Vermont news

• Stephen Terry: George Aiken’s theory on Amelia Earhart’s disappearance

  26-07-2017 01:56 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Stephen C. Terry, who was legislative assistant for Sen. George Aiken from 1969 to 1975. He is also a former managing editor of the Rutland Herald and a retired vice president at Green Mountain Power. He is an occasional columnist for the Rutland Herald and Times Argus, in which this was first published, and does political analysis for WCAX-TV and WDEV-Radio. He lives in Middlebury.
  George D. Aiken loved flying, and as governor (1937-1941) he took priva
  
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• Lock up your guns. It could prevent a suicide.

  24-09-2026 00:17 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Seton McIlroy, the executive director of GunSense Vermont.September is Suicide Prevention Month. Last year, 140 Vermonters died by suicide, and nearly two-thirds of these deaths involved a firearm. This is why GunSense Vermont promotes Vermont’s secure storage laws. Not only does secure storage prevent children from accessing firearms in the home, but it also helps to prevent or delay a suicidal person from accessing a gun.In the most recent Vermont Youth Risk Behavi
  
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• For laid off St Albans Creamery workers, health insurance benefits run out next week. The union representing them is asking the courts to intervene

  24-09-2026 00:11 via vtdigger.org
  
  The St. Albans Co-op Creamery in St. Albans in August 2019. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerTeamsters Local 597, which represents employees at St. Albans Creamery, filed a motion with the Vermont District Court on Tuesday, hoping to force their employer to continue making health insurance contributions while the dairy processing plant remains closed.Without action from the court, the union’s insurance is set to expire at the end of the month. The dairy plant, which is owned and o
  
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• Vermont should watch for three scenarios as Trump targets the midterms

  23-09-2026 23:59 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by John Bossange, who lives in South Burlington.Every day we read or hear about the chaos and confusion surrounding this November’s election, especially regarding the campaigns and races for national offices. Here in Vermont, our campaigns seem relatively peaceful and respectful. Our voting process for many village, town and state positions, and for our one U.S. House seat, has not been polluted by doubt and unfounded conspiracy theories alleging fraud, as has happened
  
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• Vermont Conversation: ‘There was some justice.’ Hisham Awartani on enduring and speaking out for Palestinian lives.

  23-09-2026 23:18 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.Hisham Awartani testifies during Jason Eaton’s trial in Chittenden Superior criminal court in Burlington on Monday, September 14, 2026. Eaton is accused of shooting a now-paralyzed Awartani and two other Palestinian students in November of 2023. Ph
  
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• As pharmacies across Vermont close, North Star Health opens 3 new ones

  23-09-2026 23:09 via vtdigger.org
  
  North Star Health’s chief medical officer, pediatrician Dr. Sarah Weidhaas, pharmacy manager, Samantha Tyrrell, and CEO, Josh Dufresne, (right to left) officially open the Springfield Health Center’s pharmacy on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. Photo by Olivia Gieger/VTDiggerSPRINGFIELD — In the era of independent pharmacy closures and ballooning drug costs, a new pharmacy that charges less for drugs seems counterintuitive, if not impossible. But that’s exactly what North S
  
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• 1,240 members raise $100,000 for VTDigger

  23-09-2026 19:03 via vtdigger.org
  
  VTDigger reporter Greta Solsaa interviews people protesting Vice President JD Vance’s visit to the Mad River Valley at the Sugarbush Ski Resort in Warren on March 1, 2025. Photo by Evan L’Roy/VTDiggerDear Reader,Thanks to 1,240 VTDigger members, we reached our goal and raised $100,795 during our Fall Member Drive to support statewide news for Vermont.We are especially grateful to the 90 readers who chose to make their donations monthly. These new sustaining members provide steady, r
  
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• Celebrating National GEAR UP Week: five Vermont students who are lighting the way

  23-09-2026 15:42 via vtdigger.org
  
  Since 1999, GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) has helped students from modest-income and first-generation families discover their path to postsecondary education and training. This week, VSAC celebrates National GEAR UP Week to share more about the program and its resources, and spotlight a handful of students who working with VSAC’s GEAR UP to grow, lead, and prepare for what’s next.VSAC’s GEAR UP serves 2,000 middle and high school st
  
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• Rural Vermont Rising demands to be heard — now and in the future

  23-09-2026 01:05 via vtdigger.org
  
  Several hundred demonstrators gather to protest Act 181 at the Statehouse in Montpelier in March 2026.The law seeks to modernize Act 250, the land use law. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerTheo Wells-Spackman is a Report for America corps member who reports for VTDigger.TUNBRIDGE — Over the hubbub of music and corn dog vendors, Amanda Janoo addressed a standing crowd at the World’s Fair. She had no microphone, and her voice was fading after weeks on the campaign trail. But t
  
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• Vermont man faces federal charge of threatening to kill the president

  22-09-2026 23:52 via vtdigger.org
  
  President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. Photo by Alex Brandon/APBURLINGTON – A Vermont man has been charged with threatening to kill President Donald Trump.Keegan Lagasse, 21, of Richford, appeared late Tuesday in federal court in Burlington for a first hearing in his case. He was not required to enter a plea at the hearing. Instead, an arraignment will be set for a later date. Lagasse, a court filing stated,
  
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• Your map is not my deed

  22-09-2026 23:14 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Libby Moyer, who lives in Vershire and works in communications.I live in one of the two smallest towns in Orange County, Vermont: Vershire. About 670 of us live here, and just three buildings constitute our downtown. We are one of 30 towns whose planning maps are drawn by Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC). That is how 15 to 17 acres of private farmland here were classified and color-coded in a restrictive Future Land Use category. The map is not my d
  
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• Advocates for public buses say Vermont needs new systems for raising funds

  22-09-2026 22:29 via vtdigger.org
  
  A Green Mountain Transit bus at Burlington’s Downtown Transit Center on Sept. 22, 2026. Carly Berlin / Vermont Public
  Carly Berlin covers housing and infrastructure for Vermont Public, in partnership with VTDigger.As Vermont bus routes are eliminated or become less frequent, a new campaign is calling on state leaders to find a reliable funding source to keep buses rolling. “When a route is cut, it isn’t just a line on a map that disappears,” said Linda Bowden, a tra
  
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• Westmore residents persist in fight against proposed telecommunications tower

  22-09-2026 21:25 via vtdigger.org
  
  Balloons show where the top of proposed Westmore telecommunications tower would be. Photo courtesy of Donna Dzugas-Smith.A group of Westmore residents is continuing in their multi-year fight over a 140-foot telecommunications tower proposed to be installed just northwest of Lake Willoughby, a national natural landmark.The residents have said they do not believe the Public Utility Commission gave proper consideration to comments from the town’s planning commission, select board, town plan
  
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• Migration doesn’t follow the climate script Vermonters might expect

  22-09-2026 20:29 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,In a recent commentary for VTDigger regarding tax loopholes for the wealthy, author Dan Jones said, “As I watch the South become insufferably hot and the West burn up, Vermont’s moderate climate looks more and more attractive. I’m pretty sure that, even with increased taxes, our well-to-do property owners won’t be going anywhere as the larger climate collapses.”Climate change is not a new factor in 2026. The U.S. South and Southwest have been heating up
  
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• A celebration of “maple-fired” punk highlights challenging times for Vermont’s live music

  22-09-2026 16:51 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dead Street Dreamers performing at The Underground, courtesy of The UndergroundFor Dan O’Day, “there’s no better feeling” than performing live music for a crowd and feeling the energy go out and come back to you. “I think about these moments of just having people sing along to your songs, know your music, cheering you on,” he said. “I think I took a lot of it for granted — that stuff that normal people don’t get to ever experience is th
  
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• Dorothy (Dot) Naylor

  22-09-2026 16:45 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born: 01/24/1939Newport, Rhode IslandDied: 09/07/2026Berlin, VermontDetails of service:There will be a Celebration of Life on June 5, 2027 at Memorial Hall on Mirror Lake in Calais.In lieu of flowers the family is asking you consider a donation to one of the following organizations:Rural School Community Alliance orNorth Calais Memorial Hall Association 207 G.A.R. Road, Calais VermontDorothy (Openshaw) Naylor of Berlin, previously of Calais, passed away peacefully at Woodridge Nursing and Rehab
  
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• Federal grants invigorate efforts to address veteran homelessness in Vermont

  21-09-2026 23:49 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Veterans’ Place in Northfield. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDiggerThe U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently awarded more than $18 million to community organizations across Vermont and New Hampshire, helping those organizations to continue to house and support veterans without homes. “Having the funding solidified again and the grants to these organizations really helps ensure veterans are being seen and heard, and getting the opportunities to get their feet back under
  
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• ‘The family is an entire town’ in Hinesburg

  21-09-2026 23:22 via vtdigger.org
  
  Stevie Spencer, member of the Town Forest Committee, kneels down to search for salamanders. Photo by Kylie DelMaestro/Community News ServiceKylie DelMaestro and Maddy Upston are reporters with the Community News Service, part of the University of Vermont’s Reporting & Documentary Storytelling program.HINESBURG – Hinesburg Town Forest was an unusual pick by the Vermont Woodlands Association for Tree Farmer of the Year.Winners are usually families, said Kathy Beland, program admin
  
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• Drug injection sites are a good thing for Vermont

  21-09-2026 23:07 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,As a person who has seen people slowly die from dirty needles, I’m confused by the slow reaction from society. Drug addiction and overdoses cost millions of dollars. Lifesaving surgeries don’t always work out. “Philly dope” infections turn people black from the inside out, leading to amputations that our taxpayers fund. The Danes have already proven the success of injection site systems. Vermont’s program is funded by opioid settlement money &mdash
  
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• Fund recovery, not active addiction

  21-09-2026 22:27 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,As a former three-term progressive Burlington city councilor who spent the last 12 years of my career working in the recovery field — as the executive director of both the Turning Point Center and Recovery Partners of Vermont — I feel compelled to write about the state of our city. I’m opposed to opening a safe injection site in Burlington. Our city is in trouble, and our viability as a destination for vacations and regional leisure activities like dining and
  
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• UVM and USDA researchers hope to improve local agriculture

  21-09-2026 21:48 via vtdigger.org
  
  The research warehouse at the Food Systems Research Station in Charlotte, Sept. 17, 2026. Photo by Tierney Flavin/VTDigger.Matthew McIntosh’s family says he came out of the womb loving cows. Now, McIntosh, who works for the Agricultural Research Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is trying to help Vermont farmers improve the quality and quantity of their cows through the University of Vermont’s new Food Systems Research Station.At the station, researchers are seekin
  
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• ‘We have more deer than our forests can support’: Norwich walk highlights browse damage

  21-09-2026 21:28 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dan Healey, center, a Vermont county forester based in the White River Junction office, at an event organized by the Upper Valley Land Trust at Brookmead Conservation Area in Norwich, Vt., on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. Photo by Alex Driehaus/Valley NewsThis story by Alex Driehaus was first published in the Valley News on Sept. 14, 2026. NORWICH — About 30 people walked through the woods at Brookmead Conservation Area recently clad in hiking gear and armed with printouts of a deer browse
  
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• An update on VTDigger’s Fall Member Drive

  21-09-2026 20:20 via vtdigger.org
  
  VTDigger reporter Charlotte Oliver questions U.S. Senator Peter Welch, D-Vermont, during a press conference at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Friday, February 6, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerDear Reader,Over the past several days, VTDigger readers have shown up in a big way to support independent Vermont news. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who made a contribution.Thanks to that support, we’re now within reach of our $100,000 goal.If you meant to make a gift during t
  
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• David Martin

  21-09-2026 20:17 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born: 10/05/1944New York, NYDied: 09/12/2026Lyndonville, VTDetails of service:A Celebration of Life will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, 2026 at:
  The York Street Meeting House
  153 York St, Lyndonville, VT 05851In lieu of flowers, checks and donations can be sent to The Cobleigh Public Library, P.O. Box 147, Lyndonville, VT 05851; or Indivisible St. Johnsbury.David Robert Martin, born David Robert Zisowitz on October 5, 1944, died of congestive heart failure in Lyndonville, Vermont on
  
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• ‘Justice has been rendered’: Jury finds Burlington man guilty in shooting of 3 Palestinian students

  21-09-2026 19:45 via vtdigger.org
  
  Jason Eaton listens to closing arguments during his trial in Chittenden Superior criminal court in Burlington on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. Eaton faces charges of attempted second-degree murder in the shooting of three Palestinian students. Pool photo by Paul Heintz/Boston GlobeUpdated 5:17 p.m.BURLINGTON — A jury found Jason Eaton guilty on three counts of attempted second-degree murder in the shooting of three Palestinian students as they walked near his apartment nearly three years ago.&n
  
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• Jury finds Burlington man guilty in shooting of 3 Palestinian students

  21-09-2026 19:45 via vtdigger.org
  
  Jason Eaton listens to closing arguments during his trial in Chittenden Superior criminal court in Burlington on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. Eaton faces charges of attempted second-degree murder in the shooting of three Palestinian students. Pool photo by Paul Heintz/Boston GlobeBURLINGTON — A jury found Jason Eaton guilty on three counts of attempted second-degree murder in the shooting of three Palestinian students as they walked near his apartment nearly three years ago.Jurors returned the
  
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• Andrew Dexter Morse

  21-09-2026 19:14 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born: 07/19/1969Burlington, VermontDied: 09/08/2026Morrisville, VermontDetails of service:All family and friends are invited to attend a memorial gathering to honor and celebrate Andrew’s life. Location: Elmore State Park, Route 12, Elmore VTTime: Friday Sept 25, 2026, 3pm-5pmAttendees are encouraged to bring fishing stories and good memories.In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Lamoille Area Cancer Network lacnvt.org, which provided practical support Andrew really appreciate
  
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• Towns move forward on regulating short-term rentals

  20-09-2026 17:20 via vtdigger.org
  
  A property with an AirBnB listing on Intervale Avenue in Burlington seen in Sept. 2023. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThis story by Mark Rondeau was first published in the Bennington Banner on Sept. 16, 2026.Shaftsbury is in the process of developing a short-term rental bylaw, while adjacent North Bennington recently finalized the administrative process for enforcing its short-term rental ordinance.According to Vermont law, short-term rental “means a furnished home house, condominiu
  
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• The state panel handling labor disputes in Vermont is short on members at a critical moment

  20-09-2026 15:40 via vtdigger.org
  
  State employees enter the state office complex in Waterbury as the Vermont State Employees Association opposes Gov. Phil Scott’s return to work mandate in October 2025. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe Vermont Labor Relations Board, whose members are appointed by Gov. Phil Scott to resolve disputes between workers and their managers, has been down a third of its members for months — and hasn’t been at full strength in nearly two years.Scott’s office says the gover
  
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• How many crashes will it take to build a roundabout?

  20-09-2026 15:23 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,I am discouraged by the discussions about possible roundabouts in Chittenden County. The intersection of Route 2 and Clay Point Road in Colchester, just off Exit 17 on the way to Grand Isle, has seen multiple fatal crashes in recent years. A study by the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission suggested a roundabout as a solution. The cost was estimated at more than $5 million, and the Vermont Agency of Transportation thinks it would take 10 to 20 years to complete. &nbs
  
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