By John Freitag Editor’s note: This commentary is by John Freitag. He was facilities manager for the Strafford School District for 34 years and in 1994 was named “outstanding support staff” in Vermont. He served three years as PTA president at the Newton School and has closely watched and covered school and school funding issues…

Saint Michael’s College is fortifying its mission to make a deeply engaging, student-centered education more affordable through a new financial aid initiative: the St. Mike’s Community Commitment. The new initiative gives families whose income falls at or below $100,000 a total aid package that covers full tuition after federal grants, according to a news release Friday, Dec. 13.…

By Kristen Fountain/VTDigger Vermont’s senior U.S. senator shared new insight this week into how long he may be willing to represent the Green Mountain State in the nation’s capital.  In an interview published by Politico Tuesday night, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said he was likely to call it quits after his fourth six-year term in the chamber. Asked…

Education spending saw its biggest jump in years in fiscal 2025, and school taxpayers are noticing the change in their bills. The increase this year was due to a lot of factors outside both schools’ and taxpayers’ control—inflation, healthcare costs, and the loss of pandemic-era federal support chief among them. All of that led to…

As Vermonters prepare for colder weather, the Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) urges drivers to switch off their ignition to limit unnecessary idling of engines. “Idling isn’t good for your car or our air,” said DEC Commissioner Batchelder. “It not only causes excess engine wear and wastes fuel and money, but it also pollutes our…

U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice, has named Rutland Regional Medical Center (RRMC) as a 2025 High Performing hospital for Maternity Care. This is the highest award a hospital can earn as part of U.S. News’ Best Hospitals for Maternity Care annual study. RRMC was the only…

Stephen Brown, PhD, is leading a charge to reverse the alarming decline of North American shorebirds. As vice president of science at Manomet Conservation Sciences, Brown’s groundbreaking research and conservation efforts are reshaping the future for species teetering on the brink of extinction. For the past 20 years, Brown has worked at Manomet, where he…

FLŌRA Cannabis, a licensed cannabis retailer in Middlebury, has filed a lawsuit against the Vermont Cannabis Control Board, challenging what it claims are unconstitutional restrictions on free speech rights for the state’s 500-plus licensed cannabis businesses. The suit, Park Rec LLC v. Vermont Cannabis Control Board et al. (Case No. 24-CV-05027), was filed in Addison…

By James Kent Armed with new confidence and voted in by residents hoping they’ll help make Vermont more affordable, Vermont House Republicans set their sights on controversial Act 18, the Clean Heat Standard, which most have said they seek to repeal in 2025. Citing a report from the independent Vermont Public Utilities Commission (PUC) that…

Casella Waste Systems, Inc., a regional solid waste, recycling, and resource management services company, dedicated its CDL Training Center to Ken Hier, the company’s first-ever employee, in a ceremony held at the facility on Dec. 12.  Established in 2020, The Kenneth A. Hier Sr. CDL Training Center (“The Center”) has graduated nearly 300 drivers since…

Teddy Arbo’s Holiday Toy Party is an annual tradition in the Killington community. What started as a dinner party in 1986 where guests were asked to bring toys instead of a side dish has grown into something much bigger. The 38th annual party was held this year at The Foundry on Dec. 7.  “The purpose…

On Dec. 12, Ski Vermont launched its popular Fifth Grade Passport for the 2024-25 season. Regardless of state or country of residence, the program provides any fifth grader access to 90 days of skiing at ski areas across Vermont. “The passport program gets kids outside to experience skiing and snowboarding. It’s a chance to learn…

By Carly Berlin Editor’s note: This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public. When 10 apartments at the new Armory House building just outside of downtown Vergennes opened in June, they all had tenants within two weeks. To Peter Kahn, the building’s developer, watching…

By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger A group of lawmakers and a Vermont Agency of Education executive tasked with designing a potential school construction aid program have hashed out the details but stopped short of identifying a funding stream. The group is hoping Gov. Phil Scott will recommend appropriating state money in his budget proposal to help pay for school construction…

Dear Editor, As a former school district board member for 15 years, I know budgeting always comes with difficult choices — particularly when making cuts.  This year, the Mountain Views Supervisory Union (MVSU) board proposed $2.5 million in cuts — no small feat, especially because insurance costs and contractual obligations to teachers and staff rose…