By Katy Savage As the threat of Covid-19 apparently dwindles, local towns and organizations are rescinding their face mask policies. The Woodstock Village Trustees and Select Board unanimously voted to no longer require a face mask in public buildings during a joint meeting on Feb. 28. “Individual businesses may still make their own requirements,” Woodstock…

By Erin Petenko/VTDigger Vermont has the seventh-highest rate of LGBTQ people in the nation, according to a survey analysis from the Williams Institute at the University of California-Los Angeles. It also has the highest rate of same-sex couples in the nation. The data comes amid a recent report that the number of LGBTQ-identifying adults is…

Five of Vermont’s 14 counties (including Rutland) are considered high risk, per CDC, and should not unmask By Polly Mikula The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed its Covid-19 precautions Friday, Feb. 25, by allowing people in areas of low and moderate transmission to remove masks indoors. “This new framework moves beyond just…

By Emma Cotton/VTDigger After more than an hour of discussion and questioning, the Vermont House preliminarily passed H.697, a bill that would allow some landowners to enroll passively managed land in the state’s Current Use program. Lawmakers voted 83-43 on Friday morning, Feb. 25, with 22 members absent. Before passing on the House floor, the…

Vermont’s largest city votes to restrictions on short-term rentals By Jack Lyons/VTDigger After more than two years of drafting and debate, the Burlington City Council passed regulations Tuesday night that seek to rein in the city’s short-term rental industry. In an 8-4 vote, councilors banned short-term rentals that are operated anywhere besides the host’s primary…

Trucker convoy in D.C. planned for this week Approximately 100 Vermont Army National Guard soldiers will support security operations in Washington D.C. beginning this week, according to a news release Feb. 23. Soldiers from Headquarters Company, 572nd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain) will lead Vermont’s contribution to the physical security task…

By Alan J. Keays/VTDigger Many are higher, some a bit lower, while others stayed flat. That’s what researchers found in a new survey of local police spending proposals facing voters in many communities across Vermont on Town Meeting Day — showing an overall increase of 3.6%. The analysis, conducted by the University of Vermont’s Center…

Gov. Phil Scott ordered the state liquor and lottery commissioner on Monday, Feb. 28, to remove all Russian-owned products from the shelves of state agent stores. “Today I directed the Commissioner of Liquor and Lottery to remove Russian-owned products from state agent store shelves and cease purchasing new stock from Russian-owned distilleries until further notice,”…

The non-partisan Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) has named Kim Rupe of Poultney as its first development and communications associate, the organization announced Feb. 17. The role will help VCRD share programming and successes, highlight the excellent work and powerful stories of local leaders in rural communities across the state, and help lead fundraising…

By Lola Duffort/VTDigger Christina Nolan, the former U.S. attorney for Vermont, is running for the U.S. Senate as a Republican. She formally announced her candidacy Tuesday, Feb. 22, in an exclusive interview with Fox News and released a 3-minute campaign video. “I think it’s a blessing and a privilege to have been born in Vermont,…

By Peter D’Auria/VTDigger Under Vermont law, once teachers sign a contract to teach for the upcoming school year, they must honor it. Unless they have “just cause” to leave the job, a teacher who breaks a contract will be barred from teaching in a public school for the rest of the academic year. Now, a…

By Sen. Alison Clarkson Many of us are feeling relief that omicron’s surge has taken a steep nose dive. The possibility of a return to something more like normal looks promising. It’s great to be able to feel more comfortable and a bit safer than we did a month ago. However, for a significant number…

Chris Winters of Berlin announced his candidacy for the office of secretary of state on Feb. 17. Winters, 51, is currently the deputy secretary to Sec. of State Jim Condos, who recently announced his retirement and has stated Winters has the most experience to replace him in November. A graduate of Williamstown High School in…

By Rep. Jim Harrison As reported last week, Governor Scott vetoed H.157, which establishes a new registration system for home contractors. When there is a veto, the bill goes back to the House or Senate where it originated for the first vote on an override. In this case, it was a House bill, which meant…

By Sarah Mearhoff/VTDigger After more than a decade in office, Secretary of State Jim Condos is retiring from his post overseeing Vermont’s statewide elections system at the end of his current term. The 30-plus-year veteran of local and state politics announced his plan to retire in a Tuesday, Feb. 15, virtual news conference and also…