Vermont news

• VTDigger needs your help today

  10-12-2017 14:11 via vtdigger.org
  Dear Readers,
  VTDigger relies on your support. About half of our budget comes from readers like you.Time is running out to help us meet our budget goal of $350,000. We have $171,300 left to go by Dec. 31.Anne Galloway, founder of VTDigger. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDiggerOnly a tiny fraction of our readers give. If every one of our 55,000 monthly readers donated $5 a month, VTDigger could thrive for years to come. That’s why we are so very grateful to the more than 1,000 readers who have c
  
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• Candidates to lead Vermont National Guard say they’d resign if facing unlawful order

  15-01-2026 21:26 via vtdigger.org
  Brigadier General Hank Harder and Colonel Brent Zeigler, the two candidates vying to be the next Adjutant General of the Vermont National Guard. Photos by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerMONTPELIER — The two candidates vying to be the next leader of the Vermont National Guard both told lawmakers this week they would resign that post rather than carry out an unlawful order from their superiors in the state or federal government.Vermont’s Legislature elects an adjutant general, which is the top
  
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• Champlain Valley schools face federal investigation over transgender athlete policy

  15-01-2026 18:08 via vtdigger.org
  Ninth-graders arrive for the first day of school at Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg on Wednesday, August 25, 2021. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerVermont’s largest school district is being investigated under federal allegations that it has violated laws surrounding transgender student athletes’ participation in sports.The Champlain Valley School District is among 18 entities in 10 states being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil
  
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• Ryan McLaren, former aide to Peter Welch, enters lieutenant governor race

  15-01-2026 17:00 via vtdigger.org
  Ryan McLaren announced he’s running for lieutenant governor in January 2026. Courtesy Ryan McLaren.Ryan McLaren, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., announced a campaign to be the state’s next lieutenant governor on Thursday.The Essex Junction resident’s bid was widely expected. He will face former Lt. Gov. Molly Gray, who announced her 2026 campaign for the state’s second highest office last week, in this year’s Democratic primary. On the Republican sid
  
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• Valerie Ann Sevene

  15-01-2026 16:15 via vtdigger.org
  Born Feb. 26, 1954Burlington, VermontDied Dec. 29, 2025Clinton, KentuckyDetails of servicesA celebration of life will be held at a later date.Valerie Ann Sevene (Place), 71, of Clinton, Kentucky, passed away peacefully in her home with her loving family by her side, after a short battle with lung cancer. She was born in Burlington, to Wilfred H. Place and Elodia E. Cramer-Putnam.Valerie had a deep love for her family and brought joy to all who knew her. She also loved the beach; campi
  
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• Stephanie Jill Mapes

  15-01-2026 16:00 via vtdigger.org
  Born Jan 3, 1961Wilmington, DelawareDied Jan. 6, 2026Burlington, VermontDetails of servicesAt Stephanie’s request there will be no formal services at this time, she asked for a springtime memorial service. With peace in her heart and her loved ones by her side, Stephanie Jill Mapes, age 65, peacefully put her angel wings on and sailed into her new life on Jan. 6, 2026. She leaves her husband Scott Michael Mapes, son Scott Lennon Mapes and his fiancé Cosette Giro
  
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• Vermont school bus companies are hard to come by. The lack of competition is causing transportation costs to rise.

  15-01-2026 12:51 via vtdigger.org
  Champlain Valley School District school busses in Hinesburg on Monday, January 5, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerYears ago, when the Mountain Views Supervisory Union would bid for student busing services, officials would get several competing offers to pick from, the district’s superintendent recently pointed out.Now, the district is lucky if they get a single bid, Superintendent Sherry Sousa said. And they’re not alone.Over the past decade, Vermont has seen fewer and fewer co
  
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• Brian Bloomfield: Equity means giving the shorter kid a stool

  15-01-2026 01:27 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Brian Bloomfield, Ph.D., head of school at Lyndon Institute and chair of the Council of Independent Schools for Vermont.In my first year of teaching, a mentor pulled me aside to talk about equity. I was struggling to connect with a few students, and she offered a simple illustration: if two students are trying to reach the top of a cabinet and one is shorter, treating them the same does not give them the same chance. Equity means giving the shorter student a stool.Nearly 3
  
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• Vermont Conversation: Cartoonist Alison Bechdel on hope, humor, and ‘waking up’ in dark times

  15-01-2026 01:17 via vtdigger.org
  
  
  Alison Bechdel. Photo by Elena SiebertThe Vermont Conversation with David Goodman is a VTDigger podcast that features in-depth interviews on local and national issues. Listen below and subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get podcasts.“Who can draw when the world is burning?” asks celebrated Vermont cartoonist Alison Bechdel in her new graphic novel, Spent.This tension between the political and personal has been a deep well for Bechdel in
  
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• Final Reading: Should Vermont end its first-of-a-kind PCB testing program in schools? 

  15-01-2026 00:36 via vtdigger.org
  Committee chair Rep. Peter Conlon, D-Cornwall, speaks during a meeting of the House Education Committee at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Thursday, Jan. 8. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerI’d venture that most high school buildings do not have escalators. Not in Vermont at least. Burlington’s high school students, however, have a big one, right smack in the middle of their makeshift school at the former Macy’s department store.For five years, the former outlet has served as a
  
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• Senators interrogate Vermont Supreme Court nominee about prosecuting on behalf of Trump

  15-01-2026 00:03 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont Supreme Court nominee Michael Drescher, center, speaks before the Senate Judiciary Committee as fellow nominee Christina Nolan, second from left, listens at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday, Jan. 13. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerMONTPELIER — Michael Drescher prosecuted cases on behalf of the federal government in Vermont during the first year of President Donald Trump’s administration —  which dealt him historic immigration cases like those of Rümeys
  
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• New plan for Vermont homelessness would largely end the use of motel rooms

  14-01-2026 23:39 via vtdigger.org
  Rep. Eric Maguire, R-Rutland City, listens to testimony in the House Human Services Committee at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Wednesday, Jan. 14. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThis story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.Lawmakers have a new plan to overhaul Vermont’s response to homelessness, an issue that has remained stubbornly persistent in recent years even as state leaders have thrown hundreds
  
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• Drought cost Vermont farmers $15.9M 

  14-01-2026 23:35 via vtdigger.org
  The preliminary results of a 2025 state survey show that last year’s drought cost Vermont farms more than $15.9 million.Most farmers said it was the worst drought they’d ever seen, according to the survey, which was conducted by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets and the Vermont Agriculture Recovery Task Force. The final survey is expected to be published by the end of January, according to the agency. Numbers are not expected to significantly change. (As of publica
  
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• Gov. Scott’s $75 million property tax buydown could become bargaining chip in budget talks

  14-01-2026 22:10 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Andrew Perchlik, D/P-Washington, left and Rep. Robin Scheu, D-Middlebury. Photos by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerMONTPELIER — Vermont Gov. Phil Scott wants to use the state’s annual midyear budget tuneup to set aside $75 million for property tax relief. But legislative leaders said they would rather hold on to that money, at least for the time being.“It’s just not appropriate to be doing it at this point in time,” said Rep. Robin Scheu, D-Middlebury, who chairs the b
  
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• Activists target ICE digital surveillance site in Williston

  14-01-2026 20:21 via vtdigger.org
  Video courtesy of activists
  Activists ramped up their objections to federal immigration enforcement this week by dropping a bright yellow banner at a Williston business park where a digital surveillance operation run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials is located.The banner, spread out across six windows of a building in the White Cap Business Park, read “ICE Violates Rights Here.” It was dropped on the night of Jan. 11 and removed by a cherry picker in the early m
  
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• Marv Greenberg: Fact-finding travel to Israel isn’t unethical

  14-01-2026 01:55 via vtdigger.org
  Marv Greenberg is a lay leader at Ohavi Zedek Synagogue, a proud Zionist and a supporter of the State of Israel.Dear Editor,I am appalled and shocked that our Vermont pro-Palestinian groups are filing an ethics complaint and calling for the resignations of the five Vermont legislators who traveled to Israel on a much-needed fact-finding mission. 
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  These legislators were going to Israel, a strong U.S. ally and a democracy, to see what happened on October 7, 2023, and what has been
  
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• Signed, sealed, delayed: Montpelier Post Office struggles with long wait times — again

  14-01-2026 01:25 via vtdigger.org
  Tom McDonough spent 29 years working for the U.S. Postal Service, mainly as a postal clerk. So he’s very familiar with dealing with frustrated customers waiting for their packages.Customers like himself. “The point of view of the clerk up there, I understand,” he said. “I can see what they’re faced with.”McDonough has been waiting for nearly two weeks for his packages, which include medication, tax information and now-outdated Christmas cards. He can see
  
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• Final Reading: Christina Nolan, Vermont Supreme Court hopeful, explains why she brought a gun to court

  14-01-2026 00:46 via vtdigger.org
  Christina Nolan and Michael Drescher. Photos courtesy of the Office of Gov. Phil Scott“I’d like to take the opportunity to tell you a little bit about how the gun got in my bag,” Christina Nolan, a prospective Vermont Supreme Court justice and former top federal prosecutor in the state, told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. The committee was hearing from Gov. Phil Scott’s most recent two nominees to the Vermont Supreme Court, as their appointments require
  
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• Vermont sees increase in flu as cases around the country surge 

  14-01-2026 00:06 via vtdigger.org
  Flu is surging around the country, and Vermont is not immune to the national trend, though the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent dashboard for the disease identifies the state’s illness prevalence as lower than much of the U.S.In Vermont, about 20-25% of tests have come back positive this season, according to a state dashboard with data through Jan. 3.Statewide, nearly 8% of visits to a Vermont emergency room or urgent care were due to flu-like illness
  
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• What do you call the top federal prosecutor in Vermont? Well, that depends. 

  13-01-2026 23:53 via vtdigger.org
  The Speaker’s gavel and podium in the House of Representatives chamber at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Jan. 7, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThere’s new leadership in charge of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Vermont, though President Donald Trump has not yet appointed anyone to run the place on a permanent basis and the title of the person in charge keeps changing.At the moment, the U.S. Department of Justice Department website lists Jonathan Ophardt, a longtime prose
  
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• New federal funds to help Vermont keep up with rapid changes to child care and Pre-K

  13-01-2026 21:48 via vtdigger.org
  File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerTheo Wells-Spackman is a Report for America corps member who reports for VTDigger.Vermont has received a nearly $13 million federal grant to strengthen its child care and pre-Kindergarten programs, among other early childhood services, officials said Monday.The grant comes from the Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five program in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which has supported parts of Vermont’s early childhood landsca
  
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• Secure your future: application deadline is February 11 for 2026-27 VSAC scholarships

  13-01-2026 16:03 via vtdigger.org
  Do you need help paying for college or career training in fall 2026? Scholarships can be a great way to fund your future. It’s worth it to review VSAC’s Scholarships & Forgivable Loans 2026–2027 booklet—so you don’t miss out on the chance to receive free money. If you’re a high school senior or a returning college or training student, now is the time to apply for any of the 150+ VSAC-administered scholarships and forgivable loans. The VSAC scholarshi
  
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• VTDigger thanks readers for supporting our year end member drive

  13-01-2026 15:27 via vtdigger.org
  VTDigger reporter Carly Berlin covers a meeting of the Joint Fiscal Committee at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday, February 27, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerDear Readers,VTDigger is grateful to the 3,357 members who contributed during our 2025 Year End Member Drive. Together, we raised $456,000 to sustain our nonprofit news coverage. During the drive, VTDigger members also sent 3,300 meals to the Vermont Foodbank and 1,233 days of emergency heat to local homes via the Warmth
  
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• Zoie Saunders: It’s not all about taxes, stupid

  13-01-2026 00:25 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Zoie Saunders, Vermont’s secretary of education. Education transformation in Vermont is not just about property taxes. It is about building and sustaining the best education system in America.At a moment when nearly every other state is diverting dollars away from public education, Vermont has chosen a different path. Last year, a bipartisan coalition passed Act 73 — a bill that doubles down on public education as the great equalizer, the pathway out
  
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• Zoie Saunders: It’s not all about taxes

  13-01-2026 00:25 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Zoie Saunders, Vermont’s secretary of education. Education transformation in Vermont is not just about property taxes. It is about building and sustaining the best education system in America.At a moment when nearly every other state is diverting dollars away from public education, Vermont has chosen a different path. Last year, a bipartisan coalition passed Act 73 — a bill that doubles down on public education as the great equalizer, the pathway out
  
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• It’s not all about taxes, stupid

  13-01-2026 00:25 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is Zoie Saunders is Vermont’s secretary of education. Education transformation in Vermont is not just about property taxes. It is about building and sustaining the best education system in America.At a moment when nearly every other state is diverting dollars away from public education, Vermont has chosen a different path. Last year, a bipartisan coalition passed Act 73—a bill that doubles down on public education as the great equalizer, the pathway out of
  
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• Judge denies bail in deadly vehicle chase despite report blaming Rutland police

  13-01-2026 00:19 via vtdigger.org
  Tate Rheaume in Rutland County Superior criminal court on Tuesday April 9, 2024. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerA Vermont judge has rejected a renewed request to release a former Rutland County man facing a murder charge stemming from a vehicle pursuit that killed a young Rutland City police officer.David Sleigh, an attorney for Tate Rheaume, argued in recent court filings that revelations from an internal affairs investigation that criticized officers’ actions in the July 2023 deadl
  
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• Montpelier council chooses next city manager after months-long search

  12-01-2026 23:37 via vtdigger.org
  Montpelier Mayor Jack McCullough, right, with Kelly McNicholas Kury. Courtesy photo.This story by Carla Occaso was first published in The Bridge on Jan. 11, 2026.After a months-long process, the Montpelier City Council announced on Jan. 11 its choice of Kelly McNicholas Kury to be the next city manager of the city. McNicholas Kury, of Pitkin County, Colorado, is due to start Feb. 17. Meanwhile, Facilities and Sustainability Director Chris Lumbra is serving as acting city manager following the d
  
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• How Vermont pays for schools — and how it might change

  12-01-2026 23:17 via vtdigger.org
  Members of the House Ways and Means Committee listen to testimony on education finance during a remote joint meeting with other House and Senate committees at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Jan. 25, 2024. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerVermont’s education funding system is notoriously complicated and totally unique.Following years of rising property taxes — and a watershed 2024 election animated, in part, by a debate over how the state pays for its schools — lawmakers en
  
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• Lawsuit claims Burlington underrepresents Republicans on voter registration board 

  12-01-2026 23:10 via vtdigger.org
  Burlington City Hall. Photo via Adobe StockA civil lawsuit claims Burlington is flouting state law by avoiding appointing more Republicans to a board responsible for maintaining the voter registration list and ensuring fair elections. The city has filed a motion to dismiss.Filed Nov. 25 in Vermont Superior Court by two residents, the lawsuit alleges the city “has refused to permit Republicans their statutory-required, minimum representation” on the Board for Registration of Voters.T
  
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