Outdoor Gear Exchange to open new Essex store, reduce size of Burlington flagship
The popular retailer plans to open a new storefront at the Essex Experience shopping center in early November. Store co-owner Marc Sherman said its Burlington flagship will stay open, but he said he worried about the changing retail landscape in downtown Burlington.
Residents of a Colchester manufactured home park organize to form Vermont’s first new village in years
“We’re more often merging than creating,” said Ted Brady, executive director of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns. “I’d say the biggest benefit to creating a village is the ability to raise taxes and provide a municipal service.”
Following the Floods
Read VTDigger’s latest coverage of the aftermath from historic flooding that hit Vermont this summer.
Scott administration calls for spending limits in kickoff to budget season
In a letter to state departments and agencies, state Finance Commissioner Adam Greshin called for spending increases of no more than 3%, which, given increasing costs, would likely lead to cuts to programs and services.
Vermont Conversation: Peter Schumann on 60 years of Bread and Puppet Theater
As he approaches his 90th year, Schumann isn’t going to change his artistic vision to make people comfortable.
Community members urge Middlebury school district to improve its response to racism
More than a dozen people spoke out during a meeting of the Addison Central School District Board on Monday night to express disappointment in former dean Esther Charlestin’s resignation. They called on the district to confront racism they said is pervasive and often overlooked by the largely white school district.
Editors’ Picks
Our best stories, investigations, podcasts and more, as recommended to you by VTDigger editors.
After facing racism at a Middlebury middle school, a departing dean calls for stronger protections
“My issue wasn’t that these things happened, but that leaders did not have protocols to follow to help guide them,” Esther Charlestin told VTDigger.
Vermont State University could consolidate, cut academic programs in ‘optimization’ process
Vermont State University has been analyzing its academic offerings to see which programs could be combined or “retired,” interim president Mike Smith said this week. The process could ultimately lead to lost positions, he said.
Matthew Morgan, stuck in prison after dismissed shoplifting charge, is released on furlough
Morgan had filed a lawsuit against the Department of Corrections, seeking to limit the types of furlough violations that could send a person back to prison.
Federal immigration authorities send an average of 60 people to Vermont prisons each month
Lawmakers were unaware of the practice when informed by the Vermont Department of Corrections this year.
Amazon now owns clinic serving Dartmouth College employees
A web page updating patients on the practice emphasizes that the acquisition of One Medical by Amazon in February does not give Amazon access to patients’ data.
MacKenzie Scott donates $20 million to Champlain Housing Trust, a historic boost for affordable housing in Vermont
The largest gift in the nonprofit’s 40-year history will be used to provide housing and strengthen community in Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle counties, according to the trust.
More Vermonters dying of opioid overdoses as drugs become more toxic
In the first half of this year, 115 state residents fatally overdosed, putting Vermont on track to set a record for the fourth year in a row.
‘There’s no way he can be an effective senator’: Welch and Sanders call on embattled Menendez to step down
The New Jersey Democrat and chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee faces federal corruption charges and accusations of accepting bribes of cash and gold to aid in foreign business deals.
Opinion
Columns, commentaries and letters to the editor written by community members and regular contributors.
Suzanne Lupien: Impractical initiative is a tragedy for our rural roads, wildlife and town budgets
For the last few years, our rural landscape and its inhabitants have borne the brunt of vast environmental damage, and loss of incalculable volumes of soil, vegetation and aquatic life.
Letter to the editor: OneCare picture is not that rosy
There is zero transparency at any level. Refusing to answer questions just because you do not have to is not a way to inspire confidence in the process.
Letter to the editor: Research and service are vital parts of UVM
How does research conducted in UVM hospitals, labs and libraries contribute to the future of Vermont, the nation and the world?
Kim Hornung-Marcy: Expanding McNeil plant is bad news in the long run
Say no to bad policy that ignores the climate crisis and robs our children of their future. Ask your Burlington City Council members to vote no on expanding McNeil.
Notorious Burlington apartment building to close for repairs, force out tenants
The city was prepared to request the rental certificate be revoked for 184 Church St., citing multiple code violations and problematic conditions. On Monday, the city struck a deal with the property owner allowing repairs to be made after current residents are moved out.
Vermonters face limited appointments and insurance mixups with new Covid vaccines
The latest booster, designed to protect against the more recent strains of the disease, is in short supply weeks after it was authorized.
Obituaries
Death notices and celebrations of life.
State signs new deal to continue sending incarcerated individuals to Mississippi prison
The contract between the Vermont Department of Corrections and CoreCivic, one of the largest operators of private prisons in the nation, spans at least the next two years. CoreCivic was the only bidder for the contract.