Vermont News
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Richmond town employee resigns over fluoride levels
October 21, 2022 00:50 - 2 minutes - 3.6 MBALSO: Democrat Katherine Sims and Republican Vicki Strong are facing off in the only race in the state where an incumbent is guaranteed to lose; A number of business owners who supply wood to Ryegate Power Station say they haven’t received timely payments from Stored Solar, the facility’s owner; A man arrested last week in South Burlington is now facing murder charges in the fatal shootings of a former Vermont couple in New Hampshire in April.
A rise in patients awaiting long-term care beds is crowding Vermont’s ERs
October 19, 2022 23:59 - 3 minutes - 4.34 MBALSO: TenFold Engineering wants to revolutionize the construction of modular structures from Springfield, Vermont’s once-storied hub of precision manufacturing; The president and longtime member of the Missisquoi River Basin Association has purchased and is renovating a building in Berkshire to provide affordable housing to his staff; Mike Pieciak must still reckon with a hefty piece of political baggage: his role regulating the Northeast Kingdom EB-5 projects that became the largest fraud i...
After a windfall year, federal funding for heating assistance recedes as oil prices rise
October 18, 2022 22:52 - 2 minutes - 3.82 MBALSO: In announcing plans to sue the agrochemical company Monsanto, the Burlington School District joined many other municipalities and individuals seeking damages for contamination caused by PCBs; Despite his pledge last November not to accept any corporate PAC money, Vermont’s Democratic Rep. Peter Welch has continued to accept sizable campaign contributions from high-powered industry groups that frequently lobby Congress; The new owners of the long-stalled CityPlace development told the B...
Both sides spend big on abortion amendment
October 15, 2022 00:15 - 2 minutes - 3.7 MBALSO: A 26-year-old man arrested Wednesday at the South Burlington Public Library is a “person of interest” in the murders of a former Vermont couple; Vermont and New York state police have arrested the man who authorities say has always been the prime suspect in the 1989 stabbing deaths of his in-laws in their Danby home; The Burlington School District announced Thursday it intends to sue Monsanto over contamination of Burlington High School via hazardous chemicals known as PCBs.
Hydro-Québec plans $2 billion purchase of largest hydropower fleet in New England
October 13, 2022 23:12 - 2 minutes - 3.96 MBALSO: The court-appointed receiver managing Jay Peak Resort and Burke Mountain Resort as they emerge from financial scandal is seeking more than $1 million; WCAX has deleted the online version of a news story that garnered national attention and provoked a barrage of transphobic messages toward a transgender Randolph student and her family; Bennington County was rated “high” for Covid for the second week in a row by the CDC.
Democrats are attempting to win a majority of Rutland County’s state Senate seats for the first time since 1988
October 12, 2022 22:11 - 2 minutes - 3.48 MBALSO: Caledonia County Probate Judge William Cobb is running for reelection in November, despite a record of reprimands and a currently suspended law license; Stowe’s House seat has long been a Democratic white whale and the party sees this year’s election as an opportunity to flip it; Gov. Phil Scott appointed DCF Commissioner Sean Brown to a key role in the Agency of Administration.
Burlington educators sue Monsanto over PCB exposure
October 11, 2022 23:04 - 3 minutes - 4.45 MBALSO: Two community-based organizations in Winooski are seeking to connect people of color by providing counseling and other supportive programming in private residences and backyards; The Vermont Statehouse has dropped its Covid vaccination and testing rules; A Saint Michael’s College sophomore took a week off from classes to aid Floridians impacted by Hurricane Ian.
Ripton residents reverse course on seceding from school district
October 10, 2022 20:19 - 2 minutes - 3.65 MBALSO: The Vermont Department of Health has analyzed patterns of repeat emergency room visits due to an opioid overdose; Homeowners around Lake Carmi have faced yet another summer of pervasive cyanobacteria blooms; Vermont got a boost in funding for federal grants aimed at growing exports.
Jury finds no medical malpractice in Brattleboro childbirth that turned fatal
October 07, 2022 03:08 - 3 minutes - 5.42 MBAlso: Lieutenant gubernatorial candidates Zuckerman and Benning take swings in VTDigger debate; Bennington County has ‘high’ Covid levels, CDC reports; UNH poll: Scott, Zuckerman hold double-digit leads in races for governor and LG
Republican nominee Liam Madden is an unlikely contender
October 06, 2022 00:19 - 3 minutes - 4.61 MBAlso: August outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Franklin and Grand Isle counties results in 1 death; Vermont launches awareness project amid record-high suicide rates; Woodstock police sergeant cleared in June shooting
The founder of Beta Technologies will not be able to build airstrip at Lincoln home
September 23, 2022 20:05 - 3 minutes - 4.36 MBRetailers and growers warn of cannabis shortage ahead of retail sales; Spurned bidder for Koffee Kup and Vermont Bread proposing new in-state commercial bakery; Head of Rutland’s Board of Aldermen running for city mayor
Pacific Group Resorts makes winning bid for Jay Peak
September 09, 2022 18:16 - 3 minutes - 3 MBPacific Group Resorts makes winning, $76 million bid for Jay Peak; Banking transfer is bumpy for some new M&T Bank customers; Scott makes 3 appointments to the Green Mountain Care Board; UVM Health Network names Sunil Eappen its next president and CEO.
Vermont is not on track to meet 2030 emissions requirements, report confirms
September 08, 2022 06:03 - 3 minutes - 2.81 MBEnergy Action Network report addresses climate shortcomings; 2 men arrested after fatal shooting in Burlington’s City Hall Park; State auditor finds police training council’s oversight is not up to snuff; Burlington rolls out bike registry in effort to combat theft.
Burlington Police Department investigates its own handling of bike path emergency call
September 07, 2022 18:12 - 2 minutes - 2.73 MBBurlington Police Department investigates its own handling of bike path emergency call; Omicron booster available in Vermont; Cavendish man shot by police last month in Ludlow has died; Feds accuse Burlington long-term care facility of tolerating racial harassment.
Departures could shake up Progressive representation in the Statehouse
September 06, 2022 20:26 - 3 minutes - 3.02 MBPreeminent Progressive lawmakers are retiring or changing party affiliation; No consensus on solutions to Vermont’s criminal mental health challenges; Percentage of Vermont homes bought by investors surged in 2021; Weather in coming weeks could make or break Vermont’s fall foliage.
FEMA program that covers Covid funeral expenses seeing little use in Vermont
September 02, 2022 22:04 - 3 minutes - 4.19 MBALSO: Mike Pieciak, the one-time commissioner of Vermont’s little-known Department of Financial Regulation, is running for state treasurer and generating significant buzz; Amid a longstanding shortage of nurses in schools and medical facilities, some Vermont schools are making plans for handling Covid-19 without a full-time nurse; A superior court judge ruled Winooski residents who are not U.S. citizens can continue to vote in local elections.
State officials tell Vermonters to plan, but not panic, over heating oil prices
September 01, 2022 23:03 - 2 minutes - 3.2 MBALSO: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized Covid-19 booster shots from Pfizer and Moderna on Wednesday that target the newest variants of the virus; The Rutland school board voted 6-4 on Tuesday evening to retire the “Raiders” mascot, effective immediately; A Brighton man appeared in court on charges of domestic terrorism after he allegedly attempted to blow up his neighbors’ home and vehicles.
As the school year starts, Brattleboro Union High administrators are still mum on why the principal has been on paid leave for four months
September 01, 2022 00:04 - 3 minutes - 4.32 MBALSO: A dairy partnership has made headway with expanding the local organic milk market; A pandemic-era rental assistance program that has doled out more than $130 million in federal funds to keep Vermonters in their homes will begin to significantly ramp down in just a month; The Department for Children and Families is hoping to build stronger relationships with Vermont’s Abenaki tribes by hiring its first coordinator for state custody proceedings involving Native American children.
The Vermont GOP has renominated H. Brooke Paige to be the next state treasurer
August 30, 2022 22:25 - 2 minutes - 3.8 MBALSO: Vermont students are urging state officials and educators to make a series of sweeping reforms to combat longstanding racial inequities in the state; Beta Technologies and area fire departments are investigating the cause of a lithium battery fire at the electric aircraft maker's plant; Brattleboro is discontinuing its use of portable restrooms this year and is seeking a more permanent solution.
Vermont State Police are investigating the death of an incarcerated person at Southern State Correctional Facility
August 29, 2022 22:25 - 2 minutes - 3.68 MBALSO: The resilience and contributions of the descendants of enslaved people who first sailed to North America more than 400 years ago were celebrated on Saturday; Walgreens is defending itself against allegations that the company had threatened Vermonters’ health and safety during the Covid-19 pandemic; The attorney for a Vermont state trooper accused of assaulting an arrestee wants to get the case dismissed due to what he described as delay tactics by state prosecutors.
Regional organic dairy organizations say Danone has not lived up to promises it made when it pulled out of New England
August 25, 2022 22:55 - 2 minutes - 3.76 MBALSO: Questions have been raised about the Charlotte Selectboard’s closed-door meetings; A man arrested in Vermont in connection with his alleged participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was released from court; The Franklin County sheriff said he has fired the captain who was caught on video earlier this month kicking a suspect in police custody.
Ex-Rutland child care provider charged 3 years ago in infant’s death to stand trial in September
August 24, 2022 21:55 - 2 minutes - 3.66 MBALSO: Two communications union districts serving northwestern Vermont no longer plan to jointly build and operate an “open access” fiber broadband network in the region; Authorities appear to be investigating whether last week’s fatal Brattleboro shooting was made in self-defense; Vermont lawmakers are looking past the election to what additional abortion laws could be passed come January’s legislative session.
The results of Vermont’s primary election are official
August 23, 2022 21:45 - 3 minutes - 4.75 MBPlus: Ben & Jerry’s loses preliminary bid to stop Unilever from licensing its products in West Bank; Deputy caught on camera kicking person in custody ignores calls to exit Franklin County sheriff’s race; Vermont GOP set to nominate candidates for auditor, attorney general.
Police investigate the shooting death of an unknown man in Brattleboro's second homicide of the summer
August 22, 2022 21:56 - 2 minutes - 3.35 MBALSO: There is another possible bidder, and maybe more, seeking to purchase Jay Peak ski resort; Casella, the owner of the Coventry landfill, has submitted a plan to address PFAS contamination; Martine Gulick edged out Erhard Mahnke by four votes in a recount to finalize the Democratic lineup for the Chittenden Central state Senate district.
Campaigns for and against the reproductive rights amendment are well under way
August 19, 2022 22:27 - 2 minutes - 3.6 MBALSO: The number of Vermonters who fatally overdose on opioids diluted with an animal tranquilizer is rising exponentially; A former Montpelier resident and two other men have been charged in the 2018 prison beating death of James “Whitey” Bulger; Less than a week after Hartford announced two finalists for its long-vacant police chief position, the search is back to square one.
NAACP denounces the sale of what appeared to be slave shackles at a gun show at the Vermont State Fairgrounds
August 19, 2022 00:54 - 2 minutes - 3.99 MBALSO: Vermont State Police said the Ludlow police officer who shot and seriously wounded a Cavendish man following a pursuit Monday night was a new recruit; Fifteen apartments in Montpelier went without hot water for nearly a week and had no water at all for several days after the building’s pipes failed; GlobalFoundries and the Conservation Law Foundation told the Vermont Public Utility Commission Wednesday they had reached an agreement that would allow GlobalFoundries to create its own ele...
The national formula shortage persists in Vermont
August 17, 2022 22:50 - 2 minutes - 3.74 MBALSO: The Vermont Secretary of State's Office says it could be early next week before the results of the Aug. 9 primary election can be certified; School administrators are scrambling to fill teaching positions before school starts; Burlington is continuing with the creation of “pods” for individuals experiencing homelessness.
Vermont saw more new residents during pandemic in over a decade
August 15, 2022 23:10 - 2 minutes - 3.69 MBALSO: A Burlington police officer shot a 20-year-old man in the leg Saturday afternoon in the city’s Old North End; Woodstock is adopting a novel approach to provide housing for people who work there; The Vermont Secretary of State’s Office delayed the canvassing of county votes cast in Tuesday’s primary elections, citing a software problem related to the state’s recent legislative redistricting.
Vermont voters turned out in strong numbers Tuesday for the primary election
August 11, 2022 22:58 - 2 minutes - 3.88 MBALSO: Liam Madden announced Wednesday he will accept the Republican nomination for U.S. House, despite indicating earlier in the day he wanted to turn it down; A Wardsboro woman has pleaded not guilty to the second-degree murder of an acquaintance, who was found dead this week from more than 100 sharp force injuries; A vote against a proposed constitutional amendment to protect reproductive rights ended a 12-year incumbent’s tenure in the Vermont House.
Becca Balint will face Liam Madden in November’s general election for Vermont's sole US House seat
August 10, 2022 23:01 - 2 minutes - 3.56 MBALSO: Charity Clark won the Democratic nomination for Vermont attorney general on Tuesday; Sarah George defeated Ted Kenney in the closely watched Democratic primary for Chittenden County state’s attorney Tuesday; Rep. Peter Welch cruised to Vermont’s Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, while Republican newcomer Gerald Malloy defeated former U.S. Attorney Christina Nolan for the GOP nomination.
Sen. Bernie Sanders backs climate, health deal after trying in vain to amend it 
August 08, 2022 22:15 - 2 minutes - 3.33 MBALSO: A national survey ranks Vermont fifth in the nation for overall child well-being, but indicates there’s been a decline in key child mental health indicators in the state; Housing is so tight in Vermont that some job-seekers are turning down employment offers because they cannot find a place to live; Vermonters buying health insurance through the state’s Obamacare portal, Vermont Health Connect, will likely face much higher premiums next year, as state regulators have voted to allow dou...
Police say 4 Vermont residents abducted a Springfield man after holding him and 7 others at gunpoint. One of the accused was later found dead.
August 05, 2022 21:25 - 2 minutes - 4.01 MBALSO: Across the country, private equity firms and real-estate investment trusts are buying up manufactured home communities from local owners and charging residents more to remain there; Fifteen Vermonters fatally overdosed on opioids in April, bringing the year’s total to 61; Amid a nationwide shortage of responders, southern Vermont’s largest emergency medical service provider is launching the state’s first EMS-specific training school.
Bennington police say a Massachusetts man shot and killed a Springfield resident
August 04, 2022 21:45 - 2 minutes - 3.64 MBALSO: Voters looking to consider climate change have options for Vermont's U.S. House seat, with six candidates running; In March, Organic Valley announced it would take on many of the farmers dropped by Horizon and by Maple Hill and on Wednesday, the group celebrated the beginning of those contracts; About a dozen Isle La Motte residents spoke at a town selectboard meeting in response to the burning of two LGBTQ+ flags.
Lawsuit accuses Dairy Farmers of America of creating ‘monopsony’ in the Northeast
August 03, 2022 22:47 - 2 minutes - 4.03 MBALSO: A Republican candidate for lieutenant governor sees the race as a referendum on the future of the Grand Old Party in Vermont; A federal judge on Tuesday denied Nathan Carman’s request to be released on bail while awaiting trial for fraud in his grandfather's death and murder on the high seas in his mother's death; The Vermont state government has hired a design firm to plan a new women’s prison and reentry facility.
A resort group is offering $58 million for Jay Peak
August 02, 2022 21:40 - 2 minutes - 3.68 MBALSO: If you haven’t mailed in your Vermont primary election ballot yet, the Secretary of State’s Office said it’s probably best if you hand-deliver it; A project by Yale and Harvard researchers says that Vermont’s Covid cases are actually five times higher than the official case count; Sen. Patrick Leahy announced that he had included more than $212 million in earmarks in a series of spending bills up for consideration in Congress.
Vermont lodging bookings are surpassing pre-pandemic levels
August 01, 2022 21:47 - 2 minutes - 3.92 MBALSO: A nonprofit based at the Franklin County State Airport is developing an apprenticeship program teaching young people how to repair and maintain aircraft; U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders went on a three-stop tour in support of U.S. House hopeful Becca Balint; Vermont will be eligible to receive $37 million for transportation projects that would make the state more resilient in a changing climate.
Man threatens labor commissioner and his family with a knife
July 29, 2022 22:12 - 3 minutes - 4.63 MBALSO: Three Progressive city councilors in Burlington are urging state lawmakers to pass charter changes related to guns that have been waiting since 2014; U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy has cast his ballot for Lt. Gov. Molly Gray in her Democratic bid for the U.S. House; Homelessness continues to rise in Vermont since pandemic’s onset, despite increased spending
EB-5 fraudster Ariel Quiros has reported to federal prison
July 28, 2022 21:36 - 2 minutes - 3.97 MBALSO: A new poll from the University of New Hampshire suggests that the Democratic primary for the state’s sole U.S. House seat could be a blowout win for Vermont Senate President Becca Balint; Jennifer Morrison has been appointed by Gov. Phil Scott to lead the Vermont Department of Public Safety; Winooski’s $60 million school reconstruction project should be ready when school starts this fall, but the work needed to wrap up the project will extend into late October.
Burlington ratifies police union contract
July 26, 2022 19:49 - 3 minutes - 4.17 MBALSO: Chittenden County report shows more diversity, but persistent inequities; LandAir trucking company has filed for bankruptcy; U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine to headline fundraiser for U.S. Senate candidate Christina Nolan.
Two killed, one seriously injured in early morning shooting in Burlington’s Old North End
July 25, 2022 20:39 - 3 minutes - 4.3 MBALSO: Isle La Motte has seen several anti-LGBTQ+ incidents in the last few months; BA.5 is the dominant Covid strain in New England; Burlington city councilors are again attempting to allowed noncitizen voting.
Slate Ridge owner may face jail time after missing deadline
July 22, 2022 21:22 - 2 minutes - 3.89 MBALSO: According to autopsy results released Thursday evening, a central Massachusetts woman whose body was found in her truck in Brattleboro died of a gunshot wound to the head; A Texas woman accused in the May 11 killing of a world-class cyclist from Vermont has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder; Lawmakers are creating a record of how much water is regularly extracted from the state’s streams and rivers.
Temperatures soar across Vermont
July 21, 2022 21:31 - 2 minutes - 3.5 MBALSO: Vermont State Police said officers fatally shot Matthew Davis Tuesday night after a short foot chase and after he pulled a knife and lunged at officers; Burlington police have named a 19-year-old facing multiple criminal charges as a person of interest in the fatal July 7 shooting in the city’s Old North End; More than a week after a black and red school bus, repurposed as a mobile dwelling, first appeared in the Jake’s ONE Market parking lot on North Winooski Avenue in Burlington, a g...
5 members of the Vermont State Police resigned before facing investigations of misconduct
July 20, 2022 21:47 - 3 minutes - 4.34 MBALSO: VTDigger's printable how-to-vote guide is available for free in 14 languages; Police fatally shot the ex-boyfriend of a woman who’d been found dead inside her truck near downtown Brattleboro; Louis Meyers is running for Vermont’s seat in the U.S. House as a moderate Democrat; So far in 2022, there have been 700 bear encounters in Vermont.
Sianay Chase Clifford is dropping out of the race for Vermont’s seat in the U.S. House
July 19, 2022 22:18 - 2 minutes - 3.95 MBALSO: An environmental group’s petition to create a formal set of rules to govern Vermont’s public lands has been denied; The Democratic candidates for attorney general are pitching their past experiences to Vermont voters; Burlington's beaches are closed again after reopening after cyanobacteria.
Springfield prison has more than three dozen incarcerated people positive for Covid-19
July 18, 2022 20:06 - 3 minutes - 4.2 MBALSO: Vermont navigates its second year of a spongy moth outbreak; Londonderry enlists the help of Norwich University students to explore creating a community center; State Sen. Becca Balint outraised Lt. Gov. Molly Gray in the most recent quarter by nearly $43,000.
Potted trees project brings life to a Burlington street
July 15, 2022 21:52 - 3 minutes - 4.6 MBALSO: Vermont school officials are trying to tackle the question of how to respond to rising misbehavior; A new program will offer funds to landowners who manage their forests for carbon; Hospital budget writers are taking a gamble that Vermont won't see another big Covid wave; Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger tested positive for Covid-19 while on vacation in Italy with his family.
Democrats for attorney general debate merits of previous AG
July 14, 2022 21:32 - 2 minutes - 3.63 MBALSO: Women of color running for office in Vermont are pushing for inclusion and advocacy for marginalized groups; The fourth study in nearly 30 years is looking at trucking in downtown Vergennes; Weathersfield residents turned out en masse to dissuade the Selectboard from approving new zoning bylaws.
Vigil at Roosevelt Park honors Burlington homicide victim
July 13, 2022 21:41 - 2 minutes - 3.21 MBALSO: The Bennington police chief told the selectboard that violent crime has increased markedly in the last six months, and he asked citizens to help police keep up with it; Opponents of the Champlain Parkway project dispute the claim that Burlington would face an expensive penalty if the project isn’t completed.
State Rep. Warren Kitzmiller has died at age 79
July 12, 2022 21:39 - 2 minutes - 3.94 MBALSO: The University of Vermont Health Network has inked a deal with a staffing agency that helps place workers facing systemic barriers; State and local crews worked quickly to contain a 2,200-gallon tar spill in Springfield on Monday; Amid the hundreds of millions of dollars Vermont is investing to address the state’s housing crisis, about half a million dollars is going to fund zoning bylaw modernization.
Green Mountain Club raises $4 million for the Long Trail
July 11, 2022 21:46 - 2 minutes - 3.92 MBALSO: A flurry of climate-related energy policies are up for discussion; The town of Plymouth will need another million dollars to complete its town office renovations; Government officials have no idea why the Covid-19 wastewater data municipalities across Vermont are collecting isn’t showing up in state or national data systems.