Senate to see women-dominated leadership By Katy Savage Shortly after announcing his candidacy for House speaker, Rep. Charlie Kimbell (D-Woodstock) dropped out of the race on Friday, Nov. 20 and endorsed House Majority Leader Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, to the position. Kimbell said he spent 2 ½ weeks calling about 80 colleagues. Most of them said…

Vermont has experienced 60 traffic fatalities so far this year.  Of those killed, 57% were not properly restrained with seat belts, and more than 45% of the fatal crashes involved impaired drivers. As part of the continual and ongoing efforts to reduce deadly and serious injury crashes on Vermont’s roads, the Vermont State Police will…

Prestigious award honors Vermonters making a difference for state’s wildlife, natural areas RUTLAND—Seeking to honor a leading Vermont environmentalist and the legacy of a legendary wildlife advocate, Green Mountain Power (GMP) is calling for nominations for the 12th annual GMP-Zetterstrom Environmental Award. Named for famed osprey advocate Meeri Zetterstrom, the award is given to one…

NBRC grant enables work on end-to-end mountain biking trail, hut network The Velomont Trail Collective and Vermont Huts Association announced on Nov. 14 that they are the beneficiaries of a Northern Border Regional Commission grant to continue work on the Velomont Trail and Vermont Huts network, bringing the concept of an end-to-end, hut-to-hut mountain biking…

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is asking hunters for help in a statewide initiative to gather more biological data on the state’s deer population.  Hunters who get a deer during the Nov. 14-29 regular deer season are asked to provide an incisor tooth from their deer. Biologists are collecting one middle incisor tooth from…

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) announced the winners of the highway safety message contest on Nov. 5. Cheryl Murray, 57, of Benson, submitted the winning entry in the fall round of the contest. Murray's message was:  “Don’t take the bait. That text can wait.” “I thought about writing one of these messages because we…

By Anne Wallace Allen/VTDigger The Legislature’s Joint Fiscal Committee has steered an additional $75 million into grants intended to help Vermont’s hospitality businesses survive the winter. The committee, meeting Saturday, Nov. 14, approved many of the items on a proposal the Scott administration issued earlier this month to reallocate some of the state’s $1.25 billion share of the…

By Katy Savage Rep. Charlie Kimbell, D-Woodstock, is campaigning to be the next speaker of the House after Mitzi Johnson, D-South Hero, lost her bid for reelection on Nov. 3. Kimbell is a ranking member of the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee and represents Woodstock, Reading and Plymouth, which make up Winsor-5. He was…

By Anne Wallace Allen/VTDigger Home prices rose sharply this summer as out-of-staters moved into Vermont and market conditions deterred the construction of new houses, tightening the supply. The median sales price paid in September hit $348,000 — 23% more than the median sales price of $281,335 in September 2019, the Vermont Association of Realtors said…

All employers must apply for grants by Friday Staff report Walmart has come under fire for failing to apply for the state of Vermont’s frontline employees hazard grant pay, a program which provides grants of $1,200 and $2,000 to workers who put themselves at risk, particularly in the early days of the pandemic. Many Walmart…

During the pandemic, Vermont has ensured every child has access to free meals daily As a result of Covid-19 and waivers granted at the federal level, for the first time ever, all Vermont schools are currently providing universal school meals to their students and will through the end of the 2020/21 school year. Universal meals…

Dept. of Justice funding will expand reach in rural communities Senator Patrick Leahy announced on Oct. 30 Vermont’s DREAM program will receive a three-year, $1.25 million grant from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to support peer mentoring for elementary-aged youths in rural communities whose lives have been affected by the opioid epidemic. This is the…

No out-of-state travel; spectators limited for indoor events; social events discouraged Due to rising Covid-19 case counts throughout the Northeast, and the decisions of Massachusetts and New Hampshire officials to suspend ice rink activities due to numerous outbreaks, the state of Vermont has announced updated policies to reduce risk. Vermont-based youth and adult recreational sports…

As of the end of data collection for the 2020 Census, 99.9% of housing units and addresses were accounted for in Vermont, according to the U.S. Census Bureau at an operational press briefing last week. Vermont had lagged behind in early efforts. The U.S. Constitution mandates a census of the population every 10 years. The…

Eligible Vermonters can sign up for coverage or change their health insurance plans with Vermont Health Connect from Nov. 1 - Dec. 15, 2020. The Office of the Health Care Advocate’s (HCA) helpline is available to provide free  advice to Vermonters trying to figure out their  options for health coverage for 2021. Contact the HCA…