On Friday, Sept. 26, absentee and early voting began for the General Election. From now until 5 p.m. or the close of the town clerk’s office on the day before the election (which, for the General Election is Monday, Nov. 3,) any registered voter may request a ballot from their town clerk, whether in person,…

A bald eagle sits on a nest near Barnet along the Connecticut River. Bald eagles, once endangered, are now on the rise. During the 2014 nesting season,Vermont’s loon population had a record success, producing 65 fledglings (chicks that survived to leave the nest) on lakes and ponds throughout the state. Loons faced dramatic declines in…

On Monday, Oct. 1, Vermont will become the 15th state to ban the use of any handheld portable electronic device while driving. It is already illegal to use a handheld electronic device while traveling in a work zone and texting is prohibited statewide. Use of a mobile device will be permitted if an approved hands-free…

By Tom Brown, VTDigger.org Republican Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott answered challenger Dean Corren’s call for at least 10 debates Tuesday with a number of his own—four. Scott’s campaign manager, Rep. Patti Komline, R-Dorset, said the three-term incumbent lieutenant governor would rather travel the state listening to voters than champion his own views in exchanges with…

By John Herrick, VTDigger.org Vermont has raised more than $300,000 in private donations since May to help it defend its GMO labeling law, Act 120, in federal court. SumOfUs, a nonprofit issue advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., made the largest donation—$78,000—to a defense fund to help the state pay its legal bills. National trade…

By Anne Galloway, VTDigger.org Democratic Governor Peter Shumlin declared at his campaign launch on Monday Sept. 8 that he has put Vermont on a “progressive path” through a “bold” leadership style and investments in job creation, renewable energy, early childhood education and opiate addiction treatment. Shumlin touted the new GMO labeling law and his single…

Washington, D.C.–Tuesday evening, Sept. 9, the House of Representatives approved by a voice vote legislation authored by Rep. Chris Gibson (R-NY) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) to address the growing problem of Lyme disease. The incidence of this debilitating disease has increased dramatically in recent years in Vermont and across the Northeast region. The Vector-Borne…

On Tuesday, Sept. 16, the Shumlin administration announced that Vermont Health Connect has shut down its website temporarily to complete ongoing operational, technical, performance and security improvements necessary for a well-functioning customer experience when the next open enrollment period begins in November. The State made the decision to take down the website after consultation with…

By Morgan True, VTDigger.org The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday that Vermont’s federally qualified health centers will receive $2.1 million in Affordable Care Act money. The money will allow 10 health centers across Vermont to hire 47 new staff, extend hours and expand services, according to a news release from the…

Collaboration leads to innovative farm-to-energy biodiesel. Two fields of sunflowers growing in Vermont will have an unusual future: the flowers’ seeds will be converted to biodiesel and livestock feed. The fuel will be used in Green Mountain Power’s fleet of vehicles and for building heating, saving money and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants.…

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department will receive a grant for $42,895 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this year to support bat research and monitoring related to white-nose syndrome. This funding will support conservation and recovery of the six cave bat species affected by the deadly fungal disease. Vermont is one of 30 states…

Green Mountain Power (GMP) is pleased to announce that state regulators have approved the company’s proposal to decrease electric rates by 2.46 percent for residential and commercial customers starting Oct. 1. The rate decrease will be the second decrease offered by GMP in three years and is part of the company’s mission to deliver reliable,…

By Morgan True, VTDigger.org If hospitals are going to be paid based on keeping the people they serve healthy—one of Vermont’s health care reform goals—they need to invest in primary care services, according to state regulators and hospital executives. That’s difficult when hospital income is still dependent on fee-for-service—billing for each patient visit or procedure—especially…

By Anne Galloway, VTDigger.org The voter turnout for the 2014 primary election was one of the lowest, if not the lowest turnout in history, according to Eric Davis, a retired political science professor from Middlebury College. Just under 40,000 Vermonters went to the polls, or about 8 percent of registered voters. Davis says of that…

Secretary of Transportation Brian Searles reminds candidates for public office and their supporters of the need to comply with Vermont’s sign control law (10 VSA Chapter 21). “The Vermont sign law prohibits off-premises signs within the state highway rights-of-way,” he said. “Every campaign season we have candidates and their supporters, many of them unknowingly, placing…