Outside organizations are increasingly challenging the state regulations on religious schools, defending transphobia, and weighing in on local policies and events By Peter D’Auria/VTDigger Last February, the girls’ basketball team at Mid Vermont Christian School, a pre-K-12 private school in Quechee, made the state’s Division 4 playoffs.  But instead of playing its first game, Mid…

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  The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) seeks “Climate Economy Resilient Community” participants for 2024. Community leaders and/or volunteers can now submit a simple online application that will be reviewed on a rolling basis until Jan. 12, 2024.  Through the program, VCRD supports three to five communities each year working on local climate action…

Submitted September saw the highest number of active short-term rentals out of any month on record.    So are debates over how to regulate them By Carly Berlin/VTDigger Editor’s note: Report for America corps Carly Berlin wrote this story in  partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public. A new data analysis by the Vermont Housing Finance Agency…

  The Campaign for Vermont recently released its second batch of results from a scientific public opinion poll of Vermonters. The survey interviewed 400 randomly selected Vermont residents to measure their feelings towards state leaders, various issues that policymakers are pursuing, and general sentiments about the direction the state is heading. “Vermonters’ consistent negative ratings of…

  State has contracted with three operators for online wagering  Governor Phil Scott and Department of Liquor and Lottery Commissioner Wendy Knight announced Dec. 12 that online sports wagering will launch in Vermont on Jan. 11, 2024, to coincide with the beginning of the NFL playoffs.  Through a competitive bid process, the Department of Liquor…

    Emerge Vermont, the state’s premier organization that recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office, announced Dec. 14 that it has selected its 2024 class. This year’s chosen group of 18 future women and non-binary political leaders hails from all parts of the Green Mountain State and from diverse backgrounds, and spans…

Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) in collaboration with Preservation Trust of Vermont, is launching a special competitive grant round to offer one to three grants of up to $5,000 for communities seeking to build momentum toward flood-resilient community development. Applications for this special round of funding for the Small Grants for Smart Growth program are due Jan.…

  On Dec. 18, the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs (VTFSC)  filing a federal lawsuit challenging Vermont’s 72-hour waiting period law and its ban on standard capacity firearm magazines that are commonly owned in Vermont and across the nation. “The inherent right to self-defense” the Supreme Court has explained “is central to the Second Amendment…

  Residential re-entry centers offer transitional services for those re-entering their communities after being incarcerated — Vermont is one of two states without a center The Vermont Congressional Delegation, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), and Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont), wrote to U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters Dec. 13 to…

  By Curt Peterson Dan Jerman, vice chair of the nine-member Hartland Planning Commission, approached the Select Board during review of the FY2025 municipal budget, on Dec. 18, to ask for additional funding for “possible” legal fees, which might be incurred during the commission’s appeal of the Environmental Commission’s grant of an ACT 250 permit…

by Robin Alberti  Pictured in the first row (l-r) are Luca Morris, Matilda Richardson, Heidi Thompson and Violet Alexander. In the second row (l-r) is Kamron Yuengling, Quinn Eckler, Elliot Namkung, Lylah Zeitlin. The performers in the third row on the stage are Lia Gugliotta, Finn Farrell, Jackson Fellows, Tula Klock, William Obbard and Sam…

  Courtesy KPAA Mike Coppinger and Beth Sarandrea awarded Megan Wagner of Dream Maker Bakers (center left photo) with the Outstanding Community Member Business plaque and Kelsey Cruickshank the Outstanding Community Member award on behalf of the KPAA.   Friday night, Dec. 15, the Killington Pico Area Association (KPAA) reintroduced two awards and presented them to deserving…

Sumbitted Havah Armstrong Walther   The Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce (HACC) has appointed Havah Armstrong Walther as its new executive director. With an impressive background in advocacy, fundraising, and business consulting, she brings a wealth of experience, passion, and strategic vision to lead the Chamber, the board stated. “We are delighted to welcome Havah…

         Submitted Emily Macrae stand among marijuana plants at Sunkissed Farm.     By Curt Peterson For some time now the buzz in Hartland and Windsor has been “What are all those huge tunnel barns across from Simon Pearce?” Passersby are looking at the rapidly growing agricultural operations of Sunkissed Farm, owned…