AREA TOWNS – For eligible residents, free entry for the day in Vermont State Parks is available for eligible Vermonters including those enrolled in 3SquaresVT, Essential Person Program, Fuel Assistance, General Assistance, Reach Up, Summer EBT and WIC. For those with EBT or WIC card with active benefits, bring the[Read More…]
Area Counties
Vermonters vote on equal protection amendment to state constitution this fall
MONTPELIER – Vermont voters will have the chance to weigh in on another amendment to the state’s constitution this fall. The proposal, which got a final sign-off from the House recently, is aimed at ensuring all people are treated equally under the law regardless of their race, ethnicity, sex, religion,[Read More…]
Area legislators unanimously support equal protection amendment
AREA TOWNS – Voters will have a chance to weigh in on a proposed 23rd amendment to the Vermont Constitution guaranteeing equal protection under the law, Tuesday, November 23. An amendment was first proposed in 2019 by Sen. Ginny Lyons (D-Chittendon Southeast), but did not advance according to a 2024[Read More…]
Administration to release education funding for Vermont
BURLINGTON –Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, announced that the Department of Education has released $11.58 million in federal K-12 COVID-19 funding for 20 Vermont school districts and the Agency of Education, after over a year of delay. Included in[Read More…]
Take down birdfeeders to prevent bear conflicts
VERMONT – The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is receiving reports of bears coming out of their dens and is urging Vermonters to remove their birdfeeders and take additional steps now to prevent conflicts with bears over the spring and summer. “Do not wait to take down your birdfeeders and[Read More…]
Living at the mercy of someone else
MONTPELIER – When it comes to housing in Vermont, the stakes are high, and the power dynamic is clear: landlords hold the keys, literally and figuratively, to the homes so many of us call essential. With roughly 71,000 renter households across the state and rising median rents, a significant portion of Vermonters[Read More…]
Bill allowing land postings clarified
MONTPELIER – Last week, we passed H.723 out of the House chamber, an act relating to the posting of land. While I receive many emails from across our community on a variety of legislative proposals, this bill has generated particular interest in our district. It stemmed from a proposed rule[Read More…]
Measles detected in Washington County wastewater
WASHINGTON COUNTY – Vermont health officials have detected measles in Washington County wastewater. The finding triggered an alert to area health care providers, specifically those at Central Vermont Medical Center, in Berlin, to be on the lookout for the disease if patients come in with measles symptoms, which can include a[Read More…]
Act 250 overhaul takes shape, but questions remain
MONTPELIER – When Act 181 passed, its supporters framed it as a “grand bargain” between housing proponents and environmentalists that would rebalance Vermont’s land-use regulations for the 21st century. The act sought to lift Act 250 regulations in areas that are already developed to spur more housing during a crushing home shortage,[Read More…]
House lawmaker’s proposed school consolidation map would combine 119 districts into 27
MONTPELIER – Rep. Peter Conlon, D-Cornwall, the House Education Committee chair, on Thursday introduced the first concrete proposal presented this legislative session to consolidate Vermont’s dozens of school districts. The proposal would merge the state’s 119 districts and the 52 entities that govern them into 27 supervisory districts, each with[Read More…]
Impacts of 2025 drought seen locally
AREA COUNTIES – The 2025 Agriculture Drought Impact Survey Dashboard displaying results of a survey that opened in late October, shows results in area counties, where farmers can now benefit from a recently announced Small Business Administration disaster assistance program. Low-interest federal disaster loans are available to small businesses and[Read More…]
