Governor says progress is good news but also highlights need for further health care reform  On Monday, Jan. 5, Gov. Peter Shumlin welcomed news that the Vermont Household Health Insurance Survey shows the number of Vermonters without health insurance has dropped significantly and reiterated the need for aggressive health care reform efforts to increase access…

Vermont ranks number four on the list of Top Moving Destinations of 2014, according to the 2014 Annual National Movers Study released by United Van Lines, the nation’s largest mover. In 2014, more residents were moving into Vermont than out of Vermont with 59 percent of moves being inbound. Oregon holds on to its title as…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger.org A task force launched by Champlain College unveiled a 13-point plan recently for boosting Vermonters’ understanding of personal finances. One year after the state received a ‘D’ on a national report card on financial literacy in high schools, the 20-member Vermont Financial Literacy Task Force called on lawmakers to create a…

By Cristina Kumka The local option tax has served the town well, allowing town officials to increase the number of spring, summer and fall events in town by 75 percent since 2009 and paying down debt on a municipal golf course that was once $4 million in the hole. Continuing to pay down that debt…

Commins holiday films featured on Hallmark Channel By John Flowers The next time you watch one of those made-for-TV Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel, realize that the idea and dialogue were more than likely the creations of Middlebury resident Kevin Commins. Commins, 60, is a professional screenwriter specializing in documentaries and feature film scripts.…

By John Flowers Gov. Peter Shumlin on Wednesday, Dec. 17, put the brakes on the state’s multi-year quest to convert to a universal, single-payer health care system, saying the cost and financing scheme of such a plan would be “detrimental to Vermonters, employers and the state’s economy overall.” Shumlin made his comments at a news…

MOUNT HOLLY—This fall, the Mount Holly Town Library was one of only 12 libraries to be awarded a grant from the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF). The library received $2,000 worth of new books for the library’s children’s collection, plus a storytelling presentation at the Town Library for kindergarten through sixth grade. In spring 2015 CLiF…

By Morgan True, VTDigger.org For the second consecutive year, Vermont ranks as the second-healthiest state in the U.S., according to America’s Health Rankings 2014 report. The report was is based on an evaluation of four categories of health determinants including behaviors, community and environment, clinical care and policy as well as the health outcomes those…

Smart Approaches to Marijuana chapter takes root in Vermont By Julia Purdy At the start of 2012, both Colorado and Washington State voters legalized recreational marijuana. However, the votes amounted to nothing like a landslide, as many expected, with about half the counties in each state voting against it — a push-back has been building since.…

By Polly Lynn MENDON — On Sunday afternoon Seth Bridge, Jesse Bridge, Nick Paquette, Kelly Paquette and a few other friends and family admired the larger-than-life snowman they had constructed on the east side of Bridge’s Country Store in Mendon. “Inside are race-car tires to give it support,” Kelly Paquette explained. “They all race, so they…

Dec. 21 is not only the longest night but also the darkest as there there will be a new moon By Carolyn Lorié Every year, I eagerly await the winter solstice, which this year falls on Dec. 21. My anticipation is driven not from an affection for winter, but a hunger for sunlight. I want…

Vermont was awarded $7.3 million in what is expected to be a $33.4 million, four-year federal grant for pre-kindergarten programs at public schools and Head Start agencies throughout the state. The latest award is in addition to $37 million Vermont received last year to lay the foundation for its pre-K program. The earlier federal grant…

By John Herrick, VTDigger.org A company seeking to build a high-voltage power line beneath Lake Champlain applied for a state permit Tuesday. TDI New England is asking the Public Service Board for a certificate of public good to build a 154-mile underground and underwater power line that would carry hydroelectric and wind power generated in…

By Anne Galloway, VTDigger.org A report released on Friday proposes three changes to Vermont’s property tax system. The changes include: a “renovation” plan that would lead to reductions in school spending; a “variable income tax” proposal that would replace a portion of the property tax revenues with income taxes; and a regional block grant plan…

The Vermont State Police wants to remind the motoring public to clear all snow and ice from the roofs and windshields of their vehicles. Snow dislodging from a moving vehicle creates an extreme driving hazard for all motorists. In addition, snow and ice covering the windows of the vehicle create blind spots. Motorists can be…