The public is encouraged to stay off ice-covered waterways After a long and cold winter Vermonters have been treated to a few warmer days of late. But as spring approaches, ice on waterways is getting weaker. Because of the increased risk, state and federal partners are advising Vermonters and our visitors to stay off the ice…

©Ember Photography A backcountry skier enjoys powder turns between the trees earlier this year. Partnering organizations are promoting safe and responsible backcountry practices statewide. Ethics promote backcountry safety and responsible use of Vermont’s winter mountain environment In an ongoing effort to promote the safe and responsible use of Vermont’s backcountry environment, many organizations teamed up…

PITTSFIELD–The inaugaural Farm to Fork Fondo-Vermont, a cycling ride, will be held July 12, at Riverside Farm in Pittsfield, organizers recently announced. Over 500 participants are expected from throughout North America. The accessible community athletic event will highlight Vermont's local agriculture and the symbiotic relationship between cyclists, farmers and the state's beautiful landscapes. The event…

By Amy Ash Nixon, VTDigger.org Voters rejected just 20 school budgets on Town Meeting Day, about half the number that went down a year ago. All told, 37 school budgets were defeated in 2014. Jeff Francis, executive director of the Vermont Superintendents Association, said March 4, that 226 budgets passed this week and the rest…

PUTNEY--On Feb. 25, at 8:30 p.m., the Vermont state police received a report of an abandoned puppy on Bare Hill Road in Putney. A black Labrador retriever puppy was discovered in a metal crate in the middle of the turnaround. The puppy was left with some dog toys, but without food and water. The citizen…

Governor Peter Shumlin announced Feb. 19 that Commissioner of Economic Development Lisa Gosselin will be leaving her post in April to take a job outside state government. She will be replaced by Joan Goldstein, who currently serves as executive director of the Green Mountain Economic Development Corporation. Gosselin is leaving state government to become the…

Commissioner Ken Schatz announced Feb. 26 that the Department for Children and Families (DCF) is providing $375,000 to the state’s five community action agencies to fund additional crisis fuel assistance grants through their WARMTH programs. “When a family asks for crisis fuel assistance, it means that their tanks are on empty,” said Hal Cohen, secretary…

By Morgan True, VTDigger.org Senator Anthony Pollina (D/P/W-Washington) wants Vermont to hold its presidential primary the same day as neighboring New Hampshire, and he’s introduced a bill to do just that. The former gubernatorial candidate and longtime state Legislator says the purpose is twofold: it would give the state an “economic shot in the arm,”…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger.org In the ups and downs of the proposed 2016 budget for the Agency of Human Services, there are a few big winners, and many small losers. Under the proposal, the agency’s overall budget would be $3.8 billion, including some $1.4 billion from federal funds. More than $651 million of the AHS…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger.org The Senate gave unanimous preliminary approval to S.9, a hefty child protection reform package, in a roll call vote Wednesday, Feb. 25. The bill has loomed large on the Senate’s agenda since the beginning of the session and followed a lengthy summer study. “To say that this is an important bill…

By Amy Ash Nixon, VTDigger Rural Vermont schools with high poverty rates have higher numbers of first-year teachers than other schools in Vermont, according to information in a federal report that looks at educator equity in public schools nationwide. The greatest concern identified in the report—that high-poverty rural schools have more first-year teachers—is the point…

By Amy Ash Nixon, VTDigger.org A House bill that would introduce paid time off is not sitting well with everyone in Vermont’s business community. H.187, introduced last week, proposes to establish three days of paid leave for the next two years, eventually increasing to five days of leave. A letter from the Vermont Retail &…

The New England housing market felt the effects of historic or near-historic levels of snowfall across much of the region in January. Many states accumulated more than 60 inches of snow in a two-week period, forcing potential homebuyers to put their plans on hold. Month-over-month, home sales reflected the inclement weather with a decrease of…

WATERBURY – With continued uncertainty over whether or for how long Congress will approve funding for the Department of Homeland Security, Gov. Peter Shumlin and Vermont public safety officials today outlined impacts of a shutdown for Vermont. If funding is not approved by midnight tonight most divisions of the federal agency will suspend operations. While…

By Amy Ash Nixon, VTDigger.org Attention turned to class sizes and student-staff ratios as the House Education Committee continued to fine tune its education reform bill Monday, Feb. 23. Brad James, education finance manager for the Vermont Agency of Education, showed committee members tables detailing student-staff and administrator-student ratios in Vermont’s schools. “We have extraordinarily…