MONTPELIER, HARDWICK – Rep. Edye Graning, vice chair of the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development, joined advocates and survivors at the statehouse this week to highlight H.385, a bill that would create remedies and protections for Vermonters facing “coerced debt,” debt incurred through abuse, manipulation or exploitation. Supporters[Read More…]
Montpelier
Area representatives support extending Act 181 implementation
MONTPELIER – Individual members of the Vermont tri-partisan Rural Caucus met in the Vermont Statehouse Cedar Creek Room to call for passage of H.730, which would extend the implementation timeline for Act 181, aligning local and regional mapping with the Land Use Review Board (LURB) rulemaking process. “While Act 181[Read More…]
Journalism awards, report announced at Statehouse
MONTPELIER – Leaders from the newly formed Vermont Journalism Coalition (VJC) and the Vermont Community Foundation (VCF), as well as Senator Andrew Perchlik and Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas held a press conference February 4, sharing a new report on the state of Vermont’s news media landscape and[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…]
News about the news
MONTPELIER – The Vermont Journalism Coalition, a new advocacy organization advancing the interests of local news outlets, gathered in the Cedar Creek Room Wednesday, celebrating the winners of the Vermont Community Foundation’s local civic journalism awards. The award was administered by the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office. Sixteen news organizations[Read More…]
Welch secures nearly $60 million for Vermont communities
BURLINGTON, VT – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, announced February 6 that he has secured $58.68 million in federal funds to support 38 Vermont projects, including projects in the Northeast Kingdom, Senator Welch nominated project recipients through the[Read More…]
I am hopeful we’ll come out stronger
MONTPELIER – The topic of the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or ICE, weighed heavily on the minds of many legislators recently. The Governor made a strong statement saying “enough is enough” about the tactics being used by ICE to make America safer from violent illegal immigrants. The[Read More…]
Vermont Youth Orchestra performs Feb. 18
MONTPELIER – The 2026 Farmers Night Series presents the fifth concert of the season with the Vermont Youth Orchestra (VYO) on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 7:30 p.m., in a performance of chamber music. The VYO Flute Choir will play Vivaldi’s “Spring” and fiddle tune “Ashokan Farewell;” VYO Brass Quintet plays Shakira and[Read More…]
Regional musicians perform Feb. 25
MONTPELIER – The 2026 Farmers Night presents the sixth concert of the season with Montpelier’s Capital City Concerts on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 pm. The evening will feature world music with 40 regional musicians, featuring Portland, Maine’s, Grammy-nominated Palaver Strings, along with Vermont’s own Grammy-nominated flutist Karen Kevra, together with a[Read More…]
New data shows local counties closing child care gap
MONTPELIER – An analysis released by First Children’s Finance shows measurable progress in expanding access to full-day, full-year child care across Vermont, while making clear that ongoing shortfalls continue to constrain workforce participation and business growth. The new analysis finds Vermont closed the gap between supply and demand by 1,992[Read More…]
Two weeks have been busy
MONTPELIER – The past two weeks have been busy. New bills are introduced daily on a myriad of topics. To date, the House of Representatives have voted on and passed 13 bills. These are now onto the Senate. The education committee seems to be inundated with bills addressing education reform[Read More…]
Curated story hour featured Feb. 4
MONTPELIER – The third Farmers Night of 2026 will feature “Stories from the Woods, a Curated Story Hour,” Wednesday, Feb. 4, 7:30 p.m., presented by the Vermont Departments of Forests, Parks & Recreation and Fish & Wildlife. The evening will include short, personal stories from storytellers who will share experiences and reflections about[Read More…]
