Police department’s social media tactics lead to arrests — and criticism
Morristown’s police department offers prizes for information. Some see its approach as dehumanizing.
Second Vermont man this year dies in Mississippi prison
Shawn Sears, 56, died Wednesday after he was found unresponsive in his cell, according to the Vermont Department of Corrections. He was suing the department for denying him access to prison programs.
House honors Norwich woman as investigators say little
Still no updates from police on the investigation of the death of 82-year-old Noel Neely.
Vermont House stops short of unmasking ICE, dividing House Democrats
The House passed a bill that creates a statewide policy on masking and identification for local and state police officers. Lawmakers stripped it of its effect on federal agents.
Vermont legislators look to fast-track a plan to lower what insurers pay hospitals
Also in Final Reading: ‘Hateful, threatening rhetoric’; and the Clean Heat Standard.
Editors’ Picks
Our best stories, investigations, podcasts and more, as recommended to you by VTDigger editors.
State officials and local residents respond to ongoing PFAS contamination concerns in Bennington County
“PFAS is a generational disaster, and we’re only now starting to figure out what it means to respond to an environmental crisis of this scale and this durability,” said a Bennington College professor and PFAS researcher.
Vermonters will vote on equal protection amendment to state constitution this fall
The proposal, which got a final sign-off from the House on Wednesday, is aimed at ensuring all people are treated equally under the law regardless of their race, ethnicity, sex, religion or other identity.
Want to revisit and revise your life? Vermont writer Julia Alvarez knows how.
“What can I contribute that’s a spark of joy?” says the 76-year-old pioneering National Medal of Arts winner upon publication of a new career-spanning poetry anthology, “Visitations.”
Parents feel ‘blindsided’ by Washington Central school district’s grade reconfiguration
“I think many of us are concerned about the precedent that it sets, that decisions like this could be made unilaterally, without significant community input at all,” one parent said.
Vermont Conversation: Journalist Jasper Craven on the toxic mix of militarism and masculinity
Craven’s new book, “God Forgives, Brothers Don’t: The Long March of Military Education and the Making of American Manhood,” investigates how the U.S. military has shaped American masculinity from the days of the American Revolution to the forever wars of today.
Lawmakers attempt to reorganize supports for unhoused Vermonters while limiting motel use
The Vermont Senate approved a bill to curb the reliance on motels, but one shelter provider said “It’s not enough money to really be a solutions-based bill.”
Opinion
Commentaries and letters to the editor written by community members and regular contributors.
When clutter spills outside
Hoarding disorder is a mental health condition, but in Vermont’s small towns, it plays out in plain sight, testing the limits of neighborliness and local governance.
When prior authorization becomes prior aggravation
Insurance red tape is delaying care, driving up costs and consuming hours of physicians’ time — and patients are paying the price.
Vermont’s Act 181 reset is a chance to get it right
Removing controversial provisions alone won’t solve the state’s rural housing challenges.
Credit card fees are a cost of doing business
Surcharges for credit cards, kitchen staff and tips are obscuring the true cost of a restaurant meal.
Pharmacy closure leaves Woodstock without place to fill prescriptions
With the closure, Woodstock joins the growing list of Upper Valley towns without a pharmacy.
A new body will recommend how state government and Vermont businesses could adopt AI
Also in Final Reading: Sister state bill vetoed; and a senator’s controversial comments.
Burlington City Council rejects art donation from state-recognized Abenaki group
The council’s near-unanimous vote came after the proposal faced significant public opposition, including from two Abenaki nations based in Quebec and their supporters.
Judge concerned as Vermont Catholic diocese’s bankruptcy case hits $2M in legal bills
“It’s beyond time for some forward movement,” said Judge Heather Cooper, who’s waiting for the state’s largest religious denomination to submit a fiscal reorganization plan originally due more than a year ago.
Obituaries
Death notices and celebrations of life.
What 2,200 Vermonters told us about local news
The Dirt Road News project gathered responses from younger and rural Vermonters, revealing that local news is often hard to find and unevenly distributed, even as many respondents expressed strong trust in VTDigger and a clear appetite for more local coverage.
