The Vermont Student Anti-racism Network (VSARN) is a youth-led group founded last summer to bring a diverse group of students together from around the state to advocate for anti-racist education. The organization endeavors to make an impact by undertaking projects in schools, such as encouraging curriculum changes, statewide school policy reform, and promoting anti-racism in…

By Lola Duffort/VTDigger A new federal appeals court ruling has once again chipped away at Vermont’s long-standing prohibition against sending public tuition dollars to religious schools. The Alliance Defending Freedom, the powerful Christian legal group litigating the case on behalf of four Vermont high school students and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, has declared victory, saying that…

By Rep. Jim Harrison  The recently adjourned Vermont Legislature will be heading back to a virtual session on June 23 to take up a couple of bills vetoed by Governor Scott. These bills would allow non-citizens to vote in Montpelier and Winooski. House and Senate leaders have indicated they planned to move forward to override…

Advocacy groups, civic organizations, and businesses hailed a brand-new law requiring ballots to be mailed to all active Vermont voters in general elections moving forward. The policy that was put in place as a one-time emergency measure in 2020 during the early days of the pandemic.  Governor Scott issued the following statement when signing S.15,…

Aimed at those who have not yet received aid or continue to see losses despite aid Governor Phil Scott, the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) and the Dept. of Economic Development (DED) announced Thursday, June 3, the launch of the latest economic recovery funding for Vermont businesses. On Monday, June 7, the application…

By Lindsay Kurrle, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Commerce & Community Development It’s easy to look back over the last 18 months and see all of the ways that Covid has set us back: from shuttered businesses, to the thousands of Vermonters losing their jobs, a disproportionate amount of whom were women who had…

Dear Editor, During my 35-year career as a naturopathic physician I noticed that the natural treatments that had been successful in keeping people healthy in the 1980s became less and less effective. During these years the toxic load of chemicals in the environment has increased drastically. One group of fluoride containing chemicals known as PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and…

Dear Editor, It’s hard for people to understand there is more to life than pop culture, because that is the thing we are engaged in almost every minute of the day. Our particular society, unlike many others, spends an infinite amount of time and resources on two aspects of that culture: glorifying celebrities and evaluating…

Dear Editor, Are the fractures and divisions in America today worse today than they were in the 1960s? In the 1960s no one questioned whether Vietnam existed or claimed that the military casualties were really crisis actors. No one claimed that China and Venezuela had manipulated the presidential election. No one claimed that lizard people were behind the…

Dear Editor, Nearly half of the governors—23 and counting—have decided to end federal supplemental unemployment benefits for workers in their states. Evidently, they never heard the old adage: "Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face." In these bizarre times, I guess we have to be grateful that Governor Scott was raised with more…

By Lt. Governor Molly Gray  This past year has proven what we have long known to be true: Vermonters are resilient and know how to come together to get through tough times. While we should all be proud that our brave little state has led the nation in responding to Covid-19, the all too familiar…

Dear Editor, Kids’ Kingdom is a destination playground. Countless families, including my own, have become acquainted over the years at Kids’ Kingdom. Words that are often heard exclaim joy, admiration, and envy of such an amazingly fun, well built, and creative structure. Upon meeting new friends, my own children proudly proclaim, “This is OUR school.” It is outrageous…

By Alan J. Keays/VTDigger A man wanted on two counts of attempted murder in Northfield, who has been on the run since March 20, has been arrested in Nevada, according to police. A prosecutor is planning to charge his mother, who was with him when he was taken into custody, for allegedly helping him evade police.…

On Friday, June 4 at 3 p.m., Russell Nord, 76, from Ludlow, was found deceased by a search team in a wooded area off East Hill Road in Ludlow. He was located approximately 1.7 miles from his residence.   The Ludlow Police Dept. is investigating the death, which does not appear suspicious.  Nord was last seen leaving his…

On May 21, Vermont State Police have begun an investigation of a burglary at a dwelling in Barnard. Investigation revealed that Kevin Bent, 32 and homeless, had a stolen number items, forced entry into the residence and caused property damage to the residence.  Bent was issued a citation to appear in Windsor County Court to…