By Lisa Lynn/Vermont Ski and Ride In mountain towns around Vermont, skiers and riders are setting up remote offices so they never miss a powder day. “Over there, we have this guy who works for Twitter, down the hall is a someone who works for Google,” said David Bradbury as he walked through the uber-hip,…

Second annual Vermont Tourism Day to highlight importance of sector to state’s economy “If you fund it, they will come.” That is the crucial message behind the second annual Vermont Tourism Day, slated for Jan. 15, 2020, at the State House in Montpelier. The event will highlight the importance of tourism to Vermont and advocate for…

By Rep. Jim Harrison The 2020 legislative session had barely begun when news broke that Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman (D/P) was likely planning to announce his run for governor. In addition to creating a buzz around the State House, it also created a potential open statewide position that others immediately began to eye. Two senators,…

Governor Phil Scott delivered his 2020 State of the State address on Jan. 9, calling for unity and collaborative leadership in making a difference in the lives of Vermonters across the state. The governor cited Vermont’s growing demographic crisis as the largest threat to sustainable growth. With addressing demographic trends being the governor’s primary focus,…

By Sen Alison Clarkson The Vermont Legislature has begun its 2020 session at a break neck pace.  Within the first four days we’re back at work in our committees, we’ve had our first major demonstration, we’ve listened to the governor’s State of the State speech, we’ve had several of our State House colleagues announce their…

Staff report Deer hunters had a strong year in 2019. The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates16,479 deer were harvested — the fourth highest total since 2000. “There were a lot of nice deer shot,” said Vermont FIsh and Wildlife Deer Project Manager Nick Fortin. “Our harvest is certainly going to be lower than…

Members of the Red Rebel Brigade participated in a demonstration on the Vermont State House lawn on Thursday, Jan. 9. The Red Rebel Brigade is an international performance activist troupe dedicated to illuminating the global environmental crisis and supporting groups and organizations fighting to save humanity and all species from mass extinction, according to their…

By Grace Elletson/VTDigger A group of lawmakers has introduced a bill for the 2020 session that would decriminalize sex work in the state of Vermont. The bill, only four pages long, would simply repeal current sex work statutes prohibiting the act. Human trafficking and the sale of sex that is coerced in any form would still…

Anne Galloway /VTDigger.org WATERBURY — A Middlesex CBD processor was arrested Wednesday, Dec. 18 for allegedly failing to pay local hemp farmers $137,500 for hemp harvested this past summer and fall, according to Vermont State Police. Douglas Bell, owner of CBD-Vermont in Waterbury, allegedly victimized five Vermont farms in Washington and Lamoille counties — Ananda…

By Jacob Dawson/VTDigger A state law allowing people with terminal illnesses to end their lives with the aid of a physician was used by 28 Vermonters during a recent two-year period, according to a recent state Health Department report. In 2013, then-Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law Act 39, which allows patients with conditions like cancer, ALS and…

By Alan J. Keays/VTDigger A group of state officials are recommending a change in policy that allows prisoners to get out from behind bars earlier apply to inmates who were sentenced before the new law took effect. However, whether that recommendation makes it past a legislative rules committee remains unclear. A bill passed and signed into…

Published studies have long found a correlation between obesity in children and decreased executive function. New research published in JAMA Pediatrics, based on data mined from a massive national research study, suggests that a change in brain structure – a thinner prefrontal cortex – may help explain that interrelationship. “Our results show an important connection; that…

Beginning Jan. 1, 2020, the state’s minimum wage will increase $.18, from $10.78 to $10.96, as determined by the Department of Labor’s Economic & Labor Market Information Division. The calculation for this increase, as well as for subsequent years, is determined by state statute, which calculates the rate of inflation using the Consumer Price Index…

The Agency of Commerce and Community Development is preparing for the launch of the New Worker Relocation Grant Program on Jan. 1. The program offers reimbursement grants of up to $7,500 to new residents who move to Vermont and take a job with a Vermont business. During the 2019 legislative session, the Legislature and governor…

On January 6 a questionnaire will be mailed to some Vermont anglers asking for information about their fishing activities, as well as their interests and opinions on fishing and fisheries management in Vermont. The survey is directed and funded by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and is being carried out under contract by Responsive…