By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is the editor and publisher of the Addison Independent in Middlebury, a sister paper to the Mountain Times.  Vermont Republicans running for election to the House or Senate have two ready-made campaign issues — inflation and high property taxes — and many are using it to their full…

Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark announced on Oct. 9 that a coalition of 50 attorneys general has reached a settlement with Marriott International, Inc. after an investigation into a large multi-year data breach of one of Marriott’s Starwood guest reservation databases. Under the settlement, Marriott has agreed to strengthen its data security practices using a…

By Shaun Robinson/VTDigger Vermont’s leading candidates for governor agreed at a VTDigger debate Thursday evening that Vermont is worse off today than it has been in the recent past. But they disagreed, in many ways, on who exactly was to blame.  For incumbent Republican Gov. Phil Scott, who is seeking his fifth term in the state’s highest office,…

On Oct. 2, Treasurer Mike Pieciak announced his office will distribute $1.7 million to the University of Vermont (UVM), the Vermont State Colleges (VSC), and the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) to support Vermonters seeking a higher education degree. The funds come from investment earnings on the state’s Higher Education Trust Fund, which is managed…

By Wendy Sorrell, UVM Extension 4-H livestock educator For the seven 4-H teens selected to attend the 2024 National 4-H Dairy Conference in Madison, Wisconsin, four days of dairy-focused activities and opportunities to connect with like-minded peers from 20 states and three Canadian provinces were a whirlwind.  The Vermont delegates who took part in the…

Towns just north of Rutland County are on watch list, health officials urge continued caution until the first hard frost On Oct. 11, the Department of Health announced the first confirmed death this year caused by infection with Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus. The Chittenden County resident, a male in his 70s, was hospitalized in late…

Report says Vermont is spending at least $400M more than needed on education, but it’s not that simple By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger A new report issued Tuesday, Oct. 15, by third-party consultants says that as of last year, Vermont was spending $400 million to $460 million more on its schools than what it calls “adequate expenditure.” But the…

The Guidon, Norwich’s student-run newspaper, has been barred from publishingfor the fall semester, raising concerns about censorship on campus By Peter D’Auria, VTDigger In May, at the end of the spring semester, Norwich University’s student newspaper pledged to its readers that it would resume publishing after the summer break.  “The Guidon, your trusted student-run newspaper,…

By James Kent In a lawsuit filed Oct. 8 by Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark against TikTok, Inc., Vermont  hopes to hold the popular social media platform accountable for what it deems addictive & exploitative features, such as its TikTok LIVE feature, which Vermont believes allows the company to profit from the financial and exploitation…

By Carly Berlin Editor’s note: This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public. Nearly 100 Vermont legislators and Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman called for Gov. Phil Scott to intervene on a mass wave of evictions currently underway from the state’s motel voucher program…

By Peter D’Auria, VTDigger Two Medicare Advantage plans will cease operations in Vermont in January, leaving several thousand covered residents in the state in need of new coverage by the beginning of 2025.  The two plans, operated by MVP and WellCare, a subsidiary of health care giant Centene, will no longer be offered in the…

Children 3-12 are invited to join mentoring program The Miss Vermont Scholarship Organization (MVSO) announced Sept. 2 the opening of registration for its mentoring program. The Little Miss Red Clover program pairs girls age 3-12 with local and state titleholders. Boys in the same age range are eligible to participate as Little Brothers. This program…

By Peter D’Auria and Erin Petenko/VTDigger Health insurance prices in Vermont are high — and getting higher. Average premium prices for individual marketplace plans in Vermont are among the highest in the country, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, costing more than double the national average, even when federal subsidies are accounted for.  Vermont’s premium…

The Dept. of Housing and Community Development and the Natural Resources Board announced Aug. 22 the release of the Act 250 Interim Exemption Map to help developers and investors create and improve housing that is more affordable. The new interactive map is an exceptional planning tool and shows potential areas where housing may be built without triggering Act 250 review.…

U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, celebrated major investments by the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs to support public safety and rehabilitation community projects in Vermont, totaling over $3.1 million, Aug. 22.  The announcements include funding from the Department of Justice’s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice…