By Kelsey Neubauer, VTDigger.org A bipartisan coalition of mayors is asking lawmakers to put more stringent gun control measures in place. After the nation’s largest mass shooting in its history earlier in June killed 50 and injured 49 others in Orlando, President Barack Obama called on local and state government officials to act. On Tuesday,…

On June 27, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced that trash disposal throughout the state decreased 5 percent, while the recycling rate has increased from 33 percent to 35 percent since the new recycling services and requirements went into effect in July 2015. Over the past year, the Vermont Foodbank has also seen an…

By Emma Cotton On July 1, the third installment of Vermont’s major trash and recycling law Act 148 will be phased in, imposing new requirements on how residents and businesses handle yard debris and how businesses handle food waste. Landfills will no longer accept yard debris as of July 1. Haulers must offer residents and…

By Anne Galloway, VTDigger.org Members of the U.S. Senate brokered a compromise Thursday that would make labeling of genetically engineered food mandatory nationwide. But state officials say the legislation is a last-ditch effort to scuttle a Vermont law that will require information about such ingredients on food labels as of July 1. The Senate bill…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger.org The governor’s ceremonial office got a new set of occupants this week. An installation of papier-mâché figures, created by Katie Hunt, Gov. Peter Shumlin’s wife, will be on display in the executive office in the State House until June 20. The office is often a setting for bill signings and news…

By Kesey Neubauer, VTDigger.org One candidate for governor is proposing free college tuition for some Vermonters. Sue Minter, a Democratic candidate for governor, made the campaign announcement Tuesday, June 7, at a press conference at the Community College of Vermont headquarters in Winooski. Minter said her initiative, “Vermont Promise,” would give Vermont high school students…

By Sarah Olsen, VTDigger.org An essay contest launches Saturday with a prompt that asks why the writer would like to own and operate a paid weekly newspaper. The prize? Ownership rights to that newspaper: the Hardwick Gazette. Operating since 1889 in the Caledonia County town, the Hardwick Gazette has a circulation of 2,200, according to the contest…

With overdose deaths from prescription opioids skyrocketing across America, on Monday, June 6, Gov. Peter Shumlin signed a law to expand Vermont’s successful medical marijuana system and give doctors an alternative to highly addictive opiates when treating some conditions such as chronic pain. “At a time when opiate addiction is ravaging our state and drug companies continue to urge our doctors to pass out painkillers…

Gov. Peter Shumlin issued an executive order June 2 to allow Vermonters to continue to display the Vermont Strong license plate. The exemption allowing Vermonters to display the plate on the front of their vehicle was slated to expire June 30, 2016. “These plates remind us of how our state pulled together in the wake of Irene…

By Mike Pohamus, VTDigger.org Gov. Peter Shumlin vetoed a bill Monday, June 6, that supporters hoped would give communities greater say over the siting of renewable energy projects and bring new sound limits on wind turbines. Shumlin said he supports the bill’s core provisions but last-minute amendments to the bill would unacceptably slow or halt…

By Erin Mansfield, VTDigger.org A national research foundation has ranked Vermont second in the nation for keeping senior citizens healthy in 2016. This is the fourth year in a row that the United Health Foundation’s “America’s Health Rankings” placed Vermont in the top five states for senior health. In 2016, the study ranked Massachusetts first…

S.132 takes effect July 1, a victory in civil rights for the LGBT community At a time when some states are working to erode hard-fought advances in civil rights for the LGBT community, Gov. Peter Shumlin signed a law May 25 to advance them in Vermont by banning the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion…

On May 24, Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law H.84, legislation that cracks down on online dating scams and provides greater consumer protection in a number of other areas. The legislation was a priority of Attorney General Bill Sorrell. Under the new law, online dating companies will be required to notify members of suspicious activity…

By Jasper Craven, VTDigger.org Armed with a resonant message, more than 2.4 million small-dollar donors and 21 primary and caucus victories, Bernie Sanders has accrued a deep well of political power that is already paying off ahead of July’s Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. In a change from the usual process, the presidential campaigns were…

With important Obamacare provisions that ensure no-cost birth control for women being challenged nationwide, on May 23, Gov. Peter Shumlin signed a law to codify and expand access to those services in Vermont law. Importantly, the law will ensure that vasectomies for men are available at no charge, making Vermont the first state to extend no-cost birth control protections to men. “While Republicans in other states and…