Starting Oct. 1, Green Mountain Power (GMP) customers can save $200 when they switch from fossil fuel for cooking and install a new electric induction cooktop or range. Induction technology heats up and cools down faster than fossil fuel and provides great temperature control, all without carbon emissions and indoor air pollution . The new…

By Erin Petenko/VTDigger The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revised its Covid-19 guidance to allow health care facilities in certain areas to drop mask mandates for patients, visitors and staff. But for the time being, the state’s largest medical providers, University of Vermont Health Network and Dartmouth-Hitchcock, are planning to keep mask…

Saturday, Oct.1 — STATEWIDE — The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Dept. says hunters are looking forward to Vermont’s upcoming Oct. 1- Nov. 11 and Nov. 28 - Dec. 15 archery deer hunting season. A hunter may take up to four deer in Vermont’s two-part archery season if they do not shoot any deer in the…

Program connects local farmers to underserved communities    The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) will launch a significant program to purchase local food and support the most vulnerable, according to a news release Sept. 23. Earlier this summer the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced it signed a cooperative…

On Monday, Sept. 26 the Canadian government announced it would removed all vaccination, ArriveCan, and random Covid-19 testing requirements for border crossings, effective Sept. 30, 2022. Upon hearing this news, Governor Phil Scott issued the following statement: “This is another welcomed development along our northern border with Canada. Removing barriers to cross-border travel allows our border…

By Fred Thys/VTDigger Businesses in Rutland, Middlebury and Burlington are the first in Vermont to secure licenses to sell cannabis for recreational use. The state Cannabis Control Board on Wednesday, Sept. 14, issued retail licenses to FLORA Cannabis in Middlebury and Mountain Girl Cannabis in Rutland ahead of an Oct. 1 deadline (look for a story…

The Vermont Department of Libraries, in collaboration with the Department of Corrections, has provided over $42,000 in books to the six state correctional facilities. The books will refresh the facilities’ library collections available to incarcerated individuals. The funding was part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant provided to the Vermont Department of Libraries…

“Hunting is one of the safest outdoor activities, thanks to advances in education as well as science,” said Vermont Hunter Education Program Coordinator Nicole Meier. “Our volunteer hunter education instructors stress that wearing orange during hunting season is important, and studies prove that wearing fluorescent hunter orange keeps hunters visible to other people in the…

State officials are calling a program to reduce lead in school and child care drinking water a success, following a new report that found 98% of Vermont schools and child cares have completed testing for lead in their drinking water and taken any needed steps to keep water safe. A law passed in 2019 requires…

The colors of Vermont’s fall foliage season are right around the corner, reminding us all of the changing seasons. Cooler temps, sweatshirts, flea markets and the red, yellow and orange leaves of our state’s maple trees are all part of our shared Vermont fall experience. In celebration of the many year-round benefits of our maple…

By Fred Thys/VTDigger Nine McDonald’s locations in Vermont and New Hampshire and 12 Dunkin’ locations in Vermont have been fined for violations of federal law regulating child labor. The McDonald’s franchise locations in Barre, Berlin, Rutland, Springfield, Middlebury, Randolph and Bennington, as well as one location in Claremont, New Hampshire, allowed 142 14- and 15-year-olds…

The scholarship organization is seeking candidates, registration is open Registration to compete to become the next Miss Vermont and Miss Vermont’s Outstanding Teen is now open, according to a news released last Wednesday, Sept. 7.  The competition is an official preliminary in the Miss America Organization. Miss Vermont and Miss Vermont’s Outstanding Teen 2023 will…

Governor launches short-term forgivable loan program Gov. Phil Scott, the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD), and the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) today announced the launch of the Short-Term Forgivable Loan Program designed to support Vermont businesses experiencing continued working capital shortfalls as a result of the pandemic. “Supporting businesses in every region…

By Peter D’Auria/ VTDigger Late last month, at an event for parents at Burlington’s Flynn Elementary School, a parent distributed copies of a note asking others to consider sending their children to class in masks. “Masking request: A student in your child’s classroom has an underlying health condition that may place this individual at higher…

A new report from the non-profit Energy Action Network finds that Vermont is not on track to meet its legally mandated emissions reduction requirements under the Global Warming Solutions Act. “While there is a lot of important information in this comprehensive, 40-page report, a key takeaway is that Vermont is not on track to meet…