Housing Authority seeks Hartford-area land donations
<img width="1024" height="720" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction-125x87.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction-330x232.jpg 330w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction-610x428.jpg 610w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction-150x105.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="492147" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/2016/12/15/scotts-peers-construction-hope-sympathetic-ear-pays-off/construction/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction.jpg" data-orig-size="1024,720" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"8","credit":"","camera":"NIKON D300","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1372321636","copyright":"","focal_length":"80","iso":"800","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":""}" data-image-title="Construction" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Clean shovels await ceremonial duty at a ribbon-cutting. File photo by Hilary Niles/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction-610x428.jpg" /> The corporation has identified “job centers,” including Hartford, Rutland, Brattleboro and Montpelier, where it would like to place single-family homes. Read the story on VTDigger here: Housing Authority seeks Hartford-area land donations.
<img width="1024" height="720" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction-125x87.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction-330x232.jpg 330w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction-610x428.jpg 610w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction-150x105.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="492147" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/2016/12/15/scotts-peers-construction-hope-sympathetic-ear-pays-off/construction/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction.jpg" data-orig-size="1024,720" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"8","credit":"","camera":"NIKON D300","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1372321636","copyright":"","focal_length":"80","iso":"800","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":""}" data-image-title="Construction" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Clean shovels await ceremonial duty at a ribbon-cutting. File photo by Hilary Niles/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction-610x428.jpg" /> <img decoding="async" width="610" height="428" data-attachment-id="492147" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/2016/12/15/scotts-peers-construction-hope-sympathetic-ear-pays-off/construction/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction.jpg" data-orig-size="1024,720" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"8","credit":"","camera":"NIKON D300","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1372321636","copyright":"","focal_length":"80","iso":"800","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":""}" data-image-title="Construction" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Clean shovels await ceremonial duty at a ribbon-cutting. File photo by Hilary Niles/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction-610x428.jpg" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction-610x428.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-492147" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction-610x428.jpg 610w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction-125x87.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction-330x232.jpg 330w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction-150x105.jpg 150w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Construction.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px" /> Clean shovels await ceremonial duty at a ribbon-cutting. File photo by Hilary Niles/VTDigger This story by Liz Sauchelli was first published in the Valley News on June 24, 2026. The Vermont State Housing Authority is looking for landowners in Hartford and the surrounding area who are interested in subdividing part of their properties to build single-family homes. This year, the public corporation launched Move-In Vermont to connect with municipalities, nonprofits and private landowners who have vacant land they’d be willing to donate — or in the case of landowners, sell for $7,500. The corporation will also pay for all subdivision costs and plans to install Clayton CrossMod factory-built manufactured homes on the properties, said Tyler Maas, director of program and housing development for VSHA. VSHA, which works closely with state and federal agencies on affordable housing projects, is looking for those who “are interested in helping to create more housing in Vermont,” Maas said in a phone interview. VSHA issued a “request for information” on May 18 for all interested parties, and the applications will close Tuesday, June 30. Staff will review the applications and see if the sites are suitable for single-family homes. Those interested can learn more and apply at moveinvt.org. Staff are looking for lots with access to municipal water and sewer systems, where town zoning allows for single-family home construction and that are not located in flood zones. The corporation has identified “job centers,” including Hartford, Rutland, Brattleboro and Montpelier, where it would like to place two- or three-bedroom homes of 1,000 to 1,500 square feet, Maas said. The priority is for three-bedroom, two-bath homes. “Those are the most desirable type of home,” Maas said, adding that all the homes would be one-story and need around 0.2 acres of land each. “We’re looking at a nice little home with a nice little yard.” <img decoding="async" width="430" height="600" data-attachment-id="650378" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/20260624-moveinvttargetarea-screenshot-vn/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260624-MoveInVtTargetArea-ScreenShot-vn.webp" data-orig-size="430,600" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="20260624-MoveInVtTargetArea-ScreenShot-vn" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" The Vermont State Housing Authority is looking for landowners in nine “job center” areas throughout Vermont, including Hartford, who are willing to subdivide a portion of their land so that the public corporation can build more single-family homes as part of its Move-In Vermont program. Courtesy Vermont State Housing Authority " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260624-MoveInVtTargetArea-ScreenShot-vn.webp" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260624-MoveInVtTargetArea-ScreenShot-vn.webp" alt="Map of Vermont showing several blue location markers distributed across various cities and regions, including Burlington, Rutland, Bennington, and Stowe." class="wp-image-650378" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260624-MoveInVtTargetArea-ScreenShot-vn.webp 430w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260624-MoveInVtTargetArea-ScreenShot-vn-215x300.webp 215w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260624-MoveInVtTargetArea-ScreenShot-vn-90x125.webp 90w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260624-MoveInVtTargetArea-ScreenShot-vn-400x558.webp 400w" sizes="(max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px" /> The Vermont State Housing Authority is looking for landowners in nine “job center” areas throughout Vermont, including Hartford, who are willing to subdivide a portion of their land so that the public corporation can build more single-family homes as part of its Move-In Vermont program. Courtesy Vermont State Housing Authority The Upper Valley, including Hartford, was included because of its proximity to major employers, including Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth College. The Hartford area that VSHA identified also includes parts of North Hartland, Norwich and Thetford, according to the map. “We were hoping to do 20 homes in 2027, and we have already been offered more than 20 locations, so we’re going to be whittling it down,” Maas said, adding that VSHA is still looking for more applications. The goal is to sell the homes for $250,000 to $325,000, though Maas emphasized that the final cost will be dependent on how much preparation work each lot requires. The homes would be sold to households making between 100% and 125% of the area median income, which for a family of four living in Windsor County is between $109,400 and $136,750, according to information from the Vermont Housing Finance Agency. The median sale price of a single-family home in Hartford in May 2026 was $405,500, according to the Vermont Association of Realtors. “This is an opportunity for everyday people, workforce housing,” said Hartford’s housing and development specialist, Lexi Webster, adding that people who are employed as first responders and teachers do not typically qualify for low-income housing subsidies. Webster, who is also staff liaison for the Hartford Committee on Housing & Homelessness, said she thinks the program could appeal to some landowners in Hartford. She has heard from committee members and other residents who “want to contribute to the housing (problem), but very few people have $400,000-plus for an (accessory dwelling unit) in their backyard,” Webster said in a phone interview. “I thought, ‘Wow, this is a great idea.’” People who subdivide their land could also see a reduction in taxes because they would have less acreage to tax, Webster said. Town officials have been exploring whether there is municipal land they could contribute, though options in town are limited, Webster said. The majority of town-owned land is devoted to parks, and other parcels are in floodplains. Twin Pines Housing Trust, a White River Junction-based nonprofit that supports and builds affordable housing in the Upper Valley, has submitted a plot of land it owns on Route 132 in Thetford to the Move-In Vermont program. “That’s a site we think might make some sense for a pilot,” Executive Director Andrew Winter said, adding that the lot has its own well and septic system. “We’re really excited about any kind of program that allows us to meet the housing needs of moderate-income homebuyers.” Twin Pines oversees a program that assists homebuyers with down payments. Recently, it helped people purchase four two-bedroom, 1½-bath condos in Woodstock, Winter said. Among the homebuyers are two social workers and someone who works for a local bank. “… Particularly in higher-cost communities there are not a lot of affordable homeownership opportunities,” Winter said. Read the story on VTDigger here: Housing Authority seeks Hartford-area land donations.
<img width="250" height="167" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_9630-e1782427063719.jpeg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_9630-e1782427063719.jpeg 250w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_9630-e1782427063719-125x84.jpeg 125w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650354" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/2026/06/25/obituary-elizabeth-leslie-frydenlund/screenshot-68/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_9630-e1782427063719.jpeg" data-orig-size="250,167" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"Screenshot","created_timestamp":"1782391865","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"Screenshot","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="Screenshot" data-image-description=" Screenshot " data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_9630-e1782427063719.jpeg" /> Leslie's legacy of warmth, mischief, and quick wit will be carried forward by those who had the privilege of knowing her. Her life will forever be an inspiration, a testament to the power of a heart that never hesitated to give itself fully. She will be greatly missed and forever remembered. Read the story on VTDigger here: Elizabeth “Leslie” Frydenlund.
<img width="250" height="167" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_9630-e1782427063719.jpeg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_9630-e1782427063719.jpeg 250w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_9630-e1782427063719-125x84.jpeg 125w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650354" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/2026/06/25/obituary-elizabeth-leslie-frydenlund/screenshot-68/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_9630-e1782427063719.jpeg" data-orig-size="250,167" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"Screenshot","created_timestamp":"1782391865","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"Screenshot","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="Screenshot" data-image-description=" Screenshot " data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_9630-e1782427063719.jpeg" /> Born: 03/25/1953 Bennington, Vt. Died: 06/22/2026 Burlington, Vt. Details of service: Please join us for a cheerful celebration of Leslie’s life on Saturday, August 1st at the Greg Brown Lodge from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 264 Hardack Drive, St. Albans, VT 05478. Elizabeth “Leslie” Frydenlund of West Swanton, Vermont passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on June 22, 2026. A woman of boundless warmth and witty humor, Leslie was born on March 25, 1953 in Bennington, the only child of Howard Hutchinson and Elizabeth (Mallin) Hutchinson. Through her journey of 73-years, she touched many lives with her compassion, tenderness, and an unwavering spirit of care for everyone around her. Driven by an endless devotion to others, Leslie was a lifelong caregiver and a dedicated nurse. She spent greater than 25 years as a Licensed Practical Nurse, much of it in oncology and hematology, bringing comfort to both patients and families during their hardest moments. She later became a pharmacy technician at the St. Albans Walmart pharmacy where she worked until six months ago, never one to sit still or stop giving all of herself to those around her. Among the many joys of her life, Leslie cherished her 33-year-long marriage to Robert Frydenlund, a partnership built in equal parts of devotion and good-natured teasing. Together they enjoyed their flower gardens, listening to music, watching Patriots football, boating on Lake Champlain and competitive horse shoes. She never met an animal she didn’t love. Her dog, Koyah, and her cats, Oscar and Puddy, were as much family to her as anyone. She shared a story once that her mother would pack her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch that she then would feed to her favorite horse on the neighboring farm on the walk home from school. She had a fondness for painting, indoor plants, dinosaurs, specifically Jurassic Park, and an eclectic taste in good music, specifically Bruce Springsteen and the Beatles. Leslie was predeceased by both of her parents, and her close friend and mother-in-law, Sylvia Weinhagen. Leslie is survived by her husband, Robert; her two loving daughters, Cheryl Underwood (Keith) of Georgia, and Elizabeth Ellison (Lloyd) of Fairfax and her five much cherished grandchildren, Elizabeth Swan (Brandon), Tyler Swan, Leah Underwood, Keira Underwood, and Hayden Ellison, whom she loved dearly; and her brother-in-law, Alex Weinhagen (Shelly) of Burlington. The family wishes to acknowledge the devoted care over the past six months by VNA of Franklin County, NMC, Dr. Terri Nielson at St. Albans Primary Care, and the UVMMC Oncology and Hematology teams. We are deeply grateful to all of the compassionate staff at the University of Vermont Medical Center, Miller 5 unit for the above and beyond care and comfort they provided throughout her journey. In lieu of flowers or monetary donations, Leslie requested that you consider a gift to the Franklin County Humane Society, in keeping with her lifelong love for animals. Leslie’s legacy of warmth, mischief, and quick wit will be carried forward by those who had the privilege of knowing her. Her life will forever be an inspiration, a testament to the power of a heart that never hesitated to give itself fully. She will be greatly missed and forever remembered. Read the story on VTDigger here: Elizabeth “Leslie” Frydenlund.
Don’t let Donald Sinex anywhere near Burlington’s downtown
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Text reading "Commentaries" and "Opinion pieces by community members" with a speech bubble icon." decoding="async" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="615530" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/commentaries_featured-image-25/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Commentaries_featured image 25" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" /> Converting the old Macy’s into an Amazon warehouse would worsen traffic and hand the city over to a company built on exploitation. Read the story on VTDigger here: Don’t let Donald Sinex anywhere near Burlington’s downtown.
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Text reading "Commentaries" and "Opinion pieces by community members" with a speech bubble icon." decoding="async" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="615530" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/commentaries_featured-image-25/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Commentaries_featured image 25" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" /> This commentary is by Ron Jacobs, who lives in Winooski. Now that Burlington High School will be returning to its previous grounds in a new building, the question is what will happen to the building formerly known as Macy’s. Developers are proposing a variety of possibilities. One is a developer who contributed significantly to the failure of the former CityPlace mall project, Donald Sinex, the owner of the Macy’s building. In 2016, Sinex and then-Mayor Miro Weinberger persuaded voters to approve tax increment financing, a means whereby public funds are raised through a specific tax and then used to upgrade a particular area of a town or city. Usually, funds are loaned to the developers managing the project with an understanding that the money will be repaid once the project is completed. However, if something changes during development or construction is halted, taxpayers are often left footing the bill. Projected property value increases may not materialize or the development may fall through, leaving municipalities to pay back bonds, potentially harming their credit rating or requiring them to cover debt. Tax revenue from the increment may go to the project rather than to general funds for schools, libraries or public infrastructure. TIF projects can raise surrounding property values, leading to higher taxes for existing residents and small businesses, which may lead to displacement through gentrification. In the case of CityPlace — now Burlington Square — Sinex left the project, which was then sold to the mega-corporation Brookfield. Brookfield removed itself from the project a couple of years later and was replaced by local developers, who are the folks behind the current development at the former mall site. So, what is Sinex’s new proposal? He has floated the idea that the site should be an Amazon warehouse. Yes, that’s right: Downtown Burlington, with its parking and other traffic issues, should be the home of a facility that I imagine would magnify the traffic and congestion issues at least a hundredfold. READ MORE Besides the permanent disruption such a facility would create in Burlington, there’s the nature of the business and its ownership. Amazon’s largest shareholder is Jeff Bezos, a man whose largely untaxed wealth is arguably made in part by destroying the environment, intensifying surveillance of people’s private and public lives, providing surveillance technology and cloud infrastructure to governments, law enforcement and the military, and abusing its workers. Furthermore, it is large global corporations like Amazon that have caused the destruction of more local businesses than one can count. Any Vermont politician who claims to support local business but would support Amazon moving into Vermont — in Burlington or anywhere else — is at best naïve. If this proposal isn’t denied outright and politicians start to sign on to it, I would suggest looking into how much Amazon money is funding their campaigns. Back in 2022, when the CityPlace project was in complete disarray, I suggested an alternative to corporate ownership of downtown that would feature small, locally owned businesses and restaurants; a green space with a small band shell for entertainment; an indoor farmers market owned and operated through the city; and a permanent low-barrier shelter with cots, showers, job search and mental health resources and other appropriate services for the unhomed and other people down on their luck. I suggest it again now. The path toward such a project would begin by bringing the affected property into the public domain, as happened in the 1980s under then-Mayor Bernie Sanders, when citizens rallied to turn the Burlington waterfront into parkland in place of private development. Like almost everyone else, I have no idea what will happen to the former Macy’s building once school begins in the fall of 2026. But the citizens of Burlington should automatically reject any projects involving Sinex, Amazon and any other corporate or financial schemers. Read the story on VTDigger here: Don’t let Donald Sinex anywhere near Burlington’s downtown.
Creditors in Vermont Catholic bankruptcy case seek access to an estimated $500M in parish assets
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-1024x768.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A brown wooden church with a round stained glass window, white trim, arched windows, and a steeple topped with a cross against a clear sky." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-300x225.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-1200x900.jpg?crop=1 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-125x94.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-768x576.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-800x600.jpg?crop=1 800w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-600x450.jpg?crop=1 600w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-400x300.jpg?crop=1 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-200x150.jpg?crop=1 200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-780x585.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-706x530.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650359" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/vtd-catholic-23/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-scaled.jpg" data-orig-size="2560,1920" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="VTD Catholic 23" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Ludlow’s Church of the Annunciation is one of nearly 70 local parishes overseen by the Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-1200x900.jpg?crop=1" /> Lawyers for clergy abuse claimants and the state’s largest religious denomination are set for a court fight over whether local properties should be on the table to fund settlements. Read the story on VTDigger here: Creditors in Vermont Catholic bankruptcy case seek access to an estimated $500M in parish assets.
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-1024x768.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A brown wooden church with a round stained glass window, white trim, arched windows, and a steeple topped with a cross against a clear sky." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-300x225.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-1200x900.jpg?crop=1 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-125x94.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-768x576.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-800x600.jpg?crop=1 800w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-600x450.jpg?crop=1 600w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-400x300.jpg?crop=1 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-200x150.jpg?crop=1 200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-780x585.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-706x530.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650359" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/vtd-catholic-23/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-scaled.jpg" data-orig-size="2560,1920" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="VTD Catholic 23" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Ludlow’s Church of the Annunciation is one of nearly 70 local parishes overseen by the Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-1200x900.jpg?crop=1" /> <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="900" data-attachment-id="650359" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/vtd-catholic-23/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-scaled.jpg" data-orig-size="2560,1920" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="VTD Catholic 23" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Ludlow’s Church of the Annunciation is one of nearly 70 local parishes overseen by the Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-1200x900.jpg?crop=1" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-1200x900.jpg?crop=1" alt="A brown wooden church with a round stained glass window, white trim, arched windows, and a steeple topped with a cross against a clear sky." class="wp-image-650359" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-1200x900.jpg?crop=1 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-300x225.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-125x94.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-768x576.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-800x600.jpg?crop=1 800w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-600x450.jpg?crop=1 600w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-400x300.jpg?crop=1 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-200x150.jpg?crop=1 200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-780x585.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-23-706x530.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> Ludlow’s Church of the Annunciation is one of nearly 70 local parishes overseen by the Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger Clergy abuse claimants have asked a court to allow them to pursue an estimated half-billion dollars in local parish assets as part of the Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese’s current bankruptcy case. The state’s largest religious denomination filed for Chapter 11 protection in the fall of 2024, arguing that a past series of priest misconduct settlements had reduced its highest-level holdings by half, to about $35 million. But a committee representing more than 100 clergy abuse claimants has filed papers in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Burlington seeking access to the worth of the property and possessions of nearly 70 local parishes — assessed at a collective value of around $500 million — that the diocese placed in trusts in 2006. “The diocese transferred approximately hundreds of millions in assets to fund the parish trusts, and did so expressly for the purposes of shielding those assets from survivor claims,” Brittany Michael, the lawyer for the federally appointed committee, wrote in a 67-page court filing released Thursday. “These extraordinary transfers should be available to creditors.” Under federal law, both the court and creditors must approve any Chapter 11 reorganization plan. Abuse claimants say access to parish assets should be part of any proposal. “I’ve never had a diocese that had set up separate trusts for each individual parish in order to attempt to shelter those funds from survivors,” Michael told the court in an earlier hearing. The diocese — one of 44 U.S. Catholic entities to seek Chapter 11 protection — is trying to reorganize its depleting finances after paying $34.5 million to settle 67 clergy misconduct lawsuits in the past two decades, according to records, only to still face 119 more claims dating as far back as 1950. Former Bishop Salvatore Matano placed each local parish into an individual trust 20 years ago in an attempt to protect the assets. To do so, church lawyers attached two-page form letters onto deeds to note that holdings can only be tapped for “pious, charitable or educational purposes” and not to pay for other expenses such as jury verdicts. “In such litigious times, it would be a gross act of mismanagement if I did not do everything possible to protect our parishes and the interests of the faithful from unbridled, unjust and terribly unreasonable assault,” Matano wrote in a 2006 letter to Catholics. Attorneys for abuse claimants question whether the transfers broke Vermont’s fraudulent deeds law, which bars any move “with intent to avoid a right, debt or duty.” A court has yet to consider the issue. READ MORE The latest action promises to further complicate a bankruptcy case that, approaching its two-year anniversary of filing, has cost $2 million in legal bills and counting. To raise money, the diocese is selling its South Burlington headquarters for $3.13 million, court records show. But Judge Heather Cooper has given the church until September to submit a larger reorganization proposal or face the end of the process. “The court anticipates a proposed plan, conversion, or dismissal,” she wrote in a recent order. Ending the case without a solution would further endanger the diocese’s finances by reviving abuse lawsuits placed on hold by the bankruptcy filing. Read the story on VTDigger here: Creditors in Vermont Catholic bankruptcy case seek access to an estimated $500M in parish assets.
Zizian member tied to border patrol agent killing in Vermont now charged in the deaths of her own parents
<img width="1024" height="576" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-1024x576.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A person in tan prison uniform, holding papers, is escorted by a sheriff’s deputy toward a white sheriff’s van." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-300x169.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-125x70.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-768x432.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-780x439.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-400x225.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-706x397.jpg 706w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650373" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/2026/06/25/zizian-member-tied-to-border-patrol-agent-killing-in-vermont-now-charged-in-the-deaths-of-her-own-parents/prosecuting-zizians/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881.jpg" data-orig-size="1920,1080" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"AP Photo/Mark Scolforo","camera":"","caption":"FILE - In this image from video, Michelle Zajko, who is associated with a cultlike group known as Zizians that is linked to several deaths across the U.S., is escorted into court for a pretrial hearing on trespassing, gun and drug charges in Cumberland, Md., Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Scolforo, File)","created_timestamp":"1768582399","copyright":"AP","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"Prosecuting Zizians","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Prosecuting Zizians" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Michelle Zajko, who is associated with a cultlike group known as Zizians that is linked to several deaths across the U.S., is escorted into court for a pretrial hearing on trespassing, gun and drug charges in Cumberland, Md., Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Scolforo, File) " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-1200x675.jpg" /> Michelle Zajko, a former resident of the Northeast Kingdom, faces two counts of first-degree murder as well as other criminal offenses, a Pennsylvania prosecutor announced this week. Read the story on VTDigger here: Zizian member tied to border patrol agent killing in Vermont now charged in the deaths of her own parents.
<img width="1024" height="576" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-1024x576.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A person in tan prison uniform, holding papers, is escorted by a sheriff’s deputy toward a white sheriff’s van." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-300x169.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-125x70.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-768x432.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-780x439.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-400x225.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-706x397.jpg 706w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650373" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/2026/06/25/zizian-member-tied-to-border-patrol-agent-killing-in-vermont-now-charged-in-the-deaths-of-her-own-parents/prosecuting-zizians/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881.jpg" data-orig-size="1920,1080" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"AP Photo/Mark Scolforo","camera":"","caption":"FILE - In this image from video, Michelle Zajko, who is associated with a cultlike group known as Zizians that is linked to several deaths across the U.S., is escorted into court for a pretrial hearing on trespassing, gun and drug charges in Cumberland, Md., Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Scolforo, File)","created_timestamp":"1768582399","copyright":"AP","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"Prosecuting Zizians","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Prosecuting Zizians" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Michelle Zajko, who is associated with a cultlike group known as Zizians that is linked to several deaths across the U.S., is escorted into court for a pretrial hearing on trespassing, gun and drug charges in Cumberland, Md., Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Scolforo, File) " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-1200x675.jpg" /> <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="675" data-attachment-id="650373" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/2026/06/25/zizian-member-tied-to-border-patrol-agent-killing-in-vermont-now-charged-in-the-deaths-of-her-own-parents/prosecuting-zizians/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881.jpg" data-orig-size="1920,1080" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"AP Photo/Mark Scolforo","camera":"","caption":"FILE - In this image from video, Michelle Zajko, who is associated with a cultlike group known as Zizians that is linked to several deaths across the U.S., is escorted into court for a pretrial hearing on trespassing, gun and drug charges in Cumberland, Md., Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Scolforo, File)","created_timestamp":"1768582399","copyright":"AP","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"Prosecuting Zizians","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Prosecuting Zizians" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Michelle Zajko, who is associated with a cultlike group known as Zizians that is linked to several deaths across the U.S., is escorted into court for a pretrial hearing on trespassing, gun and drug charges in Cumberland, Md., Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Scolforo, File) " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-1200x675.jpg" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-1200x675.jpg" alt="A person in tan prison uniform, holding papers, is escorted by a sheriff’s deputy toward a white sheriff’s van." class="wp-image-650373" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-300x169.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-125x70.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-768x432.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-780x439.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-400x225.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881-706x397.jpg 706w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26175473470881.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> Michelle Zajko, who is associated with a cultlike group known as Zizians that is linked to several deaths across the U.S., is escorted into court for a pretrial hearing on trespassing, gun and drug charges in Cumberland, Md., Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Scolforo, File) A member of a cultlike group who authorities allege was tied to the fatal shooting of a border patrol agent in Vermont is now facing charges of killing her parents in Pennsylvania years earlier. The new murder charges are the latest turn in a string of six homicides across the country linked to the Zizians, a loosely connected small group that gained national attention following a shootout in Vermont that left a border patrol agent dead in January 2025. Delaware County State’s Attorney Tanner Rouse announced the filing of the two first-degree murder charges as well as a host of other counts against 33-year-old Michelle Zajko during a press conference Wednesday in Pennsylvania. Zajko’s parents — 72-year-old Richard Zajko and 69-year-old Rita Zajko – were fatally shot in their Pennsylvania home on New Year’s Eve in 2022, according to police, and Michelle Zajko was questioned in their deaths in January 2023. Michelle Zajko has long been a person of interest in her parents’ killing. Rouse, speaking to reporters Wednesday afternoon, said authorities did not believe that Michelle Zajko acted alone in the fatal shootings of her parents. “To the extent that if she wasn’t the one who actually pulled the trigger, she was certainly aligned with those who did,” Rouse said. “At this time, we do not know who her co-conspirators were, but we are very sure — we are very certain — that Michelle Zajko was in the home and arranged for the death of her parents.” In addition to two first-degree murder charges, Zajko faces counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. No attorney is listed in court records as representing Zajko in the case. In a letter to the media last year, Zajko denied involvement in the deaths, writing, “I didn’t murder my parents.” The Zizians and their alleged string of crimes The double murder is the latest criminal case against Zajko, who authorities said was a part of the Zizians, a group that’s an offshoot of the so-called Rationalist movement in the San Francisco Bay Area. They reportedly subscribe to beliefs centered on veganism and preventing harmful effects from artificial intelligence. The Zizians have been linked to several homicides across the country in recent years, including the January 2025 shooting on Interstate 91 in Coventry that killed David Maland, a U.S. Border Patrol agent. Teresa Youngblut, of Seattle — a reported Zizian member — has been federally charged with murder in that incident and faces the possibility of the death penalty, if convicted. The case against Youngblut, who has been jailed since shortly after the shooting, remains pending, and no trial date has been set. Exactly what Youngblut was doing in Vermont when the fatal shootout took place has not been made clear. Zajko’s ties to Vermont included previously living at a house in Coventry in 2022. Zajko has a pending federal charge against her brought in Vermont alleging that she made false statements to buy firearms and later provided one of the guns to Youngblut that was used in Maland’s fatal shooting. Zajko has never appeared in federal court in Vermont to face that charge because shortly after it was brought, she was arrested in Maryland along with two other reported Zizian members on state gun and drug charges. Those charges remain pending, and Zajko has been jailed there while awaiting trial. Jack LaSota, who authorities have said is known as “Ziz” and is reportedly the leader of the Zizians, was arrested and charged along with Zajko in Maryland. LaSota’s cases also remain ongoing in Maryland, pending a competency evaluation ordered by a judge. READ MORE ‘Exhaustive’ investigation The murder charges brought this week against Zajko stem from an investigation that began on Jan. 2, 2023, when Pennsylvania State Police said they were called to a home in the Chester Heights Borough in Delaware County for a welfare check, according to court filings. Arriving troopers found Zajko’s parents dead inside an upstairs bedroom, and both had suffered gunshot wounds to the head. A review of a neighbor’s Ring camera footage, according to the court filings, showed a vehicle arriving at the Zajkos’ residence at about 11:29 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2022. Two minutes later, according to court documents, a “higher pitched voice is heard shouting what sounds like, ‘Mom.’” Seconds later, a “higher pitched voice is heard exclaiming, ‘Oh my God!, God, God!’” When they arrived on scene two days later, police didn’t find a firearm but did recover two 9mm shell casings near the couple’s bodies in the bedroom, according to the documents. Police also found a Pennsylvania driver’s license for a person later identified as the couple’s daughter, Michelle Zajko, who had been estranged from her parents. Rouse, the Pennsylvania prosecutor, called the investigation leading to the murder charges this week “exhaustive.” “We don’t have a smoking gun,” he added. “It is piece after piece after piece of evidence that has been collected painstakingly over years.” He also said it was hard to speculate on the motive for the killings. “You’re talking about someone who murdered their parents,” the prosecutor said. “What the tipping point was, what the premeditation was, is difficult at this junction to say.” Read the story on VTDigger here: Zizian member tied to border patrol agent killing in Vermont now charged in the deaths of her own parents.
Vermont utilizes food shelves to provide children with free meals during summer break
<img width="1024" height="681" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-1024x681.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A child receives a food item from a server behind a cafeteria counter, with an adult standing beside them." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-1200x798.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-768x511.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-780x519.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-400x266.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-706x470.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650217" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/feeding-champlain-1-20260623/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623.jpg" data-orig-size="2500,1663" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"4","credit":"Glenn Russell","camera":"NIKON Z 6_2","caption":"Seven-year-old Vivian Denney takes food from Culinary Manager Justin Pfanzer at Feeding Champlain Valley in Burlington on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger","created_timestamp":"1782225760","copyright":"Glenn Russell","focal_length":"24","iso":"3600","shutter_speed":"0.002","title":"feeding-champlain-1 20260623","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="feeding-champlain-1 20260623" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Seven-year-old Livian Denney takes food from Culinary Manager Justin Pfanzer at Feeding Champlain Valley in Burlington on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-1200x798.jpg" /> Families can receive summer meals for their kids and teenagers across the state through child nutrition programs that deliver and serve food at meal sites. Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont utilizes food shelves to provide children with free meals during summer break.
<img width="1024" height="681" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-1024x681.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A child receives a food item from a server behind a cafeteria counter, with an adult standing beside them." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-1200x798.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-768x511.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-780x519.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-400x266.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-706x470.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650217" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/feeding-champlain-1-20260623/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623.jpg" data-orig-size="2500,1663" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"4","credit":"Glenn Russell","camera":"NIKON Z 6_2","caption":"Seven-year-old Vivian Denney takes food from Culinary Manager Justin Pfanzer at Feeding Champlain Valley in Burlington on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger","created_timestamp":"1782225760","copyright":"Glenn Russell","focal_length":"24","iso":"3600","shutter_speed":"0.002","title":"feeding-champlain-1 20260623","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="feeding-champlain-1 20260623" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Seven-year-old Livian Denney takes food from Culinary Manager Justin Pfanzer at Feeding Champlain Valley in Burlington on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-1200x798.jpg" /> <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="798" data-attachment-id="650217" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/feeding-champlain-1-20260623/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623.jpg" data-orig-size="2500,1663" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"4","credit":"Glenn Russell","camera":"NIKON Z 6_2","caption":"Seven-year-old Vivian Denney takes food from Culinary Manager Justin Pfanzer at Feeding Champlain Valley in Burlington on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger","created_timestamp":"1782225760","copyright":"Glenn Russell","focal_length":"24","iso":"3600","shutter_speed":"0.002","title":"feeding-champlain-1 20260623","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="feeding-champlain-1 20260623" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Seven-year-old Livian Denney takes food from Culinary Manager Justin Pfanzer at Feeding Champlain Valley in Burlington on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-1200x798.jpg" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-1200x798.jpg" alt="A child receives a food item from a server behind a cafeteria counter, with an adult standing beside them." class="wp-image-650217" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-1200x798.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-768x511.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-780x519.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-400x266.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-1-20260623-706x470.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> Seven-year-old Vivian Denney takes food from Culinary Manager Justin Pfanzer at Feeding Champlain Valley in Burlington on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger For Vermont children from food-insecure families who rely on school lunches as their most dependable meal, advocacy groups are filling the summer gap with free meal programs. At a food site in Burlington at the Community Resource Center, an average of five to 10 kids a week stop by and are met with a food shelf, soup kitchen and community space that serves free hot meals for families to sit down and eat. The site is one of four operations within Feeding Champlain Valley, a food program from the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity. “I think that’s kind of important as a kid growing up around here,” said Anthony Hunynh, the marketing and event specialist at Feeding Champlain Valley. “You want to be able to eat nice fresh food, but if you don’t go to school, that’s not possible.” As kids enter their summer breaks, families that regularly get their meals from food sites will begin coming more frequently and utilizing more of the programs available, including programs specific to children. For kids in middle school and high school, Hunynh said the options for food become “pretty limited” during the summer. Partnering with Hunger Free Vermont and the Vermont Foodbank, the program focuses on addressing childhood hunger in Vermont, Anna McMahon, associate director of Feeding Champlain Valley, told VTDigger. On average, the Burlington kitchen serves close to 300 free meals a day and sends out anywhere from 1200 to 1500 free meals a week through their food access network. <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="798" data-attachment-id="650219" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/feeding-champlain-3-20260623/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-3-20260623.jpg" data-orig-size="2500,1663" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"4","credit":"Glenn Russell","camera":"NIKON Z 6_2","caption":"Mia Temm, left, and Culinary Manger Justin Pflanzer work in the kitchen of Feeding Champlain Valley in Burlington on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger","created_timestamp":"1782226224","copyright":"Glenn Russell","focal_length":"24","iso":"5000","shutter_speed":"0.002","title":"feeding-champlain-3 20260623","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="feeding-champlain-3 20260623" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Mia Temm, left, and Culinary Manger Justin Pflanzer work in the kitchen of Feeding Champlain Valley in Burlington on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-3-20260623-1200x798.jpg" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-3-20260623-1200x798.jpg" alt="Two people prepare food in a commercial kitchen, transferring chopped vegetables from a large container into metal trays on a stainless steel counter." class="wp-image-650219" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-3-20260623-1200x798.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-3-20260623-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-3-20260623-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-3-20260623-768x511.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-3-20260623-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-3-20260623-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-3-20260623-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-3-20260623-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-3-20260623-780x519.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-3-20260623-400x266.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-3-20260623-706x470.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> Mia Temm, left, and Culinary Manger Justin Pflanzer work in the kitchen of Feeding Champlain Valley in Burlington on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Throughout the week at Feeding Champlain Valley, Vermonters of any age can pick up weekly groceries, prepared meals and household items that are delivered daily to the pantries, shelters and soup kitchens. Using a delivery system, they also allow food-insecure Vermonters to order online in select counties including Addison, Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle. The priority for Feeding Champlain Valley was providing a variety of food options for multigenerational families that are accustomed to eating more than just canned foods, which partly led to the creation of the hot meals. “A common thing that happens in a lot of food shelves is normally they don’t have the staples that some new American families have, like rice, beans and grains,” Hunynh said. While the hot meals are typically served from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., the food shelf operates until 2:30 p.m., providing a wide range of perishable and non-perishable goods such as fruits, vegetables, eggs, dairy products, oil, protein and grains. The food is made up of overstocked food outsourced from grocery stores like Shaw’s and Hannaford, as well as food gleaned from local farms and leftover bulk items from food banks, including fruits, vegetables and dairy products. Celicia Williams, 28, who recently moved to Vermont this year with her 4-year-old daughter, found her way to the food site in Burlington through Feeding Champlain Valley’s parent company, CVOEO. “Since moving to Vermont, CVOEO has helped me a lot,” Williams said. “It feels like everybody is welcome here, which is nice. Even waiting in line, I’ve seen people from different types of backgrounds.” When her daughter starts school in a couple years, Williams said she knows the food site will prove even more beneficial to her in making sure there is not a food gap for the two of them during the summertime. Feeding Champlain Valley recently expanded its online ordering program in Chittenden County, with a focus on delivering to more schools throughout the Burlington area, including C.P. Smith Elementary and Edmunds Elementary, McMahon said. <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="798" data-attachment-id="650218" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/feeding-champlain-2-20260623/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-2-20260623.jpg" data-orig-size="2500,1663" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"4","credit":"Glenn Russell","camera":"NIKON Z 6_2","caption":"Shellie Denney, right, and seven-year-old daughter Livian cap their cups of yoghurt as they pick up a midday meal at Feeding Champlain Valley in Burlington on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger","created_timestamp":"1782225888","copyright":"Glenn Russell","focal_length":"24","iso":"8000","shutter_speed":"0.002","title":"feeding-champlain-2 20260623","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="feeding-champlain-2 20260623" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Shellie Denney, right, and seven-year-old daughter Livian cap their cups of yoghurt as they pick up a midday meal at Feeding Champlain Valley in Burlington on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-2-20260623-1200x798.jpg" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-2-20260623-1200x798.jpg" alt="A woman hands a bowl to a child in a cafeteria setting, with food stations and kitchen equipment visible in the background." class="wp-image-650218" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-2-20260623-1200x798.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-2-20260623-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-2-20260623-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-2-20260623-768x511.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-2-20260623-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-2-20260623-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-2-20260623-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-2-20260623-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-2-20260623-780x519.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-2-20260623-400x266.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/feeding-champlain-2-20260623-706x470.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> Shellie Denney, right, and seven-year-old daughter Livian cap their cups of yoghurt as they pick up a midday meal at Feeding Champlain Valley in Burlington on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger While the food sites are not specific to only kids, Justin Pflanzer, the culinary manager at Feeding Champlain Valley, explained that the two to three chefs in the Burlington kitchen try to make foods that both adults and children find enjoyable, adding that snacks and juice boxes are often included to make children feel more welcome. “When people come to meal sites, it’s good to make them feel as at home as possible,” Pflanzer said. “That’s one way to do it, especially for kids who are nervous about coming here and are scared.” Meeting kids where they are Comfort and accessibility is also an emphasis for Hunger Free Vermont, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending hunger in the state. Through its child nutrition program, the organization provides children up to 18 years old with free summer meals. The program is administered statewide to families through the Vermont Agency of Education. Schools can work with local sites, such as libraries, recreation programs, pools, parks and summer camps, to connect to federal dollars that reimburse giving meals and snacks to kids. “There’s no registration, no ID, nothing required on the kids’ parts, and it kind of supports filling that gap and hunger in the summer when schools aren’t in session,” Erica Morrell, Hunger Free Vermont’s meal specialist, told VTDigger. The food given out at the meal sites meets federal dietary nutrition guidelines by working with local farmers to source local products, Morrell added. To track the summer meal sites, the organization introduced a new virtual map. Users can hover over the icons to learn what times the sites run for and what resources they provide. The map is updated on a weekly basis as meal sites are added or change locations throughout the summer. At the food site in Burlington, Feeding Champlain Valley has seen an average of 100 Vermonters stop by every day, with the number sometimes reaching 200, said Morgan Heyl, the organization’s distribution and receiving coordinator. Often seeing the same faces every day, Heyl said she is able to form relationships with the people coming in. Newcomers will often show after hearing about the pantry through word of mouth. Hunger Free Vermont makes it a priority to reach out to as many families as it can by producing newsletters, posters and brochures, along with videos translated in 19 different languages through the Vermont Language Justice Project. Outside of the child nutrition summer program, the organization offers complimentary year-round child nutrition programs for when school is in session. “Using the program helps everyone, because the more people who use it, the more federal dollars come in, and the more is spent locally on groceries,” Morrell said. “So it kind of acts as almost a local economic stimulus program.” Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont utilizes food shelves to provide children with free meals during summer break.
Vermont passed its education law. Now comes the hard part.
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Text reading "Commentaries" and "Opinion pieces by community members" with a speech bubble icon." decoding="async" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="615530" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/commentaries_featured-image-25/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Commentaries_featured image 25" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" /> Vermont's new education law settles questions of governance and structure. Now comes the harder task: building a long-term vision centered on students, not district maps. Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont passed its education law. Now comes the hard part..
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Text reading "Commentaries" and "Opinion pieces by community members" with a speech bubble icon." decoding="async" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="615530" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/commentaries_featured-image-25/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Commentaries_featured image 25" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" /> This commentary is by Flor Diaz Smith, president of the Vermont School Boards Association and eastern representative and chair of the legislative committee of the National School Board. On June 18, Gov. Phil Scott signed into law an education transformation bill that aims to strengthen Vermont public schools and districts, make efficient use of public funding, and ultimately ensure the success of all students and graduates. H.955, the final bill approved by the General Assembly and signed by the governor, represents the culmination of several years of deliberation, debate, advocacy and compromise among all involved. The Vermont School Boards Association has participated in the process every step of the way, amplifying the voices, ideas, questions and concerns of our members, more than 850 individuals who serve on local school boards across the state. Last November, VSBA released a position paper outlining some of the principles and priorities that we believe are essential for any new statewide law related to the structure and funding of school districts. We are encouraged that the new law incorporates some of our strongest recommendations. It prioritizes voluntary and incentivized district mergers over mandated consolidation, preserves an important role for local governance and community engagement, and recommends district size parameters intended to balance efficiency with strong community connection. The law also advances regional collaboration through cooperative education service areas and merger committees aimed at improving long-term sustainability and educational opportunity. These strategies have the potential to support needed change in the delivery of educational programming, including special education, professional development and increasing the quality and efficiency of services. There is no question that Vermont needs thoughtful educational transformation. School districts across the state face significant financial pressures driven by declining enrollment and rising costs in healthcare, aging facilities, transportation and student mental health services. These challenges require long-term solutions that bolster public confidence in our schools. However, structural changes alone will never effect meaningful improvements in public education. Vermont needs to settle on the most advantageous number, size and geography of our school districts, but those issues will always be secondary to our investments in great teaching and learning. While elected officials negotiate consolidations and mergers, we are fortunate to have educators focused on innovative reforms at the classroom and school level. Teachers and administrators all across Vermont are creating student-centered schools that prioritize personalization, proficiency-based learning and an accessible and inclusive education for all. READ MORE Let’s agree then to move beyond debates about governance and structure toward a more robust discussion about a long-term educational vision that addresses the hopes, dreams, needs and expectations of students and adults from every corner of the state. That vision should build upon the principles outlined in our progressive education policy, personalized learning, proficiency-based education and an accessible, inclusive system of support for every student through a strong multi-tiered system of supports. Development of that vision requires true collaboration among residents, students, families, educators, district leaders, locally elected school boards and state officials. The school board members we represent stand ready to do their part, particularly by creating opportunities for authentic community input and engagement. VSBA will continue advocating for creative approaches to state policy and funding to ensure that our collective vision can someday become reality. As we prepare for the new education law to take effect, VSBA also recognizes that school boards across the state need flexibility, resources, guidance and support to implement it effectively. We look forward to working closely with the Legislature and the Agency of Education to ensure a smooth and successful transition. This significant milestone in the history of public education in Vermont presents a rare and valuable opportunity. Together, let’s seize this moment to celebrate and invest in public education as the foundation of our democracy, workforce, communities and future. The people of Vermont — especially our children — deserve a system designed for long-term stability, endless possibilities and an unwavering commitment to equity and excellence. Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont passed its education law. Now comes the hard part..
Seeking technical education, schools may be looking inward
<img width="1024" height="664" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227-300x195.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227-1200x778.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227-125x81.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227-768x498.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227-1536x996.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="519292" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/center-for-technology-2-20191227/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227.jpg" data-orig-size="2000,1297" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"GLENN RUSSELL","camera":"NIKON Z 6","caption":"The Center for Technology Essex in Essex Junction on Friday, December 27, 2019. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger","created_timestamp":"1577449290","copyright":"GLENN RUSSELL","focal_length":"50","iso":"200","shutter_speed":"0.0025","title":"center-for-technology-2 20191227","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="center-for-technology-2 20191227" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" The Center for Technology Essex in Essex Junction on Friday, December 27, 2019. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227-1200x778.jpg" /> Demand for technical education is growing in Vermont at a pace that local career and technical centers can’t yet match. Read the story on VTDigger here: Seeking technical education, schools may be looking inward.
<img width="1024" height="664" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227-300x195.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227-1200x778.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227-125x81.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227-768x498.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227-1536x996.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="519292" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/center-for-technology-2-20191227/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227.jpg" data-orig-size="2000,1297" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"GLENN RUSSELL","camera":"NIKON Z 6","caption":"The Center for Technology Essex in Essex Junction on Friday, December 27, 2019. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger","created_timestamp":"1577449290","copyright":"GLENN RUSSELL","focal_length":"50","iso":"200","shutter_speed":"0.0025","title":"center-for-technology-2 20191227","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="center-for-technology-2 20191227" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" The Center for Technology Essex in Essex Junction on Friday, December 27, 2019. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227-1200x778.jpg" /> <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="778" data-attachment-id="519292" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/center-for-technology-2-20191227/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227.jpg" data-orig-size="2000,1297" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"GLENN RUSSELL","camera":"NIKON Z 6","caption":"The Center for Technology Essex in Essex Junction on Friday, December 27, 2019. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger","created_timestamp":"1577449290","copyright":"GLENN RUSSELL","focal_length":"50","iso":"200","shutter_speed":"0.0025","title":"center-for-technology-2 20191227","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="center-for-technology-2 20191227" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" The Center for Technology Essex in Essex Junction on Friday, December 27, 2019. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227-1200x778.jpg" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227-1200x778.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-519292" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227-1200x778.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227-300x195.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227-125x81.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227-768x498.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227-1536x996.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/center-for-technology-2-20191227.jpg 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> The Center for Technology Essex in Essex Junction. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger This story by Liberty Darr and Briana Brady was first published in The Other Paper on June 18, 2026. This month, more than 5,000 seniors across Vermont graduated from high school. A significant portion of those teens graduated from the state’s career and technical centers. Of the more than 20,000 high school students in Vermont, around a quarter enroll at one of the state’s 17 career and technical centers, but that may only be a fraction of the kids who wanted to attend the programs. Demand for technical education is growing in Vermont at a pace that local career and technical centers can’t yet match. In response, schools are looking at how they might be able to offer some level of technical education themselves. According to data provided by the Center for Technology, Essex, which is one of the two career and technical centers in Chittenden County, this year the program received 681 applications for 405 available spots across a wide range of technical education classes like automotive tech, building residential or HVAC, or web design and creative media. “It wasn’t that long ago that being in the trades was a negative stigma in schools,” said Ben Heath, an engineer at Engineers Construction Inc. Heath is on advisory committees for Essex and technical centers in St. Albans and Middlebury. Heath said things have changed in part because the trades sector itself has undergone a transformation — Vermont desperately needs tradespeople. As the numbers of skilled electricians or plumbers or mechanics have fallen, Heath said, wages have risen. “So now, we have this huge population of young people who now are being told by their parents and by their relatives and friends and other people, ‘Hey, you should think about going into the trades,’” Heath said. “Unfortunately, the schools are way behind the eight ball on this, and they are not moving fast enough.” ‘Supply and demand’ Of the 175 seniors who graduated from South Burlington High School this year, three attended Burlington Technical Center and nine went to Essex. Champlain Valley School District had around 40 graduates who attended the local technical centers. According to data from the South Burlington School District, 45 high school students submitted applications to Essex but only 23 were accepted. CVU saw a similar rate — just over half of students who applied were accepted. According to South Burlington High School Principal Patrick Burke and director of school counseling Meghan Sweet, this rapid increase in applications has been an ongoing trend over the last 10 years. “It’s really a question of supply and demand more than it is a process of exclusion,” Burke said. Bob Travers, director of the Essex tech center, said there appears to be consensus across a broad range of education leaders that career and technical education is at a tipping point. “Twelve years ago, I used to have conversations with Pat Burke about the cost of career and tech ed and how we can keep it down,” Travers said. “Now I’m having conversations with Pat and a number of other high school principals about how we can get tech more available to all of our students.” Bringing tech to the schools Travers informed the South Burlington School Board in May about ongoing conversations to bring in a specific tech education program to the district. Although details will become more available in the next year, he did say seed money from the Perkins funds — federal funds that provide over $1.4 billion annually across the nation to develop, improve and expand career and technical education — will go toward the initiative. Part of the equation in South Burlington is the dissolution of several programs that, at one point, were offered in-house. Burke said classes like wood shop, fine metals or auto tech have slowly been eliminated due to different budget constraints over the years. Burke said that, since the district cut its Big Picture program — a student-driven, project-based learning model — last year, there is nothing currently offered at South Burlington High School that could be categorized as career technical education, aside from five sections of a computer science course. “The eventual elimination of Big Picture has us in a spot where accessing the centers actually is of more consequence,” he said. CVU is even closer to offering in-house tech education. In April, the board approved the creation of a role to oversee career and technical offerings at the school. Until now, the district had been partnering with Burlington Technical Center to bring an instructor into the school to offer a pre-tech exploratory program to ninth and 10th graders. Next year, the center will discontinue the program due to a regulation from the Agency of Education on how students can engage in pre-tech programs. CVU students would sometimes do pre-tech within the district in their ninth-grade year and then move into the pre-tech program on site at Essex Tech in 10th grade, which technically counted as repeating the program. Superintendent Adam Bunting said it’s important that students can still access this kind of education at CVU. “I think we’ve been successful because you’re not asking a student to have to make the decision to leave their immediate community just as they’re transitioning into high school,” Bunting said. Because it hosted a pre-tech program, CVU has a bit of a head start, already having a lot of the equipment necessary for tech classes. According to Chief Operating Officer Gary Marckres, the school may eventually save money: The tuition costs for each student have been around $22,000, savings that will go toward the in-house program. “I think you have folks within our community who are wondering whether a traditional college and university path provides a return on investment that it used to, and I think we’re doing a better job at honoring the interests of students and the critical importance of having flexible pathways in high school,” Bunting said. No more ‘either/or’ Jason Reed, director of the Burlington Technical Center, recently told the South Burlington School Board that career and technical education offers students a multipronged pathway. He cautioned people against viewing a pursuit of technical education versus a college degree as an “either/or” type of scenario. For example, Burlington Technical Center offers a dual college enrollment built into programs for students who see themselves as college bound. “We also get students who say, ‘I’m not college bound,’ they take dual enrollment with us, and all of a sudden they’re college bound,” Reed said. “We also have students who thought they were college prep who discover that they can go into the workforce and work their way up with the foundational skills they have.” While Heath sees some in-house technical education as essential — everyone should be able to change their car battery or swing a hammer, he said — he wants to see the technical centers across the state expand to meet the rising interest. “There’s just this gaping hole in society that needs to be filled, and it’s become this extremely lucrative way to make a living,” he said. “What I have been seeing in the tech centers is many schools being very, very slow to react to this, actually agonizing and frustratingly slow.” Vermont Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale, D-Chittenden-Southeast, introduced a bill this legislative session, S.313, that could transform Vermont’s career technical education system, recognizing that Vermont’s economy has unmet workforce needs and skills gaps. “We see that career technical education is being treated like an elective or an extracurricular activity, when 60% of our students are going to be more successful on that path if we make it available,” Ram Hinsdale said. In addition to outlining intent to provide universal access to career technical education for all students in Vermont, the bill also looks to address barriers like transportation, scheduling conflicts and awareness. “We are missing a lot of kids, and we are missing a lot of opportunities for our economy,” she said. Read the story on VTDigger here: Seeking technical education, schools may be looking inward.
Vermont Attorney General will not prosecute state trooper who fatally shot unarmed Putney man
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-1024x768.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A crime scene search team member walks near a Vermont State Police crime unit vehicle, with yellow caution tape marking off an area beside a white fence and green trees." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-1200x900.jpg?crop=1 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-125x94.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-800x600.jpg?crop=1 800w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-600x450.jpg?crop=1 600w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-400x300.jpg?crop=1 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-200x150.jpg?crop=1 200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-780x585.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-706x530.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="626718" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/vtd-2025-putney-shooting-2/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-scaled.jpg" data-orig-size="2560,1920" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="VTD 2025 Putney shooting 2" data-image-description=" A Vermont State Police crime scene team member works Tuesday at the site of a shooting at the Putney Landing apartment complex just off Interstate 91’s exit 4. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger " data-image-caption=" A Vermont State Police crime scene team member works Tuesday at the site of a shooting at the Putney Landing apartment complex just off Interstate 91’s exit 4. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-1200x900.jpg?crop=1" /> Police killed Scott Garvey in his Putney home where he was experiencing a mental health crisis. “Is the state going to hold anyone accountable at all? Or is this just a free ride, a free pass?” his brother said. Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont Attorney General will not prosecute state trooper who fatally shot unarmed Putney man.
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-1024x768.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A crime scene search team member walks near a Vermont State Police crime unit vehicle, with yellow caution tape marking off an area beside a white fence and green trees." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-1200x900.jpg?crop=1 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-125x94.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-800x600.jpg?crop=1 800w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-600x450.jpg?crop=1 600w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-400x300.jpg?crop=1 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-200x150.jpg?crop=1 200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-780x585.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-706x530.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="626718" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/vtd-2025-putney-shooting-2/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-scaled.jpg" data-orig-size="2560,1920" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="VTD 2025 Putney shooting 2" data-image-description=" A Vermont State Police crime scene team member works Tuesday at the site of a shooting at the Putney Landing apartment complex just off Interstate 91’s exit 4. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger " data-image-caption=" A Vermont State Police crime scene team member works Tuesday at the site of a shooting at the Putney Landing apartment complex just off Interstate 91’s exit 4. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-1200x900.jpg?crop=1" /> <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="900" data-attachment-id="626718" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/vtd-2025-putney-shooting-2/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-scaled.jpg" data-orig-size="2560,1920" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="VTD 2025 Putney shooting 2" data-image-description=" A Vermont State Police crime scene team member works Tuesday at the site of a shooting at the Putney Landing apartment complex just off Interstate 91’s exit 4. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger " data-image-caption=" A Vermont State Police crime scene team member works Tuesday at the site of a shooting at the Putney Landing apartment complex just off Interstate 91’s exit 4. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-1200x900.jpg?crop=1" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-1200x900.jpg?crop=1" alt="A crime scene search team member walks near a Vermont State Police crime unit vehicle, with yellow caution tape marking off an area beside a white fence and green trees." class="wp-image-626718" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-1200x900.jpg?crop=1 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-125x94.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-800x600.jpg?crop=1 800w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-600x450.jpg?crop=1 600w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-400x300.jpg?crop=1 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-200x150.jpg?crop=1 200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-780x585.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VTD-2025-Putney-shooting-2-706x530.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> A Vermont State Police crime scene team member at the site of the Scott Garvey shooting in July 2025. File photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark declined Tuesday to prosecute a state police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man who was experiencing a mental health crisis last year. Vermont State Police Trooper Peter Romeo fatally shot 55-year-old Scott Garvey in his Putney home on July 7, 2025. Romeo opened fire on Garvey after police entered the man’s house, in which he had barricaded himself for more than four hours, according to a Tuesday press release from the Vermont Attorney General’s office. Clark, the state’s top law enforcement officer, determined that police officers involved in the shooting did not violate state law by fatally shooting Garvey, the press release said. Forty nine people have been shot by police officers in Vermont since 1977, when the state began keeping track. None of those officers has been criminally prosecuted for their use of force, according to Vermont State Police data. The Vermont State Police — whose officers were involved in the shooting — investigated the incident. Clark’s office reviewed the materials in the investigation before declining to press charges, according to the press release. Shawn Garvey, Scott’s brother, said in an interview Wednesday that he believed his brother’s death was preventable and that police officers involved in the shooting made the wrong judgment calls. “Is the state going to hold anyone accountable at all? Or is this just a free ride, a free pass?” Shawn Garvey said. Across the U.S., a quarter of police shootings between 2015 and 2020 involved someone with a mental illness, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The press release from Clark’s office sheds light on the timeline of events leading up to the fatal shooting. The night of July 6, 2025, the day before Garvey was killed, neighbors called the police to report seeing smoke coming from his apartment, the release said. Neighbors told police they believed he was trying to kill himself, according to the release. When firefighters and emergency medical personnel responded, they reported that the smoke had come from a fire extinguisher. Garvey was alone in the apartment and not a threat, they said. The next morning, at about 7:15 a.m., Garvey called police and reported he had been in an altercation with a neighbor the day before and he believed the neighbor had a firearm. “Mr. Garvey voiced concern that people were in the woods with guns, and that someone had tried to break into his house with a gun a few nights before, but he had stacked boxes in front of the door and fought them off,” the press release said, detailing Garvey’s phone call. Later that morning, a neighbor of Garvey’s called police to report that a man was banging on the windows and “stating that the voices are telling him to kill everyone.” The press release said police officers and a mental health clinician arrived at Garvey’s house at about 11:30 a.m. that morning. After talking to neighbors who witnessed Garvey’s behavior and said they were scared, police spoke with Garvey through his front door. Officers determined they had probable cause to arrest Garvey, but he wouldn’t let them in. “The embedded mental health clinician relayed that Mr. Garvey ‘said he had a gun’ and ‘if he came out, you would have your guns drawn, and he would have his as well,’” the press release said. Police officers and the mental health clinician spent about four and a half hours communicating with Garvey, trying to de-escalate the situation, the press release said, adding that officers were aware that Garvey had a history of schizophrenia. “Throughout, Mr. Garvey never denied that he was in possession of a firearm while in the apartment,” the press release said. Officers were eventually granted a warrant to enter the house and entered it at about 4:30 p.m. But when three troopers tried to enter the house, they encountered a barricade. Trooper Romeo saw Garvey holding an object that he wasn’t able to identify but suspected was a rifle, the press release said. “When asked what he had seen by Sergeant Hughes, Trooper Romeo responded ‘I don’t know,’” the release said. Then police ordered Garvey multiple times to drop the object, but he did not, according to the press release. It said Garvey then raised the object like it was a rifle and pointed it at officers. Romeo fired seven shots, three of which hit Garvey, the release said. The object was not a rifle — it was a metal pole, the press release said. Garvey used the pole as a cane, his brother Shawn said. In the interview, Shawn said that he thinks police officers escalated the situation by entering the house. “My brother wasn’t hanging out the window with a weapon, he wasn’t threatening neighbors through their walls, he didn’t, you know, say he had a bomb,” he said. Shawn said he wasn’t surprised that the case wasn’t getting prosecuted, but it was difficult news to receive. After his brother’s death, Shawn said, he returned to his brother’s house to find a gruesome crime scene. He said the walls were filled with bullet holes and a pool of blood remained on the floor. Cleaning up the house, which his mother also lived in, cost about $20,000, he added. Then his family had to pay the state nearly $2,000 for his brother’s remains, he said. “We’ve been living in a sort of purgatory for 351 days,” awaiting the results of the investigation, Shawn said. In response to Shawn’s comments about officer conduct, Clark said in an emailed statement to VTDigger that “This event was a tragedy. We cannot imagine the pain that the Garvey family has endured and continues to experience, and our hearts go out to them during this time.” Before the attorney general made the public announcement, Shawn said, he and his family members spent about four hours talking with police about the events leading up to his brother’s death. “I came out more convinced than ever that my brother should still be alive today,” Shawn said. Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont Attorney General will not prosecute state trooper who fatally shot unarmed Putney man.
Candidates backed by Vermont’s Bernie Sanders sweep House primaries in New York City
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-1024x683.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="An older man in a suit speaks passionately at a podium with a microphone on a dimly lit stage; a partially visible sign reads "THE YEAR." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-768x512.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-780x520.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-400x267.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-706x471.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650263" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/election-2026-new-york-mamdani/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-scaled.jpg" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"5.6","credit":"AP Photo/Ryan Murphy","camera":"ILCE-7M5","caption":"U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT., speaks during a Get Out The Vote rally ahead of New York's primary election, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)","created_timestamp":"1781829847","copyright":"Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.","focal_length":"174","iso":"4000","shutter_speed":"0.0025","title":"Election 2026 New York Mamdani","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Election 2026 New York Mamdani" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT., speaks during a Get Out The Vote rally ahead of New York&#8217;s primary election, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy) " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-1200x800.jpg" /> “The American people — in New York and all across this country — are sick and tired of status quo politics,” the independent U.S. senator said Wednesday. Read the story on VTDigger here: Candidates backed by Vermont’s Bernie Sanders sweep House primaries in New York City.
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-1024x683.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="An older man in a suit speaks passionately at a podium with a microphone on a dimly lit stage; a partially visible sign reads "THE YEAR." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-768x512.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-780x520.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-400x267.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-706x471.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650263" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/election-2026-new-york-mamdani/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-scaled.jpg" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"5.6","credit":"AP Photo/Ryan Murphy","camera":"ILCE-7M5","caption":"U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT., speaks during a Get Out The Vote rally ahead of New York's primary election, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)","created_timestamp":"1781829847","copyright":"Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.","focal_length":"174","iso":"4000","shutter_speed":"0.0025","title":"Election 2026 New York Mamdani","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Election 2026 New York Mamdani" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT., speaks during a Get Out The Vote rally ahead of New York&#8217;s primary election, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy) " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-1200x800.jpg" /> <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="800" data-attachment-id="650263" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/election-2026-new-york-mamdani/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-scaled.jpg" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"5.6","credit":"AP Photo/Ryan Murphy","camera":"ILCE-7M5","caption":"U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT., speaks during a Get Out The Vote rally ahead of New York's primary election, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)","created_timestamp":"1781829847","copyright":"Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.","focal_length":"174","iso":"4000","shutter_speed":"0.0025","title":"Election 2026 New York Mamdani","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Election 2026 New York Mamdani" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT., speaks during a Get Out The Vote rally ahead of New York&#8217;s primary election, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy) " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-1200x800.jpg" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-1200x800.jpg" alt="An older man in a suit speaks passionately at a podium with a microphone on a dimly lit stage; a partially visible sign reads "THE YEAR." class="wp-image-650263" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-768x512.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-780x520.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-400x267.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AP26170035815473-706x471.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT., speaks during a Get Out The Vote rally ahead of New York’s primary election, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy) A slate of progressive Democratic candidates for Congress backed by Vermont’s independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani swept their primary elections Tuesday. The victories, in one case over a five-term incumbent, showed that the wave of support on which Mamdani was elected last year, also with Sanders’ backing, could be a boon to other candidates, too. All of the Democrats — Brad Lander, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier — are expected to easily win office in this fall’s general election. Mamdani has previously said he modeled his 2025 campaign on Sanders’ run for mayor of Burlington in 1981. At a rally last week in New York City, the mayor introduced Sanders to a large crowd as, “My mentor. Your mentor. Our mentor.” “A year ago, it was not the end of a political movement,” Mamdani said Tuesday night at a celebration party for Valdez. “It was the beginning.” Sanders and Mamdani, who both describe themselves as democratic socialists, threw their support behind candidates in competitive House primary matchups who did not have support from Democratic Party leaders in Congress. All three of the candidates were unafraid to push for ambitious economic policies and to criticize Israel and U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Lander, a former New York City comptroller, dethroned Democratic U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman with two-thirds of the vote. Valdez, a first-term member of the New York State Assembly, defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso in an open race, winning 56% of the vote. And with 49% of the vote in her race, first-time candidate Avila Chevalier, a doctoral student and community organizer, unseated 10-year Democratic U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Sanders was quick to celebrate Wednesday with a call to keep his and Mamdani’s political momentum going. “The American people — in New York and all across this country — are sick and tired of status quo politics. They’re sick and tired of a rigged economy. And they’re sick and tired of billionaires and their super PACs buying elections,” Sanders said in a social media post Wednesday. “Let’s organize and continue winning elections.” He was referring, at least partly, to a late infusion of money in one of the New York City races tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. Avila Chevalier, Lander and Valdez have been sharp critics of AIPAC and its support for many Democratic members of Congress, as are Sanders and Mamdani. The latter were adamant, during the rally last week, that their brand of left-wing politics is the playbook Democrats need to follow across the country to win back control of at least the U.S. House in this year’s midterms. Sanders pointed to raising taxes on billionaires and slashing U.S. military spending in order to provide universal access to free childcare, offer tuition-free public higher education and reduce healthcare costs nationwide, among other proposals. “The policies and the politics of the Democratic establishment are no longer good enough,” he said at last week’s rally. “In this dangerous and unprecedented moment in American history, tinkering around the edges just won’t work.” Tuesday’s primaries could pose headaches for Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, whose preferred candidates did not win, said Matthew Dickinson, a political science professor at Middlebury College. Republican candidates will undoubtedly use Tuesday’s results to paint the Democratic Party as having been taken over by its leftmost wing, Dickinson said. “And the message coming out of there could hurt other Democrats who are running in less progressive districts against potent Republican opponents,” he said. The arm of the Republican Party focused on U.S. House campaigns wasted little time making that point Wednesday, calling the results in New York City “the night the Democrat establishment officially surrendered to Zohran Mamdani.” “Every House Democrat, in safe and competitive districts alike, will now answer to the radicals calling the shots,” said Mike Marinella, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, in a statement. Dickinson noted that primaries tend to be dominated by the most ideological members of a given political party, so it’s hard to say whether their support is representative of a broader electorate. “The Democratic Party’s got to be concerned about overinterpreting what works in the boroughs of New York,” he said. “Will that work in, you know, the suburbs of Des Moines — or someplace like that?” Read the story on VTDigger here: Candidates backed by Vermont’s Bernie Sanders sweep House primaries in New York City.
‘A ray of hope’: A Franklin County dairy facility to reopen this fall amid a spate of shutdowns
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-scaled.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-768x512.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="532515" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-rr-03/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-scaled.jpg" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"8","credit":"","camera":"Canon EOS 6D Mark II","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1647219978","copyright":"","focal_length":"24","iso":"320","shutter_speed":"0.00125","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Colleen, one of the Rooneys&#8217; dairy cows, behind the barn March 14, 2022. Photo by Riley Robinson/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-1200x800.jpg" /> The reopening is a promising sign for the local community and dairy industry after the loss of at least three dairy production plants in recent months. Read the story on VTDigger here: ‘A ray of hope’: A Franklin County dairy facility to reopen this fall amid a spate of shutdowns.
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-scaled.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-768x512.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="532515" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-rr-03/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-scaled.jpg" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"8","credit":"","camera":"Canon EOS 6D Mark II","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1647219978","copyright":"","focal_length":"24","iso":"320","shutter_speed":"0.00125","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Colleen, one of the Rooneys&#8217; dairy cows, behind the barn March 14, 2022. Photo by Riley Robinson/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-1200x800.jpg" /> <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="800" data-attachment-id="532515" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-rr-03/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-scaled.jpg" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"8","credit":"","camera":"Canon EOS 6D Mark II","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1647219978","copyright":"","focal_length":"24","iso":"320","shutter_speed":"0.00125","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Colleen, one of the Rooneys&#8217; dairy cows, behind the barn March 14, 2022. Photo by Riley Robinson/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-1200x800.jpg" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-1200x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-532515" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-768x512.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rooney-dairy-farm-031422-RR-03-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> Dairy cows behind a barn in Vermont in March 2022. File photo by Riley Robinson/VTDigger A longtime plant manager is buying a recently shuttered Franklin County dairy facility and reopening it this fall, a rare bright spot for a Vermont dairy industry battered by a string of recent production shutdowns. John Ovitt said he plans to take ownership of the Franklin Foods plant Sept. 1 and will reopen it as Franklin County Cheese, producing some of the same line of products as the previous operation but on a smaller scale. “I have worked here for 37 years and been through all the changes and did not want to see it close,” Ovitt told VTDigger. While the workforce of the plant will decrease once ownership is transferred, starting at around 20 workers from the plant’s roughly 100 workers, the reopening is a promising sign, one state official said. At least three dairy production plants have closed in recent months. “It’s a ray of hope,” Anson Tebbetts, Vermont’s secretary of agriculture, food and markets, said. After purchasing the plant in 2017, Germany-based food company Hochland announced earlier this month that it would shut down their facility in Vermont in August. Another major Franklin County manufacturing plant, Perrigo, also said in May it would shut down its infant formula facility, laying off 162 employees. The Franklin Foods closure not only hit workers in the region but also represented struggles for the dairy industry amid other shutterings. Dairy Farmers of America announced last week that it would effectively close its St. Albans milk processing plant in August and dairy manufacturer HP Hood’s plant in Barre closed in April. “There’s anxiety, but I also think there’s tremendous energy from everyone I’ve talked about to map out a path forward to try to preserve what we currently have, which I think is very important,” Tebbetts said, describing the efforts to rebuild the industry after recent hits. READ MORE Since the announcement that Franklin Foods would close, Vermont’s Agency of Agriculture and Agency of Commerce and Community Development have been working to assess the fallout and figure out a solution, Tebbetts said. Ovitt stepped forward, and the agencies, along with the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, assisted, Tebbett said. The new Franklin County dairy facility will produce plant-based cream cheese, as well as Baker’s Cheese, which the former plant was known for. It will also wash trailers, filling a need in the area and helping with the new operation’s income before it plans to expand into packaging foods made elsewhere, Ovitt said. “We’re trying to resurrect this and build back, and I think — maybe I’m being too optimistic — but I think there’s a place for small-to-medium companies, like I’m going to have,” Ovitt said. In the meantime, as the plant transitions ownership, both Ovitt and the previous owner are working to support the workers affected. Over the last three Fridays, the Vermont Department of Labor has hosted workshops for the plant’s soon-to-be laid off workers to help with resume writing and the job search, according to Ovitt. For Kevin Kouri, chair of the Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance, the recent dairy production closures signal that partnerships between the public and private sector are needed. He encouraged more conversation between local officials and producers if a facility needs support. Local elected officials will be meeting dairy producers next week to discuss long-term ideas, Kouri and Tebbetts said. “We all need to communicate, we all need to talk and we all need to figure out a strategy going forward to improve not only the dairy economy but the rural economy of Vermont,” Tebbetts said about the upcoming meeting. Read the story on VTDigger here: ‘A ray of hope’: A Franklin County dairy facility to reopen this fall amid a spate of shutdowns.
Vermont Conversation: Cartoonist Tillie Walden celebrates early American queer love in Vermont in new book
<img width="1024" height="682" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-1024x682.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Cover of "Charity & Sylvia" by Tillie Walden on the left, and on the right, an illustrated person drawing at a table with art supplies, drinks, and nature-themed borders." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-768x512.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-780x520.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-400x267.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-706x471.jpg 706w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite.jpg 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650279" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/2026/06/24/vermont-conversation-cartoonist-tillie-walden-celebrates-early-american-queer-love-in-vermont-in-new-book/authorbook-composite-7/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite.jpg" data-orig-size="2000,1333" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="AuthorBook Composite" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" From left: &#8220;Charity &#038; Sylvia&#8221; graphic novel by cartoonist Tillie Walden; A self-portrait of the cartoonist Tillie Walden, who is a former Vermont Cartoonist Laureate. " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-1200x800.jpg" /> The graphic novel reconstructs the lives of Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake, a lesbian couple living in 1810s Weybridge, and the parallels with small town life in modern Vermont. Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont Conversation: Cartoonist Tillie Walden celebrates early American queer love in Vermont in new book.
<img width="1024" height="682" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-1024x682.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Cover of "Charity & Sylvia" by Tillie Walden on the left, and on the right, an illustrated person drawing at a table with art supplies, drinks, and nature-themed borders." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-768x512.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-780x520.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-400x267.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-706x471.jpg 706w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite.jpg 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650279" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/2026/06/24/vermont-conversation-cartoonist-tillie-walden-celebrates-early-american-queer-love-in-vermont-in-new-book/authorbook-composite-7/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite.jpg" data-orig-size="2000,1333" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="AuthorBook Composite" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" From left: &#8220;Charity &#038; Sylvia&#8221; graphic novel by cartoonist Tillie Walden; A self-portrait of the cartoonist Tillie Walden, who is a former Vermont Cartoonist Laureate. " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-1200x800.jpg" /> The Vermont Conversation with David Goodman is a VTDigger podcast that features in-depth interviews on local and national issues. Listen and subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts. <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="800" data-attachment-id="650279" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/2026/06/24/vermont-conversation-cartoonist-tillie-walden-celebrates-early-american-queer-love-in-vermont-in-new-book/authorbook-composite-7/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite.jpg" data-orig-size="2000,1333" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="AuthorBook Composite" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" From left: &#8220;Charity &#038; Sylvia&#8221; graphic novel by cartoonist Tillie Walden; A self-portrait of the cartoonist Tillie Walden, who is a former Vermont Cartoonist Laureate. " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-1200x800.jpg" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-1200x800.jpg" alt="Cover of "Charity & Sylvia" by Tillie Walden on the left, and on the right, an illustrated person drawing at a table with art supplies, drinks, and nature-themed borders." class="wp-image-650279" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-768x512.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-780x520.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-400x267.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite-706x471.jpg 706w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/AuthorBook-Composite.jpg 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> From left: “Charity & Sylvia” graphic novel by cartoonist Tillie Walden; A self-portrait of the cartoonist Tillie Walden, who is a former Vermont Cartoonist Laureate. In the early 1800s, Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake spent 44 years as life partners living together in the small Vermont town of Weybridge. They are one of the earliest lesbian couples in America whose story is documented, thanks in part to a new graphic novel by Tillie Walden. Walden is a rising star in cartooning. She served as Vermont’s fifth cartoonist laureate from 2023 to 2026, following cartoon luminaries such as Alison Bechdel and the late New Yorker cartoonist Ed Koren. In 2018 at the age of 22, Walden won the first of her two Eisner Awards, known as the Oscars of cartooning, becoming one of the youngest Eisner Award winners ever. Walden’s latest book, “Charity & Sylvia,” has been named the 2026 selection of Vermont Reads, a program of Vermont Humanities that invites communities around the state to read the same book and hold discussions and events. Walden moved to Vermont from Texas to attend the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction and became a professor there in 2022. Walden, now 30, is the author of 16 books. She lives in Norwich with her wife, the cartoonist Emma Hunsinger, and their young son. Walden faced many challenges in reconstructing the lives of Charity and Sylvia. For one, she did not know what they looked like. The closest image she had was a silhouette of the couple, framed by locks of their hair. <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="1659" data-attachment-id="650280" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/2026/06/24/vermont-conversation-cartoonist-tillie-walden-celebrates-early-american-queer-love-in-vermont-in-new-book/charity-interior21/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CHARITY.interior21-scaled.jpg" data-orig-size="1852,2560" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="CHARITY.interior21" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" An excerpt of the graphic novel &#8220;Charity &#038; Sylvia&#8221; by cartoonist Tillie Walden. " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CHARITY.interior21-1200x1659.jpg" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CHARITY.interior21-1200x1659.jpg" alt="A comic strip titled "A Short Collection of Some of the Choice Words that Have Been Said About Miss Charity Bryant," featuring historical quotes and illustrations of people discussing her." class="wp-image-650280" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CHARITY.interior21-1200x1659.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CHARITY.interior21-217x300.jpg 217w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CHARITY.interior21-90x125.jpg 90w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CHARITY.interior21-768x1062.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CHARITY.interior21-1111x1536.jpg 1111w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CHARITY.interior21-1481x2048.jpg 1481w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CHARITY.interior21-741x1024.jpg 741w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CHARITY.interior21-780x1078.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CHARITY.interior21-400x553.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CHARITY.interior21-706x976.jpg 706w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CHARITY.interior21-scaled.jpg 1852w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> An excerpt of the graphic novel “Charity & Sylvia” by cartoonist Tillie Walden. “When it came to deciding their faces, it was mentioned in a letter way back when that Charity looked a lot like her brother, so I went to Massachusetts and found the portrait of her brother, and I based her off of what her brother looked like,” Walden told me. She based her depiction of Sylvia on a photograph that she had of her niece. Walden also found another source for inspiration: her Vermont neighbors. “I needed actual human beings to populate Weybridge, Vermont, in 1810, but there was nothing to go off of, so I really did just look at my neighbors and I drew their faces and their bodies and their personalities into the book,” she said. “Small town Vermont hasn’t changed that much, really.” Walden wants “Charity & Sylvia” to offer a more realistic view of queer love. “Marginalized groups often have to represent themselves in media as very digestible and very acceptable, because that’s how you find mainstream appeal.” “What I’m actually interested in is how gayness, queerness — whatever you call it — interacts with more complex parts of life, like faith, like conservatism, like being an American, like being a Vermonter. And I was very moved that Charity and Sylvia were not perfect role models,” she said. “Queer people aren’t perfect. No marginalized person is perfect. No person anywhere is perfect.” Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont Conversation: Cartoonist Tillie Walden celebrates early American queer love in Vermont in new book.
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Text reading "Commentaries" and "Opinion pieces by community members" with a speech bubble icon." decoding="async" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="615530" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/commentaries_featured-image-25/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Commentaries_featured image 25" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" /> Inflation, unrest, distrust in government — 1976 had all of it too, and Americans still found reasons for pride. Read the story on VTDigger here: Patriotism is not a dirty word.
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Text reading "Commentaries" and "Opinion pieces by community members" with a speech bubble icon." decoding="async" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="615530" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/commentaries_featured-image-25/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Commentaries_featured image 25" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" /> This commentary is by Shawn Tester, the chief executive officer of Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital. A few months ago, rummaging through some old memorabilia, I came across a large bronze commemorative medallion my grandfather gave me during our nation’s bicentennial celebration in 1976. I was only 5 years old at the time, but I still remember the exuberance and pride that seemed to fill every corner of our community — flags waving from front porches, parades winding through town, and fireworks lighting up the summer sky. Even our little town of Kirby joined in the celebration. There was a parade and community events at Brookside School, our one-room schoolhouse. For a young boy, it was all tremendously exciting, made even more memorable when Gov. Tom Salmon arrived by helicopter to take part in the festivities. The school happened to sit next to my grandfather’s cornfield. In early July, the corn was knee-high and growing well. Unfortunately, the helicopter pilot decided that the cornfield looked like the perfect landing spot. You can imagine what the rotor wash did to those rows of corn. Watching my grandfather express his displeasure to the governor and his pilot left a lasting impression on my young mind. My grandfather was a true patriot. The son of poor Irish immigrants, he embodied the American dream. He never made it beyond the eighth grade because he was needed on the family farm. At 16, he purchased his first truck and began hauling milk for local farmers. Over time, he built a successful transportation business and a thriving farm. In an era when opportunity seemed boundless, even a poor Irish Catholic kid with no high school diploma could envision a better future through hard work and determination. What stands out most in my memory, however, is that his pride in America was not unique. It was widely shared. Patriotism was not viewed through a partisan lens. It was simply a common thread woven throughout civic life. The 1970s were not an easy period for the United States. In many respects, the problems were similar to those we face now. Inflation was high. The nation was grappling with the aftermath of military failure. The previous decade had been marked by political violence and social unrest. Watergate had shaken public confidence in government and public institutions. And yet Americans celebrated. We had recently put a man on the moon. The U.S. remained a global leader. The baby boom generation was entering its prime. Families gathered for cookouts. Neighbors flew flags. Communities came together to celebrate the remarkable experiment that is American democracy. As we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary, the mood feels different. What I see today is less pride and more fatigue. Whether it stems from our contentious political climate, the sense that the economy no longer works for ordinary people, the relentless 24-hour news cycle or the divisive influence of social media, I cannot say with certainty. Most likely, it is some combination of all these factors. Yet despite these challenges, I believe we still have much to celebrate. The great American experiment continues. Opportunities still exist for those willing to seek them. The U.S. is still among the world’s most influential nations and has one of its strongest economies. Millions around the globe still dream of calling America home. Consider what we have accomplished over the last 50 years. Advances in medicine have extended and improved countless lives. Innovations in technology have transformed how we work, communicate and learn. American universities, businesses, entrepreneurs and researchers continue to drive progress that benefits not only our own citizens but much of the world. READ MORE None of this means we should ignore our shortcomings. Patriotism is not blind allegiance, nor does it require us to overlook our faults. In fact, one of America’s greatest strengths has always been its capacity for self-correction. We debate. We argue. We stumble. But over time, we adapt, improve and move forward. That is something worth celebrating. So this Fourth of July, I will proudly fly my flag. I will gather with family and friends for a cookout. I will find a place to watch fireworks and reflect on the generations who built, defended and improved this nation before us. Two hundred and fifty years after its founding, the American story is unfinished. That is not a weakness — it is the source of our enduring strength. And if history is any guide, I am confident that this remarkable nation will continue to flourish for generations to come. Read the story on VTDigger here: Patriotism is not a dirty word.
Vermont’s classrooms are a Big Tech sales pitch
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Text reading "Commentaries" and "Opinion pieces by community members" with a speech bubble icon." decoding="async" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="615530" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/commentaries_featured-image-25/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Commentaries_featured image 25" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" /> The groups Vermont schools trust to vet the safety of educational technology are funded by the companies they're supposed to be checking. Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont’s classrooms are a Big Tech sales pitch.
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Text reading "Commentaries" and "Opinion pieces by community members" with a speech bubble icon." decoding="async" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="615530" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/commentaries_featured-image-25/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Commentaries_featured image 25" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" /> This commentary is by Laura Derrendinger, who co-leads the Vermont Coalition for Independence, Reconnection and Liberation. With the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding approaching, it is time to declare Vermont’s schools independent of so-called Big Tech. The online and digital product companies — Google and Apple chief among them — are this era’s mercenaries, hired to maximize profits by putting their products directly in front of a captive audience of schoolchildren. In March, a jury in California found Meta and Google, which owns YouTube, liable for harming children. An investigation in The New York Times exposed how both companies planned to capture students’ attention at school. Yet we’ve allowed Google’s products to become standard issue in nearly all Vermont schoolchildren’s hands. Google’s own internal documents show it deliberately places Chromebooks in schools to provide access to YouTube and build a customer base while children are young. Our children’s school environments have become commercialized for digital product makers at the expense of their health and education. Vermont students should be free from being targeted by marketing in the classroom. We support digital tools when independent research shows learning gains over nondigital alternatives. Most of what’s in Vermont classrooms today doesn’t meet that bar. This legislative session, the Vermont Coalition for Independence, Reconnection and Liberation advanced two policy priorities in Montpelier to limit Big Tech’s reach into classrooms. Students and teachers should have the right to opt out of using electronic devices in school, especially since we know online crimes against children occur on school-issued devices during the school day. Second, educational technology products purchased with our tax dollars need independent, transparent review for safety and efficacy. In pushing for that independent verification, testimony from the Agency of Education before the Vermont House Commerce Committee stated that “in the educational technology space, Common Sense Media and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) are trusted sources of information.” READ MORE ISTE and Common Sense Media have both received funding from and partnered with Meta and Google. Imagine if education leaders cited a group funded by McDonald’s and Coca-Cola as a trusted source for setting school lunch standards? It’s the same logic as expecting Marlboro to advise on tobacco safety, or Budweiser to teach kids about underage drinking — yet the American Academy of Pediatrics directs parents to Snapchat and Instagram for guidance on keeping kids safe on social media. When corporate interests develop relationships with trusted messengers, their recommendations will tend to serve the company’s interest in growing profits over student well-being. This is a recurring tactic across industries: catastrophic capture of the nonprofits that communities trust. Vermont is not alone in pushing back against Big Tech in schools. In this 2026 legislative session, 16 states introduced legislation to regulate or study the effects of educational technology on students. In response, Big Tech’s lobbyists have moved into statehouses nationwide. Product defense is a known tactic in many health-harming industries: sugar, tobacco, oil. It follows a consistent pattern: Delay and obscure to stall regulation. Our children and schools are now caught in the same playbook, at the expense of their health and education. We submit a simple request: Question everything. Legislators and school leaders: Ask every entity that comes to you with policy recommendations to disclose how they are funded and who they partner with. If someone cites a source, check where its funding comes from. Nonprofits and government institutions must divorce from corporate funding and influence that creates real or perceived bias in recommendations they give. No single policy tool will solve this problem; it will take many levers at once. But it starts with refusing to let the king’s mercenaries write the rules meant to protect the people they’re paid to capture. Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont’s classrooms are a Big Tech sales pitch.
A federal judge orders an ICE detainee with mental illness released, finding her six-month detention unconstitutional
Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
<img width="1024" height="676" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-1024x676.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A view through a glass door marked "REC" into a hallway with a yellow cleaning cart, white walls, and another door labeled "BOOKING." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-1024x676.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-300x198.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-1200x792.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-768x507.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-1536x1014.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-2048x1352.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-1568x1035.jpg 1568w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-2000x1320.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-400x264.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-706x466.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="593195" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/correctional-facility-1-20240827/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827.jpg" data-orig-size="2500,1650" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"5.6","credit":"Glenn Russell","camera":"NIKON Z 6_2","caption":"A view inside the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington on Monday, August 27, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger","created_timestamp":"1724773287","copyright":"Glenn Russell","focal_length":"70","iso":"5000","shutter_speed":"0.002","title":"correctional-facility-1 20240827","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="correctional-facility-1 20240827" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" A view inside the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington on Monday, August 27, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-1200x792.jpg" /> The ruling followed a hearing that exposed a sharp divide over how a Vermont prison's mental health providers, a corrections officer and outside clinicians assessed the woman’s mental illness, a dispute the judge did not resolve. Read the story on VTDigger here: A federal judge orders an ICE detainee with mental illness released, finding her six-month detention unconstitutional.
<img width="1024" height="676" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-1024x676.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A view through a glass door marked "REC" into a hallway with a yellow cleaning cart, white walls, and another door labeled "BOOKING." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-1024x676.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-300x198.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-1200x792.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-768x507.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-1536x1014.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-2048x1352.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-1568x1035.jpg 1568w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-2000x1320.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-400x264.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-706x466.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="593195" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/correctional-facility-1-20240827/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827.jpg" data-orig-size="2500,1650" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"5.6","credit":"Glenn Russell","camera":"NIKON Z 6_2","caption":"A view inside the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington on Monday, August 27, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger","created_timestamp":"1724773287","copyright":"Glenn Russell","focal_length":"70","iso":"5000","shutter_speed":"0.002","title":"correctional-facility-1 20240827","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="correctional-facility-1 20240827" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" A view inside the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington on Monday, August 27, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-1200x792.jpg" /> <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="792" data-attachment-id="593195" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/correctional-facility-1-20240827/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827.jpg" data-orig-size="2500,1650" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"5.6","credit":"Glenn Russell","camera":"NIKON Z 6_2","caption":"A view inside the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington on Monday, August 27, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger","created_timestamp":"1724773287","copyright":"Glenn Russell","focal_length":"70","iso":"5000","shutter_speed":"0.002","title":"correctional-facility-1 20240827","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="correctional-facility-1 20240827" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" A view inside the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington on Monday, August 27, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-1200x792.jpg" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-1200x792.jpg" alt="A view through a glass door marked "REC" into a hallway with a yellow cleaning cart, white walls, and another door labeled "BOOKING." class="wp-image-593195" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-1200x792.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-300x198.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-768x507.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-1536x1014.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-2048x1352.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-1024x676.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-1568x1035.jpg 1568w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-2000x1320.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-400x264.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/correctional-facility-1-20240827-706x466.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> The Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington in August 2024. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger RUTLAND — A Haitian asylum seeker arrived at a Vermont prison having been prescribed psychiatric medication weeks earlier, but prison healthcare providers and outside experts disagreed about the kind of treatment she needed while incarcerated in the state, according to testimony in a federal case that ended Monday when a judge ordered her release. “The list really goes on of times when the signs of mental illness were so obvious, and the facility did nothing,” Eleni Bakst, one of the woman’s lawyers, told a federal court in a hearing here last week. The woman, in her 40s and identified in court documents only by her initials, has spent more than six months in detention, most of it at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in Burlington, according to court documents. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier ordered the woman released, finding that her prolonged detention without any individualized hearing to justify holding her violated her Fifth Amendment right to due process. Lanthier ordered that she be released at 3 p.m. Wednesday, enough time, she wrote, for the woman’s lawyers to arrange transportation back to Massachusetts. The woman’s lawyers had raised questions in court documents and testimony about whether a Vermont prison and the federal government met their constitutional duty to care for a detainee with serious mental illness, arguing their actions amounted to “deliberate indifference.” Lawyers for the federal government and the Vermont Department of Corrections disagreed. But Lanthier did not decide that question. She ordered the woman released because her detention had simply gone on too long with no process to test whether it was justified. The judge wrote that she was “not considering” the claim that the prison was deliberately indifferent to the woman’s medical needs. The case nonetheless offered rare insight into the nature of mental health treatment at the Burlington facility. A federal hearing last week in Rutland, which ran nearly five and a half hours, revealed how sharply the prison’s mental health providers diverged from outside experts who assessed the same woman and a Department of Corrections staffer who raised concerns about the woman’s mental health. Kasia Brown, who directs mental health care at the prison and works for Wellpath, the state’s prison medical contractor, testified that she received no records of the woman’s past diagnoses or medications. During an involuntary psychiatric hospitalization a few months prior to her arrival at the Vermont facility, the woman had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and anxiety, according to court records. The woman’s lawyers said that in January they gave ICE documentation of her diagnoses, past prescriptions and recent psychiatric hospitalization, but that ICE appears not to have shared those documents with Wellpath. The woman has not received psychiatric medication since arriving at the South Burlington prison in early February, according to court records. Brown screened the woman in mid-February and wrote in a sworn declaration that no mental health services were clinically indicated, according to court records. Brown testified that in that screening, the woman seemed guarded and gave short answers but denied having any prior mental health issues. Not recognizing one’s own mental illness is a common feature of schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder shares symptoms with schizophrenia, according to the Cleveland Clinic. In late February, a corrections officer on the woman’s unit submitted an urgent request for a mental health meeting, citing “escalating concerns regarding her mental status and overall safety,” according to court documents. The full request was sealed, but portions of it were quoted in court documents and testimony. The officer wrote that the woman was refusing to shower, was menstruating through her clothing without addressing it and that meaningful communication had failed. The officer added that the woman’s condition was distressing others on the unit, which raised concerns about the unit’s stability, according to portions of the request quoted in testimony and court documents. Three days later, an outside clinician, Krista Reincke, met with the woman at her lawyers’ request and diagnosed “unspecified schizophrenia spectrum disorder and other psychotic disorder,” according to portions of Reincke’s evaluation that were quoted in court documents. Reincke noted the woman said she had “a special relationship with God” and was “not of this world” and that Jesus was her lawyer. Around the same time, Brown testified, another Wellpath clinician met with the woman and reported no signs of mental illness beyond poor hygiene and limited understanding. In medical records quoted in the judge’s ruling, however, the clinician wrote that the evaluation did “indicate the possibility of a MH concern,” using the initials for mental health, although the clinician also wrote that the woman’s “issues” may be in part due to cultural and communication barriers. Nonetheless, after the concern was raised by the unit officer, the woman was moved to a “mental health” housing unit where there were more prison staff available, Brown testified. The mental health team met weekly with the woman until mid-April, then moved her to monthly meetings, according to court documents and Brown’s testimony. It’s not clear what the duration or nature of those meetings was. In court documents, the woman’s lawyers described the meetings as ranging “from five to 25 minutes.” Medical records filed as part of the case were not made public. A second outside clinician, social worker Norma Wassel, reached the same diagnosis as Reincke after meeting the woman by video on June 12. In court testimony, Wassel said the woman told her there were spirits in the room and at times appeared to speak to someone who was not there, behavior that Wassel said went “beyond what would be considered related to that culture, related to that religion,” referring to the woman’s Haitian background. Wassel testified that without treatment, the woman could deteriorate further, testimony the judge cited in her ruling. The road to ICE detention The woman arrived in the U.S. in June 2024 with her husband and two young children, court documents said. Originally from Haiti, she had been living in Brazil. The family entered on humanitarian parole, and her husband applied for asylum for the family, settling in Chicopee, Massachusetts. In November 2025, she was arrested and involuntarily hospitalized for eight days at a Massachusetts inpatient facility, where she was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and severe anxiety and was prescribed several psychiatric medications, including an antipsychotic, according to court documents. About two weeks after her discharge, police responded to a reported domestic disturbance at the family’s apartment. A police report, based partly on statements that were translated from Haitian Creole using unspecified “translation services,” said that according to the woman’s husband, she had scratched and bitten him during an altercation. She was arrested and arraigned on one count of assault and battery on a household member. The charge was later dismissed, according to court records and her attorney. ICE detained her in mid-December, the day after her arrest. ICE moved her between facilities in Maine and Massachusetts, court records say, where her lawyers say she was taken off medication and later put back on it, before transferring her to the South Burlington prison in February. The government had first moved to transfer her to Texas, court records showed. After her lawyers objected, it sought to send her to Vermont instead, and a federal court in Massachusetts approved the move while keeping the case under its jurisdiction. “Deliberate indifference” or a “good-faith effort”? It was only in mid-June, after Brown, the prison’s mental health director, received the woman’s medical records from her inpatient hospitalization, that she referred the woman to a psychiatric nurse practitioner for evaluation, Brown testified. The psychiatric evaluation is expected within weeks, Brown testified, adding that learning of the prior diagnosis did not otherwise change her approach to the woman’s treatment. Brown said in court that she received the medical records in an email about the ongoing court case, which she thought had been sent to her by Brendan Sage, a lawyer representing the Department of Corrections in the case. In court, the woman’s attorneys argued that the prison and ICE violated the woman’s Fifth Amendment rights by showing “deliberate indifference” to a serious medical need. Matthew Greer, representing the federal government, said it did not contest the woman’s diagnoses but argued that the facility had shown it could meet her medical needs. Sage, for the Department of Corrections, argued in court that the facility made a “good-faith” effort and that Brown began to view the woman’s behavior “in a different light” once Brown had the records of the woman’s past hospitalization. In her ruling, Lanthier focused on the length of the detention rather than the quality of the woman’s care. In addition to the more than six months the woman has already spent in detention, Lanthier raised concerns that if she did not order the woman’s release, the woman could face months more of detention due to her ongoing immigration case. Lanthier also raised concerns that the woman’s mental health could deteriorate if she is not treated. By the time of the hearing, Lanthier wrote, the criminal charge that led to the woman’s arrest had been dismissed and the government had identified no interest in continuing to hold her and no evidence that she posed a danger or a flight risk. Lanthier set the woman’s release for Wednesday afternoon to allow time for the woman’s lawyer to arrange her transportation back to Massachusetts rather than “forcing (the woman) out into Burlington, Vermont, without means or resources.” Read the story on VTDigger here: A federal judge orders an ICE detainee with mental illness released, finding her six-month detention unconstitutional.
Drunken driving case may linger for Addison state’s attorney due to new disciplinary action
<img width="1024" height="681" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-1024x681.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Two people in suits stand in a room; one faces forward with hands behind back, while the other faces sideways with a hand near their mouth." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-1200x798.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-768x511.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-780x519.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-400x266.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-706x470.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="637958" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/eva-vekos-1-20251216/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216.jpg" data-orig-size="2500,1663" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"Glenn Russell","camera":"NIKON Z 6","caption":"Addison County States Attorney Eva Vekos pleads no contest to a DUI charge in Chittenden County Superior criminal court Burlington on Tuesday, December 16, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger","created_timestamp":"1765901824","copyright":"Glenn Russell","focal_length":"200","iso":"1100","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"eva vekos-1 20251216","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="eva vekos-1 20251216" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Addison County States Attorney Eva Vekos pleads no contest to a DUI charge in Chittenden County Superior criminal court Burlington on Tuesday, December 16, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-1200x798.jpg" /> Expunging Eva Vekos’ record, the prosecution argued, could mean losing evidence that lawyers want to use in a new disciplinary complaint brought before the Vermont Supreme Court. Read the story on VTDigger here: Drunken driving case may linger for Addison state’s attorney due to new disciplinary action.
<img width="1024" height="681" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-1024x681.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Two people in suits stand in a room; one faces forward with hands behind back, while the other faces sideways with a hand near their mouth." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-1200x798.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-768x511.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-780x519.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-400x266.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-706x470.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="637958" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/eva-vekos-1-20251216/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216.jpg" data-orig-size="2500,1663" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"Glenn Russell","camera":"NIKON Z 6","caption":"Addison County States Attorney Eva Vekos pleads no contest to a DUI charge in Chittenden County Superior criminal court Burlington on Tuesday, December 16, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger","created_timestamp":"1765901824","copyright":"Glenn Russell","focal_length":"200","iso":"1100","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"eva vekos-1 20251216","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="eva vekos-1 20251216" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Addison County States Attorney Eva Vekos pleads no contest to a DUI charge in Chittenden County Superior criminal court Burlington on Tuesday, December 16, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-1200x798.jpg" /> <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="798" data-attachment-id="637958" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/eva-vekos-1-20251216/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216.jpg" data-orig-size="2500,1663" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"Glenn Russell","camera":"NIKON Z 6","caption":"Addison County States Attorney Eva Vekos pleads no contest to a DUI charge in Chittenden County Superior criminal court Burlington on Tuesday, December 16, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger","created_timestamp":"1765901824","copyright":"Glenn Russell","focal_length":"200","iso":"1100","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"eva vekos-1 20251216","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="eva vekos-1 20251216" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Addison County States Attorney Eva Vekos pleads no contest to a DUI charge in Chittenden County Superior criminal court Burlington on Tuesday, December 16, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-1200x798.jpg" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-1200x798.jpg" alt="Two people in suits stand in a room; one faces forward with hands behind back, while the other faces sideways with a hand near their mouth." class="wp-image-637958" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-1200x798.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-768x511.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-780x519.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-400x266.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eva-vekos-1-20251216-706x470.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> Addison County States Attorney Eva Vekos pleads no contest to a DUI charge in Chittenden County Superior criminal court Burlington in Dec. 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger BURLINGTON — Prosecutors don’t want Addison County State’s Attorney Eva Vekos’ drunken driving conviction expunged from her record yet, because they say the move could jeopardize a new professional disciplinary proceeding against her. A delay in expungement, which the defense opposed and a judge has yet to decide on, would stray from typical court procedure. The two sides argued the point in a hearing Monday in Chittenden County Superior criminal court in Burlington. Vekos pleaded no contest to a drunken driving charge in December 2025, following her arrest in January 2024. Her sentence was deferred for six months, meaning that the conviction could be stricken from her record if she followed the conditions of her probation for that period of time. Usually, if a defendant completes probation for a deferred sentence without any violations, the charge is struck from their record and the case expunged, meaning that all state agencies and departments must act as if no record of the crime exists. Striking a conviction keeps it from appearing on a person’s record, but documents related to the case are still available unless those are expunged. Vekos’ drunken driving conviction has already been struck from her record, Judge John Pacht said Monday. The prosecution argued the state should delay expunging her record. That’s because the state’s Professional Responsibility Board, which investigates allegations of attorney misconduct, filed a new disciplinary action against Vekos on Thursday with the Vermont Supreme Court. The complaint — which became publicly available Tuesday — focuses on Vekos’ conduct during and after her arrest. During the Monday hearing, Assistant Attorney General Rosemary Kennedy said the state’s disciplinary case against Vekos relies on a lot of the same evidence that was used in her drunken driving case. Expunging Vekos’ record so soon could sacrifice the separate disciplinary proceeding, Kennedy told the court. “We were concerned that if the court ordered an expungement order in this case, that the case that is currently pending in the Supreme Court would go away,” Kennedy said, referencing the disciplinary action. READ MORE Once a defendant’s record is expunged, those involved in investigating the case tend to act as if the crime never happened, Kennedy said. That could complicate finding witnesses in the disciplinary case, she added. “In essence, institutional memory is erased,” Kennedy said. In turn, Vekos’ lawyer David Sleigh argued the court should follow its typical procedure. “There’s no argument here that there wasn’t a successful fulfillment of the deferred sentence agreement,” Sleigh said. Sleigh said a deferred sentence is like a contract between the state and a defendant. Vekos agreed to follow certain terms in exchange for receiving two main benefits: having her conviction stricken and her record expunged, he said. Because Vekos upheld her end of the agreement, she should reap the benefits, Sleigh argued. The complaint filed against Vekos last week is the Professional Responsibility Board’s first formal action against her. During the time that Vekos was serving her deferred sentence, the state Supreme Court granted a temporary suspension of her law license in April. The disciplinary complaint largely alleges that Vekos violated the rules of attorney conduct by driving under the influence of alcohol, asking the officers who arrested her for special treatment, and failing to respond to inquiries about a medical leave she took after her arrest, court documents show. The professional board, through filing a disciplinary complaint, could seek to suspend Vekos’ law license or have her disbarred. Including her time as Addison County state’s attorney, Vekos has spent the last 30 years as an attorney, according to an op-ed she wrote. Vekos is not seeking reelection after she rebuffed calls from both her own Democratic Party and Republican Gov. Phil Scott to resign. Those calls for her resignation followed a VTDigger investigation that revealed Vekos was facing multiple ethics complaints from crime victims who accused her of mistreating them. During the Monday hearing, Pacht did not say when he might issue a decision. Alan Keays contributed reporting. Read the story on VTDigger here: Drunken driving case may linger for Addison state’s attorney due to new disciplinary action.
National Weather Service classifies West Woodstock storm as EF1 tornado
<img width="1024" height="684" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-1024x684.webp" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A modern house with a metal roof and parked car sits on a grassy lawn at the edge of a dense, green forest with hills in the background." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-1024x684.webp 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-300x200.webp 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-125x83.webp 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-768x513.webp 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-780x521.webp 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-400x267.webp 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-706x471.webp 706w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy.webp 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650231" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy.webp" data-orig-size="1200,801" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Broken trees stand on the hill across the Ottauquechee River from the home of Bryon and Jen Lockhart in West Woodstock after a powerful storm swept across the Upper Valley on Thursday, June 18, 2026. Photo by James M. Patterson/Valley News " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy.webp" /> Meteorologists made the EF1 determination after conducting a field survey the morning after the storm. Read the story on VTDigger here: National Weather Service classifies West Woodstock storm as EF1 tornado.
<img width="1024" height="684" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-1024x684.webp" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A modern house with a metal roof and parked car sits on a grassy lawn at the edge of a dense, green forest with hills in the background." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-1024x684.webp 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-300x200.webp 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-125x83.webp 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-768x513.webp 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-780x521.webp 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-400x267.webp 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-706x471.webp 706w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy.webp 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650231" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy.webp" data-orig-size="1200,801" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Broken trees stand on the hill across the Ottauquechee River from the home of Bryon and Jen Lockhart in West Woodstock after a powerful storm swept across the Upper Valley on Thursday, June 18, 2026. Photo by James M. Patterson/Valley News " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy.webp" /> <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="801" data-attachment-id="650231" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy.webp" data-orig-size="1200,801" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Broken trees stand on the hill across the Ottauquechee River from the home of Bryon and Jen Lockhart in West Woodstock after a powerful storm swept across the Upper Valley on Thursday, June 18, 2026. Photo by James M. Patterson/Valley News " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy.webp" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy.webp" alt="A modern house with a metal roof and parked car sits on a grassy lawn at the edge of a dense, green forest with hills in the background." class="wp-image-650231" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy.webp 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-300x200.webp 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-125x83.webp 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-768x513.webp 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-1024x684.webp 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-780x521.webp 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-400x267.webp 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-vn-storm-jmp-349-copy-706x471.webp 706w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> Broken trees stand on the hill across the Ottauquechee River from the home of Bryon and Jen Lockhart in West Woodstock after a powerful storm swept across the Upper Valley on Thursday, June 18, 2026. Photo by James M. Patterson/Valley News This story by Marion Umpleby was first published in the Valley News on June 22, 2026. WEST WOODSTOCK — Meteorologists from the National Weather Service have deemed the storm that wreaked havoc in the area of Bridgewater and West Woodstock on Thursday an EF1 tornado. An EF1 classification on the Enhanced Fujita Scale (named after pioneering Japanese and American meteorologist Ted Fujita) includes 3-second wind gusts between 86 and 110 mph that can cause moderate damage to the affected area. Meteorologists made the EF1 determination after conducting a field survey the morning after the storm. They found that “sturdy hardwood trees had blown over,” which often is caused by winds blowing at speeds of more than 100 mph, Eric Myskowski, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Burlington, said in a Monday phone interview. Meteorologists also observed that trees had fallen in opposite directions, as opposed to straight lines, indicating that the rotational winds of a tornado were at work. The tornado lasted 3 minutes in total, between 2:35 and 2:38 p.m. on Thursday with estimated peak winds at 100 mph. Its path length was 1.34 miles with a maximum width of 550 yards. The tornado left hundreds of toppled trees in its wake, as well as warped solar panels and damaged roofs. No injuries or deaths were reported. Vermont typically experiences one tornado a year, Myskowski said, but this year has seen an uptick, with three tornadoes hitting the state so far. The first was an EF1 tornado that occurred in Williamstown in April, which is an unusually early time to experience a tornado in Vermont, Myskowski said. Tornadoes typically occur in Vermont between May and July, when the days are hot and the atmospheric pressure is low. Those factors have been particularly pronounced this year, Myskowski said. <img decoding="async" width="780" height="439" data-attachment-id="650230" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/tornado-graphic/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/tornado-graphic.webp" data-orig-size="780,439" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="tornado-graphic" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" A graphic from the National Weather Service plots the course of an EF1 tornado that ripped through parts of Bridgewater and West Woodstock on Thursday, June 18 2026. Courtesy image National Weather Service Burlington. " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/tornado-graphic.webp" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/tornado-graphic.webp" alt="National Weather Service graphic showing the June 18, 2026 tornado path near Route 4 in Windsor County, VT, with damage survey notes and key stats: EF-1, 100 MPH, 1.34 mi path, no injuries or deaths." class="wp-image-650230" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/tornado-graphic.webp 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/tornado-graphic-300x169.webp 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/tornado-graphic-125x70.webp 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/tornado-graphic-768x432.webp 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/tornado-graphic-400x225.webp 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/tornado-graphic-706x397.webp 706w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" /> A graphic from the National Weather Service plots the course of an EF1 tornado that ripped through parts of Bridgewater and West Woodstock on Thursday, June 18 2026. Courtesy image National Weather Service Burlington. In addition to the tornado that ripped across the area of Bridgewater and West Woodstock on Thursday, another EF1 tornado occurred the same day in Lincoln, about a 90-minute drive from Woodstock. Another EF1 tornado hit the Upper Valley two years ago in July when it tore through part of Lyme, New Hampshire, leaving behind a path of snapped trees and scattered debris. Read the story on VTDigger here: National Weather Service classifies West Woodstock storm as EF1 tornado.
Calling nuclear power clean doesn’t make it true
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Letters-to-the-editor_featured-image-25.png" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Image with text: "Letters to the editor. Responses to VTDigger stories and opinion." Features a stylized blue feather icon." decoding="async" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="615529" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/letters-to-the-editor_featured-image-25/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Letters-to-the-editor_featured-image-25.png" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Letters to the editor_featured image 25" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Letters-to-the-editor_featured-image-25.png" /> Vermont can change the definition of clean energy. It can't change what nuclear power actually is. Read the story on VTDigger here: Calling nuclear power clean doesn’t make it true.
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Letters-to-the-editor_featured-image-25.png" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Image with text: "Letters to the editor. Responses to VTDigger stories and opinion." Features a stylized blue feather icon." decoding="async" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="615529" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/letters-to-the-editor_featured-image-25/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Letters-to-the-editor_featured-image-25.png" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Letters to the editor_featured image 25" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Letters-to-the-editor_featured-image-25.png" /> Dear Editor, Gov. Phil Scott selling Vermont the nuclear kool-aid is unacceptable. The governor insists that nuclear power is clean. He supports developing small modular nuclear reactors in Vermont. In an attempt to meet Vermont’s carbon commitments, the state wants to substitute the definition of “clean” for “renewable” to justify nuclear’s inclusion with H.601. Nuclear energy is neither clean nor green. We must do better. We need solutions that are truly sustainable and protect our communities. Scott is a nuclear cheerleader who ignores the problem of the radioactive waste already sitting on the banks of the Connecticut River. He supports policies that will make it possible to store more deadly waste at the site. Supporting an industry that has yet to solve its waste problem is irresponsible. Given climate disruption and the potential for acts of malice, we would be better served by leaders who address our vulnerability to the waste sitting on the banks of the river. Vermonters must demand that the state and federal governments take action. Contact your legislator! Deb Katz Rowe, MA Read the story on VTDigger here: Calling nuclear power clean doesn’t make it true.
Vermont needs better housing, not just more of it
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Text reading "Commentaries" and "Opinion pieces by community members" with a speech bubble icon." decoding="async" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="615530" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/commentaries_featured-image-25/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Commentaries_featured image 25" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" /> New developments are scarring the landscape and shortchanging Vermonters on design, location and affordability. Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont needs better housing, not just more of it.
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Text reading "Commentaries" and "Opinion pieces by community members" with a speech bubble icon." decoding="async" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="615530" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/commentaries_featured-image-25/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Commentaries_featured image 25" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" /> This commentary is by John Bossange, the president of the board of directors of Better (not Bigger) Vermont. Few would deny that we have a shortage of lower and moderately priced housing available for hardworking Vermonters. Sadly, what is being constructed now is often pitched at wealthy second-home and out-of-state buyers rather than local Vermont families. Worse, the new housing is often poorly located and is either an unsightly scar on the natural landscape or a depressing blight along a major road, in a commercial development or in a village center. Vermonters need a place to live, but it’s disheartening to watch developers clear-cut to build new housing, removing all the trees and vegetation from a site rather than working around existing growth and attempting to preserve the original landscape. This type of development exemplifies putting profit for investors and developers before aesthetics and care for the environment. In those scarred areas, commercial landscaping will take many years to look attractive and seems unlikely to replace what nature created long before most new owners or renters were born. You have to wonder how new residents will feel driving into these characterless developments at the end of a long workday. Is this what people think will attract younger workers and families to move to Vermont? Will the destruction of other beautiful, natural and open spaces be what we see all over Vermont 20 years from now? People need a place to call home, but the cold, gray, metallic-looking buildings we see everywhere now are depressing to look at and live in. Vermonters deserve so much better. Does the cost of materials and labor justify building this type of featureless housing? It would be interesting to comprehensively study the finances for the developers of these projects. Where does the profit go when building affordable homes for hardworking Vermonters? It’s not just large developments. Too often, even new single-family homes are being built on open fields and cleared old forests, miles from work, schools, stores, libraries and other essential quality-of-life services. Many are cold and bleak, with few windows, lacking individual character and any signs of original trees or natural greenery. Given the high cost of housing, Vermonters deserve a better and more affordable deal. If we are going to construct more new homes, we must not allow developers to permanently scar our landscape by clear-cutting the natural growth, damaging the natural environment and building drab, unsightly housing. Environmental degradation does harm that is expensive or impossible to repair. We also need guardrails to prevent developers from passing the long-term costs of development on to taxpayers, who will otherwise end up paying for upgraded infrastructure to provide more fresh water, new stormwater and waste treatment plants, roads carrying more traffic, more school classrooms and teachers, more man-made recreational options, and essential police and fire safety coverage. READ MORE Let’s also be wary of schemes to saddle long-standing residents with the ancillary costs for these public services through complex tax schemes, like tax increment financing and the Community and Housing Infrastructure Program. These questions about economic sustainability must be asked by town and village selectboards, city councils, development review boards, planning commissions and interested residents before any building permits are approved. This type of civic engagement is often cast as red tape, designed to delay the building of homes and apartments. But these issues are about livability while sustaining the economic and environmental fabric of a community. Vermont’s most valuable asset is communities integrated sustainably with the natural beauty of our environment. Recent efforts to increase housing will forever change the characteristics that make Vermont the beautiful state we call home. We all deserve better. Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont needs better housing, not just more of it.
Court says it might dismiss Vermont Catholic diocese bankruptcy case if progress isn’t made soon
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-1024x768.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A marble sign reading "Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington" is mounted between two brick pillars in front of a building and landscaped area." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-300x225.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-1200x900.jpg?crop=1 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-125x94.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-768x576.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-800x600.jpg?crop=1 800w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-600x450.jpg?crop=1 600w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-400x300.jpg?crop=1 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-200x150.jpg?crop=1 200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-780x585.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-706x530.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650222" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/vtd-catholic-22/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-scaled.jpg" data-orig-size="2560,1920" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="VTD Catholic 22" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" The Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese is selling its South Burlington headquarters at 55 Joy Drive for $3.13 million as part of its current bankruptcy case. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-1200x900.jpg?crop=1" /> The state’s largest religious denomination, racking up $2 million in legal bills and counting, is selling its South Burlington headquarters as it nears the second anniversary of filing for Chapter 11 protection. Read the story on VTDigger here: Court says it might dismiss Vermont Catholic diocese bankruptcy case if progress isn’t made soon.
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-1024x768.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A marble sign reading "Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington" is mounted between two brick pillars in front of a building and landscaped area." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-300x225.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-1200x900.jpg?crop=1 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-125x94.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-768x576.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-800x600.jpg?crop=1 800w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-600x450.jpg?crop=1 600w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-400x300.jpg?crop=1 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-200x150.jpg?crop=1 200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-780x585.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-706x530.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650222" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/vtd-catholic-22/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-scaled.jpg" data-orig-size="2560,1920" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="VTD Catholic 22" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" The Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese is selling its South Burlington headquarters at 55 Joy Drive for $3.13 million as part of its current bankruptcy case. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-1200x900.jpg?crop=1" /> <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="900" data-attachment-id="650222" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/vtd-catholic-22/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-scaled.jpg" data-orig-size="2560,1920" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="VTD Catholic 22" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" The Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese is selling its South Burlington headquarters at 55 Joy Drive for $3.13 million as part of its current bankruptcy case. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-1200x900.jpg?crop=1" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-1200x900.jpg?crop=1" alt="A marble sign reading "Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington" is mounted between two brick pillars in front of a building and landscaped area." class="wp-image-650222" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-1200x900.jpg?crop=1 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-300x225.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-125x94.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-768x576.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-800x600.jpg?crop=1 800w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-600x450.jpg?crop=1 600w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-400x300.jpg?crop=1 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-200x150.jpg?crop=1 200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-780x585.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VTD-Catholic-22-706x530.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> The Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese is selling its South Burlington headquarters at 55 Joy Drive for $3.13 million as part of its current bankruptcy case. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger A U.S. bankruptcy judge has told the Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese she might dismiss the church’s bid to reorganize its depleting finances if a viable plan isn’t submitted soon. The state’s largest religious denomination filed for Chapter 11 protection in the fall of 2024 after a past series of priest misconduct settlements reduced its claimed assets by half, to a reported $35 million. Since then, the diocese has paid more than $2 million of its remaining money in fees for its attorneys and for counsel to represent officially recognized creditors, as required by federal law. To raise funds, the diocese is selling its South Burlington headquarters to Northeast Territories, a Vermont limited liability company, for $3.13 million, court records show. As a result, Bishop John McDermott is set to move his chancery offices to Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, according to Vermont Catholic Magazine. Lawyers for the church and creditors reported little other progress Tuesday at a court hearing in Burlington. But in a separate order, Judge Heather Cooper gave the parties until fall to agree on a plan or face the end of the process. In September, the court will hold another hearing “at which the group will discuss whether this Chapter 11 case remains viable” and “whether trust in current management remains,” Cooper wrote. “The court anticipates a proposed plan, conversion, or dismissal as the case approaches the two-year anniversary of filing,” she added. Ending the proceedings without a proposal would further endanger the diocese’s finances by reviving a set of abuse lawsuits placed on hold by the bankruptcy filing. READ MORE The diocese — one of 44 U.S. Catholic entities to seek Chapter 11 protection — has paid $34.5 million to settle 67 clergy misconduct claims, according to records, yet still faces 119 more dating as far back as 1950. Although the church initially reported $35 million in assets tied to its South Burlington headquarters and state-level holdings, creditors — who include more than 100 abuse claimants — are seeking records on all local properties the diocese oversees. The latter group specifically wants to learn about nearly 70 parishes with an estimated collective worth of $500 million that were placed in trusts in 2006. As lawyers argue whether the case involves just state or also local assets, the judge is aiming to save money for abuse claimants seeking compensation. “My concern is that I don’t want it all going to the professionals,” Cooper said at an earlier hearing. “I do think that the survivors probably would like to have something left over at the end of the day.” Read the story on VTDigger here: Court says it might dismiss Vermont Catholic diocese bankruptcy case if progress isn’t made soon.
<img width="1024" height="682" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506-1024x682.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A man with a mustache and curly hair sits with arms crossed over his knees in front of a cooler labeled with various drink flavors." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506-768x512.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506-780x520.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506-400x267.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506-706x470.jpg 706w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506.jpg 1166w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650208" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/2026/06/23/jimmy-the-iceman-de-pierro/dad-1998/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506.jpg" data-orig-size="1166,777" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Dad-1998" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506.jpg" /> Jim was a founding member of the Vermont Blues Society, ran for Secretary of State, owned Jimmy’s Rack & Roll Pool Hall and Jimmy’s Italian Ices, and was known for his famous dog Mr. Cheeseface. Read the story on VTDigger here: Jimmy ‘The Iceman’ De Pierro.
<img width="1024" height="682" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506-1024x682.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A man with a mustache and curly hair sits with arms crossed over his knees in front of a cooler labeled with various drink flavors." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506-768x512.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506-780x520.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506-400x267.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506-706x470.jpg 706w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506.jpg 1166w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650208" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/2026/06/23/jimmy-the-iceman-de-pierro/dad-1998/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506.jpg" data-orig-size="1166,777" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Dad-1998" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dad-1998-e1782222894506.jpg" /> Born: 07/30/1946 New York City, NY Died: 06/18/2026 Colchester, VT Details of service: A celebration of life is being planned for next summer. Jimmy “The Iceman” De Pierro, passed away June 18th, at the age of 79. Raised in Queens, he had many adventures as a bike messenger in New York City, a welder, a clam digger and a professional gambler. He came to Vermont in the 70s with friends to seek a different way of life in the North East Kingdom. Jim became known around Vermont for many things; as a founding member of the Vermont Blues Society, for running for Secretary of State, for his businesses in the 80s and 90s, Jimmy’s Rack & Roll Pool Hall and Jimmy’s Italian Ices, and more recently for his famous dog. In the 80s Jim started the Italian Ice business with his best friend John. With a daily presence in Burlington, Brattleboro and Montpelier his push carts were a staple across the state. He made the ices with fresh fruit and local spring water and served them at events like the 4th of July, and Bread & Puppet Theater. In the 90s he ran for secretary of state for the Vermont Grassroots Party, devoted to the legalization of marijuana. He received a surprising number of votes, catapulting them to major party status and kicking off a debate about whether his nickname “Iceman” should be allowed on a ballot. His most recent fame came from his early life, memorialized in a popular Seven Days article. In the 70s as a messenger he made deliveries to movie studios, including Jim Henson’s. On a delivery of pet headshots to National Lampoons magazine he declared his dog more charismatic than any of the professional dog models. Intrigued, the art director gave Jim’s dog Mr. Cheeseface a chance, and he was indeed selected for the infamous cover page “If You Don’t Buy This Magazine We’ll Kill This Dog”. Later in life he hit the road as a professional poker player. He played 7-card stud all across the US. He also had an inventive spirit and love for music and good food. Jim was predeceased by his sister Luise, son Luciano, and godson Christopher. Jim is survived by his sons Jimmy, Nicolo, former wife Kathy, and his brother Mark. He is also remembered by his dear friends Padma, Leo, Marysue, and all those who recall on hot summer days nothing beats Jimmy’s Italian Ice. A celebration of life is being planned for next summer. Read the story on VTDigger here: Jimmy ‘The Iceman’ De Pierro.
Across Vermont, networks of volunteers push back on Trump’s immigration enforcement
<img width="1024" height="681" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-1024x681.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A group of people wearing winter clothes and face masks stand arm-in-arm along a building; one person holds a cardboard sign reading "ICE OUT." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-1200x798.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-768x511.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-780x519.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-400x266.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-706x470.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="643539" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/ice-protest-2-20260311/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311.jpg" data-orig-size="2500,1663" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"4","credit":"Glenn Russell","camera":"NIKON Z 6_2","caption":"Protesters surround a house as they demonstrate against an attempted stop by ICE agents in South Burlington on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger","created_timestamp":"1773249193","copyright":"Glenn Russell","focal_length":"24","iso":"360","shutter_speed":"0.002","title":"ice-protest-2 20260311","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="ice-protest-2 20260311" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Protesters surround a house as they demonstrate against an attempted stop by ICE agents in South Burlington on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-1200x798.jpg" /> From verifying ICE sightings to keeping track of detainees, activists across the state are responding to ICE actions amid a climate of fear. Read the story on VTDigger here: Across Vermont, networks of volunteers push back on Trump’s immigration enforcement.
<img width="1024" height="681" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-1024x681.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A group of people wearing winter clothes and face masks stand arm-in-arm along a building; one person holds a cardboard sign reading "ICE OUT." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-1200x798.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-768x511.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-780x519.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-400x266.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-706x470.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="643539" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/ice-protest-2-20260311/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311.jpg" data-orig-size="2500,1663" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"4","credit":"Glenn Russell","camera":"NIKON Z 6_2","caption":"Protesters surround a house as they demonstrate against an attempted stop by ICE agents in South Burlington on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger","created_timestamp":"1773249193","copyright":"Glenn Russell","focal_length":"24","iso":"360","shutter_speed":"0.002","title":"ice-protest-2 20260311","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="ice-protest-2 20260311" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Protesters surround a house as they demonstrate against an attempted stop by ICE agents in South Burlington on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-1200x798.jpg" /> <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="798" data-attachment-id="643539" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/ice-protest-2-20260311/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311.jpg" data-orig-size="2500,1663" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"4","credit":"Glenn Russell","camera":"NIKON Z 6_2","caption":"Protesters surround a house as they demonstrate against an attempted stop by ICE agents in South Burlington on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger","created_timestamp":"1773249193","copyright":"Glenn Russell","focal_length":"24","iso":"360","shutter_speed":"0.002","title":"ice-protest-2 20260311","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="ice-protest-2 20260311" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Protesters surround a house as they demonstrate against an attempted stop by ICE agents in South Burlington on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-1200x798.jpg" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-1200x798.jpg" alt="A group of people wearing winter clothes and face masks stand arm-in-arm along a building; one person holds a cardboard sign reading "ICE OUT." class="wp-image-643539" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-1200x798.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-768x511.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-780x519.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-400x266.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ice-protest-2-20260311-706x470.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> Protesters surround a house as they demonstrate against an attempted stop by ICE agents in South Burlington in March 2026. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Marita Canedo had just woken up when the phone started ringing. It was early morning on March 11, and Canedo was the on-call team member for the emergency phone line of Migrant Justice, a statewide immigrant rights organization. Several calls came in at once, Canedo said, and each caller said the same thing: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were gathered outside of a house on Dorset Street in South Burlington. Despite the early hour, Canedo was prepared. “We have talked many times here as a team, like what to do when we get these emergency calls,” she said. Migrant Justice’s rapid response infrastructure sprang into action. A trained volunteer verified that ICE agents were present, while Canedo talked on the phone with the people inside the house, informing them of their rights and taking down their information in case they were arrested by ICE, she recalled. Around 8:30 a.m., a text went out to Migrant Justice’s network in the surrounding area, alerting people that there were ICE vehicles outside the Dorset Street house. “Get there ASAP to observe/record,” it read. “Spread the word!” Migrant Justice has spent the last year and a half revamping and expanding its rapid response network. That includes a handful of paid staff, a loose constellation of about 80 volunteers who are trained on how to verify or document immigration enforcement, and more than 3,500 people signed up for alerts on immigration enforcement actions. As the Trump administration’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement has made headlines across the country and in Vermont, volunteers across the state have worked to respond in their own communities, often in concert with statewide organizations such as Migrant Justice. From verifying reports of ICE agents to tracking detainees, people are finding ways to document and resist the Trump administration’s push on immigration enforcement, both on the streets and behind the scenes. While Vermont hasn’t seen a high-profile immigration enforcement surge like those in Minneapolis, Los Angeles and elsewhere, the state has seen some of the impacts of heightened ICE activity in neighboring Massachusetts, and activists said they’ve seen an increase in immigration detentions since Trump returned to office. Activists across Vermont also said that the Trump administration’s rhetoric and actions around immigration have created an atmosphere of fear for many immigrants in the state, and for people of color who fear they will be racially profiled by ICE. In a statement attributed to an unnamed spokesperson, ICE said “if you are here legally and have not committed crimes, there is no need to worry,” and said the agency’s enforcement actions are not based on racial profiling. Witnessing detentions and dispelling rumors Migrant Justice has run a rapid response network since Trump’s first term, according to Rachel Elliott, an organizer with the group. The network was largely dormant during the Biden presidency, Elliott said, but when Trump was reelected, organizers chose to revitalize the effort. “There were situations that we knew having responders on scene could help, and so we decided to reactivate and really dramatically expand the rapid response network,” Elliott said in an interview. The group runs a statewide emergency hotline, where bilingual staff field calls from immigrants in need of direct assistance and from other community members calling to report potential immigration enforcement sightings. When they get reports of potential ICE or Customs and Border Protection activity, Elliott said, they reach out to a network of about 80 people across the state who’ve been trained in verification. Those volunteers aim to get on the scene as quickly as possible to determine whether the report is accurate, which helps Migrant Justice determine next steps and avoid spreading incorrect reports. Community members who call into the rapid response line can sometimes mistake other law enforcement for immigration officers, Elliott said. “We’re in a time where, because of fear and because of what people are seeing in the news, they’re understandably hyper vigilant,” Elliott said. “We never want to be in a position to share misinformation,” they added. Robin Morgan, an activist based in Brattleboro who organizes with Lost River Racial Justice, has done some of that verification work. She and other volunteers in the area have attended Migrant Justice trainings to learn how to verify reports of ICE activity, expanding the network in an area where Elliott said the group has fewer members. When Morgan gets a report of potential ICE activity in her area, she and other volunteers figure out who in their network is available to respond and work to quickly get someone on the scene. They try to respond in pairs or groups to make the work safer, she said. Volunteers look at uniforms and marked vehicles to identify what agency officers work for, Elliott said, and typically send photos or a description to the Migrant Justice team, too. Migrant Justice members also know some officers’ faces from attending ICE check-ins, and the organization keeps track of license plates associated with undercover ICE vehicles, which they use to help verify sightings, Elliott said. Morgan said that most reports her local network has responded to have either turned out to be local or state police, or the reported officers have been gone by the time volunteers arrive. But dispelling rumors of immigration enforcement is often as important as identifying ICE activity, she said. “When there are rumors of immigration enforcement, people will be afraid to go out, they’ll keep kids home from school, they’ll skip doctor’s appointments,” Morgan said. Once reports of ICE or CBP activity are verified –– such as the report on March 11 –– Migrant Justice decides whether a larger mobilization is useful, then contacts people in the area of the report who are signed up to receive their alerts, Elliott said. Statewide, about 3,600 people are now signed up for those alerts. “Basically, the goal is to be the angel on the officer’s shoulder, right?” they said, adding that having witnesses recording officers’ actions can help deter illegal actions. Often, the group is responding to detentions that have already happened. But community mobilization still plays an important role at that point, Elliott and other activists said. Migrant Justice has organized rallies and packed courtrooms for people detained by ICE, including for the three people detained on March 11. Tracking detainees and buying time Behind the scenes, activists also work to track the paths of people who are detained in Vermont. Leif Taranta is part of a group of activists who track immigration detainees in Vermont. The group maintains a public dashboard, based on state and federal data, that tracks how many immigration detainees are incarcerated in Vermont prisons and where they are transferred. But Taranta said the group also aims to track people in real time when they are in ICE custody. That can help detainees stay in touch with their families and legal counsel even when ICE moves them without notifying attorneys, Taranta said. “Our goal is to play a little part in trying to keep track of someone,” Taranta said, “so the lawyer and the organizations (are) able to work their magic.” “These are our community members. People are trying to steal them and hide them, and that is not okay,” Taranta added. “So (we’re) trying to prevent that as much as possible.” Migrant Justice’s emergency line can also help connect people with legal counsel when they are detained. “The sooner that someone can get legal representation, the sooner they can have a conversation with a lawyer, the more quickly they’re able to understand what’s going on and be able to make informed decisions about how to navigate the process,” Elliott, the Migrant Justice organizer, said. Speedy action from lawyers can also prevent people from being transferred out of the state, keeping them closer to their community and in a jurisdiction that tends to rule more favorably on immigration detention cases, according to immigration attorney Kristen Connors. Connors represented Johana Patin Patin, one of the people arrested by ICE on March 11. Connors started working on the case immediately after Patin Patin was detained. The next morning, Connors learned Patin Patin had been released from a Vermont jail into ICE custody. She feared that Patin Patin was being transferred out of state. “I had to, like, write and file the fastest habeas petition I’ve ever had to file,” Connors said. The same day, Connors secured an order from a federal judge keeping Patin Patin in Vermont. The following Monday, at a hearing packed with community members, some of them brought there by Migrant Justice’s rapid response network, a federal judge ordered her release. Read the story on VTDigger here: Across Vermont, networks of volunteers push back on Trump’s immigration enforcement.
‘Vermont that still feels wild’: 3 waterways proposed for the ‘National Park System for rivers’
<img width="1024" height="682" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-1024x682.jpeg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A winding river flows through a dense green forest, surrounding a small sandy patch and dark swirling water, viewed from above." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-1024x682.jpeg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-1200x799.jpeg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-125x83.jpeg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-1536x1023.jpeg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-2000x1332.jpeg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-780x519.jpeg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-400x266.jpeg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-706x470.jpeg 706w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650176" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/image0-8/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0.jpeg" data-orig-size="2048,1364" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="The Nulhegan River ONE TIME USE" data-image-description=" ONE TIME USE 06/22/2026 " data-image-caption=" The Nulhegan River is a proposed addition to the federal Wild and Scenic River System. Photo courtesy of Caleb Kenna. " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-1200x799.jpeg" /> “This really is a partnership of the federal government through the park service with the local communities, where local communities are in the lead,” said Ben Applegate, who is leading one of the efforts. Read the story on VTDigger here: ‘Vermont that still feels wild’: 3 waterways proposed for the ‘National Park System for rivers’.
<img width="1024" height="682" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-1024x682.jpeg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A winding river flows through a dense green forest, surrounding a small sandy patch and dark swirling water, viewed from above." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-1024x682.jpeg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-1200x799.jpeg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-125x83.jpeg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-1536x1023.jpeg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-2000x1332.jpeg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-780x519.jpeg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-400x266.jpeg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-706x470.jpeg 706w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650176" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/image0-8/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0.jpeg" data-orig-size="2048,1364" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="The Nulhegan River ONE TIME USE" data-image-description=" ONE TIME USE 06/22/2026 " data-image-caption=" The Nulhegan River is a proposed addition to the federal Wild and Scenic River System. Photo courtesy of Caleb Kenna. " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-1200x799.jpeg" /> <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="799" data-attachment-id="650176" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/image0-8/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0.jpeg" data-orig-size="2048,1364" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="The Nulhegan River ONE TIME USE" data-image-description=" ONE TIME USE 06/22/2026 " data-image-caption=" The Nulhegan River is a proposed addition to the federal Wild and Scenic River System. Photo courtesy of Caleb Kenna. " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-1200x799.jpeg" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-1200x799.jpeg" alt="A winding river flows through a dense green forest, surrounding a small sandy patch and dark swirling water, viewed from above." class="wp-image-650176" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-1200x799.jpeg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-125x83.jpeg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-1536x1023.jpeg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-1024x682.jpeg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-2000x1332.jpeg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-780x519.jpeg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-400x266.jpeg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0-706x470.jpeg 706w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image0.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> The Nulhegan River is a proposed addition to the federal Wild and Scenic River System. Photo courtesy of Caleb Kenna. Northeast Kingdom conservation organizations and communities are pushing to add three waterways to the federal Wild and Scenic River System, the country’s strongest tool to protect rivers. The program, known as a sort of “National Park System for rivers,” provides funding and support to free-flowing rivers with outstanding natural, cultural or recreational value. Currently, 226 rivers make up the system, with a mere six in northern New England. Two are in Vermont: the Upper Missisquoi and Trout rivers, both added to the system in 2014. Now, three other northern Vermont waterways are working their way through the designation process, which requires congressional action. A bill to authorize a study of the Nulhegan River and Paul Stream was introduced into Congress in 2023 and unanimously approved by the Senate. However, it has yet to make headway in the House. Separately, the Memphremagog Watershed Association is gathering letters of community support for a formal study of the Clyde River and plans to deliver them to Vermont’s congressional delegation later this summer. TJ Dezotell, an outdoor guide who is president of the Northeast Kingdom chapter of Trout Unlimited, grew up fishing the Nulhegan River and Paul Stream. “I care about them because they represent the kind of Vermont that still feels wild,” he said. “They’re places where healthy fish populations and working forests, our local communities, our outdoor traditions all coexist. I feel like if we lose places like this, we don’t get them back.” The Wild and Scenic River System was created in 1968, a time of unrestrained development of rivers, including the creation of dams, waste dumping and straightening of stream channels. Legislation in that era also created the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act. Most of the rivers classified as part of the system flow through federal lands in the West and were unilaterally designated by the government. In 1992, however, the “Partnership Wild and Scenic” process was created, which protects waterways without federal acquisition and management. Instead, these rivers are managed jointly by a local council and the National Park Service, which provides technical and financial support. The designation is typically spurred by lengthy local efforts, as are underway for the Clyde and Nulhegan rivers and Paul Stream. Upper Missisquoi and Trout: Covered bridges, swimming holes and unique rock The Upper Missisquoi and its largest tributary, the Trout River, in northwestern Vermont were designated Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers in December 2014 after about a decade of work by local communities and the Missisquoi River Basin Association. Not only must Congress authorize a multiyear study of a river’s eligibility for the program as well as approve its final designation, but all towns in the waterway’s area also have to approve the classification at town meeting. For the Missisquoi and Trout, only Lowell voted no, so the portion of the Trout River in that town does not have the designation. “It’s fascinating to me how it really was sort of a one-on-one, talk to your neighbors, see if they’re interested” kind of project, said Lindsey Wight, executive director of both the Missisquoi River Basin Association and the Upper Missisquoi and Trout Rivers Wild & Scenic Committee. Wight said the people involved in the process confronted misperceptions about what the federal designation means. No land changes hands, and the only real restriction is that a dam cannot be built on the river. There are some additional reviews during any construction work near a Wild and Scenic river, to make sure the river’s quality is preserved, she said. “Almost 12 years in, I’m happy to report that we haven’t had the feds come in and stop any actions. It hasn’t changed people’s way of interacting with the river,” Wight said. <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="900" data-attachment-id="650177" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/group-paddle-trip/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Group-paddle-trip.jpg" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="Group paddle trip" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" The Upper Missisquoi and Trout Rivers were designated federal Wild and Scenic rivers in 2014. Photo courtesy of the Upper Missisquoi and Trout Rivers Wild &#038; Scenic Committee. " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Group-paddle-trip.jpg" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Group-paddle-trip.jpg" alt="People in several kayaks and canoes paddle on a calm river surrounded by green trees and foliage under a partly cloudy sky." class="wp-image-650177" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Group-paddle-trip.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Group-paddle-trip-300x225.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Group-paddle-trip-125x94.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Group-paddle-trip-768x576.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Group-paddle-trip-800x600.jpg?crop=1 800w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Group-paddle-trip-600x450.jpg?crop=1 600w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Group-paddle-trip-400x300.jpg?crop=1 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Group-paddle-trip-200x150.jpg?crop=1 200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Group-paddle-trip-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Group-paddle-trip-780x585.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Group-paddle-trip-706x530.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> The Upper Missisquoi and Trout Rivers were designated federal Wild and Scenic rivers in 2014. Photo courtesy of the Upper Missisquoi and Trout Rivers Wild & Scenic Committee. The Upper Missisquoi and Trout rivers were designated due to their outstanding scenery, recreation, history and geology. The rivers boast the greatest concentration of covered bridges of any area in the country, are home to one of the largest concentrations of serpentine rock outcrops in the nation, and have numerous deep, picturesque swimming holes as well as the largest natural, undammed falls in the state. The rivers now receive an annual share of congressionally appropriated funds; recently, about $210,000 per year has been spent locally, Wight said. The majority of that funding is distributed through the committee’s small grants program, providing money for things like educational events, erosion reduction projects, and town purchases of boats and stand-up paddleboards to loan out. Being a part of a national system has also increased tourism. Wight gets calls from people who see the rivers on the national map and are interested in visiting. Hearing about the successes of the Upper Missisquoi and Trout rivers’ designation helped inspire the process to potentially classify the Clyde and Nulhegan rivers and Paul Stream as Wild and Scenic, project organizers say. Nulhegan and Paul Stream: Where “animals are able to move” The effort to designate the Nulhegan River and Paul Stream, located deep in the most remote area of the Northeast Kingdom, began about six years ago, spearheaded by the Vermont River Conservancy and Friends of the Nulhegan Basin. The waterways are in the Kingdom Heritage Lands, 132,000 acres of former and current timberland conserved for public access since 1998. The area abounds with wildlife and is sparsely populated, a place where “animals are able to move the way they’re supposed to move,” according to Dezotell. The Nulhegan River is home to boreal habitats and animals often found farther north, while Paul Stream is the epitome of a perfect brook trout stream, said Dezotell. Both waterways flow into the Connecticut River and are known for their clean water, intact native fisheries, productive timberlands and rich cultural and natural history. The initial effort to designate the two waterways and their eligible tributaries was led by Noah Pollock, who worked for the Vermont River Conservancy at the time. He conducted an informal scoping study and met with every community in the area; all but one town penned a letter of support that was delivered to Vermont’s congressional delegation in early 2022, Pollock said. However, the project’s greatest stumbling block is Congress, where the bill to authorize a study of the designation waits in committee. <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="670" data-attachment-id="650179" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/brook-trout/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Brook-Trout-scaled.jpg" data-orig-size="2560,1430" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Brook Trout" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" The Clyde and Nulhegan Rivers as well as Paul Stream provide excellent habitat and fishing for brook trout. Photo Courtesy of TJ Dezotell/Gibbs Guides. " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Brook-Trout-1200x670.jpg" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Brook-Trout-1200x670.jpg" alt="A brook trout with colorful spots and a patterned tail lies on a netted fishing frame above green water." class="wp-image-650179" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Brook-Trout-1200x670.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Brook-Trout-300x168.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Brook-Trout-125x70.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Brook-Trout-768x429.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Brook-Trout-1536x858.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Brook-Trout-2048x1144.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Brook-Trout-1024x572.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Brook-Trout-2000x1117.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Brook-Trout-780x436.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Brook-Trout-400x223.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Brook-Trout-706x394.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> The Clyde and Nulhegan Rivers as well as Paul Stream provide excellent habitat and fishing for brook trout. Photo Courtesy of TJ Dezotell/Gibbs Guides. “There’s real value in bringing together partners in watersheds, because they cross jurisdictional boundaries,” Pollock said. “There’s a handful of good watershed groups in the state, no question about it, but not nearly enough compared to the challenges rivers face.” Dezotell hopes that a future federal designation could fund efforts to support brook trout habitat and reduce downstream flooding as well as create additional recreation access points. Clyde River: Rare natural communities, famed fishing and diverse paddling The most recent designation effort is taking place on the Clyde River, known for its landlocked Atlantic salmon and brook trout fishery as well as for having a number of unique habitats. The Upper Clyde is also host to a large intermediate fen, a globally rare natural community made up of acres of floating peat and hosting an abundance of uncommon species. Ben Applegate, the watershed project coordinator for the Memphremagog Watershed Association, conducted a scoping study of the river and is gathering local letters of support to present to Vermont’s congressional delegation. Applegate said the Clyde River has an especially scenic feel and some of the best class II whitewater paddling in northeastern Vermont as well as excellent flatwater. Between fishing and paddling, there is a very active usage by locals and people in the region and beyond, he said. For Applegate, the Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers Program’s most salient benefit is that it engages the community. “It’s a way of celebrating what you have and therefore being better stewards of it,” he said. “This really is a partnership of the federal government through the park service with the local communities, where local communities are in the lead. That’s pretty appealing, especially in an area that prizes its independence like the Northeast Kingdom does.” Applegate hopes that a future designation would fund a community grants program like what is utilized by the Upper Missisquoi and Trout Rivers Wild & Scenic Committee, allowing locals to decide where the federal dollars would be best used. Due to the lengthy process to classify a waterway, Applegate is also working to build a coalition of people who are excited about the Clyde River and can sustain the effort. Though distinct, the five current and proposed Wild and Scenic rivers have a through-line as they wind their way across northern Vermont: They make up the state’s portion of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, connected waterways running from the Adirondacks to northern Maine along traditional routes used by Indigenous people. READ MORE Applegate said most people experience their local rivers merely when they drive over a bridge or when flooding occurs. The designation, he said, would bring people more into the conversation about their natural environment. “Given our world and all of its challenges, we need to live in more partnership with our surroundings,” he said. “That’s kind of the broader goal with so many of our environmental efforts is that we just need to be a part of these systems and not treat them as separate.” Read the story on VTDigger here: ‘Vermont that still feels wild’: 3 waterways proposed for the ‘National Park System for rivers’.
Gov. Scott vetoed the Legislature’s latest attempt to lower health insurance costs. What’s next?
<img width="1024" height="681" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-1024x681.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A middle-aged man with short gray hair is speaking, with blurred people and objects in the foreground." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-1200x798.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-768x511.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-780x519.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-400x266.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-706x470.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="635467" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/phil-scott-1-20251113/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113.jpg" data-orig-size="2500,1663" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"Glenn Russell","camera":"NIKON Z 6","caption":"Gov. Phil Scott speaks after a meeting of the Emergency Board at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Thursday, November 13, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger","created_timestamp":"1763062072","copyright":"Glenn Russell","focal_length":"200","iso":"3200","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"phil-scott-1 20251113","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="phil-scott-1 20251113" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Gov. Phil Scott speaks after a meeting of the Emergency Board at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Thursday, November 13, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-1200x798.jpg" /> Scott wants to expand other models of health insurance in Vermont. Observers worry that his veto points to deepening political divisions over how to keep healthcare affordable. Read the story on VTDigger here: Gov. Scott vetoed the Legislature’s latest attempt to lower health insurance costs. What’s next?.
<img width="1024" height="681" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-1024x681.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A middle-aged man with short gray hair is speaking, with blurred people and objects in the foreground." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-1200x798.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-768x511.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-780x519.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-400x266.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-706x470.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="635467" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/phil-scott-1-20251113/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113.jpg" data-orig-size="2500,1663" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"Glenn Russell","camera":"NIKON Z 6","caption":"Gov. Phil Scott speaks after a meeting of the Emergency Board at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Thursday, November 13, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger","created_timestamp":"1763062072","copyright":"Glenn Russell","focal_length":"200","iso":"3200","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"phil-scott-1 20251113","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="phil-scott-1 20251113" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Gov. Phil Scott speaks after a meeting of the Emergency Board at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Thursday, November 13, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-1200x798.jpg" /> <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="798" data-attachment-id="635467" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/phil-scott-1-20251113/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113.jpg" data-orig-size="2500,1663" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"Glenn Russell","camera":"NIKON Z 6","caption":"Gov. Phil Scott speaks after a meeting of the Emergency Board at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Thursday, November 13, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger","created_timestamp":"1763062072","copyright":"Glenn Russell","focal_length":"200","iso":"3200","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"phil-scott-1 20251113","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="phil-scott-1 20251113" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Gov. Phil Scott speaks after a meeting of the Emergency Board at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Thursday, November 13, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-1200x798.jpg" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-1200x798.jpg" alt="A middle-aged man with short gray hair is speaking, with blurred people and objects in the foreground." class="wp-image-635467" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-1200x798.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-300x200.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-125x83.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-768x511.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-780x519.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-400x266.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/phil-scott-1-20251113-706x470.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> Gov. Phil Scott speaks at the Statehouse in Montpelier in November 2025. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger When Gov. Phil Scott last week vetoed the Legislature’s boldest attempt this year to lower health insurance costs, he said his own package of proposals offered a better alternative. Specifically, in a letter sent to the Senate, Scott highlighted efforts from a bill, H.585, that his administration put forward in January. “These proposals included proven approaches that expanded affordable choices in other states,” Scott wrote, highlighting the boon he said the bill could provide to small businesses in particular. Now, Scott says he will pursue executive action to implement some of those ideas, but so far, he hasn’t said which. H.585 set out to accomplish such a wide-ranging suite of health insurance-related reforms and expansions that it ultimately died in the Senate Finance Committee. “It had a lot of pieces that were a good faith attempt at lowering healthcare costs, but none of them felt ready for primetime,” said Sen. Ruth Hardy, D-Addison, who sits on the committee. The bill Scott vetoed, S.190, would have sped up the state’s ability to begin using a cost-saving tool called reference-based pricing. That approach ties insurers’ payments to hospitals to an external benchmark, usually a percentage of the rates that Medicare pays hospitals. S.190 would have made that change for just two insurance groups — public school employees and people buying plans on Vermont’s Affordable Care Act marketplace — an approach Scott said was unfair because it prioritized savings to some insurance groups over others. But for Hardy, reference-based pricing had been better vetted in Vermont — and beyond — compared to Scott’s ideas in H.585. What’s in Scott’s plan Inside the 25-page bill, Scott’s team included a wide-ranging slate of efforts to expand insurance types in the state, particularly for young people and small businesses. H.585 outlined a case for bringing association health plans back to Vermont. Those allow small employers to collectively create a larger pool of insured people through associations, such as a chamber of commerce, rather than purchasing through the marketplace. Those people would then leave the collective insurance pool, making the shared marketplace smaller. The state stopped allowing those plans to operate in 2020, following a federal court decision and concerns that they incentivized healthier people to exit the collective insurance pool, leaving older, costlier patients paying higher premiums for their own care. One section of the bill included provisions for allowing insurance premiums to be based partially on age, in an effort to make it more affordable for young, healthy people to purchase insurance, while another hotly-debated piece of it proposed phasing in a billing change that would let insurers pay the same amount for certain services provided in or out of the hospital. Part of the reason Scott vetoed S.190 may be because his administration wants to seek a special federal waiver before Vermont attempts to pull prices down for plans on the Affordable Care Act marketplace. The waiver would allow Vermont to keep any federal subsidy money that could be lost by lowering Affordable Care Act insurance premiums through efforts, such as reference-based pricing. Kaj Samsom, the commissioner of the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation, which oversees health insurance, told VTDigger the state could use the waiver to create a reinsurance fund — basically, a pool of money insurers can draw from if they need to pay out expensive claims. That could lower health insurance costs even further, Samsom said. Since his veto, Scott hasn’t said which healthcare reforms he will pursue through executive action. Amanda Wheeler, a spokesperson for Scott, said his office plans to announce more details later this week. Political Schisms Rep. Alyssa Black, D-Essex Town, who chairs the House’s healthcare committee, bristled at the idea of delaying efforts to reduce ACA premiums in the hopes of eventually securing a waiver to reroute those lost federal dollars. “The (administration’s) argument was keep Vermonters paying more so that theoretically we can show that we achieved savings,” she said. “I found that disgusting quite frankly.” She’s frustrated that collaborative work has become partisan. Black had championed a number of the provisions included in H.585. Sen. Ginny Lyons, D-Chittenden Southeast, who leads the Senate’s healthcare committee, said she was “dumbfounded” by Scott’s veto, especially after he has campaigned on affordability and efforts to lower property taxes, which she says S.190 could have done. “I think he’s prioritizing insurers over individual people,” she said. Republican leaders in the House and Senate did not respond to requests for comment. Mike Fisher, the state’s healthcare advocate, worries the political battle at the heart of the veto distracts from bipartisan efforts already in-motion to pull down hospital prices across insurance groups. “Vermonters are being priced out of getting care. We are hearing from more and more Vermonters who have very poor coverage or no coverage at all, and are scrambling to know what to do when they get sick,” he said, “We have to have political fortitude to do this work, and I sure hope the governor’s veto is not a sign of a lack of commitment.” Read the story on VTDigger here: Gov. Scott vetoed the Legislature’s latest attempt to lower health insurance costs. What’s next?.
Dartmouth Health reports $63.5 million deficit over 6 months
<img width="1024" height="684" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-1024x684.webp" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A large building with glass rooftops and multiple levels, featuring a flagpole and a sign reading "Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center" at the entrance." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-1024x684.webp 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-300x200.webp 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-125x83.webp 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-768x513.webp 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-780x521.webp 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-400x267.webp 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-706x471.webp 706w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1.webp 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650183" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/2026/06/22/dartmouth-health-reports-63-5-million-deficit-over-6-months/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1.webp" data-orig-size="1200,801" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Evening falls at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. Photo by James M. PattersonValley News " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1.webp" /> The $63.5 million deficit was driven by “weather-related closures” in February that lowered patient revenues along with high labor and medication costs, according to an internal report. Read the story on VTDigger here: Dartmouth Health reports $63.5 million deficit over 6 months.
<img width="1024" height="684" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-1024x684.webp" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A large building with glass rooftops and multiple levels, featuring a flagpole and a sign reading "Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center" at the entrance." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-1024x684.webp 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-300x200.webp 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-125x83.webp 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-768x513.webp 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-780x521.webp 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-400x267.webp 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-706x471.webp 706w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1.webp 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650183" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/2026/06/22/dartmouth-health-reports-63-5-million-deficit-over-6-months/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1.webp" data-orig-size="1200,801" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Evening falls at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. Photo by James M. PattersonValley News " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1.webp" /> <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="801" data-attachment-id="650183" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/2026/06/22/dartmouth-health-reports-63-5-million-deficit-over-6-months/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1.webp" data-orig-size="1200,801" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Evening falls at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. Photo by James M. PattersonValley News " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1.webp" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1.webp" alt="A large building with glass rooftops and multiple levels, featuring a flagpole and a sign reading "Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center" at the entrance." class="wp-image-650183" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1.webp 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-300x200.webp 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-125x83.webp 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-768x513.webp 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-1024x684.webp 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-780x521.webp 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-400x267.webp 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20250528-vn-dhmc-jmp-010-copy-scaled-1-706x471.webp 706w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> Evening falls at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. Photo by James M. Patterson\Valley News This story by Clare Shanahan was first published in the Valley News on June 21, 2026. LEBANON, N.H. — After two years operating mostly in the black, Dartmouth Health spent more money than it brought in from October through March, according to a May filing with bondholders. The $63.5 million deficit, equivalent to 2.9% of total system revenue, was driven by “weather-related closures” in February that lowered patient revenues, along with high labor and medication costs, Chief Financial Officer Wendy Fielding wrote in the May 29 report. DH actually saw operating revenues increase almost 8% during the six-month period compared with the same period last fiscal year, thanks to increased patient volumes. But expenses jumped nearly 11%. For example, workforce costs were up $117.5 million compared with the prior year. The increase in medication and supply costs was driven by expanded pharmacy services and a higher percentage of patients with more severe medical conditions, according to the report. Dartmouth generally has reported stable financial performance since the end of 2023, except in the first three months of 2025 when the system posted a nearly $20 million deficit. In that instance, the shortfall was driven by high labor costs and one-time costs associated with taking over operations of Hampstead Hospital in Hampstead, New Hampshire. Because of uncertainty around Medicaid reimbursements and cuts to research funding, Dartmouth Health temporarily slowed hiring last summer to review open positions and be “more intentional about where and how we invest in roles,” Chief Executive Officer Joanne Conroy said in an email at the time. Since then “physician recruitment” has helped to drive patient volumes, according to the report. DH has hired 100 providers in 2026, according to news releases. The hospital has also made “solid progress” reducing reliance on expensive and temporary contracted labor, DH spokesperson Audra Burns said in an email. DH is working with an outside consultant to implement a “financial resiliency plan” at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon to “increase patient access and reduce costs” with a goal to improve finances for the fiscal year that ends in September, Fielding wrote. “Similar to other healthcare organizations, and all businesses, we are grappling with reimbursement challenges, inflation and expenses that outpace the rate of revenue growth,” Burns said. “We have made targeted cost reductions including assessing travel and conference necessity, focusing capital investments exclusively on projects that support direct patient care, and identifying ways to improve patient access.” DH continues to add new affiliates and is in the process of bringing the 25-bed Littleton Regional Healthcare hospital in Littleton, New Hampshire, into the system. And expansion continues at DHMC, including opening an expanded heart and vascular unit this month, according to the report. In recent years, increasing patient volume has helped to offset rising costs. Opening a new patient tower at DHMC helped the health system to drive up revenues and stabilize its finances after running deficits from late 2021 to late 2023. DH now includes Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and clinics; Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital in Lebanon; Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center in Windsor, Vermont; New London Hospital; Valley Regional Hospital in Claremont; Cheshire Medical Center in Keene; Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington; and the Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice of Vermont and New Hampshire, now called Dartmouth Health Home Care. The system has 900 licensed beds, and staffed beds were at 85% occupancy from October to March. “As the largest provider of health care in New Hampshire and the second-largest provider of health care to Vermont residents, the System will continue to focus on meeting the high demand for its services and on providing the high-quality, high-value care our patients need and expect from Dartmouth Health,” Fielding wrote in the report. In Vermont, the University of Vermont Health network announced June 9 that it was eliminating 142 positions. Of those, 76 have been permanently eliminated, while 66 will be restructured and posted as new roles. UVM Health is navigating significant financial challenges and projects a more than $300 million financial gap in the next three years, according to the announcement. The health system has lost about $460,000 per day since January. Read the story on VTDigger here: Dartmouth Health reports $63.5 million deficit over 6 months.
<img width="1024" height="682" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227-1024x682.png" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227-1024x682.png 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227-300x200.png 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227-125x83.png 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227-768x512.png 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227-780x520.png 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227-400x267.png 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227-706x470.png 706w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227.png 1040w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650155" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/2026/06/22/obituary-karen-ann-warren/karen-ann-warren/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227.png" data-orig-size="1040,693" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Karen-Ann-Warren" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227.png" /> Karen was a woman whose warmth, humor, and steady presence made life gentler for everyone fortunate enough to know her. Read the story on VTDigger here: Karen Ann Warren.
<img width="1024" height="682" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227-1024x682.png" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227-1024x682.png 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227-300x200.png 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227-125x83.png 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227-768x512.png 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227-780x520.png 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227-400x267.png 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227-706x470.png 706w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227.png 1040w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650155" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/2026/06/22/obituary-karen-ann-warren/karen-ann-warren/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227.png" data-orig-size="1040,693" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Karen-Ann-Warren" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Karen-Ann-Warren-e1782162336227.png" /> Born: 05/31/1951 Bethesda, Maryland Died: 06/15/2026 Idaho Details of service: To be determined The world became a little quieter with the passing of Karen Ann Warren, 75, formerly of Winooski, Vermont, who died on Monday, June 15, in Idaho. Karen was a woman whose warmth, humor, and steady presence made life gentler for everyone fortunate enough to know her. Karen was born on May 31, 1951, in Bethesda, Maryland, to Kenneth W. and Ann McNeil Warren while her father was serving in the U.S. Navy. The family returned to Vermont in 1952, where Karen grew up surrounded by the people and places that would shape her life. She attended Burlington Schools, graduated from Rice Memorial High School, Class of 1969, and later studied at Woodbury College. Karen went on to build an entrepreneurial career, and she also spent time working in retail businesses, not for the work itself, but for the joy of being around people and working alongside her mother. After retiring, she devoted herself fully to the people she loved, becoming a dedicated caregiver first to her aunt, Norma McNeil Kirby, and then to her mother, Ann. Karen truly lived the spirit of the Ram Dass quote she cherished: “We’re all just walking each other home.” We will miss our “Big Sister.” She is survived by her sister Lori Warren; her “Little Brother,” Kyle Warren; her nieces Elizabeth and Kylie; and her cherished great nieces and nephews Joey, Anthony (“Ant”), Mia, Tommy, Red, and Lorelei. Finally, she leaves her dear friend Joanne Goyette of Waterbury, who has been part of our family since 1965. Karen was predeceased by her beloved grandfather “E.G.” in 1979; her brother Kevin in 1980; her father in 1990; her aunt Norma in 2006; and her mother in 2009. A service will take place later, at which time she will be laid to rest with her parents and her brother. Read the story on VTDigger here: Karen Ann Warren.
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Text reading "Commentaries" and "Opinion pieces by community members" with a speech bubble icon." decoding="async" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="615530" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/commentaries_featured-image-25/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Commentaries_featured image 25" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" /> Treated or not, landfill leachate carries forever chemicals into water that hundreds of thousands of people drink. Read the story on VTDigger here: Don’t gamble with our drinking water.
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Text reading "Commentaries" and "Opinion pieces by community members" with a speech bubble icon." decoding="async" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="615530" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/commentaries_featured-image-25/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Commentaries_featured image 25" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" /> This commentary is by Peggy Stevens, a retired teacher who lives in Charleston. On June 10, a panel of five experts in environmental pollutants, including PFAS, presented evidence of contamination in Lake Memphremagog’s water and fish to a packed crowd of 70 gathered at the North Country Career Center, with a further 95 people joining online. As the scientists laid out their concerns about what that means for the lake’s future, the question driving the meeting was whether landfill leachate, treated or not, should be permitted to be discharged into the Memphremagog watershed. Lake Memphremagog is a drinking water reservoir for 200,000 Quebec residents in the municipalities of Sherbrooke and Magog, Potton and St. Benoit du Lac. Elected officials in nine municipalities around the international lake, including Derby, Newport City and Newport Town, have voted unanimously to support a joint statement and H.652, both of which would prohibit leachate discharge, treated or not, into the watershed. The panel reinforced the importance of understanding the risks associated with contaminants and their movement through the environment. Data from research in Quebec and Bennington shows contamination occurs as airborne PFAS in landfill gas or smokestacks fall on soils and enter ground and surface water, or via deliberately discharged leachate. It also showed that drinking water contamination occurs in communities near landfills and airports. READ MORE Environmental protection is not the only concern. Contamination in the Memphremagog watershed is also an issue of environmental injustice. According to New England Waste Services of Vermont’s monthly tonnage reports, the watershed contributes less than 4% of the total annual tonnage of waste disposed of at the Coventry landfill. Yet nearly 100% of the leachate is generated by waste from other regions of Vermont and out of state. Even if no leachate were ever discharged again into the watershed, the environmental fallout from PFAS and other contaminants in air and leachate emissions will continue to threaten and contaminate our lake region for decades. The environment and every living creature in it, including humans, are at risk. It is only fair that leachate be exported to the regions that are responsible for creating most of it. Current leachate treatment experimentation on site in Coventry is not sufficient or up to the standards achievable by existing technology. The state regulatory agency, the Agency of Natural Resources, must require that leachate treatment meet the strictest standards achievable by state-of-the-art leachate treatment, destroying PFAS captured in the process. Currently, captured PFAS are being returned to the landfill. This goes against the Environmental Protection Agency’s and manufacturer’s recommendations to destroy the residuals or dispose of them in a certified hazardous waste facility, which Coventry is not. Strict treatment standards would protect other water bodies outside of the Memphremagog watershed that will receive leachate discharge in the future, including Lake Champlain. It is only through legislation like H.652 and responsible regulations required by the state that we can combat the threat of landfill leachate contamination of our precious natural resources. Over the past year, the growing coalition among elected officials, citizens, community organizations and scientists has demonstrated a shared commitment to protecting the lake and its drinking water. I believe that, by continuing to work together, we will be successful in passing legislation next session to provide environmental protection and justice to the communities in the Lake Memphremagog watershed. Read the story on VTDigger here: Don’t gamble with our drinking water.
Extortion and pollution killed the data center bill
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Text reading "Commentaries" and "Opinion pieces by community members" with a speech bubble icon." decoding="async" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="615530" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/commentaries_featured-image-25/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Commentaries_featured image 25" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" /> A last-minute fee opposed by state regulators and an unresolved water pollution loophole sank a once-popular data center bill in the Senate. Read the story on VTDigger here: Extortion and pollution killed the data center bill.
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Text reading "Commentaries" and "Opinion pieces by community members" with a speech bubble icon." decoding="async" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="615530" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/commentaries_featured-image-25/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Commentaries_featured image 25" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" /> This commentary is by Alison Despathy, the community and environmental health director for Vermonters for a Clean Environment. This past legislative session, Vermonters for a Clean Environment participated in the development of a responsible data center bill, H.727. Despite these efforts, Gov. Phil Scott’s veto of the bill was justified because of the Senate’s massive fumble. Many people believe data centers are wreaking havoc across the country: guzzling power, contaminating water and land, destroying aquifers, causing droughts, increasing electric rates, and disrupting communities with noise pollution. Some argue that Vermont won’t attract data centers because of its high electric rates and heavy regulation and permitting. However, with increases in the use of artificial intelligence and data-generating technology in every sector expanding the digital grid, demand is real — whether we like it or not — and may invite data centers to Vermont. Vermonters for a Clean Environment met with legislators and regulators, working to ensure comprehensive data center regulation and researching existing policy and gaps. It is simply good sense to get ahead of an impending issue, and we shared concerns about other states’ experiences with large-load data centers. H.727 cruised out of the House with strong support and protections in place for water, ratepayers, the electrical grid and pollution to be regulated via joint jurisdiction of the Public Utility Commission and Act 250. Next stop was the Senate, and here the bill took a hard left turn into the land of extremism and bad policy. READ MORE The first blow came in the form of an “energy transformation payment” or, as the director of regulated utility planning at the Vermont Department of Public Service, TJ Poor, put it, “pay to play.” Poor understands Vermont’s electric grid and power contract world better than most in the state. This is his job. On May 8, he testified in the Senate and explained that the department could not support H.727 because of the newly added energy transformation payment. His written testimony stated that “the Energy Transformation Payment is a provision that will cause the Department to oppose the bill. The Energy Transformation Payment — approximating $6 million per year — was added to published legislation yesterday. I understand the extraction of cash from prospective Vermont businesses through the Energy Transformation Payment is intended to achieve emissions reductions above and beyond the requirements of the Renewable Energy Standard, but would fail to sufficiently and quickly achieve its intent of encouraging greenhouse gas reductions. It sends the wrong message to prospective businesses thinking about locating in Vermont (beyond just data centers), signaling that a new industry should look elsewhere.” This was the result of a committee chair listening to special interest groups, instead of considering the advice of experts who work for Vermonters. The chair of Natural Resources and Energy, Sen. Anne Watson, D/P-Washington, could have fixed this mistake and salvaged the bill but chose not to. In my view, the data center bill was killed by Watson’s refusal to seek compromise. Extortion is not a good policy. Some may attempt to justify a payment like this when it comes to Big Data — even though, as digital grid users, participating humans and industries are generating the demand. But the Senate also added language that further compromised the bill and enabled water pollution. Essentially, this allowed data centers to pollute if they received a permit to withdraw surface water. This is analogous to regulating the faucet and then ignoring the drain and the pollution discharged from the system. If you built a house and drilled a well but then ignored the wastewater and sewer, the outcome would be a disaster. On May 19, the Land Use Review Board issued a memo and testified in the House Energy Committee, raising a red flag about the Senate version of the bill. It was not resolved. The governor’s veto of the data center bill has been manipulated for political gain. Many special interest organizations have ignored key issues and are taking advantage of people’s lack of information and warranted fears of the impact of data centers. What started as a thoughtful, effective bill shape-shifted into irresponsible policy that demanded a veto. With a fresh Legislature next session, Act 250 protections and existing and necessary new regulations can be brought together to create a specific policy for data centers, because this issue is not going away, as much as some of us might wish it would. Read the story on VTDigger here: Extortion and pollution killed the data center bill.
Williston library expansion revote pushed to November
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-1024x768.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A person walks on a paved path toward the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, a building with white and red brick sections under a partly cloudy sky." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-300x225.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-125x94.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-768x576.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-800x600.jpg?crop=1 800w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-600x450.jpg?crop=1 600w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-400x300.jpg?crop=1 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-200x150.jpg?crop=1 200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-780x585.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-706x530.jpg 706w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650083" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/dorothy-alling-memorial-library-redesign/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign.jpg" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="Dorothy Alling Memorial Library redesign" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" A rendering of a proposed Dorothy Alling Memorial Library redesign. Courtesy of Black River Design " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign.jpg" /> “I really want to make sure we go as a community together for this project and not have people feeling left out,” said Jeanne Jensen, a Williston Selectboard member. Read the story on VTDigger here: Williston library expansion revote pushed to November.
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-1024x768.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A person walks on a paved path toward the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, a building with white and red brick sections under a partly cloudy sky." decoding="async" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-300x225.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-125x94.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-768x576.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-800x600.jpg?crop=1 800w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-600x450.jpg?crop=1 600w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-400x300.jpg?crop=1 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-200x150.jpg?crop=1 200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-780x585.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-706x530.jpg 706w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="650083" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/dorothy-alling-memorial-library-redesign/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign.jpg" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="Dorothy Alling Memorial Library redesign" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" A rendering of a proposed Dorothy Alling Memorial Library redesign. Courtesy of Black River Design " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign.jpg" /> <img decoding="async" width="1200" height="900" data-attachment-id="650083" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/dorothy-alling-memorial-library-redesign/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign.jpg" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="Dorothy Alling Memorial Library redesign" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" A rendering of a proposed Dorothy Alling Memorial Library redesign. Courtesy of Black River Design " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign.jpg" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign.jpg" alt="A person walks on a paved path toward the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, a building with white and red brick sections under a partly cloudy sky." class="wp-image-650083" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign.jpg 1200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-300x225.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-125x94.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-768x576.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-800x600.jpg?crop=1 800w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-600x450.jpg?crop=1 600w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-400x300.jpg?crop=1 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-200x150.jpg?crop=1 200w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-780x585.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dorothy-Alling-Memorial-Library-redesign-706x530.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> A rendering of a proposed Dorothy Alling Memorial Library redesign. Courtesy of Black River Design This story by Jason Starr was first published in the Williston Observer on June 18, 2026. Feeling rushed by an August revote proposed by the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library board of trustees, the Williston Selectboard last week unanimously backed a plan to push a library expansion bond question to the general election ballot in November. It will be the third time this year that Williston voters consider an expansion of the library. Voters narrowly approved a $13.9 million bond for the project on Town Meeting Day in March before a group of residents petitioned for a reconsideration vote, objecting to the increased cost to taxpayers. That vote, in May, broke for reconsideration, with a narrow majority putting brakes on the project. The library trustees are eager to return to the ballot with a scaled-back proposal, favoring an aggressive timeline for gathering public input and seeking voter approval during the Aug. 11 statewide primary election. “The longer we wait, the more expensive it is going to be,” trustees Chair Charity Clark urged the selectboard Tuesday. “We already have a plan in place, it just needs to be refined and dialed back.” <img decoding="async" width="933" height="631" data-attachment-id="641792" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/2026/02/15/march-bond-requests-down-84-in-vermonts-biggest-cities-and-towns/vtd-tm-big-votes-2/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/VTD-TM-big-votes-2.jpg" data-orig-size="933,631" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="VTD TM big votes 2" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Williston is set to vote on a $13.9 million plan to roughly double the size of its Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, as pictured in this town-provided drawing. " data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/VTD-TM-big-votes-2.jpg" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/VTD-TM-big-votes-2.jpg" alt="Two-story modern building with large glass entrance, pitched roof, and a mix of red brick and white siding; a person stands near the main doors." class="wp-image-641792" srcset="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/VTD-TM-big-votes-2.jpg 933w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/VTD-TM-big-votes-2-300x203.jpg 300w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/VTD-TM-big-votes-2-125x85.jpg 125w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/VTD-TM-big-votes-2-768x519.jpg 768w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/VTD-TM-big-votes-2-780x528.jpg 780w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/VTD-TM-big-votes-2-400x271.jpg 400w, https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/VTD-TM-big-votes-2-706x477.jpg 706w" sizes="(max-width: 933px) 100vw, 933px" /> Williston is set to vote on a $13.9 million plan to roughly double the size of its Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, as pictured in this town-provided drawing. Because this is a national election year, the town has two upcoming election opportunities. According to Town Manager Erik Wells, in order to get a bond question on the Aug. 11 ballot, the selectboard would need to finalize the amount being requested by July 11. Selectboard members are unanimously uncomfortable with that turnaround. “I honestly think August is not feasible,” said board member Jeanne Jensen. Wells said the board would have an Aug. 3 deadline to finalize a bond request for the November general election. That will allow more time for the library trustees to seek public input on reducing the scope of the expansion and work with project architects to produce new renderings for residents to consider. “I really want to make sure we go as a community together for this project and not have people feeling left out,” Jensen said. “I think November is feasible … to get it communicated in a way that feels respectful to the community.” The trustees and board held a joint meeting Monday at Williston Central School to begin taking public feedback. The trustees also published a survey that residents can fill out at the library or online at www.willistonlibraryproject.org through July 4. The selectboard plans to use its meetings scheduled for July 7 and July 21 to narrow the scope of the project and determine how much public financing to request for the bond vote Nov. 3. “(That) seems like a more reasonable timeframe to really get input from all the residents and get a plan that more than 50% can stand behind,” resident Terri Zittritsch said. “It just seems better for the well-being of our town, residents and community.” Read the story on VTDigger here: Williston library expansion revote pushed to November.
How Vermont’s new pharmacy law could change rural healthcare
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Text reading "Commentaries" and "Opinion pieces by community members" with a speech bubble icon." decoding="async" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="615530" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/commentaries_featured-image-25/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Commentaries_featured image 25" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" /> H.588 lets pharmacists test and treat common conditions — and new state funding could make that access permanent for rural Vermonters. Read the story on VTDigger here: How Vermont’s new pharmacy law could change rural healthcare.
<img width="1024" height="768" src="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Text reading "Commentaries" and "Opinion pieces by community members" with a speech bubble icon." decoding="async" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="615530" data-permalink="https://vtdigger.org/commentaries_featured-image-25/" data-orig-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" data-orig-size="1200,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Commentaries_featured image 25" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Commentaries_featured-image-25.png" /> This commentary is by Steven Simpson, the northern regional healthcare manager at Kinney Drugs. One of the things I’ve always valued most about community pharmacy is the chance to serve people close to home. In towns across Vermont, the local pharmacy is often one of the most familiar and trusted places in the community, a place where people stop in for prescriptions, ask questions and see someone they know. Sometimes that means offering reassurance, helping someone think through what to do next, or simply being available when care feels harder to reach. And sometimes it means seeing a patient walk in on a weekend, hoping for help that simply isn’t easy to access at that moment. Until recently, the best I could do was offer guidance and ask them to follow up when their doctor’s office reopened. That is why the signing of H.588 matters so much. Gov. Phil Scott and the Legislature have taken a practical, patient-centered step forward, especially for rural communities where getting timely care can still be a challenge. H.588 allows pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to test, assess and treat certain common conditions — including strep throat and influenza — in a single visit. That matters because in many Vermont towns, the pharmacy is more than a place to pick up medication. It is part of the fabric of the community, close to home, open evenings and weekends, and staffed by people patients know and trust. Test-and-treat builds on that foundation. It gives patients another timely, convenient access point for straightforward conditions while reinforcing the broader care system and helping people get the right care at the right time. According to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Americans visit their pharmacy nearly 10 times as often as they visit a primary care provider. Nearly 3 in 5 say they would seek non-emergency care at a pharmacy before any other healthcare setting, according to Wolters Kluwer’s 2023 Pharmacy Next Survey. We have seen this kind of evolution before. There was a time when receiving a vaccine in a community pharmacy felt unfamiliar to many people. Today, it is routine, a trusted, convenient part of how care is delivered. Test-and-treat has the potential to become the next step in that same progression, giving patients timely access to care in a setting that is already part of everyday life. As a Vermonter and a pharmacist for nearly 26 years with Kinney Drugs, I’ve seen firsthand how much it means when care is available close to home and on a schedule that fits real life. In a community pharmacy, you quickly come to understand that access is not an abstract policy issue. It is a parent trying to get care for a sick child before the weekend is over. It is an older Vermonter who cannot easily make a long drive. It is a neighbor trying to get through an illness without missing more time at work. For many Vermonters — especially in rural areas — a local pharmacy is not just convenient; it is one of the few healthcare access points woven into daily community life. According to reports from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the journal of the American Medical Association, nearly 1 in 4 Vermonters now live in a pharmacy desert, more than 10 miles from the nearest pharmacy, making the pharmacies that remain in these communities even more important. READ MORE That is why Vermont now has a real opportunity to make this policy change meaningful for the communities that need it most. The state has received $195 million in year one of a five-year Rural Health Transformation Program. Expanding pharmacy test-and-treat capacity is part of that transformation. On April 6, the Department of Vermont Health Access issued a pharmacy test-and-treat funding opportunity designed to support the equipment, training, technology integration and protocols needed to make these services work at scale. That investment is exactly what this moment requires. Expanding test-and-treat capacity will help patients get answers sooner, begin treatment faster and avoid unnecessary trips to higher-cost care settings. Just as importantly, it will strengthen pharmacies as community-based partners in a more coordinated rural healthcare system. The authority is now in place. The next step is to back it with the infrastructure and reimbursement needed to make access reliable and sustainable. For rural communities facing primary care shortages and limited office hours, this is more than a matter of convenience. It is a practical way to expand access to timely care in the places patients already know and trust. I am grateful to the governor and the Legislature for advancing H.588. For those of us who have spent our careers in community pharmacy, this law reflects something we have long understood: When care is easier to reach, communities are stronger. I believe strongly that test-and-treat can become one more meaningful way we care for our neighbors — in their own towns, at times that work for their lives and with the timely support they need. Now Vermont has the opportunity to match that policy with meaningful investment and build a stronger, more responsive healthcare system rooted in the communities it serves. Read the story on VTDigger here: How Vermont’s new pharmacy law could change rural healthcare.