Vermont news

• Upper Valley Haven readies its new year-round shelter for its first guests

  12-09-2026 13:23 via vtdigger.org
  
  An artist’s rendering of the Upper Valley Haven’s low-barrier shelter to be built at the intersection of Routes 5 and 4 in White River Junction, Vt. Courtesy Studio Nexus Architects + PlannersThis story by Alex Ebrahimi was first published in the Valley News on Sept. 10, 2026.WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — The Upper Valley Haven dedicated its new year-round shelter and resource center Wednesday, with an opening date for the 20-bed facility expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
  
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• Rural Vermont is running out of places to give birth

  13-09-2026 16:11 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Selin Tukel, a medical student at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine who is an advocate for equitable healthcare with an interest in obstetrics and women’s health.Access to maternity care in the U.S. has shrunk in recent years. Shockingly, more than half of U.S. counties do not have a hospital that provides labor and delivery services, according to the 2026 March of Dimes report. In Vermont, it took an average of about 22 minutes to reach the neares
  
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• Lawmakers examine Department of Corrections policy keeping more people in prison past their minimum sentences

  13-09-2026 15:35 via vtdigger.org
  
  Defender General Matthew Valerio testifies before the Joint Legislative Justice Oversight Committee at the statehouse in Montpelier in September 2025. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerVermont lawmakers responsible for overseeing the Department of Corrections are taking a closer look at a department policy that has expanded the criteria the department uses to keep people incarcerated beyond their minimum sentence. The policy, known as risk containment, has prompted concern from advocates
  
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• Pittsford Village Farm opens with new childcare operation and affordable apartments

  13-09-2026 14:52 via vtdigger.org
  
  The farmhouse restoration project at the Pittfsord Village Farm features two rental apartments, a childcare center and a retail operation. Seen in Pittsford on Thursday, September 10, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerWhat began as a vision among Pittsford residents in 2018 will become reality Sept. 15, when a childcare center in the newly restored Pittsford Village Farm is set to open.Already, two families have moved into new affordable apartments, and a new drink shop called Small Town Nut
  
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• Revealed in the river

  13-09-2026 14:33 via vtdigger.org
  
  Annette Spaulding prepares to dive in the Connecticut River on Aug. 15, 2025. Spaulding was a member of the team of historians that discovered a Colonial-era blockhouse built for the Crown Point Road that had been submerged in the river for many decades. Photo by Lonnie Lisai/The CommonsThis story by Robert F. Smith was first published in The Commons on Sept. 8, 2026.SPRINGFIELD — A trio of local history experts, working with historical records, personal exploration and eventually with ar
  
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• Real Vermonters don’t milk goats. They laugh at newly revived books with that title.

  13-09-2026 13:32 via vtdigger.org
  
  “Real Vermonters Don’t Milk Goats,” the state’s all-time bestselling humor book, is set to return to stores this fall in a 43rd anniversary edition. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDiggerVermont political science professor Frank Bryan and writer friend Bill Mares were bumping along a muddy back road four decades ago when they spotted a pristine log cabin with a two-vehicle carport.“Flatlander,” Bryan later recalled saying of a perceived out-of-state owner.&ld
  
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• Somber and hopeful, 47 immigrants become U.S. citizens on 9/11 anniversary

  11-09-2026 23:59 via vtdigger.org
  
  New Americans take their citizenship oaths during a naturalization ceremony at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Friday, September 11, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerMONTPELIER — Barbara Colombo became an American on Friday. She registered to vote before she left the building.Colombo, 52, was one of 47 immigrants sworn in as U.S. citizens Friday at a naturalization ceremony in the Statehouse.“It was very touching,” said the psychologist and professor, originally from Italy
  
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• Fall Member Drive: From reporting to real-world impact

  11-09-2026 23:42 via vtdigger.org
  
  Attendees at VTDigger’s Rutland event with Southern Vermont Reporter Greta Solsaa on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger.Dear Reader,Every day, VTDigger reporters bring consequential information into public view. Then something important happens: Vermonters use it.They bring it into Statehouse debates. They make decisions with it. Sometimes, institutions change course because new information has come to light.That impact starts with readers like you who help fund th
  
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• More doctors are offering memberships for healthcare

  11-09-2026 23:04 via vtdigger.org
  
  Creative Commons photo by jasleen_kaur via Flickr.This story by Briana Brady was first published in The Other Paper on Sept. 3, 2026.Over the more than two decades that nurse practitioner Holly Whitcomb has been providing primary care, things have changed — and it’s not just the switch to electronic records.“We used to just sit with patients and learn who they are and what they needed and what their goals were, and it was really personal,” Whitcomb said.After 24 years pr
  
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• Teachers in Blue Mountain Union School District declare impasse in contract talks

  11-09-2026 23:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  Groton, Vermont, viewed from the southeast. Photo by Ascended Dreamer/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
  Nearly yearlong teacher contract negotiations in the Blue Mountain Union School District are at a stalemate after the teachers union rejected a proposal that the school board called its final offer. The Blue Mountain Education Association formally declared an impasse in talks Tuesday night, declining to sign a one-year contract for salary increases that the school board proposed. During colle
  
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• Vermont Almanac, an annual compendium of Vermont life, is shutting down

  11-09-2026 22:16 via vtdigger.org
  
  A stack of Volume V of the Vermont Almanac, sitting in Next Chapter Bookstore in Barre in November 2024. Courtesy of Next Chapter BookstoreFor six years, Vermont Almanac has served as a “glorious mix of eclectic content” on Vermont life, from creative essays and how-tos on rural skills to history and nature write-ups. “It was like a very cozy, by-the-woodstove book to read,” said longtime reader Naomi Heindel. But the almanac said this week that six years would
  
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• You can’t take this away from me

  11-09-2026 20:27 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Henriette Mantel, a Vermont-born writer, actress and producer, best known for playing Alice Nelson in the “Brady Bunch” movies and for co-writing and directing the Sundance documentary “An Unreasonable Man.”I’m sure not many of you remember the chorus of a song the Gershwin brothers wrote in 1937 — “No, they can’t take that away from me” — but lately I’ve been singing it a lot. Not about a love gone wrong but
  
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• Keep calm and carry on: Burlington airport to host emergency response simulation

  11-09-2026 20:22 via vtdigger.org
  
  Passenger jets on the tarmac at the Burlington International Airport in South Burlington in Sept. 2022. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerAmbulances, fire trucks and airport personnel will come together Saturday to test the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport’s emergency response systems.“Being prepared for an emergency is a responsibility we take very seriously at Leahy BTV,” Director of Aviation Nic Longo said in an airport press release. “While we hope we
  
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• Brattleboro Memorial Hospital commits to keeping birthing services

  11-09-2026 01:09 via vtdigger.org
  
  Supporters of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital’s birthing center march in the town’s recent Fourth of July parade. File photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDiggerThis story by Chris Mays was first published in the Brattleboro Reformer on Sept. 10, 2026.BRATTLEBORO — Birthing services are no longer on the chopping block at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, where financial challenges have prompted the consideration. In an announcement on Thursday, the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Bo
  
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• Vermont awards first batch of $195 million in federal rural health funds

  11-09-2026 01:03 via vtdigger.org
  
  Hand of an elderly woman with her caregiver. Adobe stock photoThe first $11.7 million of $195 million in federal rural health funds earmarked for Vermont have been awarded, with the lion’s share going to tuition for students in healthcare fields.Today’s announcement directs $9 million to the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation toward tuition benefits for students in nursing, dentistry and other healthcare fields who commit to working in the state for at least five years. The
  
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• Jury selected for Jason Eaton trial, with opening arguments due Monday

  11-09-2026 00:49 via vtdigger.org
  
  Jason Eaton listens as Chttenden State’s Attorney Sara George, right, speaks during a hearing in Chittenden Superior criminal court in Burlington on Friday, August 28, 2026. Eaton is charged with shooting three Palestinian students in 2023. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerBURLINGTON — Lawyers quizzed potential jurors for nearly a full day before selecting the panel that will weigh the case of the Burlington man charged with shooting and wounding three Palestinian students nearly thre
  
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• The one story from 9/11 that I can’t forget. And I don’t want to.

  10-09-2026 23:57 via vtdigger.org
  
  A Port Authority police officer lays a flower at the Sept. 11 Memorial in New York, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015. Photo by Seth Wenig/AP PhotoWhen Bob Dow reached out by email asking me if I wanted to write again about his loss on Sept. 11, I said yes. I said yes because Bob’s loss of the love of his life, Ruth Ketler, is resonant even today. I said yes because learning how he had continued in the world over the past 25 years since I wrote a story about his search for Ruth, would also hel
  
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• Carbon credits are a lifeline for Vermont’s working forests

  10-09-2026 22:32 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Jessica Bakowski, the northeast regional forester for Chestnut Forest Carbon Works. As a professional forester living and working in northern Vermont, I’ve spent more than a decade helping landowners navigate the opportunities and challenges of long-term forest stewardship. Across New England, one question comes up repeatedly: How do we keep forests healthy and ensure they stay in the family for generations?In Vermont, forests are more than a scenic backdrop. Th
  
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• Help sustain VTDigger’s election coverage

  10-09-2026 21:03 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Reader,This summer, Vermonters turned to VTDigger in growing numbers to prepare for the primary election.Tens of thousands of readers came to our election guide to learn about the candidates, understand the races and find the practical information they needed to cast their ballots. Now we’re getting ready to do it all again for the midterm election in November. A gift today during our Fall Member Drive will keep this coverage strong. We can’t do this work without you.
  Give
  
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• Don’t wait for Election Day

  10-09-2026 19:05 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,The current administration, which I believe will do unthinkable things to stay in perpetual power, has long been undermining and delegitimizing free and fair elections. Now their efforts to obtain voter information and curtail mail-in voting are becoming more obvious.It is critical that everyone votes and that every vote is fairly counted. Please urge every organization and individual you know to encourage voting on Nov. 3 and to provide rides to the polls. This must be done in ever
  
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• 5 things we’re watching in Vermont’s general election

  10-09-2026 15:57 via vtdigger.org
  
  People enjoy the view from the top of the golden dome during a tour at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Thursday, May 15, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerElection Day is on the horizon. There’s no presidential race on the ballot, but all of Vermont’s state and county-level offices, our lone U.S. House seat and two other ballot items are up for Vermonters to vote on.VTDigger is watching the most important contests and votes this election cycle, and we’re here to tell you wh
  
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• Thousands of acres conserved in Woodbury, where family plans to sustainably log for generations

  10-09-2026 13:44 via vtdigger.org
  
  Views of Deer Lake property in Elmore, Vermont. Photo by Caleb Kenna/Vermont Land TrustAndrew Meyer remembers, as a kid, visiting logging jobs in the area of the Worcester Range with his grandfather or uncle. They were using horses at the time, and then later upgraded to more modern equipment. He remembers the logs going to the mill or log yard in Hardwick. He said the woods were a major part of his life; he grew up in Hardwick on a dairy farm and would spend time camping and hiking around
  
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• Affordable housing project falls apart over infrastructure gaps in Highgate

  10-09-2026 11:15 via vtdigger.org
  
  A rendering of the Highgate Village Housing project. Image courtesy of Cathedral Square/gbA ArchitectureCarly Berlin covers housing and infrastructure for Vermont Public, in partnership with VTDigger.Plans to build 30 new subsidized senior apartments in the Franklin County town of Highgate have come to a halt. Affordable housing developer Cathedral Square and town officials called off the project after the town determined it could not provide a public water source for the apartments. The l
  
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• Gov. Scott vetoed state regulations on data centers. One of his deputies just urged Congress to pass them.

  10-09-2026 01:05 via vtdigger.org
  
  Julie Moore, secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources, speaks about flooding in the state during a press conference in Berlin on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. Photo by Natalie Williams/VTDiggerVermont’s secretary of natural resources testified before a U.S. Congressional committee last week in support of a bill that would direct states to limit the costs consumers shoulder for the water used by data centers.Julie Moore told lawmakers she supports “requiring owners and operators to help
  
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• Help for Vermont Guard families is getting a home of its own

  10-09-2026 00:45 via vtdigger.org
  
  Major General Hank Harder, adjutant general of the Vermont National Guard, speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Vermont Army National Guard Family Readiness Center at Camp Johnson in Colchester on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerCOLCHESTER — A deployment can leave a military spouse managing the bills, child care and every problem at home alone. A new center at Camp Johnson is intended to ease some of that strain.“We understand that the Ver
  
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• Frederick Lack Sawabini

  10-09-2026 00:24 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born: 10/31/1951BurlingtonDied: 09/05/2026Details of service:A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, September 18, 2026, at the Charlotte Congregational Church, 403 Church Hill Road, Charlotte, Vermont. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made in Fred’s memory to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to support cancer research, online at dana-farber.org/gift or by mail to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284.Frederick Lack Sawabini passed away peacefully on
  
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• Federal judge blocks Vermont AG’s probe of ‘Planet Hank’ AI video

  10-09-2026 00:10 via vtdigger.org
  
  U.S. District Court Judge William Sessions speaks at the Vermont Statehouse in September 2018. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDiggerA political satire video was “ridiculous” enough to be protected speech, a federal judge ruled, blocking Vermont’s first attempt to enforce its new AI-media law.“The Court considers this video to have a ridiculous nature and finds that Vermont’s interest in protecting and preserving the integrity of the electoral process and related fr
  
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• Vermont Conversation: ‘We are the patriots fighting for democracy.’ AG Charity Clark on suing Trump and winning $92.7M from Meta

  09-09-2026 23:23 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.Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark speaks during a press conference highlighting gun safety efforts in Vermont in Burlington in April 2024. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerVermont Attorney General Charity Clark has had a busy summer. Since late J
  
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• A bear in the yard isn’t a crisis, it’s Tuesday

  09-09-2026 23:15 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Carol Winfield, a zoologist, naturalist and wildlife educator and rehabilitator who lives in Vermont.I am writing to beg the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department not to extend bear season into the time when these animals are metabolically slowing down and denning up for the winter. No true sportsman should ever consider allowing such an abhorrent practice as to kill a bear in its den, and extending the season into mid-December makes that more likely, not less. Other
  
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• Sweet talk won’t stop Burlington’s drug dealers

  09-09-2026 22:11 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,My wife and I purchased a home in Burlington to be near family who live here. I thank Charlie Smith for his insightful, balanced observations in a recent commentary published by VTDigger. As a sober alcoholic and former drug abuser, I can attest to the fact that some Burlington public officials are only facilitating the living nightmare that too many areas of the city have become. As a practicing lawyer, I know firsthand that drug dealing is organized crime run by career crimin
  
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