VTDigger special reports
VTDigger Special Reports offers readers original, in-depth journalism that goes beyond the daily headlines to examine issues shaping Vermont.
Here you’ll find nonpartisan investigations, accountability reporting, data projects, explanatory journalism and deeply reported features on issues ranging from state government and public policy to education, housing, health care, the economy and the environment.
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Rural Vermont Rising demands to be heard — now and in the future
From fury over a regional land use plan to a new slate of legislative policy positions, the ascendant forum Rural Vermont Rising has been anything but dormant this summer.
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UVM Medical Center quietly changed its policy for patient observation. Some staff are worried about patient safety.
Staff unions sent the hospital a cease and desist letter regarding the change in practice, which comes as the hospital makes rapid strides to cut expenses.
‘There it was’: Mike Baker jumps into lakes and digs through poison ivy for lost wedding rings and other precious things
The “ring finder” has been at it for years. He routes part of the reward money for his finds to a local animal rescue organization.
How Amanda Janoo, a progressive political outsider, won Vermont’s Democratic primary for governor
“She represented a more authentic version of change, to enough voters, to give her the victory,” one observer said.
A pharmacy chain in Vermont implemented AI for efficiency. It’s led to delays, incorrect information and privacy concerns.
As AI pops up in healthcare systems across the country, several lawyers told VTDigger that the technology is outpacing regulation, leaving consumers vulnerable.
A Department of Corrections policy is quietly reshaping how long people are incarcerated in Vermont
The department said the policy is about protecting public safety. Advocates have raised concerns.
President Trump’s priorities could put a hefty portion of federal grants in Vermont on the chopping block under proposed rule
“Federal grants were politicized under the last administration to promote a far-left DEI agenda with projects like drag shows in Ecuador and transgender experiments on mice,” a government spokesperson wrote in an email to VTDigger. “That ends now.”
The cumulative weight of standing there
What more than 100 hours of video reveal about police work during a March ICE raid in South Burlington
Vermont lawmakers tried to curb license plate surveillance. Police found a way around it.
Data obtained by VTDigger shows that police in Vermont have conducted over 100 searches in the last three years using Flock license plate cameras.
Pleading for routine purchases: Inside the chaos at the Forest Service in Vermont
“It’s all slowed down right now and there is tons of confusion in the system,” a senior Forest Service official wrote to staff in a May 2025 email that was among internal documents obtained by VTDigger.
Vermont’s public lands are costly to maintain. And soon, many may be more expensive to visit.
In an unusual endorsement of new state fee revenues, Gov. Phil Scott cited a “constant effort” from his administration to balance accessibility with unavoidable costs.
As Vermont is a key link in global species movement, state and partners build out conservation networks and wildlife passages
“These linkage areas are incredibly important for allowing for wildlife movement in response to climate change,” a state biologist said.
‘The worst thing that has happened to me’: Honduran immigrant shares his experience of the South Burlington ICE raid
“When he had me on the floor, I said, ‘I’m a USA citizen. I’m a USA citizen’ and he’s like, ‘I don’t care. I don’t fucking care.’”
Caught between floods, a housing crisis and funding denials, Barre’s North End recovery remains stalled
The neighborhood was hit hard by flooding in 2023 and 2024. Two and a half years later, little has changed.
A major Vermont employer supplies helmets used by ICE
“It’s not my role to tell Galvion who they should or shouldn’t be selling their equipment to,” said Newport Mayor Rick Ufford-Chase, underlining the need for jobs in the Northeast Kingdom.
Snowmobilers and pedestrian users clashed this past winter over use of Newport’s rail trail
“Perfect storm” of state’s inconsistent management and climate change collided, causing outcry in the Northeast Kingdom community.
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