The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department (VTF&W) is stocking a new strain of rainbow trout this spring and is looking for help from anglers to evaluate its performance. “Vermont stocks about 115,000 rainbow trout annually into inland rivers and lakes to provide recreational fishing opportunities for the public,” said state fisheries biologist Lee Simard. “We are…

By Sen. Alison Clarkson What a biennium this has been. It began in January of 2021 in the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic, conducted entirely by Zoom, and it ended in mid-May 2022, in the State House, in person — except for those members of the Legislature who had Covid or needed to care for…

By Sarah Mearhoff/VTDigger Gov. Phil Scott is running for a fourth term. Hours after he announced his reelection plans in a news release May 17, Scott told reporters in Montpelier that he “carefully considered (his) options” when deciding whether to seek another two years in office. “It’s been a long six years” in office, he…

By Peter D'Auria/VTDigger Vermont Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill Monday, May 23 to upgrade Vermont’s education funding formula, capping a legislative effort to make the system fairer. “Giving all students an equal chance at success has been a priority of mine since coming to office,” Scott wrote Monday, May 23, in a letter to…

By Sarah Mearhoff/VTDigger First it was U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., last November. Then it was U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., the next week. Next, it was Lt. Gov. Molly Gray in December and Secretary of State Jim Condos in February. And finally, in a flurry of activity in early May, Treasurer Beth Pearce and Attorney General TJ Donovan joined the list of top Vermont…

By Brett Yates Every two years, the United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives (USFWC) conducts an “economic census” to identify and study worker-owned and worker-managed businesses across the country. The organization’s latest State of the Sector report reveals, perhaps unsurprisingly, that, in raw numbers, New York and California lead the U.S. in “democratic workplaces,” with…

Locally, no changes planned at Rutland and White River Jct. By Jeralyn Darling/VTDigger Parenthood of Northern New England plans to close five part-time health centers — four of which are in Vermont, and another on the border in New Hampshire — and expand the hours of seven others in New England, the organization said in…

By Rep. Jim Harrison The Vermont Legislature adjourned sine die last Thursday evening, May 12, after several long days finishing bills that were still in process. Sine die is Latin for “without a day,” meaning the Legislature adjourned without fixing a day for a future session. Simply put, the Legislature cannot return until the new…

8 of Vermont’s 14 counties are listed as ‘high’ based on cases, hospitalizations and capacity By Erin Petenko/VTDigger The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday, May 12, that eight Vermont counties have “high” community Covid-19 levels. That’s a drop from the 12 counties with reportedly high levels last week. Grand Isle, Lamoille,…

By Erin Petenko/VTDigger The Vermont Department of Health plans to “phase out” the Covid-19 case dashboard that has been the centerpiece of its data reporting since March 2020, Health Commissioner Mark Levine said at a press conference Tuesday, May 10. The dashboard — part of a collection of Covid data available on the department’s website…

Each year, approximately 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported to the CDC by state health departments. As stated by the CDC, “There is no way of knowing exactly how many people get Lyme disease. A recently released estimate based on insurance records suggests that each year approximately 476,000 Americans are diagnosed and treated for…

By Victoria Gaither Olympic mogul skier Hannah Soar is on a high after spending a week in Washington, D.C., visiting the president and first lady. Soar, along with 600 fellow Olympians and Paralympians from the Tokyo 2020 Summer and Beijing 2022 Winter games, traveled to Washington, D.C., and was welcomed by President Joe Biden and…

Vermonters turned in almost 3.5 tons of unused, unwanted and expired medication on the 22nd nationwide prescription drug take-back day Saturday, April 30. The total of 6,950.1 pounds collected eclipsed every previous prescription drug take-back day except for the event held in spring 2021. “The continued success of this program is a testament to how…

By Rep. Jim Harrison There was no shortage of surprises last week in Vermont politics. Treasurer Beth Pearce announced she would not be seeking reelection this fall due to health reasons. And, clearly with inside information, Commissioner Mike Pieciak, who had just two weeks ago indicated he was leaving his post at the Department of…

According to John Bob Siemienowicz, governor of Rotary District 7870, covering 57 Rotary clubs in southern New Hampshire and Vermont, the district has reached $150,000 in funds raised for Ukrainian relief. This represents a $36,000 increase in funds raised in two weeks. Siemienowicz indicated that he expects donations to increase as more of the clubs…