State News

The best news of the week was that Mohsen Madawi was released from detention here in Vermont.  The federal government offered no acceptable justification for Madawi’s detention, and, as a result, Judge Crawford of Vermont’s U.S. District Court freed him. The conditions of his release seem relatively simple: he is now free to go back…

Last Thursday, May 1, the full Senate approved its version of the state budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 with numerous changes from the House. On Friday the House and Senate appointed a conference committee (three House and three Senate members) to work out the differences between the two chambers. Once that happens,…

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), alongside Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), introduced the Medicare for All Act last Tuesday, April 29. Hundreds of nurses, health care providers and workers from around the nation joined the lawmakers for a press conference in…

By Theresa Golub Editor’s note: This story is via Community News Service in partnership with Vermont State University Castleton. Across Vermont, the songs of spring peepers marking the change in seasons. Temperatures rise, snow melts and water runs into the dips and divots of the land to form vernal pools.  Biologists call those springtime basins the…

By Jackson Burden Community News Service Editor’s note: This story is via Community News Service in partnership with Vermont State University Castleton. At Vermont State University, Castleton, a vibrant community of Canadian students has long thrived, embracing the American dream while pursuing their college years in the U.S. in a welcoming academic haven. However, following…

By Habib Sabet/VTDigger A federal judge has signed off on the sale of Burke Mountain Resort for $11.5 million, releasing the Northeast Kingdom ski mountain from nearly a decade of federal receivership.  Judge Darrin P. Gayles issued the order in U.S. District Court in Miami formally approving the sale of Burke Mountain to Bear Den Partners LLC, a…

Census Bureau data recently released indicates that Vermont was the nation’s leader in income growth from 2022 to 2023. Vermont median income grew 5.4% year-over-year, while the national median stayed roughly flat with a 0.15% decrease. Vermont’s median income increase represents a jump from below to above the national median. Vermont ranks 17th in household income.…

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. urges residents not to keep wild turtles as pets, citing potential harm to animals and broader turtle populations. “Capturing a wild turtle and keeping it as a pet, even if only for a short time, is not only bad for that individual, but it could hurt turtle populations as…

Attorney General Charity Clark recently joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Dept. of Education’s threat to withhold federal funding from state and local agencies that refuse to abandon lawful programs and policies that promote equal access to education in K-12 classrooms across the nation. On April 3,…

By Habib Sabet/VTDigger Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark is joining the top prosecutors of 11 other states in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, the Attorney General’s office announced Wednesday, April 23. The attorneys general, who filed the lawsuit Wednesday in the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York City,…

By Carly Berlin Editor’s Note: This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public. Jonah Richard wants to build a new neighborhood in Bradford, an Orange County town of about 2,800. Richard envisions 15 small “starter home” cottages tucked off the town’s main drag.…

The Dept. of Vermont Health Access (DVHA) released figures on marketplace open enrollment for 2025 earlier this month after Vermont’s open enrollment period ended on Jan. 15— data showed a substantial increase in the number of Vermonters enrolling in plans through Vermont’s health insurance marketplace, known as Vermont Health Connect. Most Vermonters enrolled in Qualified…

By the end of the week, it was clear that the Senate was moving on a different track from the House and the governor on a couple of major bills. It’s the beginning of some strong winds, not necessarily in the same direction. At his weekly press conference on Wednesday, Scott made it clear that…

Story Update: On Wednesday, April 30, Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford ordered the release of Mohsen Mahdawi from prison on bail, pending the resolution of his habeas petition. The government requested that Judge Crawford pause his release from prison for seven days by issuing a stay of the order, which the judge denied. By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger Lawyers…

By Carly Berlin/VTDigger This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, is published via a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public. A bill that would fundamentally overhaul Vermont’s response to homelessness is making its way through the Statehouse. H.91 provides a potential off-ramp to the state’s mass use of motel rooms as a…