RANDOLPH — PoemTown Randolph organizers are excited to announce the third annual celebration of poetry in Randolph throughout April, National Poetry month, and are seeking submissions from Vermont poets as the centerpiece of the month-long event. PoemTown Randolph 2016 presents a public opportunity for Vermont poets to share their work. Throughout the month of April, posters…

Rutland and Windsor County programs recognized Between 1997 and 2008, Vermont’s prison inmate population grew by 86 percent. After years of work to create a more rational criminal justice system that locks up fewer Vermonters that trend has been reversed, and today Vermont’s inmate population is at its lowest point since the early 2000s, Gov.…

By Jasper Craven, VTDigger.org Sen. David Zuckerman, P/D-Chittenden, announced Tuesday, Nov. 10, he is running for lieutenant governor next year. Zuckerman joins a young cohort of Democrats running for lieutenant governor — Burlington Rep. Kesha Ram, 29, and Brandon Riker, 28, of Marlboro, a relatively unknown candidate who has never held elected office, as well…

Aging demographic trends help explain By Bruce Parker, Vermont Watchdog The U.S. Department of Labor on Friday, Nov. 6, released an upbeat monthly jobs report showing the economy added 271,000 jobs in October. The number was well above the 185,000 jobs projected for the month. The national unemployment rate, which declined slightly to 5 percent,…

Two weeks into the third annual open enrollment period for Vermont Health Connect, Gov. Peter Shumlin and top health care officials provided an update on Tuesday, Nov. 17, and pointed to the long road the state has traveled to improve the health care marketplace since its launch in 2013. So far this open enrollment period,…

On Monday, Nov. 9, the Clean Water Fund Board recommended spending a projected $10.4 million to reduce nutrient pollution in Vermont’s waterways. The funds will be administered by state agencies in 2016 and 2017, once the Lgislature approves the plan next session. Nutrient pollution carried in runoff can fuel excessive plant and algae growth in Vermont’s waters,…

On Tuesday, Nov. 10, six months after signing the historic education reform law known as Act 46, Gov. Peter Shumlin highlighted its early success in sparking local conversations statewide about how to enhance educational quality for Vermont’s kids. The governor made the announcement at Essex High School a week after voters from the towns of…

By Bruce Parker, Vermont Watchdog State lawmakers on Thursday, Oct. 29, sent a letter to Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe and State Board of Education Chair Stephen Morse, urging the board to reverse a ruling that prevents many districts from keeping school choice as they merge with other districts. “We are writing regarding Act 46, and…

November marks the beginning of the three-month open enrollment window Many Vermonters getting their insurance through the online marketplace will see their monthly health care premiums decrease next year, Gov. Peter Shumlin announced Oct. 29. The open enrollment period is a once-a-year opportunity for Vermonters using VHC to reevaluate their health care needs and change…

By Mike Faher, VTDigger.org WILMINGTON – The owner of a private ski club must pay more than $72,700 for damaging three miles of trail in the Green Mountain National Forest, officials announced Tuesday, Oct. 20. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Vermont said James Barnes of Wilmington has agreed to pay $25,000 in civil fines and…

As the nights grow colder, the Agency of Agriculture’s Consumer Protection Division reminds Vermonters to take steps to ensure they “get what they pay for” when heating their homes. “With winter approaching, it’s important for Vermonters to know there are rules in place to govern transactions related to both fuel and firewood,” according to Henry…

On Monday, Oct. 26, Senator Patrick Leahy, Senator Bernie Sanders, Congressman Peter Welch and Gov. Peter Shumlin announced a $10 million federal grant from the Department of Transportation to improve rail service along the state’s Western Corridor. The improvements will remove the final hurdle for restoring passenger service between Rutland and Burlington. In a joint…

$700,000 to aid employers, in the Northeast Kingdom and Bethel/Royalton area On Oct. 19, Gov. Peter Shumlin recommended using funds from the Vermont Enterprise Fund to attract over 120 jobs – more than 50 in the Northeast Kingdom and up to 73 in the Bethel/Royalton area. In addition to the jobs, the $700,000 in awards…

Event aimed to empower and promote women entrepreneurs On Monday, Oct. 12, the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET) and Hotel Vermont announced the InnovateHER VT Challenge, a new business pitch event in Burlington, Vt. InnovateHER VT is a part of a national pitch competition that celebrates and promotes women entrepreneurs and ventures that impact…

Since July 2015, when requirements for food diversion took effect for medium-sized institutions under Vermont’s universal recycling law, the Vermont Foodbank has seen a 24 percent increase in food donations from retailers over last year. On Thursday, Sept. 24, state agency officials, representatives from the Vermont Foodbank, and local grocers joined together at the Chittenden…