By Kate Kampner/Community News Service Editor’s note: The Community News Service is a program in which University of Vermont students work with professional editors to provide content for local news outlets at no cost. Kendra Knapik fell in love in grad school. In love with her future husband and with wine. But it was only after…

Thursday July, 25-Sunday, July 28—BRANDON—The Brandon Carnival will take place from Thursday, July 25 to Sunday, July 28 at Estabrook Field, Route 7, Brandon. This family-friendly event will feature rides such as the Zipper and the Tilt-A-Whirl, games, music, vendors, and top-notch entertainment. Festivities kick off Thursday at 5 p.m., with the evening highlight being…

July 26, 2024, 5 p.m.—RUTLAND—Rutland’s favorite concert series returns this summer with free performances in downtown! Friday Night Live 2024 kicks off on July 26 with Captain Mike and The Shipwrecked, followed by Zach Nugent’s Dead Set on Aug. 16, and Foreigners Journey on September 6. The series takes place on Center Street and Merchants…

WED 7/24 BOMOSEEN6 p.m. Lakehouse Pub & Grille – Shakey PinesBRANDON6 p.m. Brandon Inn (Behind) – Music on the Riverbend with EnerjazzLUDLOW6 p.m. Off the Rails – Learn to Line DancePOULTNEY7 p.m. Poultney Pub - Open Mic with Danny LangPROCTORSVILLE6 p.m. Svec Memorial Green – Summer Concert Series with East Bay Jazz EnsembleQUECHEE6 p.m. Public…

If accepted, the new request would increase premiums for individual health plans by 21% and small group plans by 24% in 2025 By Peter D'Auria/VTDigger BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont is seeking to raise health insurance premiums by an additional 4.3% next year, further increasing a request for already near-record-high rate hikes.  The proposed increase would increase premiums for individual…

Dear Editor, A new peer reviewed paper, “Best Management Practices for Furbearer Trapping Derived from Poor and Misleading Science,” was recently published and debunks Vermont Fish & Wildlife’s  attempt to convince the public that “Best Management Practices” for trapping result in more humane trapping practices. They don’t. In 2022 there was a bill to ban leghold traps—a straight-forward bill that…

By Frank Knaack and Falko Schilling Editor’s note: This commentary is by Frank Knaack, executive director of the Housing and Homelessness Alliance of Vermont, and Falko Schilling, advocacy director of the ACLU of Vermont. Homelessness in Vermont is at its highest level on record, as more people struggle to afford sky high-rents and housing costs. According…

Dear Editor, I don’t know where the idea of open primaries came from or the history of how they began in Vermont. I was originally from Connecticut and when you registered to vote you had to declare your party affiliation. Only if you were registered in a political party, could you take part in that…

By Bill Schubart Like a good novel, our lives have a narrative arc, during which we are actively participating in and relevant to our world. We are born, rise slowly into sensual consciousness and gradually process what we see and feel. Our juvenile perceptions gradually become knowledge, and, if all goes well, that knowledge binds…

By Charlotte Oliver/Community News Service Editor’s note: The Community News Service is a program in which University of Vermont students work with professional editors to provide content for local news outlets at no cost. From the top of the Northeast Kingdom down toward the Berkshires, the VTXL carves a path the length of Vermont. The biking route takes…

Bats are everywhere! It may feel that way to some of Vermont’s human residents. Summer is when some species of bats gather in colonies to raise their young in human-made structures such as houses, barns, office buildings, and bat houses, but fall is the safe time to get them out. “Summer is the time of…

The 2024 census recorded 3,458 people homeless in Vermont, a nearly 5% increase over the number tallied in January 2023 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. The number of unhoused Vermonters living without shelter jumped last year,…

Attorney General Charity Clark filed a lawsuit July 17 against pharmacy benefit managers Evernorth (owner of Express Scripts) and CVS as well as nearly two dozen affiliated entities for unfairly and deceptively driving up prescription drug prices in Vermont. Pharmacy benefit managers (sometimes referred to as PBMs) are the middlemen who negotiate contracts with pharmaceutical…

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) published its weekly report of planned construction activities that will impact traffic on state highways and interstates throughout Vermont, July 22-26 and ongoing. I-89 Royalton: Work continues on the northbound and southbound I-89 bridges near Exit 3 in Royalton. A new traffic pattern is in effect until fall 2025.…

Donald “Don” Williams, 85, of Mendon passed away on July 10, 2024. Born on November 28, 1938, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Don was well known for his straightforward, honest demeanor, always telling it like it is, yet with a big hearted and kind spirit underneath. Don proudly served in the U.S. Army 1959 to 1962 and…