By Lola Duffort/VTDigger Becca Balint, the president pro tempore of the Vermont Senate, is running for the state’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, she announced Monday morning, Dec. 13. “I’m running because I believe that, even with the challenges of today, we cannot back away from fighting for each other,” the Windham…

By Lola Duffort/VTDigger America’s school boards have once again become battlegrounds as a network of national groups stoke fears about “critical race theory,” a once-obscure academic theory turned by conservatives into a catch-all bogeyman signifying progressive school initiatives. In Vermont, it sometimes feels as if the moment has passed. Events held by right-wing activists and…

By Grace Benninghoff/VTDigger Romance scams are spreading, and the Vermont attorney general’s office of consumer assistance has issued a series of videos and other resources to help Vermonters avoid the widespread and particularly devastating tactic. Here’s how it works: A scammer creates a fake online identity — it could be on a dating website, social…

By Ethan Weinstein With cases rising country-wide, Governor Phil Scott and his administration focused their weekly Covid press conference on encouraging Vermonters to get their booster shots and faulting the unvaccinated for the state’s current surge. “It’s become clear that this isn’t going away anytime soon,” Scott said. “If you’re still unvaccinated, I want to…

School tax rates likely to decrease By Peter D’Auria/VTDigger This spring, Vermont lawmakers may have a welcome question on their hands: what to do with a $90 million surplus in the state’s education fund. State tax officials unveiled the projected surplus in the “December 1 letter,” a series of financial projections that the tax commissioner…

U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy and Governor Phil Scott on Thursday, Dec. 2, announced that Vermont will be receiving $63,041,000 in funding for drinking water systems and wastewater treatment as a result of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed by President Biden late last month. The funds will go into the state’s revolving loan…

By Ethan Weinstein Despite another week of record high case counts, hospitalized Covid patients, and patients needing ICU treatment, Governor Phil Scott and his Covid team will not make any substantive policy changes to stop the spread of the virus. “We need to continue to watch hospitalizations,” Scott said, not specifying when, if ever, Vermont’s…

By Angelo Lynn BURLINGTON—Early Monday morning, Vermont Lt. Gov. Molly Gray declared her candidacy for Vermont’s lone congressional seat being vacated by Congressman Peter Welch. A lifelong Vermonter, Gray, 37, was born and raised in South Newbury on a vegetable and dairy farm still operated by her family. She has served Vermont in Washington as…

School tax rates likely to decrease By Peter D’Auria/VTDigger This spring, Vermont lawmakers may have a welcome question on their hands: what to do with a $90 million surplus in the state’s education fund.  State tax officials unveiled the projected surplus in the “December 1 letter,” a series of financial projections that the tax commissioner is required to…

Vermont’s loons are thriving with a record 109 nesting pairs recorded in 2021, the highest since loon monitoring began in 1978, according to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. and Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE). “Across Vermont, 77 loon nests produced 125 chicks this year, and 84 of those chicks survived through August,” said VCE…

By Ethan Weinstein Despite Gov. Phil Scott signing a legislation on Nov. 23 allowing cities and towns to create their own mask mandates, few municipalities seem keen to use the new power. The town of Rutland is one exception. On Nov. 24, the Rutland Town Select Board, which also serves as the board of health,…

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. won a $106,256 competitive grant from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to take advantage of groundbreaking new data that will help conservation planners protect plants, animals and their habitats in the face of climate change. Vermont conservation design is a science-based assessment of Vermont’s ecologically functional landscape that…

By Sarah Mearhoff/VTDigger The long-suspected rumors are true: Vermont’s U.S. Rep. Peter Welch is launching his campaign for the U.S. Senate. The Democrat announced early Monday, Nov. 22, that after 14 years in the 435-member House of Representatives, he wants to jump to the more senior chamber, vying for the seat soon to be vacated…

Cases hold steady at near record highs across the state By Ethan Weinstein As statewide case counts remain at or near record levels, reinstated mitigation measures may be coming. The state Legislature reconvened Monday, Nov. 22, passing a bill allowing cities and towns to pass their own mask mandates, which Governor Scott signed Tuesday. At…

On Nov. 17, Governor Phil Scott directed the Agency of Human Services to implement a universal booster program for Covid-19 vaccinations and is strongly encouraging every Vermonter over the age of 18 to get a Covid booster shot. Anyone who has received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is eligible two months after their first dose.…