Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy announced a grant of more than $1.3 million for the Vermont State Police to continue its aggressive work fighting the opioid epidemic in Vermont on Wednesday, Nov. 29. This was the second-largest of only eight grants awarded nationwide through the COPS Anti-Heroin Task Force (AHTF) grant program that…

By Mike Polhamus, VTDigger Green Mountain Power’s electric rates are slated to rise by 5 percent in 2018 if the Public Utility Commission approves a deal the state’s largest utility reached this month with the Vermont Department of Public Service. The deal incorporates approximately $18 million due to GMP customers as a result of terms…

As part of a continued focus on protecting Vermont’s most vulnerable, six child care and preschool programs located within 200 feet of current or former dry cleaning businesses will be evaluated in December to determine if dry cleaning chemicals are present, according to a Nov. 29 news release. Chemicals associated with dry cleaning can seep…

State officials marked the end of the first month of Health Access open enrollment by thanking Vermonters for acting promptly ahead of this year’s deadline, but remind those who still need coverage to be sure to log in to VermontHealthConnect.gov or call by Dec. 15. The customer support center will be open Saturday, Dec. 9,…

Photo by Vt. Fish & Wildlife Hunters are asked to provide an incisor tooth from their deer at reporting stations. Hunters are gearing up for the start of Vermont’s 16-day rifle deer season that begins Saturday, Nov. 11 and ends Sunday, Nov. 26. A hunter may take one buck during this season with at least…

By Alan Keays, VTDigger Vermont Republicans chose a new party chair this weekend, and it wasn’t the candidate backed by the sitting governor. Deborah Billado of Essex Junction was elected to a two-year term as the party’s chair over Michael Donohue of Shelburne. Billado takes the place of David Sunderland, who did not seek re-election after four…

David “Devo” DeVarney, a 61-year-old graduate of Winooski High School, Class of 1973, and Vermont 251 Club member, will be completing his goal of running through Vermont’s 251’s towns and cities when he arrives at Winooski’s Eugene Richards Memorial Park, Sunday, Nov. 12, at 11 a.m. DeVarney is a retired U.S. Navy senior chief petty…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger Sen. Bernie Sanders said Sunday he would run for the U.S Senate next year as an independent, not as a Democrat. On Monday, the senator sought to downplay his weekend remarks and claimed he had not decided yet whether to run. However, Sanders told reporters in New Hampshire on Sunday that…

By Erin Mansfield, VTDigger The state’s top health care regulator says insurance prices on Vermont Health Connect will remain steady for calendar year 2018, despite recent actions at the federal level. Kevin Mullin, chair of the Green Mountain Care Board, said Monday that the board would not allow insurance companies to raise premiums for plans…

By Gaen Murphree MIDDLEBURY—While lawmakers in Montpelier argue over marijuana legalization, Middlebury dairy farmers Joel Pomainville and Sam Berthiaume are readying a harvest of a cousin of marijuana — hemp — that promoters hope could be a new cash crop for Vermont farmers. “The potential is so huge on this stuff,” said Berthiaume. Secretary of…

By Stephen Seitz The Southern Windsor/Windham County Solid Waste Management District has decided to refund more than $379,000 in tipping fees it has held since the dissolution of the Vermont/New Hampshire Solid Waste Project in 2008. The district’s board of supervisors voted to release the money at its regular meeting on July 27, 2017. Since…

By Alan Keays, VTDigger The Rutland County Women’s Network & Shelter has changed its name as it moves to the next chapter in its history of supporting victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, Avaloy Lanning, the organization’s executive director, said Thursday night. “We recognize that for too many people and for too long a…

By Alan Keays, VTDigger A lawyer for an organization that represents municipalities in Vermont told officials at the local level Thursday that when it comes to the state’s open meeting law it’s best to err on the side of openness. “The main goal here is accountability and transparency,” Carl Andeer, a staff attorney with the Vermont…

By Erin Mansfield, VTDigger The woman who is suing Norwich University said the university tried to keep her from talking about the assault while university officials were investigating her case. She also said that her academic adviser and the university’s Title IX coordinator neither responded to nor accommodated her requests to complete schoolwork remotely from…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger After weeks of closed-door wrangling, the White House and Republican congressional leaders unveiled a framework for reforming the federal tax code Wednesday. The proposal, they say, will simplify the federal tax system and stimulate the economy. However, the changes at the federal level may have implications for state budgets. If some…