By Tiffany Danitz Pache, VTDigger Fears and concerns after the national presidential election prompted the state Board of Education this week to a issue a statement about the need to ensure the safety of all students regardless of race, class or immigration status. Without elaborating, Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe said there have been incidents recently…

By Mike Polhamus, VTDigger.org The Public Service Board has finalized new rules that it says are meant in part to slow the pace of solar development under the popular electricity net metering program. The changes could make the program less lucrative for small-scale producers and may largely prevent the use of undeveloped land for larger…

UVM study shows down-the-drain disposal is not a major source of pharmaceutical pollution Nearly 60 percent of American adults now take prescription medications—from antidepressants to cholesterol treatments—and, among other things, there is growing concern about how many drugs are flowing through wastewater treatment facilities and into rivers and lakes. Research confirms that pharmaceutical pollution can…

On Aug. 31, the National Endowment for the Arts released new research that, for the first time, offers a complete state-by-state perspective on how American adults participate in the arts, including activities in Vermont. The new research comes in the form of an “arts data profile,” an NEA collection of statistics, graphics, and summary results…

By Mike Polhamus, VTDigger.org Vermont’s largest electric utility has committed to purchase 14 hydroelectric dams in New England and to get power from two others—a buy that will net Green Mountain Power an added 17 megawatts of energy production for just over $20 million. The dams will help the company, a subsidiary of Canadian-owned Gaz…

By Adam Federman, VTDigger.org The family-owned Rutland Herald has entered into an agreement to sell the Herald and its sister paper the Times Argus, according to a story posted on the Herald’s website late Wednesday night, Aug. 10. The story, written by the paper’s Editor-in-chief Rob Mitchell, said the paper would be sold to MaineToday…

On July 13, gubernatorial candidate Peter Galbraith announced a $220 million plan to provide free primary and preventive care for all Vermonters. The plan has no deductibles, co-pays or premiums and is financed by a 2 percent payroll tax on employers. Galbraith was joined by supporters, singe-payer advocate Dr. Deb Richter and Grace Cottage Hospital…

By Jasper Craven, VTDigger.org Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sue Minter announced a plan Tuesday, July 5, that would expand outdoor recreational opportunities in the Green Mountains. Minter’s plan—VT-Outdoors—prioritizes Vermont’s bucolic landscape as a key asset in attracting people and business to the state. As governor, Minter would create the statewide position of outdoor recreation director, a…

On Friday, July 1, the Vermont Right to Know GMOs coalition joined Governor Shumlin, U.S. Senator Leahy, U.S. Representative Welch, and supporters from around the country in celebrating Vermont’s first-in-the-nation GMO labeling law taking effect. The celebration took place on the State House lawn, where Governor Shumlin signed the bill into law a little over…

On June 30, Gov. Peter Shumlin celebrated a law that guarantees access to pre-kindergarten for all 3- and 4-year-olds in Vermont. The law, which the governor signed in 2014, went into effect July 1 and will ensure all Vermont kids have access to pre-k this coming school year. Vermont is the first state in America…

By Kelsey Neubauer, VTDigger.org A bipartisan coalition of mayors is asking lawmakers to put more stringent gun control measures in place. After the nation’s largest mass shooting in its history earlier in June killed 50 and injured 49 others in Orlando, President Barack Obama called on local and state government officials to act. On Tuesday,…

On June 27, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced that trash disposal throughout the state decreased 5 percent, while the recycling rate has increased from 33 percent to 35 percent since the new recycling services and requirements went into effect in July 2015. Over the past year, the Vermont Foodbank has also seen an…

By Emma Cotton On July 1, the third installment of Vermont’s major trash and recycling law Act 148 will be phased in, imposing new requirements on how residents and businesses handle yard debris and how businesses handle food waste. Landfills will no longer accept yard debris as of July 1. Haulers must offer residents and…

By Anne Galloway, VTDigger.org Members of the U.S. Senate brokered a compromise Thursday that would make labeling of genetically engineered food mandatory nationwide. But state officials say the legislation is a last-ditch effort to scuttle a Vermont law that will require information about such ingredients on food labels as of July 1. The Senate bill…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger.org The governor’s ceremonial office got a new set of occupants this week. An installation of papier-mâché figures, created by Katie Hunt, Gov. Peter Shumlin’s wife, will be on display in the executive office in the State House until June 20. The office is often a setting for bill signings and news…