State News

By Sarah Mearhoff/VTDigger A week and a half after Vermont voters eviscerated their supermajority, Senate Democrats convened Saturday, Nov. 16, to reflect on their election losses and chart a new course ahead of the 2025 legislative session. They voted to retain one top leader — but jettisoned another.  Saturday’s caucus at the Statehouse was the first…

New data from the Vermont Dept. of Health measuring health risks and behaviors among middle and high school students indicate progress on long-term challenges like youth drug, alcohol and tobacco use, while the number of young people reporting mental health challenges like stress, anxiety and depression remains high.  The 2023 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey…

Dem lawmakers and governor defer to each other to take up proposals By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger Vermonters cited affordability as a top priority in the 2024 election, and last week, they voted to send more Republicans to Montpelier than in recent decades.  Driving affordability concerns is the cost of education, which fueled this year’s average education property tax increase of 13.8%.…

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) received 118 new names for its big orange plow trucks through this year’s Name a Plow program for Vermont schools. The agency also received 77 entries in the contest for schools to name the new plow truck that has a second plow spanning 21 feet and will be used…

Hunters are gearing up for the start of Vermont’s traditionally popular 16-day regular deer season that begins Saturday, Nov. 16 and ends Sunday, Dec. 1.  A hunter may take one legal buck during this season if they did not already take one during the archery deer season. “The greatest numbers of deer continue to be…

Analysis plunged state’s healthcare system into anxiety, uncertainty By Peter D’Auria/VTDigger Last month, a consultant released a sweeping report recommending significant changes for Vermont’s healthcare system, including “major restructuring” at four community hospitals. The 144-page state-commissioned document details a series of steps that Vermont’s hospitals should take to stay afloat, including repurposing inpatient units and downgrading emergency departments…

Attorney General Charity Clark announced that Amazon has agreed to pay $400,000 to the State of Vermont to settle a dispute regarding violations of the state’s delivery sales ban, which prohibits the direct shipping of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vaping products, to Vermont consumers. The settlement resolves allegations that third-party sellers on Amazon’s platform…

By Shaun Robinson/VTDigger In Vermont’s race for lieutenant governor a single label has been front and center. Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, a Progressive/Democrat and produce farmer from Hinesburg, is facing a challenge from John Rodgers of Glover, a former state lawmaker who owns a stone excavation business and also runs a hemp and cannabis business, who…

By Curt Peterson Drivers on Route 4 in Quechee have been calling the bridge over the gorge “Grumble Strip.” During busy times and tourist season, it can take several minutes to negotiate the way through the traffic signal and the single lane to the other end. Grumblers have a lot of company in their misery…

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) of the U.S. Dept. of Transportation (USDOT) announced Tuesday, Oct. 29, that it has invested more than $19.5 million in new rail grant funding in Vermont. Nationally, more than $2.4 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding is being invested in 122 rail improvement projects in 41 states and Washington, D.C. These projects…

By James Kent Dry weather, high winds, and leaves on the ground are three conditions that pose the greatest threat of wildfires here in Vermont.  Over the weekend, two incidents locally illustrated the dangers of wildfires in such conditions to spread rapidly. On Saturday, Oct. 26, a brush fire in Ludlow burned through 16 acres,…

People listen during a press conference held by Downstream Vermonters, a coalition of people opposed to higher taxes and more regulations coming from the state government, at the State House in Montpelier on Thursday, May 9. By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger On the campaign trail, state legislative candidates say affordability dominates conversations with constituents. Property taxes — and…

Vermont’s regulated land and water trapping seasons will open on Oct. 26, 2024, according to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. The season will allow trappers to set traps for various species, including fisher, coyote, and raccoon, on land through Dec. 2024 and for beaver, muskrat, and otter in water or under ice through March…

By Carly Berlin/VTDigger This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public. Some service providers and municipal leaders are suggesting that the Gov. Phil Scott administration’s plan to assemble three family shelters in state-owned buildings amounts to too little, too late.  For weeks, local officials, lawmakers, and service providers have been…

By Polly Mikula The Agency of Education (AoE) announced Oct. 15 the next phase of its 2024 Listen and Learn Tour, which now invites the public to participate in community conversations to inform how the Agency delivers services and supports to Vermont’s education system.  The first stop on this new public engagement phase of the…