Vermont news

• State supports confidentiality for documents in Yankee case

  22-05-2017 00:03 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Vermont Yankee spent fuel pad. Photo courtesy of Vermont YankeeVERNON – Two state agencies aren’t objecting to an unusual confidentiality request from the proposed buyer of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant.
  The Agency of Natural Resources and the Department of Public Service both agree that NorthStar Group Services is justified in seeking to restrict public access to two documents that contain key details of the plant’s cleanup plan.
  While critics have raised transparency a
  
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• Police face barrage of questions but provide few answers about shooting by Williston officer

  09-10-2026 00:46 via vtdigger.org
  
  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
  
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• A decade of remembering: Good grows from grief

  08-10-2026 23:59 via vtdigger.org
  
  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
  
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• Universal primary care is at the center of the race for governor. How would it work?

  08-10-2026 23:36 via vtdigger.org
  
  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
  
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• Vermont school districts scramble to cover the increased cost of diesel

  08-10-2026 23:20 via vtdigger.org
  
  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
  
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• A salute to the Northeast Kingdom’s sharpest wit

  08-10-2026 19:59 via vtdigger.org
  
  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
  
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• The fall foliage is the best it’s been in years

  08-10-2026 19:51 via vtdigger.org
  
  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
  
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• State police investigate shooting by Williston officer that wounded a man early Thursday

  08-10-2026 17:55 via vtdigger.org
  
  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.
  
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• Vermont governor’s race will test voters’ appetite for raising new taxes — or cutting them

  08-10-2026 00:08 via vtdigger.org
  
  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
  
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• Vermont’s ‘slopaganda’ problem

  07-10-2026 23:48 via vtdigger.org
  
  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
  
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• Don’t tax Vermont expats out of coming home

  07-10-2026 23:12 via vtdigger.org
  
  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
  
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• Florida evangelist purchases former Green Mountain College campus from Whiskey mogul

  07-10-2026 22:56 via vtdigger.org
  
  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
  
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• Vermont Digital Services Secretary Denise Reilly-Hughes to leave role for private sector

  07-10-2026 22:51 via vtdigger.org
  
  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
  
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• Parents of cyclist who was killed in crosswalk file wrongful death lawsuit against driver

  07-10-2026 22:45 via vtdigger.org
  
  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
  
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• Vermont Conversation: Forester, influencer and author Ethan Tapper on why ‘it’s our responsibility to carry hope for each other’

  07-10-2026 22:40 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.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
  
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• Vermont’s housing crisis needs bold answers

  07-10-2026 19:25 via vtdigger.org
  
  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
  
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• For Sam Lucci, Freedom & Unity made the path back to college a “no-brainer” 

  07-10-2026 18:57 via vtdigger.org
  
  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
  
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• Federal boost advances West Brattleboro Terrace redevelopment

  07-10-2026 00:49 via vtdigger.org
  
  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
  
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• Vermont summer food aid for families expires this weekend

  07-10-2026 00:43 via vtdigger.org
  
  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
  
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• Lt. gov. candidates largely agree on politics, clash personally

  07-10-2026 00:16 via vtdigger.org
  
  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
  
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• Rink on the brink: Barre makes last-minute ice rink repairs, but the arena’s future is uncertain

  06-10-2026 23:32 via vtdigger.org
  
  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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• UVM Medical Center unions reach tentative agreement in contract negotiations

  06-10-2026 23:12 via vtdigger.org
  
  Union doctors and staff workers at the University of Vermont Medical Center, along with their supporters, during a rally in Burlington in June 2026. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerBoth the support staff and technical professional unions at the University of Vermont Medical Center have reached tentative, two-year contract agreements with their employer, both the hospital and union representatives confirmed Tuesday. The agreement comes just days after both unions voted to give their bar
  
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• Proposal 4’s language is flawed

  06-10-2026 23:02 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,Judy Olinick’s recent letter to VTDigger in response to Renee McGuinness’ commentary on Proposal 4, the so-called equality of rights amendment, contains misleading information.First, the Vermont Constitution, Chapter II, Section 72, dictates that legislators must put a proposed amendment before voters once both chambers approve it in two successive sessions; their vote is not necessarily an indication of their support of the proposal itself. This is a critical proce
  
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• Vermont colleges chart a path forward against demographic and financial headwinds

  06-10-2026 22:19 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Champlain College campus in Burlington on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerHigher education institutions in Vermont are devising ways to stay afloat — from tuition discounts designed to boost enrollment to cutting employee benefits — as they face shifting demographics and financial constraints, college administrators say.   The Northeast region faces some of the sharpest impacts of the demographic cliff due to plummeting birthrates in the a
  
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• Vermont’s return-to-office order is an insult

  06-10-2026 20:12 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Kate Lucier, who was a state employee for nearly 14 years. She lives in Underhill.We rarely see the perspective of public-sector employees spotlighted — or even considered — in media reports about the state workforce and the decisions impacting it, but the voices and experiences of Vermont’s state employees should have received much more attention in the past year as lives were upended and employee morale decimated. As a former Vermont state employee, I a
  
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• Brattleboro fire chief deploys for 13 months

  06-10-2026 00:36 via vtdigger.org
  
  First responders and town officials gathered at Centra Fire Station in Brattleboro to say goodbye to Fire Chief Jay Symonds before he leaves for approximately 13 months of military service with the New York Army National Guard on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. Photo by Kristopher Radder/Brattleboro ReformerThis story by Kristopher Radder was first published in the Brattleboro Reformer Oct. 4, 2026.BRATTLEBORO — The meeting room at Central Fire Station was filled with firefighters, first responders
  
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• Attorney for man charged in a deadly police chase seeks to quiz potential jurors before seeking change of venue

  06-10-2026 00:23 via vtdigger.org
  
  Tate Rheaume appears in Rutland County Superior criminal court in April 2024. Rheaume is charged in the crash that killed Rutland City police officer Jessica Ebbighausen in 2023. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe attorney for the man accused of driving into and killing a Rutland officer during a chase wants to question prospective jurors about what they may know and feel about the case before moving forward with a request to move the case to another county.David Sleigh, the lawyer for Tat
  
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• New report finds low reconviction rates for teens in first years of Vermont’s ‘Raise the Age’ law

  06-10-2026 00:08 via vtdigger.org
  
  The McCaffrey Courthouse in Rutland on Thursday, September 10, 2026. The building houses Vermont Superior Court. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerTheo Wells-Spackman is a Report for America corps member who reports for VTDigger.As Vermont considers the future of its “Raise the Age” law, a new report has found relatively low rates of reconviction among the teenagers whose cases have been affected by the reform — though the data come with important caveats.The landmark law, which
  
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• Not every job needs to be done in the office

  05-10-2026 23:19 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Latimer Hoke, a paramedic and ski patroller in northern Vermont.I work as a paramedic. It would be pretty difficult to do my job remotely, what with carrying patients, starting intravenous lines and administering medications. Similar story for plow truck drivers, police and corrections officers, teachers, cooks, delivery drivers, mechanics and many other jobs that require a physical presence. But some jobs can and should be performed remotely.The recent pandemic illustrate
  
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• Despite some overall progress, Vermont test scores show a widening achievement gap

  05-10-2026 22:55 via vtdigger.org
  
  A classroom. Photo via Adobe StockDespite some improvements in standardized test scores, state data reveals a widening achievement gap in Vermont’s schools. The state’s initial evaluation of its annual standardized test scores for the 2025-26 school year, released last month, shows “marginalized students,” including those with disabilities, living in poverty or belonging to a racial minority, are falling behind their peers.The gap in subject matter proficiency betwe
  
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