Winter is when birds seek feeders most, here’s how to help With winter weather now taking hold, Vermonters are readying their bird feeders. “Birds of all species have very interesting behaviors, shapes, and plumage and have captured the human imagination for millennia. Winter feeding is an opportunity to witness first-hand the fascinating array of bird…

By Rep. Jim Harrison You are out on a walk and you see the dark clouds nearby. Do you seek shelter or take a chance on the storm passing by? Last week there was a fiscal briefing for all new and returning legislators at the State House. While some of the information shared was positive,…

By Anne Wallace Allen/VTDigger The number of farmers who registered with the state of Vermont to grow hemp rose more than 400 percent from 2017 to 2018, according to the state Agency of Agriculture. The amount of acreage reported to be under cultivation increased 450 percent, with growth spread fairly evenly around the state. Hemp cultivation…

The Governor’s Marijuana Advisory Commission will host a listening tour throughout Vermont in order to provide Vermonters an opportunity for public comment on the draft reports produced by the Commission’s Subcommittees on Roadway Safety, Education and Prevention and Taxation and Regulation earlier this week. The draft reports document the findings and recommendations of the Subcommittees…

RUTLAND — At this time of year the adventure of going out to get a Christmas tree is a much-anticipated ritual of the season — and a pricey one. There is an alternative, however. Should they be interested, the U.S. Forest Service officials in Vermont offer the public Christmas tree removal permits for $5. A…

Since reaching its tax agreement with Vermont two years ago, Airbnb has remitted more than $7.8 million in taxes. Airbnb automatically collects and remits this tax, providing a significant boost to state coffers while making the process seamless for individuals and families who share their home to make ends meet. Under Airbnb’s tax agreement, which…

By Anne Wallace Allen, VTDigger Nuisance phone calls to Vermont numbers increased more than one-third between May and October this year. The call-blocking service YouMail said about 5.1 million robocalls rang on 802 area codes in October – a rate of 171,000 per day, 7,000 per hour, or two per second. Each phone user in Vermont…

By Kit Norton/VTDigger The subcommittee on taxation and regulation will be recommending to the Governor’s Marijuana Advisory Commission that the state adopt the highest tax rate on recreational cannabis currently in New England. It will be recommended to the the full committee next month that Vermont adopt a 26 or 27 percent tax rate on…

By Jim Harrison Amid high turnout, likely fueled by the discourse in Washington and anti-Trump sentiment in Vermont, along with successful efforts of the Democrat/Progressives’ “get out the vote campaign,” the Vermont House made a shift to the left statewide. While all the statewide incumbents were easily re-elected to new terms, there were some significant…

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. 10-25 rifle season are asked to provide an incisor tooth from their deer when they go to a reporting station. Biologists are…

By Alan J. Keays/VTDigger A federal judge has thrown out claims in a police brutality lawsuit against Rutland City and its police department, but Matthew Hart, a Rutland attorney representing Smith-Wallett, said he’s pressing forward against officer Ryan Ashe, who he alleges used excessive force when arresting his client. Judge Christina Reiss issued the ruling…

By Anne Wallace Allen/ VTDigger The Vermont Medical Society has come out strongly against proposals to commercialize marijuana, saying that expanding use in Vermont would harm infants and youth, increase traffic fatalities, and hinder workplace productivity. The society, which represents about 2,000 of the state’s physicians and physician assistants, said in a resolution Oct. 27…

By Julia Purdy WEST RUTLAND—Greg Cox, well known for his involvement in the Vermont Farmers’ Market and the Vermont Farmers’ Food Center on West Street, is a contender for a Senate seat representing Rutland County. Cox also operates Boardman Hill Farm in West Rutland, where he cultivates vegetables – and young farmers-to-be. Originally planning to…

Incumbent governor Phil Scott Dem. challenger Christine Hallquist Results from the October Vermont Public Radio/Vermont PBS poll were recently released. It showed 45 percent of the respondents approved of the way Gov. Phil Scott was handling his job. About 26 percent disapproved and 28 percent weren’t sure. The poll also showed Scott is likely to…

By Alan J. Keays/VTDigger POWNAL — Vermont State Police say a Bennington County man critically injured in an officer-involved shooting Thursday night has “stabilized” and is expected to survive. Bernard Rougeau, 48, of Pownal, who police said was shot by Trooper Thomas Sandberg outside his home after he refused orders to drop his shotgun, was…