By Sam Heller, VTDigger.org Vermont’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.6 percent in May, marking the state’s eighth consecutive month without an increase, according to a news release from the Vermont Department of Labor. The national unemployment rate in May was 5.5 percent, a 0.10 percent increase from the previous month. Vermont is tied for…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger.org Flanked by dozens of lawmakers, state officials and others, Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law Monday, June 15, a bill that addresses wide-ranging aspects of Vermont’s child protection system. Lawmakers first began work on S.9 more than a year ago, following the deaths of Dezirae Sheldon, 2, and Peighton Geraw, 14…

By Anne Galloway, www.VTDigger.org Democrat T.J. Donovan will run for Vermont attorney general in the 2016 election, regardless of what incumbent Bill Sorrell decides. The Chittenden County state’s attorney told Seven Days on Sunday that he has decided to make a second bid for the office held by fellow Democrat Sorrell. Donovan said Monday that…

By Paul Holmes KILLINGTON — On Saturday, June 13, Kent Pond in Killington was a flurry with avian excitement. For the last few years Kent Pond has been home to a loon family. This year, the adult loon couple, who have a nest on the island, have welcomed newborn fluffy chicks. They are just beginning to experiencing…

Courtesy Vt. Fish & Wildlife Ample opportunities exist to look for breeding birds throughout the spring and summer at Vermont’s 84 Wildlife Management Areas. Local birders have good reason to be a-twitter. Migratory songbirds are back in the Vermont’s forests and fields, having completed their annual migration north. Some birds began arriving from points south…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger.org The Vermont National Guard announced plans Wednesday, June 10, for some 150 Vermont guardsmen and ten F-16 fighter jets of the 158th Fighter Wing of the Air Combat Command to be deployed to Okinawa, Japan, to supplement the U.S. security forces in the Pacific region. A news release described the deployment…

On Thursday, June 11, Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law a comprehensive energy bill that is anticipated to create new jobs, save Vermonters on energy costs, and help Vermont achieve one-quarter of its greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets by 2050. The legislation also creates an innovative new program under which Vermont utilities will help customers…

By Karen D. Lorentz The Vermont Ski Areas Association (VSAA) recently announced that Vermont’s ski resorts recorded 4,670,903  skier and snowboarder visits for 2015, topping last year’s 4,503,269 and setting a record since VSAA began directly tallying visits in 1992. Vermont continued its number-one ranking in the East and also retained its lead on Utah,…

On Wednesday evening, June 10, the Vermont State Police were contacted by the Kansas Highway Patrol about an incident possibly involving Jason Kendall, who was being sought for the alleged murder of Molly Helland, age 23 of Windsor, Vt. Kansas police said that a silver 1996 Honda Accord with Mass. license plates was spotted on…

By Morgan True, VTDigger.org The Conservation Law Foundation has agreed not to oppose a 154-mile high-voltage transmission cable that would run beneath Lake Champlain in exchange for an increase the value of a benefits package the developer offered the state. The agreement was filed Friday, June 12, with the Public Service Board as part of…

Update: Vermont State Police Escapee Response Update June 12, 2015 The Vermont State Police continue to reach out to residents in communities along Lake Champlain, including going door-to-door with flyers, using saturation patrols, and alerting them of the on-going situation with the Dannemora, New York prison escapees.  Troopers continue this outreach and Lake Champlain patrols…

By Stephen Seitz Area towns with the local options sales, meals and rooms, and alcohol taxes have had a good first quarter, according to various town officials. Rutland Town treasurer Donna Zeller said the taxes brought in $249,327 in the first quarter of 2015. The town assesses all three local options taxes: Sales tax, rooms…

Courtesy of Sen. Leahy Governor Peter Shumlin By Polly Lynn Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin announced Monday, June 8, that he will not seek a fourth term. Shumlin told reporters that after much thought, consideration and review of his initial goals and accomplishments he wanted to return to private life. “I’ve never seen politics as a…

Supports say it will boost quality and address rising property taxes On June 2, Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law an historic education reform bill he believes will help ensure educational quality for all Vermont students while bending the cost curve on education spending to address Vermonters’ calls for property tax relief. The governor signed…

By Erin Mansfield, VTDigger.org Gov. Peter Shumlin signed a 176-page economic development bill on Thursday, June 4, that lawmakers designed to help create jobs, boost wages and make it easier to do business in Vermont. Shumlin signed S.138 at Cabot Hosiery Mills headquarters in Northfield where Darn Tough Socks are made. Among its many provisions,…