The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) seeks “Climate Economy Resilient Community” participants for 2024. Community leaders and/or volunteers can now submit a simple online application that will be reviewed on a rolling basis until Jan. 12, 2024.  Through the program, VCRD supports three to five communities each year working on local climate action…

Submitted September saw the highest number of active short-term rentals out of any month on record.    So are debates over how to regulate them By Carly Berlin/VTDigger Editor’s note: Report for America corps Carly Berlin wrote this story in  partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public. A new data analysis by the Vermont Housing Finance Agency…

  In advance of the 2024 legislative session, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce reintroduced its annual Legislative Preview Presentation series to provide guidance on the business priorities for the session and provide information on legislative activities and advocacy opportunities. This series creates opportunities for business leaders to engage with the Vermont Chamber advocacy team to…

  The Vermont Congressional Delegation, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), and Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont), announced Dec. 11 that the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) will receive a combined $1 million to develop long-range plans to improve existing passenger rail services and expand services in Vermont from the Department of Transportation (DOT).…

  Want to build or improve a recreational trail in your Vermont community? The Vermont Dept. of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) invites municipalities, non-profits, and other governmental entities to apply for funding through the Recreational Trails Program. In 2024, FPR will award approximately $500,000, funded through the Federal Highways Administration, to build and maintain…

  Earlier this month, $635,465 in federal grant funding was awarded to Vermont State University (VTSU) to expand educational opportunities and workforce development in rural communities. The grant is authorized through the USDA’s Distance Learning & Telemedicine (DLT) grant program, which provides rural communities with key resources to access advanced telecommunications technology and promote more opportunities in…

  By Emma Cotton/VTDigger On Thursday evening, Dec. 14, members of the Fish & Wildlife Board voted unanimously to approve new rules for trapping and hunting. Recent laws required the board to create the rules, which were intended to make the activities safer for wildlife, pets and people.  Earlier on Thursday, a group of lawmakers on…

  By Erin Petenko/VTDigger Seven long-term care facilities and one school reported Covid-19 outbreaks in the week following Thanksgiving, an uptick from the weeks prior to the holiday, the Vermont Department of Health reported Wednesday. Although the health department noted in their weekly report that overall Covid levels remained “low,” the outbreaks come at a…

    The Natural Resources Board will host an online public meeting to present its draft legislative report “Necessary Updates to the Act 250 Program.”  The online public meeting will be held Thursday, Dec. 15 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.   Act 182 of 2022 and Act 47 of 2023 directed the Natural Resources Board with reporting to…

    Experts believe the new system will provide a clearer picture of Covid and leave the door open for more disease tracking By Erin Petenko/VTDigger Bob Fischer, water quality superintendent for South Burlington, remembers when researchers first realized that they could track the health of a population through its sewer system decades ago.  Measuring all…

Submitted  350Vermont is seeking to pressure utilities to sell energy using renewable sources.    The grassroots climate justice organization 350Vermont is seeking to pressure utilities to sell energy using renewable sources while producing fewer or no greenhouse gases. The organization will do this by ratcheting up pressure on the Legislature to tighten up the state’s…

   Fall and winter are the seasons when respiratory viruses spread more easily, and that means now is the best time to protect yourself and loved ones from serious illness and hospitalization, according to the the state Health Department, which is urging everyone 6 months and older to get this year’s Covid-19 and flu vaccines.…

  Undergraduates, high school students will assist in research that will guide U.S. decisions amid climate change Vermont State University announced Nov. 9 that Associate Professor Ross Lieblappen will lead students in a ground-breaking study about microbes in the Arctic through a nearly $3.3 million contract from a collection of federal funding sources, including the…

   To help ensure Vermonters who are experiencing homelessness and don’t have adequate financial resources can seek temporary housing in hotels and motels during harsh winter weather, the Department for Children and Families (DCF) has announced the seasonal policy for smergency shelter.   The 2023-24 adverse weather conditions policy will differ by season. Between Dec.…

  On Nov. 8, Sens. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) introduced the Emergency Medical Services Reimbursement for On-scene Care and Support (EMS ROCS) Act. Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont) introduced companion legislation in the House. Currently, Medicare does not reimburse Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers unless the patient is transported to a hospital. However, EMS providers…