By Sarah Mearhoff/VTDigger Vermont state lawmakers joined health care workers, teachers and others during a Monday afternoon press conference, Oct. 25, to increase pressure on Gov. Phil Scott to reinstate an emergency declaration amid rising coronavirus case counts in the state. The calls for a mask mandate and other mitigation measures come as Vermont continues…

By Ethan Weinstein Following another week of near-record case counts, Governor Phil Scott announced no new restrictions but assured the public that the state will be ready to roll out vaccines for kids 5-11 as soon as they are approved. “I’m more hopeful today than I have been in weeks,” Scott said, citing boosters and…

Nationwide 10-digit dialing begins Oct. 24 As part of the 988 implementation process, the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) has identified 84 area codes across the U.S. that must transition to 10-digit dialing before the deadline for the number to be operational, including Vermont’s 802 area code (i.e., the difference between calling “875-XXXX” and…

By Shaun Robinson/VTDigger They’re just trying to play sports. But Vermont student-athletes are often jeered and shouted down by fans in the stands, officials say, including with targeted hate speech. “I’ve been an athletic director for eight years now,” said Michael Jabour, who oversees sports at South Burlington High School. “And verbal abuse that student-athletes…

By Peter D’Auria/VTDigger Since starting school roughly six weeks ago, students at Bristol Elementary School have broken the school’s piano, destroyed computers and dented cars in the parking lot. In the Missisquoi Valley School District, more staff members may be added to handle an uptick in hazing, harassment and bullying investigations.   And at a…

By Mark Bushnell/VTDigger Vermont Republicans might want to add a name to their pantheon of heroes. The already-enshrined notables are many and varied; they include Erastus Fairbanks, the Civil War governor who is said to have told Lincoln that Vermont would do its full duty for the Union; members of the Fletcher and Proctor families,…

By Kevin O’Connor / VT Digger Creating an affordable statewide high-speed broadband and cellular access plan would appear to be a feat of a lifetime. So, what if one also wanted to reduce poverty, racism and climate change, improve Vermont’s economy, environment and education system, and strengthen its public trust, civility and democratic decision-making? “We…

By Ethan Weinstein After a week of falling case counts, Vermont’s Covid tallies rose to near highs in the last seven days. Amidst the surge, Gov. Scott at his weekly press conference did not announce any changes to mitigation policies. Rutland County reported 24 new cases on Tuesday, bringing the 14-day case total to 357.…

By Alan J. Keays / VTDigger Members of the Scott administration say a delay is needed to implement an initiative to increase the age young people can automatically be prosecuted behind closed doors in family court. They say beefed-up programs and services should be in place to help handle the influx of cases, and additional…

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. has confirmed the presence of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in Rutland County deer. EHD is a common viral disease of deer in North America but had never previously been confirmed in Vermont. Current and suspected cases in Vermont have been localized in Castleton and West Haven, although they are…

On Monday, Oct. 4, the state of Vermont distributed resources and information to all Vermont public and independent schools to enable them to establish Covid-19 response testing. The state is bolstering existing testing tools with rapid testing to help keep more kids in school. These resources are provided free of charge to Vermont schools. “We…

The U.S. Mint officially announced the designs for the 2022 American Innovation $1 Coin Program, on Monday, Oct. 4. This multi-year series that started in 2018 honors innovation and innovators by issuing $1 coins for each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the five U.S. territories. The Mint works with the governors'…

By Emma Cotton/VTDigger Lawmakers from across the Northeast are urging U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to strengthen enforcement and close loopholes in the National Organic Program that put regional farms at a disadvantage. A bicameral, bipartisan letter from lawmakers, sent to Vilsack on Wednesday, said that the industry is vital to the region and…

By Mike Dougherty/VTDigger As the pace of vaccinations slowed this spring, some experts began floating a new vision of Covid-19’s future as endemic. Rather than focusing on herd immunity — the threshold at which enough people had been vaccinated or previously infected that the full population would be protected against the disease — endemicity provided…

With a wide array of resources available, access to mental health services in Vermont continues to be ranked first in the nation, according to the annual report, State of Mental Health in America. “It’s an achievement Vermonters should be proud of,” said Emily Hawes, commissioner of the Dept. of Mental Health for Vermont. “Having equitable…