A new analysis by Rewiring America shows that transitioning to 100% clean energy through electrification would save Vermont as much as $973 million in energy costs each year while dramatically reducing economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions. The Rewiring America Report, “No Place Like Home: Vermont. Saving money and creating jobs by electrifying America’s households,” by Dr.…

While operating in the U.S. 4th Fleet, USS Vermont (SSN-792) conducted anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercises with the Brazilian Navy Submarine Tupi (S30) and maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft. U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Todd Chapman hosted President Jair Bolsonaro, accompanied by Vice Adm. Daryl Caudle, Commander, U.S. Submarine Forces and other Brazilian Navy dignitaries for a…

The Vermont Dept. of Public Safety is continuing to accept public and stakeholder feedback on Vermont’s initiative to modernize policing across Vermont. The latest document available for public review is a draft Statewide Policy on Police Use of Force. The ongoing opportunity for comment and feedback is part of Governor Phil Scott’s Public Safety Reform…

By Lola Duffort/VTDigger Schools cannot ask students or parents about multihousehold gatherings, the Agency of Education announced just before Christmas, entirely reversing the state’s prior policy encouraging schools to do so. Gov. Phil Scott announced Tuesday, Dec. 22, he would slightly loosen prohibitions on multihousehold events over the holiday week, allowing Vermonters to gather with one trusted household…

Thanks to generous community support, the Vermont Foodbank is able to extend the Farmers to Families Food Box program into January and February, independent of the USDA. In partnership with the Abbey Group, Farmers to Families food boxes will continue to be available at multiple daily food distributions throughout the state through February. To keep…

By Amanda Gokee/VTDigger Demand for organic milk in Vermont has gone up during the pandemic, which is welcome news for organic farmers, particularly after a three-year period without growth in consumption. Cooperatives such as Organic Valley,  the largest farmer-owned organic cooperative in the United States, have responded by allowing some farmers to increase production. The cooperative…

By Emma Cotton/VTDigger Outdated internet services, exacerbated by the pandemic, have plagued residents in rural Rutland County towns. Now, a new feasibility study provides a path forward for them. Last spring, Meghan Hill, who teaches English at Fair Haven Grade School, taught classes remotely from her home in Benson, a community with no access to cable or…

In collaboration with the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Dept. of Public Service (PSD) conducts a regular survey of local heating fuel retailers in order to collect a sample of unit prices charged to Vermont customers. The Heating Fuel Price Survey (HFPS) is conducted weekly during the heating season, from October to March, and…

By Jim Harrison At this point, we generally have a good idea of what the major issues will be for the new legislative session. But this year is different in so many ways. At least the first two months will be conducted remotely (and potentially the entire session), which may make tackling complicated or contentious…

The U. S. Mint America the Beautiful (ATB) Quarters Program is a multi-year initiative to honor 56 national parks and other national sites in each state. Five new reverse designs have been released for the quarter coin each year beginning in 2010 and will continue through 2021. The America the Beautiful (ATB) Quarters are legal…

By Anne Wallace Allen and Erin Petenko/VTDigger Reforming the state’s short-term rental regulations will be a top priority of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce in the coming legislative session. The association aims to level the playing field for members that operate traditional lodging businesses. The chamber will ask lawmakers to establish a registration system for short-term rentals such…

By Ellie French/VTDigger The Vermont Foodbank has received its largest ever donation, from MacKenzie Scott, the philanthropist ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The $9 million donation is part of a $4.2 billion burst of donations Scott announced this week in a post on Medium called “384 ways to help,” referencing the 384 organizations she’s donating…

Attorney General T.J. Donovan and a bipartisan coalition of 47 other attorneys general filed a lawsuit against Facebook Inc. on Dec. 9, alleging that the company illegally stifles competition to protect its monopoly power. The lawsuit alleges that, over the last decade, the social networking giant illegally acquired competitors in a predatory manner and cut…

A new partnership to speed economic recovery in Vermont by strengthening public and community spaces Governor Phil Scott, the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) and the Vermont Community Foundation announced $90,000 in grant funding to launch Better Places on Dec. 9, a statewide initiative that aims to speed economic recovery by creating places…

On any given night during the cold month of January, over 568,000 people experience the fear and discomfort of homelessness. While homelessness rates fell between 2007 and 2019, the problem has started to increase again. According to the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in 2017, the U.S. began seeing a rise in…