On May 18 the Obama Administration issued a new rule that will make millions more Americans eligible for overtime pay. The Vermont Department of Labor (VDOL) estimates that 8,500 working Vermonters may become newly eligible for overtime pay above 40 hours per week as a result. The new rule, which goes into effect Dec. 1,…

By Tiffany Danitz Pache, VTDigger.org A pilot program looking at ways to get more kids to eat school breakfast has confirmed what many might suspect: It helps to serve it after the start of the school day. The initial Breakfast After the Bell Challenge increased the number of students eating school breakfasts by at least…

Courtesy of VTF&W Young wildlife need to be left in the wild, according to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. Deer fawns may seem abandoned, but their mothers typically are nearby and will return when people are not in the area. Watching wildlife is enjoyable, especially when young animals appear in the spring. But it’s…

Courtesy of VF&W Turtles in Vermont will soon be digging their nests on the shoulders of roads. Drivers are urged to keep an eye out for them on the road and report any sightings. Keep an eye out for turtles, report sightings It’s springtime and Vermont’s turtles on are on the move. The Vermont Fish…

The University of Vermont’s  ( UVM ) Grossman School of Business added another top ranking to its growing number of accolades by making Bloomberg Business’ coveted “Best Undergraduate Business Schools 2016” list, released May 5. The ranking, based on survey data from nearly 30,000 students and recruiters at 600 companies, places UVM in 107th place…

Courtesy of Lindsay Hunn Lindsay Hunn introduces Sen. Sanders at a rally in Claremont, N.H. ,in January. By Elaine Ezerins, St. Albans Messenger Two years ago, Lindsay Hunn walked into an office building on South Main Street in St. Albans, Vt., looking for a job in the legal world. As fate would have it, she…

By Mark Johnson, VTDigger.org The Republican candidates for governor differed in their support for their party’s presumptive presidential nominee, Donald Trump, while the three Democratic candidates were unified behind Bernie Sanders. Lt. Gov. Phil Scott rejected any idea of voting for Trump, while businessman Bruce Lisman said he would wait and see how Trump conducted…

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders recently announced that Vermont will receive $3 million from the National Housing Trust Fund. The funds are part of $174 million that is being dispersed nationally to build, preserve, and rehabilitate affordable rental housing. Sanders helped lead a 15-year effort to pass and fund the National Housing Trust Fund. “Since my…

On May 10, 2016, the state announced that its Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are thriving. In its recently released annual report, the state claimed that 4,156 acres of habitat were improved over the course of 2015. WMAs are increasingly important in providing a place for people to enjoy wildlife-associated recreation as more of the state…

People love to see a black bear in its natural surroundings, but when a bear ventures into human territory, problems can occur. Vermont Fish & Wildlife wardens and biologists are receiving reports of hungry bears getting into trash containers as well as raiding bird feeders, beehives and chicken houses. “Human conflicts involving bears are increasing…

By Erin Mansfield, VTDigger.org The Vermont House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday in a voice vote that would loosen Vermont’s medical marijuana laws. The House had given preliminary approval to the legislation, S.14, by a vote of 133 to 13 on Monday. Vermont currently has strict laws that require a person who wants a…

Saturday, May 14, marks the 24th anniversary of the National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Letter carriers walk throughout the community every day, often coming face to face with a sad reality for too many: hunger. Each year on the second Saturday in May, letter carriers across the country collect non-perishable…

By Erin Mansfield, VTDigger.org The Senate has passed a bill that would expand women’s access to long-acting birth control and men’s access to vasectomies, and allow pregnant women to enroll in Vermont Health Connect more conveniently. The Senate passed H.620 in a voice vote Monday, May 2, after giving it preliminary approval Friday. The House…

By Jasper Craven, VTDigger.org A New York City police officer accused of selling oxycodone for three years in Vermont pleaded guilty Monday, May 2, to a federal charge of conspiracy to distribute the opiate. Andre Clarke, 37, of the Bronx, a 13-year veteran of the New York Police Department, was arrested last summer and charged…

By Christopher Biddle KILLINGTON — Addressing the root causes of poverty and hunger was the primary focus of the 2016 Hunger Action Conference, organized by the Vermont Food Bank and hosted by the Killington Grand Hotel on Friday, May 6. The conference attracted just under 300 attendees and featured a keynote address by food rights…