By Rep. Jim Harrison While the 2022 session was scheduled and budgeted for a normal 18 weeks (May 13), House and Senate leaders are pushing for an adjournment on May 6. There is plenty of motivation to get done early with campaigning to do by several key Senators and House members that are running for…

By Rob Roper Editor's note: Rob Roper is on the board of directors of the Ethan Allen Institute. On the morning of April 15, after weeks of discussion and just hours before they voted 4-1 to advance legislation that would saddle Vermonters with a radical, economy transforming “clean heat standard” for home heating fuels, senators…

Rutland's VFFC received $37,348 to purchase a new cargo van fit with refrigeration The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets announced April 21 $300,000 in sub-awards to five regional nonprofit food hubs as part of a Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) award. This investment will support Vermont food hubs with critical infrastructure needs, allowing…

The owners of Blake Hill Preserves in Windsor are the 2022 Vermont small business persons of the year. Vicky Allard and Joe Hanglin are being recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration for Blake Hill Preserves’ employment growth, success in the marketplace, company expansion and community involvement. “We feel so honored for Blake Hill Preserves…

“I can no longer sit silent while the people of Ukraine suffer such inhuman devastation from this unprovoked violence,” said John Bob Siemienowicz. He asked members of district 7870, covering Rotary clubs in southern New Hampshire and southern Vermont, of Rotary International to “band together to offer humanitarian aid to alleviate the grief and suffering…

By Rep. Jim Harrison With only 3-4 weeks left in the 2022 legislative session, key lawmakers in both the House and Senate are staking out positions on various bills moving through the process. The House education committee, for example, has been working on an initiative to provide free lunch and breakfast for all K-12 students…

Attorney General T.J. Donovan today announced April 13 that his office has reached settlements with two different online sellers of electronic cigarettes for violations of Vermont’s Delivery Sales Ban and Vermont’s Consumer Protection Act. Under the settlements, the companies resolved claims that they sold electronic cigarettes, e-liquids, or other tobacco paraphernalia to individual consumers. As…

By Ethan Weinstein / VT Digger Every morning, before she’s fully rubbed the sleep from her eyes, Natalia May checks social media for the latest updates from Ukraine’s more than 4 million refugees. Then, she starts digging. “I basically became, like, a concierge of research,” said May, who grew up in Russia and has lived…

By Liz DiMarco Weinmann On first meeting Avaloy Lanning, the executive director of Rutland’s NewStory Center, one is most impressed with her generous laugh, relentless drive, and abundant positivity. That NewStory Center is a nonprofit helping survivors of domestic violence every single day, makes Lanning’s approach to her work — and to life overall —…

By Katy Savage After two near-tragedies on the same day, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) is reminding people to stay off of train tracks.  Toni Clithero, the state operation coordinator of Operation Lifesaver of Vermont, Inc. at VTrans, said a couple walking their dog on the Ethan Allen Express rail line in West Rutland…

By Katy Savage Gov. Phil Scott addressed the healthcare crisis on Wednesday, April 6 in front of a crowd of about 100 people during the Rutland Regional Medical Center’s annual meeting at the Paramount Theatre. Scott praised the staff at RRMC and other hospitals for being on the “front line of a battle we never…

Experts are holding their breath By Erin Petenko/ VTDigger Timothy Plante likens Vermont’s day-to-day Covid-19 data now to the very first days of the virus’s arrival in March 2020.  At the time, little was known about the progress of the virus because PCR testing was so limited, said Plante, an assistant professor at the University…

By Rep. Jim Harrison No, we are not talking about college basketball and the referees reviewing the monitors to see who last touched the ball when it went out of bounds. However, with live streaming now of House and Senate sessions, that is exactly what happened for the first time in the State House. A…

In cooperation with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and the state of Vermont’s Office of Racial Equity and the Vermont Community Foundation is offering grants to Vermont villages, towns, and cities to foster inclusion and belonging for people of all races and backgrounds while at the same time addressing the opportunity gap—the divide…

Average health insurance premiums and cost burdens fall; areas of needed improvement emerge Nearly 97% of all Vermonters have health insurance, matching the state’s highest insured rate on record. According to the 2021 Vermont Household Health Insurance Survey released March 30, almost 600,000 Vermonters are covered. The data is consistent with studies from the U.S. Census Bureau…