State News

Thank you, Windsor County, for showing up for the Saturday, April 5, Hands Off! Our Democracy rallies. Thousands of you braved the chilly rain to protest on democracy’s behalf – in Chester, South Royalton, White River Junction, and Woodstock. People of all ages turned out to protest the Trump administration’s handling of our economy, our…

As expected, Governor Scott vetoed the Budget Adjustment Act (BAA) for the second time last Friday, April 4, after House and Senate leaders refused to allow the winter rules of the hotel voucher program to end April 1. Winter rules, which allow more people to stay in hotels at state expense, ended April 1, as…

By Izzy Wagner/VTDigger Vermont’s Agency of Natural Resources may trap and remove beavers from roughly 25 state-owned dams impacted by beaver-induced debris. The plan is an effort to comply with new technical standard dam safety rules, which are a product of a state law passed in 2018. They require the state to remove the beaver materials, modify…

By Greta Solsaa, Community News Service Editor’s note: This story is via Community News Service in partnership with Vermont State University Castleton. In the past decade, rechargeable lithium ion batteries have become ubiquitous in products like smartphones, electric toothbrushes, and electric vehicles, powering Vermonters’ everyday lives. But the new technology has its own challenges, particularly fire…

New tariffs imposed by the Trump administration April 2, plus tariffs implemented since January, will cost Vermont households an estimated $1 billion annually, according to an estimate provided by the State Treasurer’s Office.   On Wednesday, April 2, the White House announced a sweeping range of tariffs and “reciprocal” tariffs that the administration claims will “free”…

As spring returns to Vermont, the Dept. of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR) is reminding outdoor enthusiasts that mud season is in full swing—and with it comes the need for caution and stewardship on the state’s hiking and biking trails. Mud season typically lasts through late May in Vermont’s higher elevations, as snowmelt, thawing ground,…

By James Kent Human rights, supporting veterans, free speech, democratic normalcy, defending the U.S. Constitution, rebuking the dismantling of essential federal services and programs, and sounding the alarm of a tariff policy that over two days destroyed many Americans’ retirement and college savings programs. On Saturday, April 5, an estimated 5 million Americans joined in…

By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger Following a federal order that schools ban diversity, equity, and inclusion-related programs, the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) is asking school districts to submit compliance certifications. Education Secretary Zoie Saunders told school district leaders in a letter on Friday, April 4, that they had 10 days to submit their certification but also…

During the Town Meeting recess, we took the opportunity to visit our Maryland grandsons, Theo and Spencer. Six-year-old Theo challenged me to play a game of chess. I haven’t played chess in many years and even needed a refresher on which pieces could make which moves. And while I started strong, there was that gleam…

By Sam Hartnett, Community News Service Editor’s note: This story is via Community News Service in partnership with Vermont State University Castleton. Should landowners who allow public trail networks on their property be compensated? That’s the question a study group would be tasked with answering under a bill in the Senate. It’s too late to…

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. On Friday, Gov. Phil Scott took executive action to extend motel voucher stays for unhoused families with children and certain people with acute medical needs through June 30. Without the…

Attorney General Charity Clark issued a consumer alert to help Vermonters protect their personal data in the wake of 23andMe’s bankruptcy recent filing on March 26. On Monday, March 24, 23andMe announced that they had filed for bankruptcy. 23andMe is a direct-to-consumer genetic testing company that collects and analyzes genetic information and health data for consumers.  The…

Not sure they still sell those “EASY” buttons, but we sure could have used one in the House Appropriations Committee last Friday. In an extraordinary long day, the committee finished a draft on its version of the state budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The $9 billion spending plan of state and federal…

Both chambers in the Vermont Legislature are working their way through the large number of bills that made the cross-over deadline. Cross-over is a deadline we set each year, roughly marking the halfway point of our legislative session. It forces us to finish our work on the bills in our House and Senate committees, which…

By Sarah Lyons, Public Assets More than 3,000 Vermonters are caught in the on-again, off-again firings and layoffs of federal employees by the Trump administration and the Dept. of Government Efficiency (DOGE). It is challenging to keep track of who has a job and who doesn’t, or even of which departments still exist.  During the…