By Norah White, 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. Lawmakers are trying again to pass a bill to replace the state’s expungement system with a more expansive process of…

On Friday, March 29 the Vermont Senate voted overwhelmingly (21-5) to advance S.259, the Climate Superfund Act, which would ensure that Vermonters are not left shouldering the full cost of climate disruption. Following another vote Tuesday, April 2, the bill will head to the House of Representatives for consideration. As Vermont continues to grapple with the…

The past few weeks at the State House have been anything but quiet. Last week, House leaders pushed through over $130 million in new taxes and fees alone for various spending priorities. The governor has not minced words as to what he views as the Legislature making Vermont unaffordable. A group of House Republicans suggested…

  The Legislature has now said “thank you and farewell” to our second set of Pages, which means we are more than halfway through our 2024 Session.  If you know a young person who will be in the 8th grade next year and is interested in how Vermont works, please suggest they consider serving as…

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 James Lyall, Editor’s note: James Lyall is the executive director of ACLU of Vermont. The people of Vermont want the best for our neighbors and our communities. Increasingly, those values are being undermined by the senseless actions of our governor. Last week, the Scott administration forcibly un-sheltered roughly 500 Vermonters who had been living…

By Budge Huskey Editor’s note: Budge Huskey is the president and CEO of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty. Last week the National Association of Realtors announced it had entered into a settlement agreement with the class actions plaintiffs in what is known as the Sitzer Burnett case, pending final approval by the court.  The basis of the suit…

  Middle and high school educators in Vermont interested in honing their personal finance teaching skills, or newcomers to the field, can attend a free, online, asynchronous course offered by the Center for Financial Literacy at Champlain College. This graduate-level course, which has been recognized by the White House, will give Vermont educators who complete…

  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. The Senate Committee on Education is revising a bill that aims to improve Vermont’s literacy rate — a number that’s been…

Submitted The mean water level (shown with a red arrow) is the average height of a water body over time and often marks where plants no longer grow. Vermont’s DEC warns against permitted lake encroachment construction projects.   During the spring fish spawning season, the Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) reminds Vermonters that permitted lake…

$420,625 awarded to two projects in Brandon and Castleton Governor Phil Scott and the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) on March 8 announced $13.3 million in Healthy Homes Initiative awards and $2.2 million in Three-Acre Stormwater Initiative awards to help 46 manufactured housing communities (also known as mobile home parks) repair, replace, and upgrade water infrastructure. “This initiative shows…

Editor’s note: The following article is republished from the lieutenant governor’s March 6 newsletter. Today, I have an exceptionally important topic to talk about: taxes! Taxes have become a dirty word, and in many ways for good reason. Since the 1980’s there has been a significant shift in how much everyday people pay in taxes. Wealthy and high-income individuals have seen their…

On Town Meeting Day 29 of 93 reported budgets were voted down By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger Voters struck down close to a third of school budgets across Vermont on Tuesday, March 5, the highest proportion in at least a decade, according to the Vermont Superintendents Association.  Twenty-nine of 93 reported budgets were rejected, according to unofficial results…

The Vermont Legislature is now on its Town Meeting week break. It is an opportunity for us to go to town/information meetings, meet with constituents, and re-energize our personal batteries. My hope is to get to 12 town/information meetings this year. I represent 25 towns, this is a great time to get a better sense…