By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger S.22—”An act relating to eliminating penalties for possession of limited amounts of marijuana by adults 21 years of age and older” The final proposal for marijuana legalization, S.22, would legalize adult possession of up to an ounce of marijuana and allow people to grow up to two mature and four immature…

By Karen D. Lorentz Powdr, Killington and Pico’s parent company since 2007, has restructured and is expanding — this time with its first foray outside the U.S. with the licensing of the Woodward Riviera Maya facility at the Hard Rock Hotel in Cancùn, Mexico. A Woodward in the Dominican Republic and one in Park City,…

By Evan Johnson As the state’s legislative session nears its conclusion, local elected reps gave updates at a legislative breakfast on some items that will have a lasting impact in Rutland County and the state. Growing Rutland’s economy  The Howe Center is going to be the site of a new cookie factory operated by Westminster…

By Michelle Monroe Speaking from Washington on Wednesday, Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said the revelation that President Donald Trump may have asked former FBI Director James Comey to drop an investigation into a former member of his administration has “ratcheted up concern” in the House of Representatives. “The president is responsible for enforcing the law,…

By Erin Mansfield, VTDigger Gov. Phil Scott has signed into law a bill that gives pregnant women the same accommodations in the workplace as people with disabilities. Scott signed H.136 on May 4 with no fanfare. The law, now called Act 21 of 2017, gives pregnant women accommodation under disability laws. The Senate streamlined the…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger The Legislature coughed, spit and sputtered its way into overtime Friday, May 12. Lawmakers were unable to reach a deal with Gov. Phil Scott and will return to Montpelier this week to try and complete their work for this year’s legislative session. When lawmakers arrived at the State House Friday morning,…

Lucky babies born May 29 in Vermont will receive a $100 deposit into a Vermont 529 college savings account opened in his or her name by the Vermont Student Assistance Corp (VSAC). The Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems is joining with VSAC, which administers Vermont’s 529 college savings plan, to help educate Vermont…

By Mark Johnson, VTDigger The family that founded WCAX-TV announced Thursday, May 4, they are selling the station to an out-of-state media conglomerate for $29 million. WCAX president Peter Martin said the industry is rapidly consolidating and that it was increasingly impracticable to operate as a single-station owner. The station, the first started in Vermont,…

A new report entitled “Clean Energy Momentum: Ranking State Progress” and published by the Union of Concerned Scientists highlighted Vermont for its success in developing a clean energy economy. Vermont ranked second nationally, bested onlyby California. The report scored states on 12 metrics in the three broader areas of technical progress, direct visible effects on…

The Vermont Press Association is praising the Vermont Legislature for approving a shield law designed to protect journalists from unwarranted subpoenas concerning their sources. The House of Representatives gave final approval to the legislation, 140-2, on Thursday afternoon, and Gov. Phil Scott signed it on Friday, April 21. “This is an important piece of legislation…

By Tiffany Danitz Pache, VTDigger The State Board of Education has approved the Agency of Education’s revised draft rules that will guide how school districts that don’t want to or can’t merge under Act 46 will make their case to the state. The rules—on what are referred to as “alternative structures”—will now go to the…

By Mike Polhamus, VTDigger Four House members are proposing what they’re calling tax reform bills that all seek to institute carbon taxes while reducing or eliminating other taxes or returning the revenue to Vermonters through other means. One of the bills would eliminate Vermont’s sales tax and raise the same amount from a tax on…

Vermonters struggling to make ends meet can receive wage supports like Low Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP) fuel assistance to help pay for heating expenses—crucial for Vermonters during our cold winter months. This program is also directly linked to the 3SquaresVT program (also known as SNAP or food stamps) and eligible recipients of LIHEAP often…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger At a panel discussion Thursday, April 6, Vermont officials discussed how different economic approaches could help address poverty in the state. The panel, hosted by Capstone Community Action and the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, featured Treasurer Beth Pearce and Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman alongside Bob Friedman, of the Corporation…

First-in-the-nation program makes N.Y. state public universities tuition-free for residents making up to $125,000 per year; over 940,000 families qualify New York will be the only state in the country to offer universal public college tuition coverage for working- and middle-class residents after the program was included in the recently approved budget package. New York…