Professional logging contractors in Vermont are being encouraged to take advantage of a unique new opportunity to become Master Logger-certified at half the cost through a grant from the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. The opportunity coincides with a push to expand the ranks of Vermont Master Loggers that qualify for the state’s…

More low-income children in Vermont are starting their day with a nutritious school breakfast. According to the School Breakfast Scorecard, released earlier this week by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC, a national anti-hunger advocacy group), 17,796 low-income children in Vermont participated in the national school breakfast program on an average school day in…

The Vermont Department of Health is asking Vermonters to follow new travel guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The department is requesting that people who return from certain countries affected by the new coronavirus stay home for 14 days to help limit spread of the disease. The CDC guidance affects travelers…

By John Walters/VTDigger A patient at a hospital in Bennington is in critical condition after being the first person in the state to test positive for the new coronavirus. The patient, described by hospital officials as an older adult male from the Bennington area, is receiving treatment at Southwestern Vermont Medical. The individual arrived at…

Vermont state law requires that ice fishing shanties be removed from the ice before the ice weakens, warns the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. The shanty must be removed before the ice becomes unsafe or loses its ability to support the shanty out of the water, or before the last Sunday in March— the 29th…

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is holding a public meeting on March 18 in Bethel to answer questions and record public comment on the proposed 2020-2030 Big Game Plan. The meeting will be at the White River Valley School, 273 Pleasant St. in Bethel on Wednesday, March 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.  People…

The Vermont Commission on Women announced that new resources are available from the Workplaces For All public education program at workplacesforall.vermont. gov. The resources are designed to make workers, employers, and all Vermonters aware of laws that apply to them, their legal rights, methods of reporting, where to find information, strategies for prevention, and ways…

By John Flowers/Addison County Independent The Vermont House on Feb. 26 voted 90-54 in favor of a bill that would tax and regulate recreational cannabis for those 21 and older. The chamber, as expected, then gave final approval to the measure on Thursday, Feb. 27. The move comes a year after the Senate passed tax-and-regulate…

State switched to an opt-out default on March 1 By Katie Jickling/VTDigger On March 1, thousands of Vermonters’ medical records became available to doctors, even for patients who have not given consent for their records to be shared. The new sharing policy went into place Sunday for records on the statewide health information exchange, a database…

Bill strengthens environmental protections, sustainable trail development, growth in downtown Staff report The Vermont House of Representatives passed H.926, an Act 250 modernization bill, 88 to 52 with tripartisan support on Friday, Feb. 28. The bill passed almost three years after lawmakers formally began a review of how to “modernize” Act 250 in advance of its…

By Rep. Jim Harrison Last week saw a significant amount of floor time in the Vermont House, including a rare evening session, as major legislation was debated and/or amended ahead of the Town Meeting week recess. First up on Tuesday, Feb.25 was a vote to override the governor’s veto on increasing the minimum wage to…

Once valued at $200 million, Tough Mudder was formerly considered the dominant player in the field Staff report Less than two months after Tough Mudder’s creditors forced it into filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the extreme obstacle race operator may be nearing a finish line of sorts. Tough Mudder’s chief rival, Spartan Race, has reportedly agreed…

By Lisa Lynn/Ski+RideVt At 3:20 p.m. on Saturday, February 29, Andrew Hyrb, 36, of Darien, Connecticut, and his brother Alexander, 35, of Norwalk, Connecticut, boarded the Sensation Quad, planning to ski a backcountry zone off Stowe Mountain Resort’s Spruce Peak. More than 35 inches had fallen in the area over the last four days and everywhere skiers…

By Kit Norton/VTDigger Sen. Bernie Sanders will be in Vermont on Super Tuesday. As the results from primary contests in 14 states across the country roll in, Sanders will hold a rally at the Champlain Valley Exposition location in Essex Junction on the evening of March 3, his campaign announced Tuesday. Seven Days first reported on the Vermont…

By John Walters/VTDigger Members of the Abenaki Nation delivered moving testimony Wednesday morning, Feb. 19, on the lasting impact of forced sterilizations carried out as a result of Vermont’s Eugenics Survey. The House Committee on General, Housing and Military Affairs is considering J.R.H.7, which would deliver an official apology to those affected by Vermont’s sterilization program,…