By Kit Norton/VTDigger As the Boy Scouts of America faces mounting legal battles, the organization has opened multiple scout programs to females and, since June, 95 girls have joined the Cub Scout program in Vermont. The Green Mountain Council, the […]
Category: State News
Local News, State News
Preview of political priorities in 2019: Ashe, Dems seek constitutional amendments, compromises with Gov. Scott
By Xander Landen/VTDigger Sen. President Pro Tem Tim Ashe wants to change Vermont’s Constitution. Among the Democratic Senate leader’s top priorities in upcoming legislative session is a push to pass four constitutional amendments. Ashe and other senators say they want to add an […]
Local News, State News
The particularities, pitfalls and promise of Vt’s labor market
By Anne Wallace Allen/VTDigger As chief of the Vermont Department of Labor’s economic and labor market information section, Mathew Barewicz is in charge of collecting and interpreting federal and state employment data for policymakers, job-seekers and the public. Among other […]
Local News, State News
State police can’t conduct background checks for private gun sales, officials say
By Xander Landen/VTDigger Vermont’s law enforcement agencies would not be able to carry out background checks on private firearms sales, the Department of Public Safety has determined. As part of a sweeping package of gun control measures that became law this year, legislators […]
Column, State News
Gearing up for the new legislative session and the new year
By Rep. Jim Harrison In addition to the dawn of a new year, we are also on the eve of a new legislative session. The first few days of a new biennium are filled with a number of procedural items. […]
State News
Marijuana panel wants roadside testing before regulated market opens
By Xander Landen/VTDigger The governor’s Marijuana Advisory Commission is recommending that before Vermont moves to legalize a commercial cannabis market, the state needs to find a consistent way to test drivers for cannabis impairment. The panel also urges policymakers in its […]
State News
Minimum wage rises, employers get continued unemployment insurance tax relief
Beginning Jan. 1, 2019, the state’s minimum wage will increase to $10.78 per hour. Also beginning Jan. 1, 2019, employers will see a reduction in the taxable wage base amount that they pay on unemployment taxes by $2,000. Nearly […]
State News
33 school districts file appeal against board of education
A group of Vermont school districts, community leaders, and citizens will filed an appeal Thursday, Dec. 20 against the State Board of Education, the Vermont Agency of Education, and the Secretary of Education. Attorneys for the appeal say that a […]
State News
Vermont ranks No. 2 per capita for Peace Corps’ volunteers in 2018
Vermont ranks No. 2 among states with the highest number of Peace Corps volunteers per capita, according to a recent announcement. There are 43 volunteers from Vermont currently serving worldwide and 1,622 Vermonters have served in the Peace Corps since […]
State News
It’s your money
By Stephen Seitz The tree. The gifts. The parties. The relatives. The travel. That begins to add up. However, there may be money out there waiting for you. Most people are familiar with Vermont’s unclaimed property division, but now a […]