On Sept. 18, 2015, the Vermont State Police, Pittsford Fire Department, and Regional Ambulance Service were dispatched to a two-vehicle crash on U.S. Route 7 in Pittsford. As a result of the crash, a section of Route 7 was closed for approximately six hours, and traffic was diverted around the incident while the initial investigation…

Gov. Peter Shumlin signed a law on April 28 to make it easier for Vermont voters to register. H.458, signed into law at Montpelier City Hall, automatically registers eligible Vermonters to vote when they apply for a state driver’s license. President Obama has called for so-called automatic voter registration (AVR) laws to be adopted nationwide,…

Courtesy of Vermont State Police Ingrid Jonas WATERBURY—Captain Ingrid Jonas has been selected to serve as the first director of Fair and Impartial Policing and Community Affairs for the Vermont State Police. This new position will be charged with developing and implementing a comprehensive program to ensure fair and impartial policing practices at all levels…

The Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award winners were announced on April 28 at an award ceremony at the State House Cedar Creek Room. Since 1993, Environmental Excellence awards have recognized efforts and actions of Vermonters to conserve and protect natural resources, prevent pollution, and promote environmental sustainability. To date, more than 200 awards have been presented.…

Hickory Street in Rutland to complete final phase The Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) Board of Commissioners recently committed federal low-income housing tax credits and state affordable housing tax credits that will provide almost $25 million in upfront equity to construct and renovate housing for low-income Vermonters and will increase permanent supportive housing for people…

On April 29th, 2016 the Vermont legislature voted to designate the Gilfeather Turnip as the official state vegetable of Vermont. Vermont is only the 14th state to name a state vegetable. This came about as the result of a two-year effort by the students in grades 4-5-6 at the Wardsboro Elementary School. The students appeared…

Gov. Peter Shumlin has signed a bill to remove questions about criminal records from the very first part of job applications in Vermont, in order to help people with criminal convictions find employment and build successful lives. “Banning the box” will give those with criminal records a fair chance at a good job and reduce…

The White River Junction Veteran Affairs Medical Center (WRJ VAMC) is collaborating with the Vermont Department of Mental Health, the Center for Health and Learning and the Vermont Suicide Prevention Center to address the rising suicide rate in the State of Vermont. Vermont’s recent suicide rate has climbed from 27th to seventh in the nation…

BURLINGTON—On April 25, Vermont’s U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a signed plea agreement from Sally Hartford Kirby, former finance director of Hunger Free Vermont charged with embezzling $165,000 over a period of many years. The theft was initially discovered at the end of October 2015 by the organization’s executive director, Marissa Parisi, thanks to a call…

Vermont files a similar complaint By Anne Galloway, Mark Johnson and Morgan True Vtdigger.org The Securities and Exchange Commission announced federal fraud charges Thursday, April 14 against two prominent Northeast Kingdom developers, accusing them of running a massive “Ponzi-like” scheme, using money from one set of investors to fund deficits in earlier projects. The developers solicited…

On Monday, Feb. 29, Gov. Peter Shumlin provided an update on the situation in North Bennington after last week when five private wells in North Bennington showed varying levels of a potentially harmful chemical called PFOA. Test results received Thursday, Feb. 25, indicated that while there is no contamination of the public water source. The…

Sen. Bernie Sanders received a perfect score (100 percent) Feb. 24 from the League of Conservation Voters for his environmental voting record in 2015. Sanders has a 95 percent lifetime score. “On climate stuff he’s been the most aggressive voice in the Senate,” environmentalist and co-founder of 350.org Bill McKibben said of Sanders. Among his…

Susan L. Donegan, commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation (DFR), announced Feb. 26 that Continental Indemnity Co., a subsidiary of Applied Underwriters, Inc., has paid Vermont $335,000 and owes 16 Vermont businesses an additional $352,000. An investigation conducted by the department revealed that between 2007 and 2015, Continental had overcharged a number of small…

By Michael Bielawski, Vermont Watchdog Lawmakers seeking to control education costs in Vermont are discussing how many special education teachers is too many. The House Education Committee on Feb. 11 invited Michael Giangreco, professor of education at the University of Vermont, to offer advice on budget and resources for special education students. Giangreco, whose expertise…

By Tiffany Danitz Pache, VTDigger.org The nonprofit that provides health insurance for education employees and retirees in Vermont is making some significant changes to try to stay relevant amid calls from Legislators to move school employees onto the state health insurance exchange. The federal health care law says small school districts must shift onto Vermont…