By Ethan Weinstein If, as experts expect, the CDC endorses Pfizer’s vaccine for children 5-11 on Nov. 2 or 3, Vermonters in that age group will be able to receive their first shot this week, Gov. Phil Scott said at the press conference Tuesday, Nov. 2. “We want you to know: Vermont is ready,” Scott…

In mid-October, Ethan Allen Extension Amtrak qualification trips began to operate between Rutland and Burlington in advance of the start of regular passenger service. Qualification runs are used to familiarize railroaders with how to run over a new or unfamiliar route, according to a Vermont Rail Systems (VRS) Facebook post, Oct. 18. These trips included…

By Tiffany Tan and Alan J. Keays/VTDigger State health officials learned something in October: An animal sedative is increasingly contributing to opioid overdose deaths among Vermonters. The drug, xylazine, is used as a sedative, muscle relaxant and pain reliever in animals such as horses and cattle. It is not approved for human use. In people,…

Panel goes all in on single-member House districts By Lola Duffort & Erin Petenko/VTDigger and Polly Mikula Not for the first time, a special panel advising state lawmakers about how to redraw House and Senate district maps has proposed the wholesale elimination of multimember districts. But whether the seven-member Legislative Apportionment Board sticks to its…

As local officials enter budget discussions in preparation for Town Meeting, some wonder if online municipal meetings will ever end? By Kevin O’Connor, VTDigger Local officials in every town across Vermont are set to spend a long winter drafting budget proposals for March town meeting. The Brattleboro Select Board had planned to do so in…

By Curt Peterson A group of lawmakers and healthcare professionals, confused by Governor Phil Scott’s failure to take more aggressive action to stem the recent surge in Covid hospitalizations and deaths, which equal last winter’s rates, publicly urged him to declare a health emergency, to mandate indoor mask-wearing, social distancing enforcement and other anti-Covid measures…

A partnership between the Dept. of Veterans Affairs and the state will alleviate some strain in the mental health system Agency of Human Services Secretary Mike Smith announced Oct. 27 that the Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) will temporarily offer some available mental health inpatient beds at the White River Junction VA Medical Center to…

Reapportionment in Legislature could split up local district By Jim Harrison I want to thank all that took a moment to visit during my recent “Office Hours” a.k.a. “Dump & Donuts” tour through the district recently. It was good to be out and see many of you. And just to be sure that I don’t…

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…