Staff report The Barstow Unified Union School Board unanimously agreed to re-warn a budget with approximately $29,000 in reductions at its meeting, March 21. The original $6.27 million budget (a 12.1% increase over FY2024) was defeated by only four votes on Town Meeting Day: 375-379. A subsequent recount confirmed the outcome. Board members pointed to…

  By Holly Sullivan, 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. Vermonters want more pre-cut poultry, and local farmers are eager to meet their demand. But are legislators game? As the law stands,…

  The Rutland County Humane Society’s (RCHS) current building’s systems are failing, it’s run out of room and its ability to provide the animals with a healthy environment where they can thrive is diminished, according to a news release March 25. “We owe it to the animals, and our community, to ensure they have an…

  Submitted John Hill At the annual meeting of Union Congregational Church, Sunday, March 3, the congregation voted to welcome John Hill as its new pastor. An invitation Hill joyfully accepted, saying, “34 years ago, I lived in a world full of anxiety. My life was transformed when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior…

  The Preservation Trust of Vermont (PTV) announced March 22 a Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization grant of $100,000 to the Wallingford Block to support the rehabilitation of the underutilized third-floor into a community space.   The Wallingford Block, formerly the Odd Fellows Block, is a monumental building at the heart of Wallingford village. Constructed in 1824,…

  Submitted VNAHSR Board President Dan DiBattista (left) with CEO Sara King (right), who announced her intent to retire. Sara King, CEO of the VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region (VNAHSR) announced her plans to retire after more than 23 years of leadership with the agency on Monday, March 25. King began with VNAHSR…

The Vermont House of Representatives gave its strong endorsement March 21 to legislation designed to protect bees and other pollinators in the state from toxic neonicotinoid pesticides, known commonly as neonics. The vote in the House was 112-29. The bill (H.706) has four main components: It prohibits the use of field crop seeds (corn, soy, wheat, and…

While our grandsons call me “Gramp,” my fellow House Appropriations Committee members were probably thinking “Grump” as a more fitting name for me by the time Friday evening came along. That it was a long week would be an understatement. As the committee clerk, one of my tasks is to record votes, draft and write…

Submitted Zoie Saunders Governor Phil Scott announced March 22 his appointment of Zoie Saunders to serve as Vermont’s next education secretary. Saunders is an accomplished education leader with broad strategic and operational experience driving school improvement, increasing student outcomes and enrollment, closing service gaps, and optimizing school support services. Currently, Saunders works as the chief…

The Vermont House of Representatives achieved a historic milestone by unanimously passing H.121, an act relating to enhancing consumer privacy, with a resounding vote of 139-0. In a time where our every move, word, and heartbeat are incessantly documented by a myriad of devices, the urgency for comprehensive consumer data privacy laws has never been more…

Last Thursday, March 21, the Vermont House of Representatives passed H.289, to modernize Vermont’s renewable energy standard by a 99-39-11 vote. The bill would put Vermont on track to achieve 100% renewable electricity across all the state’s utilities by 2035, which would make Vermont only the second state to meet that critical benchmark, and would significantly…

  By Alex Hernandez Editor’s note: Alex Hernandez is the president of Champlain College in Burlington. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that “roughly half of college graduates end up in jobs where their degrees aren’t needed,” raising uncomfortable questions about the value of a college education. The report is part of a drumbeat of…

  Dear Editor, With Easter and Mother’s Day approaching veterinarians are urging cat owners to be aware that lilies, commonly added to spring bouquets, are highly poisonous to cats. These include the Lilium and Hemerocallis species, which are commonly referred to as tiger lilies, daylilies, and Asiatic lilies. All parts of the lily plant are…

  Dear Legislators, Editor’s note: This is a public letter to the Vermont Legislature signed by 31 wealthy and high-income Vermonters urging it to support the Fair Share for Vermont proposal that would create a 3% income tax surcharge on incomes over $500,000. As Vermont taxpayers and community members, we recognize the urgent moment we…

  Dear Editor, Recently, a Chittenden County Superior Court judge handed down a decision siding with the state against the plaintiffs in a case brought by Vermont Legal Aid on behalf of those who are living unhoused (a.k.a. homeless) and had been evicted from motels during the middle of March. Although I disagree with the decision…