Newly released data from the Department of Health show that most Vermont adults report they are in good health, according to a news release Feb. 16. Over the last decade, adults have taken steps to reduce health risks and increase preventive behaviors. At the same time, disparities highlight the public health challenges Vermont continues to…

To be a volunteer at Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports is to embody tireless dedication, strong leadership and a big heart. To strive to empower athletes with disabilities is reflected through every highly-trained instructor. The most outstanding volunteers in 2022 were Alexander (Sandy) Kish, Dave Morse and Ellen Riley. Named 2022 Volunteers of the Year,…

By Alison Clarkson So much is happening at the Statehouse. Bills are beginning to be passed out of committees at a rapid pace, a new set of pages have arrived, the Budget Adjustment Act is poised for a final vote in the Senate and will probably got to a conference committee, and the building is…

By Jim Harrison Last Thursday, Feb. 16, we had a joint assembly of the House and Senate for purposes of re-electing the Sergeant at Arms and electing three trustees to the UVM Board. I had the honor of seconding the nomination for Rep. Tristan Toleno (D-Brattleboro) for one of the trustee positions. I began my…

Three fish caught in 2022 were certified as new state records. In February, Swanton angler Matt Gingras landed a new Vermont record burbot while fishing on northern Lake Champlain in the West Swanton area. The burbot, caught on a live golden shiner set under a tip-up, weighed 10.9 pounds and measured 32 ½ inches long…

By Jim Harrison At this stage of the session, new members and new committee chairs are settled in and committees are busy taking testimony and amending their priority bills for the session. With deadlines to get bills out of their initial committee soon after the Town Meeting recess, the next few weeks will determine the…

 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is delaying the effective date of the final rule to reclassify the northern long-eared bat from threatened to endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The agency is extending the effective date by 60 days, from Jan. 30, 2023, to March 31, 2023.  The extension will allow the Service to…

The Cannabis Control Board (CCB) is issuing a consumer protection warning for flower produced by Holland Cannabis, due to pesticide contamination.  The CCB received a report of an adverse health impact allegedly related to the smoking of an unregistered strain of Holland Cannabis flower. The CCB obtained a sample of this product from the complainant…

Vermonters who need to remove firearms from their homes now have access to a renewed program that provides safe storage at sites statewide, the Vermont State Police and the Vermont Attorney General’s Office announced Jan. 24. Two of the safe storage sites are in Addison County and one is in Brandon. Under the Firearms Storage…

By Fred Thys / VTDigger Vermont is still not meeting its goal of recycling and composting half its waste, according to a new report from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. “We need to do more with waste reduction,” said Josh Kelly, the department’s solid waste program manager and the author of the report.  Vermonters…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service invites comments for the proposed Telephone Gap Integrated Resource Project located on the Rochester and Middlebury Ranger Districts of the Green Mountain National Forest. The 72,250-acre project area includes National Forest System lands within Rutland, Windsor, and Addison counties, including the towns of Brandon, Chittenden, Goshen, Killington, Mendon,…

By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger In more than a third of Vermont towns, primary residents are taxed at higher rates than those who own second homes or commercial land, according to a VTDigger analysis of property tax rates. But that could change this legislative session if Vermont lawmakers take up reforms that have been researched throughout the past…

By Ethan Weinstein/VTDigger With two-thirds of Vermont towns requiring property value reappraisals, the House Ways and Means Committee is considering a moratorium on them and transitioning to a state-run reappraisal system. “This was not on my agenda coming into the session as, like, the project to take on,” Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, D-Brattleboro, the committee chair, said at a hearing on…

By Erin Petenko/VTDigger On Monday, Jan. 30, President Joe Biden announced that the federal government plans to end the emergency declarations for Covid-19 on May 11, a move that could affect Vermonters’ ability to access vaccinations, testing and treatment for the disease. The national emergency and public health emergency declarations related to Covid have been in…

Staff report The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC reported that five counties, all located on the western side of the state bordering New York, had their Covid levels rise from “low” to “medium” as of Thursday, Feb. 2; and Rutland County rose to “high” levels.  Other Covid metrics showed signs of an increase,…