The Vermont Senate, last week, advanced legislation (S.25) that restricts PFAS and other toxic chemicals from cosmetic and menstrual products, and bans PFAS from textiles and artificial turf athletic fields. The vote passed unanimously on April 5 and has headed to the House. “Thank you to the Senate for the overwhelming support for advancing S.25…

On Monday, April 10, state treasurer Mike Pieciak stood with state and local leaders in Rutland to announce a substantial expansion of the “10% in Vermont” local investment program. The program authorizes the treasurer to invest up to 10% of the state’s average daily cash balance for economic development in Vermont.   The state’s average daily…

EPA announces $62.2 million for Vermont drinking water infrastructure upgrades On April 4, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $62,283,000 for Vermont to fund essential drinking water infrastructure upgrades through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). Thanks to the $6 billion boost from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA is increasing the investments…

By Sarah Mearhoff/VTDigger In her first trip to Vermont since her husband assumed the presidency in January 2021, first lady Jill Biden visited Beta Technologies in Burlington on Wednesday, April 5, where she and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona touted the White House’s efforts to fund workforce development and technical education. As she walked…

By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger CHESTER — Local residents, affirmed by a state Natural Resources Board decision, say three quarries run by a pair of Connecticut brothers are operating illegally. Through photos and videos, the citizens have shown sediment polluting a nearby stream, rock fragments blasted onto a roadway and railroad tracks, and noisy hydraulic hammering. Those residents…

By Katy Savage The Woodstock Economic Development Commission (EDC) unanimously awarded a new childcare center a $94,000 grant on Thursday, April 6, despite complaints and an anonymous letter of concern from parents.  EDC chair Jon Spector and other members said the issues in the community haven’t influenced the EDC’s decision. “In my view that criteria…

Killington and Pico Resort Partners President and General Manager Mike Solimano has been named a recipient of the 2023 Sammy Leadership award, according to an April 10 news release. The 25th annual award honors innovative, inspiring, courageous, and passionate industry leaders making a difference locally and nationally. Recipients are determined based on nominations by members of the ski…

West Windsor was one of three towns awarded a grant to create a master plan to better connect the village to Mount Ascutney by enhancing the streetscape, exploring redevelopment opportunities, and improving the economic vitality of the village.  The Agency of Transportation (AOT), the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD), and the Agency of…

Vermont Fish and Wildlife (VTF&W)  is asking drivers to slow down and be cautious when traveling at night in early spring or to take alternate routes to avoid driving roads near ponds and wetlands that salamanders and frogs cross during their breeding season.  “One of the benefits of checking out amphibian road crossings,” says Fish…

State Auditor Doug Hoffer released a new report March 21 highlighting potential risks to Vermont’s unique strategy to achieve universal broadband access. The Vermont Community Broadband Board is overseeing the distribution of approximately $350 million to extend high speed internet to every unserved address in the state. At the local level, 10 communications union districts…

On Tuesday, March 21, the Vermont House of Representatives passed H.470, which would make cocktails-to-go permanent. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.  “Cocktails to-go were allowed during the pandemic to support struggling hospitality businesses which represent thousands of jobs across Vermont,” said Andy Deloney, senior vice president & head of state public policy at the Distilled…

The House on Thursday, March 23, passed the suicide prevention bill, H. 230, an act relating to implementing mechanisms to reduce suicide. The legislation addresses the alarming increase in suicide rates in Vermont by creating mechanisms to provide a period of time and space from firearms for individuals experiencing suicidal impulses. The bill requires locked…

By Taylor Slonaker/VTDigger In 2022, the number of people who died in car crashes in Vermont hit a 10-year high, according to preliminary data recently released from the state Agency of Transportation. Car crash fatalities have risen in Vermont since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, following a significant decrease in 2019. In 2022,…

By Lola Duffort/VTDigger For the past three years, the federal government has picked up the tab for state programs that now house about 2,800 people experiencing homelessness — 600 of whom are children — in motels across Vermont. With federal funding for its Covid-19 pandemic-era motel programs nearly gone and Vermont’s rates of homelessness climbing ever…

By Jim Harrison At the start of the State House March Madness competition a few weeks ago a group of members in the House Transportation Committee collaborated to put in an entry, which they named “Off the rails.” And to their own surprise, their committee effort is doing quite well in the standings. The slogan…