On Tuesday, January 3, Sugarbush Resort submitted two sets of applications to the town of Warren Development Review Board seeking approval to redevelop the former Rosita’s Restaurant and three of the four parcels known as the “Sugar Cube” to house Sugarbush Resort employees. The Rosita’s project contemplates a four-story apartment building housing 16 studio apartments…

The Vermont Homeowner Assistance Program (VHAP) has paid over $22.5 million in grants to assist homeowners impacted by the pandemic. This represents nearly 55% of total program funding available to homeowners. Administered by the Vermont Housing Finance Agency, VHAP launched in January 2022 to assist homeowners who have faced economic hardship brought on by the…

Green Mountain Power (GMP) is launching two programs to connect income-qualified customers with solar energy that has too often been out of reach for them. The Shared Solar Program (SSP) unlocks incentives in the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to create a qualified low-income program that saves participants money. Another program, the Affordable Community Renewable…

By Rep. Jim Harrison With the start of the new legislative biennium, all legislative proposals must start fresh. Bills that were proposed on the past, but not enacted, can be re-introduced again, as well as brand new initiatives. In a typical year there may be 600-700 new bills with about 10-15% of them getting enacted…

Obstacle: assessors in Vermont are in short supply By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger Two-thirds of Vermont’s 254 municipalities can expect a reappraisal order this year, according to the state’s Department of Taxes. And with so many townwide reappraisals in order, the state faces another issue: a lack of resources to handle the demand. “There’re not enough firms to…

By Sarah Mearhoff/ VTDigger Kicking off his fourth two-year term as Vermont’s top government official, Republican Gov. Phil Scott in his inaugural address on Thursday echoed familiar calls for statewide economic recovery in the face of unprecedented opportunity. But from Scott’s seat, this legislative biennium looks quite different from the past two years and presents…

  Vermont Fish and Wildlife (VTF&W)  is offering shooting range improvement grants to encourage upgrades of shooting ranges for enhanced safety and operation.     The Shooting Range Improvement grant program seeks grant applications from clubs and government agencies involved in the operation of shooting ranges, including archery ranges.  Grant applications must be received by 4:30…

The final number of deer taken in Vermont’s 2022 hunting seasons will not be available for a few more weeks, but the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says the final tally will be a little over 17,400 deer. Those deer will provide approximately 3.5 million servings of local, nutritious venison.  The buck harvest will be…

Covid-19 community levels rose to “medium” last week, the Vermont Department of Health reported. The rising number of hospital admissions was mainly responsible for the state moving from “low” to “medium,” according to the department. It reported 67 new hospital admissions for Covid in the past week, compared with 33 the week before.  As of Wednesday, Jan. 4,…

Following an analysis of Covid-19 data, the Vermont Dept. of Health is reporting a cumulative 86 additional Covid-associated deaths that occurred over the course of the pandemic but had not been previously reported. Most of these deaths occurred in 2022. This  brings the total number of Covid-19 deaths in Vermont to 877, as of Jan.…

In response to recent recommendations from Vermont’s Cannabis Control Board (CCB), physicians from the Vermont Medical Society (VMS), the American Academy of Pediatrics Vermont Chapter (AAPVT), the Vermont Psychiatric Association (VPA) and the Vermont Academy of Family Physicians (VTAFP) have urged the Vermont legislature to maintain the current statutory THC potency limits for the retail…

By Rep. Jim Harrison The first week of a new legislative biennium is full of tradition, pomp and circumstance, along with a heavy dose of getting organized. And, unlike the U.S. Congress this past week, the Vermont House and Senate completed their organization within hours of their respective official roll calls. Once the House members…

By Sen. Alison Clarkson It is always exciting to begin a new biennium in the Vermont Statehouse. And, the 2023 launch of the first year of that two year legislative period was no exception.  Over one third of our legislators are newly elected. Of the 10 new senators, only three have served previously in the…

The Vermont Arts Council gave $3,692,500 in awards to 49 creative sector organizations and businesses in its first round of funding through the Creative Futures program.  On Jan. 5, it announced that round two is now open for applications. Supported by $9 million from Vermont’s share of the American Rescue Plan Act, the program aims…

About 33% of U.S. home fires involving Christmas trees occur in January. With this post-holiday fire hazard in mind, the National Fire Protection Association strongly encourages everyone to remove the hazards by disposing of Christmas trees promptly after the holiday season.  “As much as we all enjoy the look and feel of Christmas trees in…