray, tout free publicly funded primary care as their chief healthcare policy proposal leading into the Nov. 3 general election. Proponents of the policy say it can reduce costs by keeping people healthier in th
  • Vermont school districts scramble to cover the increased cost of diesel

    Vermont school districts scramble to cover the increased cost of diesel
    School buses line up to drop off students at the Allen Brook School in Williston in September 2020. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerWith diesel prices hitting record highs, Vermont school districts are taking on unexpected costs to bus students to school. The spike is forcing districts to consider cutting other spending or tapping their reserves.Champlain Valley School District expects to spend $200,000 over its budget on diesel fuel if prices remain at current levels, according to Meghan M
  • A salute to the Northeast Kingdom’s sharpest wit

    A salute to the Northeast Kingdom’s sharpest wit
    Dear Editor,As I sit here on the south shore of Lake Memphremagog in Newport on this gorgeous autumn day, gazing east into rural Vermont farmland, north into rural Quebec and west into rural Vermont, and having researched Jay Stroud, the headmaster extraordinaire of Tabor Academy (now several years retired), I see with profound clarity the large ironic bulge out of the left side of his cheek in his recent commentary for VTDigger.
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    I hunted long and hard for words to describe the best t
  • The fall foliage is the best it’s been in years

    The fall foliage is the best it’s been in years
    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-the-ground reporting with photos and videos from across the region.
    We’re seeing a shows
  • State police investigate shooting by Williston officer that wounded a man early Thursday

    State police investigate shooting by Williston officer that wounded a man early Thursday
    Blue lights on top of a police cruiser. Stock photo via PixabayA Williston police officer shot and injured a man early Thursday, according to officials.The man who was shot was reported to be in stable condition at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, the Williston Police Department said in a press release around 9:30 a.m. Thursday.The officer involved in the shooting was also taken to the medical center, where he was treated for injuries and released, the press release said.
  • Vermont governor’s race will test voters’ appetite for raising new taxes — or cutting them

    Vermont governor’s race will test voters’ appetite for raising new taxes — or cutting them
    Republican Gov. Phil Scott, left, and Democratic nominee for governor Amanda Janoo. Photos by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe leading candidates for governor of Vermont this year agree that the state is unaffordable for too many people. But Amanda Janoo and Phil Scott have different ideas for how to solve that problem — and say each other’s plans won’t cut it. Janoo, the Democratic nominee and an economist from Burlington, says a key part of her agenda is raising new revenue fo
  • Vermont’s ‘slopaganda’ problem

    Vermont’s ‘slopaganda’ problem
    Hank Poitras, better known as “Planet Hank,” speaks during a social media livestream in May 2026. ScreenshotCurtis Hier uses “Planet Hank” as a verb. He used the controversial Brattleboro content creator’s moniker to describe the inspiration behind Flip Vermont Red, the political action committee dedicated to electing more Republicans to the State House that he founded last month.“Somebody just sort of said to me … ‘Oh, I wish we could &ldqu
  • Don’t tax Vermont expats out of coming home

    Don’t tax Vermont expats out of coming home
    Dear Editor,I oppose proposals to impose a substantially higher property tax rate on second homes in Vermont. I was born and raised in Shaftsbury, graduated from Mount Anthony Union High School and Saint Michael’s College, and was married in Manchester. Vermont is not simply a place where my family vacations; it is home.After college, I moved to Massachusetts to find a stable, well-paying job with benefits because my skills and training did not align with many of the opportunities then av
  • Florida evangelist purchases former Green Mountain College campus from Whiskey mogul

    Florida evangelist purchases former Green Mountain College campus from Whiskey mogul
    Evangelical preacher Tommie Zito is planning to covert Green Mountain College in Poultney into Z University.Seen on Friday, July 31, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerTommie Zito, a Florida Evangelist, officially took ownership of the more than 100-acre former Green Mountain College campus property last week. Zito aims to transform the campus in the heart of downtown Poultney into a Christian university, called Z University, which he plans to expand eventually to have campuses across th
  • Vermont Digital Services Secretary Denise Reilly-Hughes to leave role for private sector

    Vermont Digital Services Secretary Denise Reilly-Hughes to leave role for private sector
    Agency of Digital Services Secretary Denise Reilly-Hughes at the Statehouse in Montpelier in Feb. 2025. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerTheo Wells-Spackman is a Report for America corps member who reports for VTDigger.Denise Reilly-Hughes, who has led Vermont’s Agency of Digital Services since 2023, will leave her role next week to take a job in the private sector, Gov. Phil Scott announced Wednesday.The statement from Scott’s office praised the outgoing secretary’s w
  • Parents of cyclist who was killed in crosswalk file wrongful death lawsuit against driver

    Parents of cyclist who was killed in crosswalk file wrongful death lawsuit against driver
    Shiloh Skalka, 16, was killed in July in Burlington after she was struck by a vehicle while crossing a roadway on her e-bike in a crosswalk with warning lights flashing. Provided photoThe parents of a 16-year-old girl are suing a Burlington folk artist who already faces charges that he struck and killed her as she rode an e-bike in a crosswalk with warning lights flashing. Christian Skalka and Susan Skalka, the parents of Shiloh Skalka, filed the lawsuit against Douglas Knapp this week in
  • Vermont Conversation: Forester, influencer and author Ethan Tapper on why ‘it’s our responsibility to carry hope for each other’


    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.Forester Ethan Tapper, author of the book “The Forest Year: Finding Hope in a World Worth Saving.” Photo by Corey HendricksonEthan Tapper is a forester, philosopher, bestselling author and social media star. The chainsaw-toting, ATV-driving V
  • Vermont’s housing crisis needs bold answers

    Vermont’s housing crisis needs bold answers
    This commentary is by David Bond, who taught at Bennington College from 2013 to 2026. He now runs the Center for Environmental Justice at Georgetown University. Vermont is not an easy place to be homeless. Winters are unforgiving, and this rural state has minimal infrastructure to support unhoused people. Shelters are few and far between, and most were built when the loss of housing was a temporary setback tied to house fires or fleeing domestic abuse.Personal tragedy is no longer the trig
  • For Sam Lucci, Freedom & Unity made the path back to college a “no-brainer” 

    For Sam Lucci, Freedom & Unity made the path back to college a “no-brainer” 
    Sam Lucci has known for the last ten years that he wanted to finish his education but constantly found himself weighing the costs against the benefits. Feeling like he couldn’t commit until he made a plan, Sam held off, pursuing jobs he liked and loved, gaining experience in sales, and taking an opportunity for on-the-job training that let him explore the trades. A “circuitous route” in his career and education Sam took what his VSAC outreach counselor, Martha McCaug
  • Federal boost advances West Brattleboro Terrace redevelopment

    Federal boost advances West Brattleboro Terrace redevelopment
    U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., visits the former Melrose Terrace site in West Brattleboro to discuss $1.75 million in federal Community Project Funding for its redevelopment on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. Photo by Kristopher Radder/Brattleboro ReformerThis story by Chris Mays was first published in the Brattleboro Reformer on Oct. 6, 2026.BRATTLEBORO — Brattleboro Housing Partnerships celebrated $1.75 million in congressionally directed funding for the redevelopment of Melrose Terrace as West
  • Vermont summer food aid for families expires this weekend

    Vermont summer food aid for families expires this weekend
    An aisle in a grocery store with canned food items. Photo via Adobe StockMost families that receive Summer EBT food aid have until Oct. 10 to hit the grocery stores and farmers markets and use the benefits before they expire.The federally funded program provides support for qualifying Vermont families, including those who receive free and reduced-price school lunches, to buy groceries for their children during the summer. The electronic benefits are valid for about four months after families re
  • Lt. gov. candidates largely agree on politics, clash personally

    Lt. gov. candidates largely agree on politics, clash personally
    Republican Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers, left, and Molly Gray, a Democratic nominee to be the lieutenant governor. Photos by Glenn RussellIncumbent Lt. Gov. John Rodgers and Democratic challenger Molly Gray mostly challenged each other on past experiences rather than policy in a debate Tuesday afternoon. “My opponent and I agree with one thing,” Rodgers said. “And that is that we can’t afford the status quo.”Rodgers and Gray, the executive director at Verm
  • Rink on the brink: Barre makes last-minute ice rink repairs, but the arena’s future is uncertain

    Rink on the brink: Barre makes last-minute ice rink repairs, but the arena’s future is uncertain
    The B.O.R. Barre Outdoor Recreation arena on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. Photo by Erin Petenko/VTDiggerBARRE — As a boy visiting his grandfather in Barre, Brian Wilkin could see the arches of the city’s new ice arena as he walked down the hill. His grandfather lived next to the arena, and Wilkin understood what the new building meant: He would be able to play hockey in his own hometown.And he did. So did his father. Eventually, his daughter did, too.Now Wilkin, the Spaulding High School

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