VTDigger

12/09/2024

OPINION — "If you’re a local hunter, hiker or birdwatcher and you’d like access to posted land, well you’ll have to get to know the owner," writes Dan Diaz.

If you're a local hunter, hiker or birdwatcher and you'd like access to posted land, well you'll have to get to know the owner.

12/09/2024

“Most people would prefer to be independent and prefer to stay in their homes as long as they can,” said Victoria Priganc, program director of the University of Vermont’s occupational therapy program.

12/09/2024

In leadership elections, the caucus voted 60-18 to allow only Democrats to receive nominations, excluding Dover independent Rep. Laura Sibilia from the party’s internal vote for speaker of the House.

12/07/2024

The Grand Isle School and the North Hero Elementary School together serve just under 200 students in Pre-K through sixth grade, but only 28 of those students attend the North Hero school. With a declining enrollment and a long list of deferred maintenance projects, officials have questioned whether it’s financially viable to keep the school open as it is currently structured — and whether the district should move all its students to the Grand Isle School.

The Champlain Islands Union School District is considering whether to close one of its schools. Parents, staff and some district officials think it would be a mistake.

12/07/2024

Jurors heard the competing versions of events from the two lawyers during the opening statements of the first-degree murder trial of Joseph Ferlazzo on Friday morning in Chittenden County Superior criminal court in Burlington.

Joseph Ferlazzo, a New Hampshire resident, is charged with first-degree murder in the October 2021 shooting death of his wife, Emily Ferlazzo, while they were in Vermont for their one-year wedding anniversary.

12/07/2024

The space will be divided in two, Kelley said, with Boot Barn taking a smaller footprint and Bob’s Discount Furniture opening a location in the larger section of the building. Founded in Connecticut in 1991, Bob’s has 189 locations in 24 states. Boot Barn, a Western-themed footwear and clothing outfitter founded in 1978 and headquartered in Kansas, has 420 locations in 46 states. Observer

The closure of Christmas Tree Shops in the summer of 2023 left a large vacancy for the new owner, Acadia Realty Trust, which purchased the 64-acre property this past January.

12/07/2024

Valley Vista’s change in policy comes amid an apparent disagreement with state regulators over reimbursement for transportation to and from methadone clinics.

Vermont Medicaid will pay for transportation to clinics, but only if the vehicles are “operated by a state contractor or subcontractor, in order to adhere to regulations regarding licensure and safety,” Alex McCracken, a spokesperson for the Department of Vermont Health Access, said in an email.

A Valley Vista administrator said the facility, which has locations in Vergennes and Bradford, can no longer afford the cost of transporting patients to and from methadone clinics.

12/06/2024

Furthermore, the court said that any ex*****on of a purchase and sale agreement with a buyer or developer was “irrelevant” to the church’s demolition.

Preventing the church’s demolition, Supreme Court Justice William Cohen wrote in the decision, would amount to interfering with the religious deconsecration of the cathedral.

Residents had challenged the planned demolition of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, appealing an earlier ruling to the Supreme Court earlier this year.

12/06/2024

“The whole system is designed to not educate a certain subset of the population,” said one parent of a child with autism.

12/06/2024

OPINION — "We must not allow the concept of public safety to be used as a weapon against a vulnerable population," writes Jeanne Montross.

We must not allow the concept of public safety to be used as a weapon against a vulnerable population.

12/06/2024

OPINION — "I see no reason that Brattleboro can’t choose to define what is and what isn’t acceptable public conduct and behavior on its streets," writes Mickey Nowak.

I see no reason that Brattleboro can't choose to define what is and what isn't acceptable public conduct and behavior on its streets.

12/06/2024

While Nitty Gritty Grain Co. is one of several grain producers scattered across the state, in the 1880s Vermont was dubbed the “breadbasket of New England” because of its high wheat production. From the Other Paper:

While Nitty Gritty Grain Co. is one of several grain producers scattered across the state, in the 1880s Vermont was dubbed the “breadbasket of New England” because of its high wheat production.

12/06/2024

The new plan protects old forests in the project area, allocates more than 1,000 acres to a new category focused on restoring characteristics of old growth forests and includes multiple uses for middle-aged forests, “which include management for different kinds of wildlife habitats and, very appropriately, timber,” William Keeton, a professor of forest ecology and forestry at the University of Vermont, said.

While there was only a small reduction in the proposed 12,000-acre harvest, the “big change,” Forest Ranger Chris Mattrick said, is the “types of treatments that were applied" to the targeted stands.

12/06/2024

At issue with the budget is the state Legislature’s decision last June to reinstate an excess spending penalty on school districts. From Valley News:

At issue with the budget is the state Legislature’s decision last June to reinstate an excess spending penalty on school districts.

12/06/2024

The 80,678 visitors from May to October brought in a total of $512,053 in admission fees and gift store purchases at six of the historic sites. The agency estimates that approximately 65% to 70% of the visitors were Vermonters.

“These sites are a good way to explore our beautiful state and I encourage everyone to visit them and learn more about what makes Vermont such a special place,” Gov. Phil Scott said.

12/05/2024

For a state with a 2.5% unemployment rate and more than 20,000 open jobs, the program could be a game changer for employers looking to hire and retain diverse candidates, Rutanhira said.

Melissa Bounty, the executive director of the Central Vermont Economic Development Corporation who works with BIPOC-owned businesses and employees in that region, said the program fills a major gap by welcoming and showing new employees around town.

“I think that diversity is a driver of excellence and that it’s imperative for us to navigate the aspects of Vermont being a very white state” so everybody can benefit, said Courtney Fleisher, a clinical psychologist at UVMMC.

12/05/2024

VTDigger's CEO Sky Barsch was featured on Town Meeting TV's show, "Moments with Melinda," where she talks about her plans for VTDigger, the future of journalism and how she's learning Italian.

From Melinda Moulton:Schuyler "Sky" Barsch is Chief Executive Officer of Vermont Digger and has an extensive career in local and national media.For more info...

12/05/2024

OPINION — "In the long term we need to provide real savings that have minimal impact on the actual learning taking place," writes John Freitag.

In the long term we need to provide real savings that have minimal impact on the actual learning taking place.