VERMONT – In Vermont’s five most competitive state Senate races, 10 generous families contributed more than one-third of all campaign donations to the Republican nominees, as of an October 15 filing deadline. Democrats in those five races, by comparison, can thank their top 10 highest individual contributors — among them,[Read More…]
Vermont
Statewide Burning Ban Issued for Debris
VERMONT – After a warm, dry week and weekend and several reports of large wildfires in Vermont, the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) has issued an order for all of the state’s forest fire wardens to cease issuing burning permits from 3 p.m., October 28, through 3[Read More…]
Will Republican Control of Narrative on Property Taxes Flip Legislative Seats
VERMONT – On the campaign trail, state legislative candidates say affordability dominates conversations with constituents. Property taxes, and with them, the cost of education, are fueling some of the most fiery rhetoric. This year, education property taxes rose an average of 13.8% statewide, driven by school spending approved by district[Read More…]
Free Home Repair Assistance Offered
VERMONT — Efficiency Vermont is launching the Weatherization Home Repair Program to help Vermonters complete weatherization projects where home repairs are a barrier.The program offers up to $15,000 in rebates for necessary home repairs. Offer is for repairs to existing single-family Vermont residences (including short-term rentals) and rental properties with[Read More…]
Dairy Workers Report Unsafe Work, Low Pay
VERMONT – Out of over 200 migrant dairy workers surveyed in Vermont this year, 77% say they have suffered an accident or injury at work and 87% make lower than the minimum wage, according to a report published recently by advocacy group Migrant Justice. The survey, done with the University[Read More…]
Locating Lead Water Pipes has been Tricky
VERMONT – In a state with aging infrastructure, Vermont officials are working to assess the implications of the mandate, which the White House finalized earlier this week. Already, communities across the state have been undertaking a painstaking inventory of all of their service lines to comply with an existing federal[Read More…]
FEMA Gives $6 million Aid for July Flooding
VERMONT – The Federal Emergency Management Agency has already given out $6 million to Vermont individuals and households affected by flooding in early July, with less than a month to go before the application for FEMA aid closes for damage related to that storm. From July 10 to 11, Vermont communities[Read More…]
Vermont State Parks Celebrate Hundredth Anniversary
VERMONT STATE PARKS – May 1 marked the one-hundred year anniversary of the Vermont State Parks. State parks are an opportunity for the Vermont community to experience the outdoors. They offer a variety of hiking, swimming, camping and picnicking opportunities. Mount Philo State Park in Charlotte, was the first state[Read More…]
New Student Enrollment at VSU Ticks Up
VERMONT – More than 1,700 first-year students are expected to enroll at Vermont State University, an increase of about 14% compared with fall 2023 and a sign of hope for the public, multicampus university. The roughly 200-student enrollment bump in the university’s second-ever fall semester, just over a year after[Read More…]
NEKCA and KURRVE Receive VCF Flood Recovery Grants
NORTHEAST KINGDOM – Northeast Kingdom Community Action (NEKCA) and Kingdom United Resilience & Recovery Effort (KURRVE) have received flood relief grants from the Vermont Community Foundation (VCF.) The Vermont Community Foundation has distributed $455,500 in flood relief grants over the past month to respond to devastating flooding around the state[Read More…]
Front Porch Forum Leaves Users Feeling Better, Says Washington Post
VERMONT – “On Front Porch Forum, politics is fair game but unkindness is strictly prohibited,” wrote Will Oremus in the August 10 Washington Post (WaPo). “Imagine an online community where substantive debates about Donald Trump, climate change and America’s culture wars nestle quietly alongside messages about lost rabbits and school board[Read More…]
Vermont in Top 10 States with Most Federal Disaster Declarations
VERMONT – Do natural calamities strike Vermont more often than other states? Many Vermonters might say yes, recalling the storm just a few weeks ago, or casting their memory back to last summer’s floods, or to Tropical Storm Irene, among others. A new report from a nonprofit research group indicates[Read More…]
