Government

Two bills under consideration would regulate chatbots and restrict AI in psychotherapy

Scenes from Town Meeting Day in Winooski

“Do I like having higher taxes? No, I don’t. But I think we need to support our community,” one voter said.

Tradition of Town Meeting Day continues in Hancock as voters talk budgets and participation.

The budget was passed by a voiced majority vote

S.205 would ban centers over 100 megawatts while their energy use and water consumption is studied

Paper ballots make voting easier but take away the ability to “change each other’s minds,” expert says.

With increased benefits and wages for new members, Charlotte Volunteer Fire & Rescue Services hopes to attract even more staff and volunteers in the long run

Polling locations will have sample ballots in Arabic, French, Nepali, Somali, Spanish, Swahili.

Some residents worry that no longer mailing the annual report would make vital information harder to access.

A dam safety bill passed in the House Committee on Environment on Feb. 20.

Increased ICE presence has caused a ripple effect across the entire state, according to Winooski Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria.

Proponents of bill H.270 say frontline workers need a place to process on-the-job stress.

Q&A with Thomas Renner, interim mayor of Winooski

Educators who support S.175 still have concerns about integrating the subject into their curriculum.

The advocacy group will zero in on PFAS, local regulations and more on behalf of local farmers

H.713 would increase the minimum wage for fast food workers in Vermont, but some question whether it would hurt local businesses

A new bill that would allow customers to install plug-in solar systems without a previously required middle man passes the Senate

Supporters say S.208 would build public trust while officials raised questions about enforcement and exceptions.

Rutland High School graduate Joe Ferris was always into government and always overachieving – and now he’s the leader of a city.

Student Government Association approves club after initial denial and pressure from a club member’s parent.

“It is so much more people-management than policy,” Kristine Lott said.

State legislators and community members attended awards night featuring national guest speaker Erick Erickson

Quebec’s first case since 2015 was found just a mile across the border from a rabid raccoon in Highgate.

When Canada geese molt their flying feathers in the summer, scientists see a key window to study and track them.

A food-start up bill exempts home based food producers from requiring state food safety permits if they keep their sales under $30,000.

Amanda Wheeler hopes to show you don’t have to leave home to make an impact.

What South Burlington’s Parks and Open Spaces Master Plan is trying to do

Lawmakers earlier this month listened to the report.

The state’s agriculture industries are paying close attention to prices on products they use.

Yellow buoys mark the wrecks’ locations, and divers can follow their lines down to submerged signage identifying each.

Under the bill, fathers in prison would be able to take parenting classes, visit with their children in a child-friendly space and talk to them via free video calls.

The bugs have been spotted in 96 out of Vermont’s 247 municipal areas, the state says.

The event was presented by the Heritage Winooski Mill Museum with funding from Vermont Humanities — from which the Trump administration recently slashed almost $729,000.

Neither version of the bill will get voted out of the Legislature this year, but lawmakers are making moves to develop the proposals ahead of the second half of the biennium.

Thanks to donors, a Vermont Historical Society program will continue, at least through October.

Construction on the project, which is being overseen by the Vermont Agency of Transportation, is set to start in late May and last until November.

If Vermont ever pursued hosting the Games, it should partner up with its neighbors, said the comptroller of the 1980 Games in Lake Placid.

It comes from the House Committee on Energy and Digital Infrastructure, newly formed this session in part to prioritize digital technology initiatives that had been overshadowed.

Rutland area residents took to the streets Thursday as part of nationwide protests of the Trump administration.

Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship When one of Vermont’s oldest lumber mills, run by the A. Johnson Company in Bristol, shut down its saws in 2023 after 117 years in business, it seemed like another sign of a waning timber industry.  Now, a sweeping executive order from President Donald Trump […]

Over the last two years, “persistently rainy conditions made many forested areas too wet to harvest,” a logging industry rep told legislators.

The Trump administration paused access to more than $16 million sent to Vermont through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program. 

Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University student and Vermont resident, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Colchester this month.

Farmers say it helps secure their bottom line, and officials in and outside the Legislature say it’s vital to curbing hunger. 

Most witnessed have supported the bill, but a few concerns have come up about free speech and news media’s liabilities.

Around 100 of the 700 3-acre sites in Vermont are subdivisions, but the state doesn’t know exactly how many people live on those parcels.

Sen. Allison Clarkson, one of two lead sponsors, said licensure can provide consistency and professionalization, as well as increased wages. 

The program lives in a space distinct from the cold surfaces of the rest of the prison. In the room two green couches sit atop a patterned rug, with a shelf of toys stacked against the wall.

Silas Loomis, who has been the Castleton constable since Richard Nixon was in the White House, is calling it quits and sharing lots of wild stories from his more than five decades in the position.

The bill would guarantee employees can take two weeks of unpaid time off from work after the death of a family member.

Poultney officials have taken action against two dogs in town accused of killing neighbors’ chickens.

It’s too late to pass this year, but the bill has gained bipartisan support and excited trail advocates.

State employees working with victims say the system doesn’t work — some even tell people not to sign up. For one woman, an “unbelievable gap” led to life-altering danger.

The bills focus on age-appropriate design, more guards on consumer data and stricter regulations for data brokers.

A perfect storm — that’s how industry leaders describe the challenges Vermont developers face in 2025. 

Legislators were eyeing a pool of $7.5 million for the 2026 fiscal year, though the bill on the Senate floor now leaves the price tag to be determined.

Said a South Burlington teacher: “There has to be a balance, right? I don’t want this to be my only focus because the more the student feels embroiled in this situation, the more unsteady they’re going to feel.”

Gov. Phil Scott is setting his sights on programs where he believes the state can afford to cut costs. 

The U.S. Postal Service has offered little explanation for the gulf in pricing.

The authors of the resolutions condemned the Trump administration’s actions across the board.

Town is trying to get FEMA to reimburse millions in flood expenses

Residents voted 130-30 to pass Article 13, which proposed a reserve fund dedicated to expanding the community.

Tax hikes and program cuts spark debate

Taxes, spending at issue

Amid the lasagna and love, voters weighed in on contentious issues.

Two House bills would bar service providers from deceptive business practices and require them to offer cheap broadband plans.

Protesters described the event as anti-trans and the speakers as unqualified.

Voters in West Rutland on Town Meeting Day will decide whether to fund a $2.3 million upgrade to the wastewater treatment plant.

Munger Road in Fair Haven will once again be maintained as a class-four town road after town officials recently cracked a six-decade mystery.

Majority is 40 or under, with more young adults running

A new committee aims to add more housing while protecting the environment.

The bill is modeled after California’s 2024 School Food Safety Act.

Voters in Charlotte are deciding whether to abandon the 236-year-old tradition of direct democracy for the access and convenience of the secret ballot.

Starting in 2027, builders will replace the floodgates with thicker, sturdier ones and swap out the bridge above the spillway.

“I don’t think it’s a partisan issue,” Copeland Hanzas said. “It’s really just to make sure that elections are honest and accurate and fair.”

“It’s a really gut-wrenching situation for all the parties involved,” said the commission’s executive director.

Vermont State University’s DEI leader answers a variety of questions regarding new DEI challenges and personal questions about his life in Vermont.

Legislators in both chambers have been in talks about chloride’s impact on waterways.

As safeguards to ensure a degree of local input, Scott is calling for the creation of local school advisory councils, which his proposal states will “promote high levels of community engagement.”

Usually up to 20 detainees from Immigration and Customs Enforcement are held in state prisons on a given day.

“This event is a way to help people with a little bit more background to show them the tools and give them the opportunity to use the tools without having to purchase things and not know what’s going on,” staff said. 

Ram Hinsdale began serving as Vermont Senate majority leader Jan. 8.

It’s been over a year since the Westbury mobile home park in Colchester became the Village of Westbury, the first village established in Vermont in nearly a century.

The lieutenant governor-elect sits down with the Winooski News to talk about his upset victory, path in politics and what he wants to prioritize come January.

The state advisory group plans to keep monitoring research and policy around psilocybin nationwide.

Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner emphasized three goals city leaders are looking at: affordability, multi-bedroom units and putting units up for sale.

Following a population dip in the 1960s and 1970s, the muskellunge were seemingly wiped out after an untreated waste spill.

Poll officials field voting questions and preside over a calm Election Day.

Despite election anxiety, Charlotters report a welcoming atmosphere at the polls.

A steady stream of voters, volunteers and candidates made for a busy day at Brookside Primary School.

Vignettes from Election Day In Chelsea and Tunbridge.

Vermonters volunteering at the polls faced anxious voters this election but assured that there are plenty of steps taken to keep ballots safe.

“I don’t want to be a single-issue person in the Statehouse because of my background, so I always want to prioritize what’s important to Winooski.”

The project aims to eventually provide New York City with 20% of its annual energy needs through hydropower. It’s pegged to cost some $6 billion.

South Burlington City Cerk Holly Rees assures voters that numerous steps are taken to make the voting process a secure one.

Both farmers with long histories of public service, O’Brien and Post are running to represent the Windsor-Orange 2 House district.

Incumbent Democrat Carl Demrow and Republican challenger Michael Tagliavia will face off on housing affordability, public safety and education this Election Day.

Beck, a Republican representing the Caledonia 3 House district, is vying for a seat in the Senate.

Amanda Cochrane is running as a Democrat for the Caledonia Senate district, advocating investment on mental health and housing to bring young residents to Vermont.

Since 2016, the number of Vermont schools serving as polling places has decreased by more than half.

The July 2024 flooding was more destructive downstream while the December 2023 flooding resulted in higher flow because it involved snow and rain, said one scientist.

“Prisons are the least transparent and most understudied public institutions in the country. So doing research inside prisons — people just don’t do it, and therefore they’re like these black boxes.”

In a unanimous resolution, city councilors said Winooski had “greatly benefitted from his dedicated work and effective leadership” and that he made the city “a better place for years to come.”

From the president of the United States to all 180 seats in the Vermont Legislature, here is what’s on the ballot.

Tomlinson is running for one of two seats to represent Winooski in the House as a member of the Vermont Progressive and Democratic parties.

CNS journalists plan to delve into the data to tease out trends and provide Vermonters with a deeper understanding of the state’s vote-by-mail system.

Here are answers to your voting questions.

Here is how to be vote-ready in Vermont, including a unique voter’s oath that originated with adoption of the state’s 1777 Constitution.

More than 60 units are planned in total across the two towns. Both project planners say state brownfield grants have helped get the ball rolling.

Frequently asked questions and answers ahead of Election Day in Charlotte.

Frequently asked questions and answers ahead of Election Day in South Burlington.

A voting resource from the Winooski News.

The over $28 million project began in April and is slated to continue into 2026. Officials say it’s an investment for the city’s future.

The stockpile can reimburse search and rescue efforts in the Green Mountain National Forest, said the state treasurer.

Any Brattleboroean can benefit from MicroMoo2 but the influx of resettled refugees made the need even more urgent.

With their own kits, groups measure E.coli bacteria levels, the marker used by the EPA to measure how safe water is to swim in.

The public will get a chance to learn more about the project at an August public meeting.

Researchers also announced the Lake Champlain Sea Grant was awarded just under $300,000 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

As of mid-July, none of the property owners nor local officials had heard back from FEMA. A year after floods ripped through Vermont, they have been left in the lurch. 

The NEK org’s $1 million fundraising goal from last summer has gone up to $2.5 million.

Mejia was working with her legal team to file for asylum and apply for a visa for human trafficking victims, said Migrant Justice.

The sound of rain during the press conference brought a sense of déjà vu as foreboding forecasts rolled in — and then delivered on their worst promise by flooding the town again.

The project was showcased as a success story for collaborations between municipalities and businesses coming together to spur economic development in Vermont’s small towns.

Tent City, as the encampment was known, sat tucked in a patch of woods behind the downtown train station and Food City grocery store.

“We’re not on the level of having gigantic fires in Vermont yet,” Dillner said. But officials believe Vermonters should pay attention and prepare to protect their homes and health.

Where can you buy a cheap hardware desk, find an antique embalming machine and pick up the pocket knife you had to give to security officials when you flew from the airport?

The event, hosted by the Vermont Community Development Association, will be held June 25 at the Hardwick Town House on Church Street.

The town-owned library in Hardwick is getting an expansion for more books, space for quiet reading and youth sections and events.

Cabot residents have since had to travel nearly five miles to Marshfield for mail services, including access to post office boxes and package pickup and drop-off.

It has become increasingly more expensive to keep and repopulate his hives, the vetoed bill’s sponsor said, because colonies are dying at faster rates in recent years.

The trend has accelerated since the peak of the pandemic, data shows. More and more people are trekking off-path without being prepared, increasing the danger, say those in the field.

The town selectboard established the committee in 2021 amid Covid-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Staffing shortages in Waterbury are among post office problems across Vermont that have disrupted deliveries and inconvenienced residents.

While these big wins sound alluring, very few sports bettors leave with any profit. The average sports bettor has lost around 8 cents for every dollar they spent since 2018, according to a review of sportsbooks’ earnings last year.

The city’s long-delayed Main Street Revitalization project began last month.

The bill seeks to ensure better legal protections for donors.

The commission denied the project March 27 after seven months of deliberation.

Part of the bill aimed to ban hunters from using dogs and bait — without a trappers’ license — to hunt coyotes in the state.

In recent years, libraries across the country have come under fire for housing books that focus on gender, sexual and racial identity, especially those for children.

Though psychedelics are illegal in the state, that isn’t stopping Vermonters from using them. 

Vermont’s only women’s prison, Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington, is half a century old and in terrible shape. The state has set aside millions for a new facility, but construction is years away.

Five years of data analyzed by Community News Service shows the state’s largest transit system is approaching an inflection point on the back of haywire trends.

It’s a conundrum with many variables and few easy answers. As Murdoch put it, “What other tools do we have in our toolkit?”

The bill would bar people from having guns, frames or receivers that lack serial numbers or transferring them to someone else.

Under S.310, all state emergency communications would by default be accompanied by language assistance services.

Vermont only has five medical cannabis dispensaries as opposed to at least 51 recreational businesses opening within the last two years.

Legislators added the original bill’s language to H.878, which deals with “miscellaneous judiciary procedures.”

Winooski officials, like many across Vermont, have sought solutions for housing challenges in the city for several years.

The bill would target shoplifters who steal multiple things in one county within a two-week period. If the combined value of the goods exceeds $900, an offender would face the same fines and imprisonment as the current felony.

If cameras catch you driving more than 10 mph over the limit, the rig takes a photo of your license plate and you’ll get a ticket in the mail. 

Winooski’s population is roughly 60% renters, meaning the regulations could impact a lot of residents.

The bill says companies that distribute PCBs must pay for the testing and removal of the chemicals in Vermont’s schools.

Under the bill, companies would be barred from the sale, lease, or disclosure of people’s biometric identification unless it is necessary for the service or the person gives consent. 

The city is responsible for paying 5%, or $3.09 million (whichever is less) for project expenses.

Lawmakers made the changes after hearing testimony from state officials that called the bill’s language vague and lacking in precedent.

The bill would fill what supporters say is a gap in the law. 

The bill says if people agree to use protection before or during sex, neither party can remove or tamper with the condom without the other’s consent. The bill would allow survivors to seek damages in court.

Reapportionment occurs every 10 years and is based on census data.

Right now, putting on sunscreen in Vermont schools is a tall order. 

The bill would hold drug sellers responsible for deaths caused by their distribution of laced drugs, even if doing so was down to mere carelessness.

Many Vermont schools faced dramatic increases in their proposed school budgets this year, partly due to state requirements for higher spending in areas such as special education and educator insurance.

He can’t fly or shoot lasers out his eyes, but he can do what many dread and few understand: taxes.

The bill would limit Vermont police interrogators from lying to detainees. But lawmakers doubled down on details that got last year’s version of the plan shot down.

In a survey by the state after last summer’s flooding, 70% of farmers said they didn’t have crop or livestock insurance. Another 10% said the insurance didn’t apply to their industry — meaning only around one in five had coverage for those losses.

The bill would codify the practice of pre-charge referrals so the process is the same regardless of county.

Expungement entirely wipes someone’s conviction from the official record — the goal being to see them treated as if they had never been convicted.

By meeting a slew of conditions, producers wouldn’t need inspections to sell raw chicken products from the farm, at farmers markets or to restaurants in Vermont.

International Transgender Day of Visibility is an annual dedication that falls on the final day of March in many cities across the world.

‘It was a constant battle’ to keep JetBlue in the Green Mountain State — a conflict that started long before the airline pulled out in 2023.

The hotel would serve as a cornerstone of the city’s vision for economic growth downtown.

Students from Windham Elementary School and Compass Middle School were tasked with the mushroom selection.

Washington district constituents approached their senator after they were turned away from a business because they only carried cash.

They came to vote on the town budget and other matters but, just as importantly, to wave goodbye to their town clerk and treasurer, Cynthia Flannigan, who retired after 25 years in office.

The bill would rebrand the board that sets rules for implementing Act 250.

The most heated debate arose over a topic that wasn’t even up for a vote: construction of a new fire department.

Waitsfield residents voted to approve two different articles that would establish reserve funds for the road crew and the town planning commission.

Money-related issues were the most notable ballot items for South Burlington voters.

A high voter turnout resulted after a respectful but passionate debate from townspeople over the two select board candidates.

With property taxes increasing across Vermont, town and school budgets are becoming an even more contentious source of debate. 

A proposed town budget increase caused concern among some residents.

Residents cited patrol issues in town and approved a bumping up of the budget for public safety in support of a new contract with the sheriff’s department.

The town hall didn’t have enough seats for the roughly 100 residents who showed up to vote.

Residents showed out to advocate for Lakeview Elementary, which may no longer be a school for much longer.

The town meeting moderator said this year’s meeting was cordial and those who held opposing views agreed to disagree.

Residents decided whether to give the town manager position more power and balked at a steep school budget proposal.

So far the bill has been well received and the University of Vermont is expected to present a new draft for legislators to chew on next week. 

Of the issues voted on, residents voted in a slate of LGBTQ+ city councilors and approved a project to upgrade and potentially relocate the Winooski bridge.

However, some voters were advocating for the change.

The group is fundraising with donations and grant applications, but they still need town approval.

The changes address problems prompted by education officials.

The rule requires short-term rental hosts to register with the city, apply for a license and, if approved, pay annual fees.

One drone operator understands the lawmakers’ concern, but said he thinks details in the bill are too arbitrary.

But companies like Meta and TikTok would be responsible for assessing their data protection policies under the bill — and for determining whether they are in compliance with the law.

Management last year rolled out parking fees, carpooling incentives and bus service improvements — but it may not be doing enough. 

Nationwide, 27 other states have a maximum fine for towing, but Vermont doesn’t.

For the first time, residents will vote by Australian ballot.

Montalban asked neighbors within a 3-mile radius to not use seeds treated with the pesticide, and he said many have been receptive to the request.

Members from selectboards across valley towns including Waitsfield, Warren and Moretown say they aren’t considering the idea right now. 

Groton will decide via floor vote to approve an increasing town budget, and Ryegate residents will vote to allow cannabis shops in town.

Among the many increases in general and administrative costs, the budget includes a big jump in funding for cemetery maintenance.

“In the damages part of the legal process, some defendants were still using the argument that a person could be responsible for their assault,” said one of the sponsors of the bill. 

Voters approved the change on last year’s ballot. Soon they’ll see its effects.

Homelessness rates in Vermont have shot up by 18.5% since last year, as of this past January.

Neonicotinoids are insecticides that coat plants’ seeds, so the toxins are taken up into a plant’s tissue as it grows.

The lead sponsor of the bill says the legislation is important for residents in areas likely to suffer flooding in the future.

One selectboard member said he thinks the rise in the tax rate will come as a real shock to Charlotters. 

This year’s circuit spotlights the diversity of performances as the Statehouse opens its doors to valued but underrepresented cultures and groups in Vermont, one legislator said.

The council approved a nearly $11 million budget that Winooski voters will consider on Town Meeting Day

That money would make up what lawmakers are calling a climate superfund to help pay for natural disaster recovery in Vermont. 

The bill aims to prevent Vermont from becoming a place for puppy farms or mills — commercial dog breeding operations that raise animals in poor conditions.

The bill would dramatically limit the use of electronic devices, digital platforms and more in all Vermont schools.

Under current law, first responders employed by the state don’t have to prove PTSD is related to work when seeking workers’ compensation. The new bill would give that presumption to more state workers.

Ghost guns are firearms built at home using kits that come with all the parts needed for a gun. The unassembled parts aren’t considered guns by federal law and have no serial number.

Eleven judges reported supplemental rental income over the past four years, totaling $341,953 from 2019 to 2022. While some judges only reported a couple thousand in rental income annually, other judges reported over $20,000 in some years.

The bill seeks to update the state endangered species list more frequently, establish critical habitat spaces, prohibit the sale of species and curtail rules that allow endangered animals to be taken from the land. 

If a business is culpable, H.614 allows police to seize any equipment it used for illegal activity. Furthermore, the bill increases fines and limits the logging activities of businesses with two or more outstanding fines or judgements.

‘It’s not necessarily doing anything to reinvent restorative justice or restorative approaches; it is making it so it is more streamlined access across the state,’ Dolan said. ‘This is trying to get some consistency and also respect the uniqueness of each county.’

The bill aims to expand the legal definition of mobile home parks to include communities of mobile home owners who own their own lots. Currently, state law defines mobile home parks as land with at least two mobile homes or mobile home lots, or adjacent land owned by the same person.

“What does it hurt to do this? What if you’re a student who, for the first time, is getting a period, and you forgot something?” said the bill sponsor.

Vermont State Police announced last week that troopers had finished an investigation into the incident and that no criminal charges would be filed. 

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Green Mountain Transit rides have been free.

Meanwhile, a state police investigation lingers and the boy’s family is in touch with an attorney.

Support from migrant rights activists is competing with concerns about the legality of the proposed policy change and, from law enforcement, wariness about restrictions on their jobs.  

Agricultural, food and nutrition advocates in the state want to see increased focus on climate, protection for nutrition initiatives and stronger support for small-scale growers and dairy farmers, among other things, in the next bill.

Winooski residents want infrastructure improvements along Main Street to make crossing, walking and biking safer, according to local leaders working on a new walk-bike plan for the city.

If your car is towed in Vermont, you’re on your own.

For the last two years, a heated debate has swirled around the serene setting, stemming from the U.S. Forest Service’s plan to cut and harvest 690 acres of trees around the lake.

Now the Vermont Department for Children and Families is perhaps two months away from setting up temporary quarters in Middlesex in a state complex most recently used for inpatient mental health.

Invasive species are a big issue in Vermont, and the debates surrounding their management often center on another contentious issue — herbicides and pesticides.   

Rebecca Wasserman was appointed executive director of VT Saves on Oct. 16.

Committee members are confused on what their vote meant — and now need to revote, a Criminal Justice Council admin told CNS.

While a state game warden demonstrated a deer processing, kids and parents whittled away at wooden ducks around a table under the next tent over.

People in the industry believe the problems caused by the floods will worsen with winter weather soon setting in and, within the next few months, artists could be left wondering what they’ll do without accessible indoor spaces.

“We rely on that water for training, and if those beaches are closed because of the quality of the water, that really impacts us,” said the Burlington diving center’s co-owner.

The commission plans to look at draft amendments to the regulations at its next meeting on Oct. 19.

Fewer than one-fifth of agricultural business applicants had received payments. Those that did, on average, received tens of thousands of dollars less than needed.

Our journalists interviewed 16 lawmakers about their environmental priorities ahead of the session.

The Community News Service is a program in which University of Vermont students work with professional editors to provide content for local news outlets at no cost. Reducing personal use of gasoline powered vehicles is a top priority of state Rep. Mollie Burke, D-Brattleboro, heading into the next legislative session.  “The priorities have been so […]

Waterbury residents expressed concerns to the Development Review Board recently about the design of a three-story 26-unit apartment building proposed for 51 South Main Street. 

Lacking waste services, poor access to safe drinking water and frustration with the state’s composting requirement were highlighted as common concerns across the state in a report released late last month by state environmental officials.

Farmers are grappling with what could soon be a hay shortage that threatens their livelihoods and the normal food routines of their animals.

New Hampshire homeowners struggling with financial pressures related to COVID-19 still have a chance to seek relief from money provided through the state’s Homeowner Assistance Fund. 

The Vermont Truth and Reconciliation Commission holds first meeting.

With the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 came a rush of guidance on masks, testing, vaccines and social-distancing. But even with all the messages from the CDC and local communities, there was a communication issue.

More than 50 years, a slew of roadblocks and $45 million later, the controversial Champlain Parkway is set to push forward along Burlington’s southern edge.

When it was introduced in the Legislature last year, a bill called S.201 proposed prohibiting the use of leg-hold traps in Vermont — rigs with metal pressure plates that, when stepped on, trigger spring-loaded claws to ensnare an animal’s leg.

With the passage of Act 11 this past Statehouse session, legislators have cleared the way for survivors of sexual and domestic violence to take matters to a nearby community justice center. 

Earlier this month, In a backyard overlooking Spear Street, dozens of Vermont Republicans watched a four-part performed history of patriotic songs and munched on barbecue beneath an American flag the width of a two-car garage in the leadup to Independence Day. 

Come next election, if you’re 16 and live in Brattleboro, you’ll get a say in your town elections.

The state’s pandemic-era motel voucher program will continue for Winooskians and other Vermonters until April 2024. 

Lawmakers and advocates say photo-generative software represents a serious escalation of “image-based sexual abuse”

Moved inside from the rain, state and federal leaders joined together at SunCommon in Waterbury on Wednesday to announce new funding through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Solar for All program.

Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke that night as part of the Gen. John Stark lecture series hosted by the Ethan Allen Institute, the small-government conservative think tank named for one of Vermont’s founding fathers. 

On Friday, April 28, the Community College of Vermont held a town meeting on its Winooski campus with Senator Bernie Sanders.

Rees, 48, has dedicated most of her life to serving the South Burlington community.

As the state pushes toward its solar goals, what environmental questions must be examined?

South Burlington officials want to eliminate 60 percent of the city’s carbon footprint by 2030, and with transportation accounting for two-thirds of that figure, the city’s climate action plan finalized last October is pushing for more electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.

When scientists detected a small, bug-eyed gray fish two years ago at the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson rivers in New York, it set off alarms everywhere along the waters of Lake Champlain.

Vermont lawmakers are seeking to give workers increased protections when it comes to collective bargaining and union organizing through a bill that has passed in the Senate with a number of changes since it was introduced. 

H.45 proposes a specific protection many might not be familiar with: protection from abusive litigation.

Vermont is the only state in the country where farmers cannot readily access a program meant to pay them back for restoring habitats around their farms.

Vermont’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, formed by legislators last year to document and examine state-sanctioned discrimination against historically oppressed groups, is in the process of hiring an executive director, legal counsel, an administrative assistant and research staff.

The bill, H.483, looks to implement a nondiscriminatory admissions process for prospective students on public tuition.

The Department for Children and Families has been in and out of the Statehouse in recent weeks to initiate the process of building a new rehab and detention facility for juveniles in Vermont, the latest steps in a plan drafted back in December. 

A proposed solar farm in Charlotte would see about 12,500 panels lined in rows across 21 acres on Lake Road.

Vermont students may have more protections when it comes to discrimination and harassment in schools as advocates are urging lawmakers to include them in a bill that right now only focuses on workplaces and places of public accommodations. 

This legislative session’s major housing bill drew a lot of attention last month for its impacts on Act 250 reform and single-family zoning.

A bill that would remove the residency requirement in Vermont’s law allowing terminally ill patients to receive medication with which to end their own life has passed the Legislature and awaits the governor’s approval. 

Vermont continues to see spikes in housing prices with the median home price rising 15% in 2022, according to the Vermont Housing Finance Agency. Communities and state officials alike have spent a lot of time discussing how the growth of short-term rentals in Vermont has contributed to the state’s housing crisis.

Vermonters are one step closer to receiving job-protected leave to deal with the fallout of sexual and domestic violence as part of Democrats’ major paid leave bill, which passed through the House and into the Senate last month.

South Burlington officials want to eliminate 60% of the city’s carbon footprint by 2030, and with transportation accounting for two-thirds of that figure, the city’s climate action plan finalized last October is pushing for more electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. 

Vermont lawmakers launched the cross-party Future Caucus with the Millennial Action Project, a group focused on encouraging younger people to pursue politics, in 2015 to unify lawmakers under 45 years old and encourage younger individuals to run for office. But in June of last year, only 24 of the 150 state legislators were under 45. 

As lawmakers aim to make universal school meals a permanent measure, they are also looking to make sure more of those meals are made with local food. 

Landlords would’ve had to register rental units in a statewide list under the original version of a bill moving through the Senate, but lawmakers backed away from the plan and now the bill would only commission a study of the idea.

Senate legislators are considering a bill that would end a policy that suspends driver’s licenses as a result of not paying civil traffic violations within 30 days.

House lawmakers passed a sweeping land and water conservation bill March 24, in what is effectively a do-over of legislation vetoed last year by Gov. Phil Scott. 

House legislators passed a bill that would legalize mobile sports betting last week, putting Vermont on the road to joining other states in legalizing the practice.

On Town Meeting Day, Burlington will vote on a provision to allow all legal resident voting.

Communities near proposed telecommunications facilities may get to have more involvement in the siting process through a bill in the House Committee on Energy and Environment.

Lawmakers in the Vermont House are expected to vote this week on a bill that would create a civil recourse for victims of stealthing — the nonconsensual removal or tampering with a condom during sex.

Mandating and strengthening Holocaust education in schools has been brought up by lawmakers for the past few years, but the proposed bills are typically left untouched. This year, many representatives and senators are hoping that will change. 

A new Senate bill would prohibit the manufacture and sale of cosmetic and menstrual products and textiles containing PFAS and dozens of other materials dangerous for people and the environment.

Legislators may be looking at a bill to provide two hours paid leave for employees to vote in primary, general and Town Meeting Day elections. 

Lawmakers are looking to create a new grant program to help small farmers diversify their products or transition from one type of farm to another.

House legislators passed a bill last Friday that would allow victims of “stealthing” — when someone secretly removes or tampers with a condom during sex — to bring a civil case against their assailant. 

The Senate Judiciary Committee heard from familiar faces on a familiar policy last week: THC potency limits for cannabis concentrate products.

City councilors want to drop funding for an equity director in the upcoming fiscal year’s budget, putting a “pause” on a role meant to address racial disparities in Vermont’s most racially diverse city.

Barnard residents will vote Town Meeting Day on whether the town should use $400,000 from budget surpluses to reduce property taxes and fund road repairs, along with deciding several open spots in the town government.

Chemicals are discharged into the Winooski River

Guidelines for Vermont school districts’ curricula and reading materials may be changing for the first time in 10 years as a working group looks to push the state education board to put greater focus on racial and ethnic diversity and historically persecuted groups. 

A new bill would require Vermont public school students to take a personal finance course to graduate high school. 

More than a dozen House Republicans are looking to repeal the Global Warming Solutions Act and scrap the Vermont Climate Council — but even Gov. Phil Scott doesn’t think their bill will go anywhere.  The bill, H.74, would move away from the expansive 2020 law and toward the state’s Comprehensive Energy Plan, which is renewed […]

When Randolph voters hit the ballot box on Town Meeting Day, they will be deciding how to fill four spots on the selectboard and whether to boost the police budget to over $770,000 for the following fiscal year, up 121%.

U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vermont — the first woman and first openly LGBTQ individual to represent Vermont in Congress — attended her first State of the Union address that night. 

Before voters on Town Meeting Day say “yes” or “no” to proposed local and education taxes for the coming year, the numbers they see on the agenda go through a labyrinth.

Officials hope a new state fund can sway landlords to rent to people who might otherwise lack housing.

Lawmakers are looking to pass a bill to make universal school meals permanent in Vermont — an extension of pandemic-era policies with a price tag pegged at $29 million for next year.

With the rise of politicized medical procedures in recent years, some liberal-majority legislatures like Vermont’s are trying to protect patients who receive reproductive and gender-affirming care — and their providers.

House Democrats’ latest push for a paid leave bill comes with a new addition: It would provide paid time off for people experiencing sexual or domestic violence. 

Social services leaders say they’re scrambling to figure out what to do when the state’s program to help homeless people stay in hotels ends.

The group, created by the Waterbury Select Board last June, had its first-ever meeting this week in person at the Waterbury municipal center and carried online via Zoom as it begins to address the scarcity of affordable housing in Waterbury.

Leitz stepped into his new role on Jan. 1, becoming the town’s first new municipal manager in nearly 35 years.

Environmental advocates across the state head into this year’s legislative session with the goal of updating Act 250 — Vermont’s land use and development law — to protect one of the state’s biggest natural resources: working forests. 

Eleven organic dairy farms in Vermont closed in 2021. The next year, 18 more followed. And this year the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont expects to lose another 28 farms. 

Vermont schools face “critical” staff shortages midway through the academic year.

Communities statewide are set to start a series of wastewater projects funded by federal Covid-19 relief money.

Winooski River’s Salmon Hole is part of Vermont’s list of impaired and threatened waters.

Town leaders can get more tools to welcome newer Vermonters through a statewide program launched last month by Gov. Phil Scott and the state Office of Racial Equity.

One in every five taps tested was at or above the level requiring that it be removed, because it has a higher chance of harming children. Thousands of lead-tainted taps have been replaced or are no longer in use. Photo illustration by Natalie Williams; photo by Skitterphoto via Pexels State officials have been making the […]

Voters went to the Orchard School Tuesday morning to cast their ballots.

Grafton County Commissioner Linda D. Lauer’s decision not to seek reelection this year has given two longtime public servants the chance to win the District 2 commission seat. 

Hinesburg landowners have clashed with town planners over proposed zoning changes that, to prioritize forest conservation, would more strictly govern land use across a large stretch of town.

Town officials across Washington County are anticipating higher voter turnout than previous elections this year — a trend attributed to wider use of mail-in absentee ballots.

An informational meeting to address lingering questions and concerns regarding the upcoming vote on whether to sell the property at 51 South Main Street attracted approximately 100 village residents on Tuesday. 

Two candidates who emphasize environmental concerns but differ on abortion rights will square off in the midterm election for an open New Hampshire Senate seat.

Voters may be familiar with the two candidates squaring off to represent the Orange-Caledonia District at the Statehouse.

The race for the Orange 2 House seat features two fresh faces for the Statehouse.

The teachers, one from Morocco and one from Taiwan, will be working at the schools for the entire year as part of a U.S. State Department–sponsored program.

MONTPELIER — The Montpelier Roxbury Public School district is partnering with Talkspace, an online therapy platform, to deal with the growing need for mental health services in Vermont, particularly among youth. Superintendent Libby Bonesteel said the partnership came about after community members expressed concerns that there weren’t enough mental health providers in the area, especially […]

Williston Senior Planner Emily Heymann outlined proposed updates to Williston Village zoning regulations.

It was a problem just waiting to be solved and all it took was a few Harwood students asking “why?” to tackle it.