With the beginning of summer and anglers fishing from shore, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department reminds people that open fires and swimming are prohibited at all Vermont state fishing access areas. Open fires and their remnants, create unsafe areas for other anglers and boaters to use and enjoy. The remnants of these fires are…

Vermont’s turtles will be on the move this spring, and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is asking for the public’s help in keeping them safe. Female turtles will be looking for places to deposit their eggs, sometimes choosing to lay them along the shoulders of roads, which can bring them into the path of…

Facing an urgent need to recruit more foster parents to provide safe and loving homes for children and youth, the Vermont Dept. for Children and Families (DCF) is expanding its recruitment efforts by partnering with the Pride Center of Vermont and RaiseAChild, the nationwide leader in the recruitment and support of LGBTQ+ and all prospective…

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department alerts residents and visitors alike that deer fawns are being born this time of year and asks that people avoid disturbing or picking them up — for their safety and wellbeing. Most deer fawns are born in late May and the first and second weeks of June, according to…

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), commonly called avian flu, continues to spread among Vermont’s wild bird population since its initial detection in a pair of bald eagles on April 8. HPAI has now been detected in four bald eagles, one red-tailed hawk, three Canada geese, one wood duck, and one turkey vulture in Vermont. Infected…

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department (VTF&W) is stocking a new strain of rainbow trout this spring and is looking for help from anglers to evaluate its performance. “Vermont stocks about 115,000 rainbow trout annually into inland rivers and lakes to provide recreational fishing opportunities for the public,” said state fisheries biologist Lee Simard. “We are…

By Sen. Alison Clarkson What a biennium this has been. It began in January of 2021 in the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic, conducted entirely by Zoom, and it ended in mid-May 2022, in the State House, in person — except for those members of the Legislature who had Covid or needed to care for…

By Sarah Mearhoff/VTDigger Gov. Phil Scott is running for a fourth term. Hours after he announced his reelection plans in a news release May 17, Scott told reporters in Montpelier that he “carefully considered (his) options” when deciding whether to seek another two years in office. “It’s been a long six years” in office, he…

By Peter D'Auria/VTDigger Vermont Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill Monday, May 23 to upgrade Vermont’s education funding formula, capping a legislative effort to make the system fairer. “Giving all students an equal chance at success has been a priority of mine since coming to office,” Scott wrote Monday, May 23, in a letter to…

By Sarah Mearhoff/VTDigger First it was U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., last November. Then it was U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., the next week. Next, it was Lt. Gov. Molly Gray in December and Secretary of State Jim Condos in February. And finally, in a flurry of activity in early May, Treasurer Beth Pearce and Attorney General TJ Donovan joined the list of top Vermont…

By Brett Yates Every two years, the United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives (USFWC) conducts an “economic census” to identify and study worker-owned and worker-managed businesses across the country. The organization’s latest State of the Sector report reveals, perhaps unsurprisingly, that, in raw numbers, New York and California lead the U.S. in “democratic workplaces,” with…

Locally, no changes planned at Rutland and White River Jct. By Jeralyn Darling/VTDigger Parenthood of Northern New England plans to close five part-time health centers — four of which are in Vermont, and another on the border in New Hampshire — and expand the hours of seven others in New England, the organization said in…

By Rep. Jim Harrison The Vermont Legislature adjourned sine die last Thursday evening, May 12, after several long days finishing bills that were still in process. Sine die is Latin for “without a day,” meaning the Legislature adjourned without fixing a day for a future session. Simply put, the Legislature cannot return until the new…

8 of Vermont’s 14 counties are listed as ‘high’ based on cases, hospitalizations and capacity By Erin Petenko/VTDigger The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday, May 12, that eight Vermont counties have “high” community Covid-19 levels. That’s a drop from the 12 counties with reportedly high levels last week. Grand Isle, Lamoille,…

By Erin Petenko/VTDigger The Vermont Department of Health plans to “phase out” the Covid-19 case dashboard that has been the centerpiece of its data reporting since March 2020, Health Commissioner Mark Levine said at a press conference Tuesday, May 10. The dashboard — part of a collection of Covid data available on the department’s website…