By John Flowers, The Addison Independent Gov. Peter Shumlin on Monday, March 23, called on lawmakers to help him contain what he called one of the state’s top cost-drivers—education—in an effort to make Vermont more fiscally solvent and attractive to job creators. He also made a pitch for efforts to slow the growth of spending…

Killington woman digs unique career path By Polly Lynn KILLINGTON—22-year-old Emily Gorham often turns heads. But it’s not because of pink lipstick and high heels, it’s because of what she drives—an excavator. Being young and female guarantees she’ll be a minority on any work crew, but she enjoys the challenge and is proud to be…

By Dom Cioffi Sometime around 1915, a dapper 33-year-old Italian immigrant named Charles arrived in Boston, Mass., looking to embark on the great American dream. Prior to arriving in the big city, Charles had spent time in prison for forging checks and smuggling immigrants from Canada. However, having paid his debt to society, Charles was…

Seven on ice fishing excursion are safe; six were rescued from the icy waters BENSON — On Sunday, March 29, at about 3 p.m., Vermont State Police was notified of several ATVs that had broken through the ice at Benson’s Landing. Upon arrival at the scene, troopers met with Richard Bain, age 61 of Putnam,…

By Polly Lynn RUTLAND — A major water leak was identified and repaired Saturday, March 28, after eight days of searching for the breach, according to Nate Stansberry, associate city engineer for the Rutland Department of Public Works. However, millions of gallons of water were lost in the process. “Our best estimate of the water…

By Morgan True, VTDigger.org Gov. Peter Shumlin unveiled a new strategy to end much of Vermont’s homelessness by 2020 at a news conference Monday, March 30, announcing $580,000 in grants for affordable housing and a homeless day center in Burlington. “Even with serious budget challenges, we are fortunate in Vermont to have many of the…

By Erin Mansfield, VTDigger.org The state’s unemployment rate dipped to 3.9 percent in February, marking its lowest rate since May 2007. The lowest unemployment rates were 3.0 percent and 3.3 percent in the Burlington-South Burlington and White River Junction areas, respectively. The highest unemployment rates were in Derby and St. Johnsbury, at 7.7 percent and…

By John Herrick, VTDigger.org More than 150 people attended a State House hearing Tuesday night, March 24, which was designed to help lawmakers draft policy to address concerns over the siting of the growing number of wind and solar farms in Vermont. The amount of wind and solar energy generated in Vermont has increased tenfold…

Vermont EB-5 Regional Center Executive Director Brent Raymond accepted an invitation from U.S. Ambassador Thummalapally to Belize and spoke at the two-day 2015 SelectUSA Investment Summit Academy March 23-24 in National Harbor, Maryland. Raymond participated in the panel discussion entitled “EB-5: How Does it Fit with FDI Development?” The focus of the panel was to…

Part of federal effort to ensure high-quality educators for all The Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) is pleased to announce seven regional meetings for public input in response to the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) call that all states must examine the extent to which schools that serve students from historically underserved communities (poverty and…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger.org After spending 10 weeks erasing an massive budget deficit, the House gave final approval to two bills that will constitute the backbone of Vermont’s finances in the coming fiscal year. House lawmakers rejected a flurry of last-minute amendments before passing the FY 2016 state spending package, H.490, on a voice vote…

Dear Editor, The LoveYourBrain fundraiser Sunday at Base Camp Outfitters was a huge success with over 29 people attending the gentle yoga and meditation class. We were able to raise $615 to donate to the cause. LoveYourBrain is a non-profit organization working to improve the quality of life for people affected by brain injury. A personal…

At 6:15 p.m. on Friday March 28, The Vermont House of Representatives voted to pass the budget. It will now go to the Senate and be debated further before coming back to the House for final passage. While this year’s budget is the result of a lot of hard work--and the members of the Appropriations…

By Governor Peter Shumlin Last I week I visited with young professionals along the western side of Vermont in Rutland, St. Albans, and Middlebury. At every stop, I was inspired to see so many committed to living, working, and building strong communities in Vermont. Some hailed from outside Vermont, attracted to our state by its…

By Rob Roper Last November, Vermonters sent a loud and clear message to Montpelier to fix Vermont’s education financing system and lower our property tax burden. A proposal now coming out of the Legislature is based on mandatory consolidation of school districts into units of no fewer than 1,100 students, which will affect all but…