Vermont news

• Vermonters chart their own course to Boston Marathon

  15-04-2018 19:00 via vtdigger.org
  Donna Smyth runs on an officially sanctioned dirt-road course her husband designed alongside Windham County’s Green River so she could qualify for Monday’s Boston Marathon. Photo by Jennifer Garrett
  VERNON — Vermonter Donna Smyth has raced her entire life, be it as a student sprinter or adult marathoner and 50-miler. But after suffering injury upon injury pounding the pavement, the 58-year-old physical education teacher has limited herself the past two decades to dirt roads and
  
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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.
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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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• Elizabeth Weir Toor

  09-09-2026 18:48 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born: 07/20/1927Edmonton, AlbertaDied: 08/24/2026Middlebury, VermontDetails of service:Elizabeth Weir Toor died at age 99 on August 24, 2026 in Middlebury.Beth was a brilliant scientist, mother, wife, dog lover (particularly Irish and Gordon Setters), passionate supporter of women’s choice and voting rights and an activist for clean air. She was an enthusiastic follower of women’s tennis, enjoyed a martini at the end of the workday, and loved her cigarettes, chocolates and mystery n
  
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• An environmental studies degree will unlock Soren’s goal of becoming a game warden

  09-09-2026 16:36 via vtdigger.org
  
  Soren Stelma-Leonard aspires to a career as a game warden. For him, it’s about spending as much time as possible outside in the woods, an experience he’s always found peaceful and grounding. Law enforcement has long been an interest, but after he did a ride-along job shadow with both a sheriff and a game warden, he realized there were aspects of the game warden job he was much more invested in. “Preventing, stopping, and investigating poaching is really interesting t
  
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• Former EPA official Melissa Hoffer to lead Vermont Law and Graduate School

  09-09-2026 00:46 via vtdigger.org
  
  Melissa Hoffer is the new president of Vermont Law and Graduate School in South Royalton. She will begin her tenure on Dec. 1. (Courtesy Vermont Law and Graduate School)This story by Liz Sauchelli was first published in the Valley News on Sept. 7, 2026.After more than a year of interim leadership, Vermont Law and Graduate School has hired a new president.Melissa Hoffer, who currently serves as Massachusetts’ climate chief, will begin her tenure Dec. 1, according to a news release from the
  
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• Residents voice concerns over cannabis proposal in Royalton

  09-09-2026 00:40 via vtdigger.org
  
  Shannon Morrill, of South Royalton, departs her cannabis dispensary, Something Wicked, in Bethel, Vt., to go to a meeting on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. At her request the Royalton Selectboard approved putting the decision on whether to allow retail cannabis sales before voters in November, without requiring a petition signed by 5% of registered voters. Photo by James M. Patterson/Valley NewsThis story by Sofia Langlois was first published in the Valley News on Sept. 4, 2026.ROYALTON —​
  
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• Vermont regulators finalize 5.5% rate increase for Green Mountain Power customers

  09-09-2026 00:22 via vtdigger.org
  
  Green Mountain Power in Colchester in December 2019. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerTheo Wells-Spackman is a Report for America corps member who reports for VTDigger.Regulators will allow Green Mountain Power to raise electricity rates by 5.5% for its more than 275,000 Vermont customers — a smaller hike than the 7.5% increase the company initially sought. The billing change, ordered late last month by Vermont’s Public Utility Commission, will take effect Oct. 1.The first p
  
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• State regulators say Vermont Lt. Gov. John Rodgers grew weed at unlicensed site

  08-09-2026 23:06 via vtdigger.org
  
  Lt. Gov. John Rodgers follows along as the Senate discusses a bill at the Statehouse in Montpelier in March 2025. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerVermont Lt. Gov. John Rodgers is facing a $5,000 fine from state regulators after an inspector found him growing at least 100 cannabis plants at a site in Glover where he did not have permission to do so.The Cannabis Control Board issued Rodgers a formal notice last month that he had violated state rules dictating how and where marijuana can be gr
  
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• Vermont Air National Guard members return home after extended deployment

  08-09-2026 22:53 via vtdigger.org
  
  Vermont National Guard Sgt. Taylor Steele of Port Jervis, New York hugs his three-year-old son Jace at the end of a deployment ceremony at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho on Friday, May 29, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerVermont Air National Guard members returned home Sunday after a roughly eight-month deployment. Guard members from Vermont’s 158th Fighter Wing were deployed this winter on back to back missions to the Caribbean and the Middle East, though details of th
  
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• VTDigger turns 17: Help power what comes next

  08-09-2026 22:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  VTDigger reporter Charlotte Oliver questions U.S. Senator Peter Welch, D-Vermont. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerDear Reader,17 years ago this month, VTDigger began with a big idea: Vermont deserved a fiercely independent news organization dedicated to serving the public.Today, more than 500,000 readers turn to VTDigger each month. And this September, as we celebrate our 17th birthday, we’re asking you to help power what comes next.Our goal is to raise $100,000 by September 15 to support
  
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• An upgrade shouldn’t cost you your lifeline

  08-09-2026 21:52 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,I want to raise a serious problem that isn’t getting the attention it deserves: phone companies abandoning landlines and their failure to warn you that your landline will be lost when you change your service level.We have no cellphone coverage where we are. When my husband opted to upgrade to a higher-speed internet account, I only discovered that our landline was cut afterward, when the phone didn’t work. It was not because of a power outage: It was a failure in the int
  
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• Dear Vermont, I’m staying

  08-09-2026 20:59 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Jasper Brown, a writer who lives in Montpelier.As someone who was driven out of Vermont due to its lack of affordability and was brought back via a life crisis, parts of what Jim Suriano recently wrote in VTDigger resonated: the struggle of getting paychecks from people who live outside Vermont; scrambling every month to figure out how to make ends meet; watching life crumble while people are pointing fingers at the federal government.What I often hear is that we need to &
  
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• We chose this housing crisis

  07-09-2026 16:21 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,I agree with Tray DuClos’ recent letter to VTDigger about Vermont’s housing shortage. It is definitely a huge obstacle to our growth, no matter how you measure it, right up there with our fantastically high costs and our fantastically low wages. Yet we need to look beneath the surface issues such as zoning and ask ourselves a far more uncomfortable question: How and why did we create a society where people cannot afford to live where they work?This is not a natural pheno
  
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• Letting the river roam: Surveying the scars left by Irene 15 years later

  07-09-2026 15:47 via vtdigger.org
  
  Jacob Fetterman (left), coordinator of Trout Unlimited Battenkill Home Rivers Initiative, and Jim Henderson (right), environmental program manager with the Bennington County Regional Commission, at the site of the Green River landslide in Sandgate. Photo by Danielle M. Crosier/Bennington BannerThis story by Danielle M. Crosier was first published in the Bennington Banner on Aug. 28, 2026.SANDGATE — On a late summer morning along the Green River, the scars of Tropical Storm Irene are still
  
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• St. Johnsbury community works to combat surge in ‘bad behavior’ downtown

  07-09-2026 14:31 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Welcome Center in St. Johnsbury on August 9, 2022. File photo by K. Fiegenbaum/VTDiggerThe St. Johnsbury community has been working overtime to quell a months-long surge in “bad behavior” by a limited number of people in its downtown area. The situation’s epicenter is a park adjacent to the town’s Welcome Center, a three-story former train station that also houses the town offices.“We’re struggling,” said Town Clerk Stacy Jewell during the town&rsqu
  
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• Vermonters will vote on constitutional amendment enshrining labor protections in November

  07-09-2026 13:56 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/VTDiggerTheo Wells-Spackman is a Report for America corps member who reports for VTDigger.Vermont voters will accept or toss an amendment to the state constitution in November that would affirm workers’ right to organize and collectively bargain, and prevent lawmakers from easily reversing labor protections in the future. 
  
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• Yes, spending can support affordability

  06-09-2026 17:11 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,The recent commentary in VTDigger claiming that Vermont cannot “spend its way into affordability” ignores the fact that spending in one area frequently results in even larger savings in another. In healthcare, for example, spending tax dollars can significantly reduce spending on premiums and deductibles, making healthcare more affordable overall.One healthcare claim in the commentary is flat-out wrong. Former Gov. Peter Shumlin did not decide in 2014 that “single-
  
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