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In 2015, Vermont lawmakers reformed the state’s electric grid by requiring utilities to purchase or build more renewable energy.  During the coming legislative session, which begins on Jan. 3, 2024, lawmakers plan to take up a bill to strengthen the law, known as the renewable energy standard. It will likely require utilities to source even…

It was not just an unusually warm year, 2023 was a year of extremes throughout the state, from flooding to cold snaps and heat waves By Erin Petenko/VTDigger     By Erin Petenko/VTDigger, with data from National Weather Service The chart above shows the average temperatures in Burlington since 1900. This past year, 2023, was well…

Submitted   Starting Jan. 1, Green Mountain Power (GMP) will continue its rebate programs to help customers save when they switch from fossil fuels to clean electricity for driving, heating and cooling, yard care and more. All GMP’s programs are designed to help cut costs for all GMP customers while also cutting carbon emissions.  Also…

Submitted Kathleen Demaio   Kathleen A. Demaio, 81, passed away in her home on Dec. 11, 2023. She was born Oct. 31, 1942, in Jersey City, New Jersey the daughter of Frank and Louise (Deluca) Montone. She worked as a computer programmer as an independent contractor for the U.S. Postal Service. Demaio graduated college with…

Submitted   Route 4 was closed the morning of Dec. 31 in Killington for a  jack-knifed tractor-trailer unit. Police said Kenneth Hoag, 36, of Hoosick Falls, New York was traveling in the tractor trailer eastbound on Route 4 near Jughandle Road and Winterberry Road when he lost control due to icy road conditions around 6:30…

Submitted   State Treasurer Mike Pieciak was joined by state and national leaders Dec. 19 at a press conference in Burlington to announce legislation that would establish a baby bonds program in Vermont. Baby Bonds is an innovative policy to address intergenerational poverty, support rural economic development, and retain young people in Vermont.   The policy would…

  Attorney General Charity Clark has declined to prosecute Fair Haven Police Detective Shaun Hewitt for charges related to the use of deadly force in a shooting incident involving Kenneth Barber, Jr. on June 19, 2023. The Rutland County State’s Attorney’s Office also declined to prosecute the case after completing its own independent review.  Based…

  The Campaign for Vermont recently released its second batch of results from a scientific public opinion poll of Vermonters. The survey interviewed 400 randomly selected Vermont residents to measure their feelings towards state leaders, various issues that policymakers are pursuing, and general sentiments about the direction the state is heading. “Vermonters’ consistent negative ratings of…

    Emerge Vermont, the state’s premier organization that recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office, announced Dec. 14 that it has selected its 2024 class. This year’s chosen group of 18 future women and non-binary political leaders hails from all parts of the Green Mountain State and from diverse backgrounds, and spans…

Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) in collaboration with Preservation Trust of Vermont, is launching a special competitive grant round to offer one to three grants of up to $5,000 for communities seeking to build momentum toward flood-resilient community development. Applications for this special round of funding for the Small Grants for Smart Growth program are due Jan.…

  On Dec. 18, the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs (VTFSC)  filing a federal lawsuit challenging Vermont’s 72-hour waiting period law and its ban on standard capacity firearm magazines that are commonly owned in Vermont and across the nation. “The inherent right to self-defense” the Supreme Court has explained “is central to the Second Amendment…

  Residential re-entry centers offer transitional services for those re-entering their communities after being incarcerated — Vermont is one of two states without a center The Vermont Congressional Delegation, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), and Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont), wrote to U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters Dec. 13 to…

  By Curt Peterson Dan Jerman, vice chair of the nine-member Hartland Planning Commission, approached the Select Board during review of the FY2025 municipal budget, on Dec. 18, to ask for additional funding for “possible” legal fees, which might be incurred during the commission’s appeal of the Environmental Commission’s grant of an ACT 250 permit…

by Robin Alberti  Pictured in the first row (l-r) are Luca Morris, Matilda Richardson, Heidi Thompson and Violet Alexander. In the second row (l-r) is Kamron Yuengling, Quinn Eckler, Elliot Namkung, Lylah Zeitlin. The performers in the third row on the stage are Lia Gugliotta, Finn Farrell, Jackson Fellows, Tula Klock, William Obbard and Sam…