PHOTOS: Northeast Kingdom student wins Vermont spelling bee with ‘utilitarian’
VTDigger
by Glenn Russell
6h ago
Phoenix Newell of The Riverside School in Lyndonville wins the Vermont State Competition of the National Spelling Bee in Middlebury on Thursday. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Phoenix Newell of The Riverside School in Lyndonville wins the Vermont State Competition of the National Spelling Bee in Middlebury on Thursday. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Phoenix Newell of The Riverside School in Lyndonville wins the Vermont State Competition of the National Spelling Bee in Middlebury on Thursday. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger There’s a new Vermont spelling bee champion. With the word “utili ..read more
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Final Reading: Phil Scott’s education secretary pick draws opposition
VTDigger
by Ethan Weinstein, Sarah Mearhoff and Shaun Robinson
6h ago
Phil Scott, left and Zoie Saunders. Photos by Glenn Russell and contributed Gov. Phil Scott is disturbed. Disturbed at “false accusations” and “judgements” that he said have been made about his pick for secretary of education, Zoie Saunders. “I’ve been disappointed to see many in and around the State House spreading or believing misinformation, making assumptions and levying attacks on her character — all without ever having met her or spoken to her,” Scott said in a press release issued Thursday afternoon. He’s also “embarrassed” that legislators would believe what they read on “Twitter.”&nb ..read more
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State resolves troopers’ reckless endangerment charges with pretrial diversion
VTDigger
by Tiffany Tan
7h ago
Trooper Zachary Trocki, left, and Sgt. Ryan Wood from the Westminster barracks. Photo courtesy of Vermont State Police The Vermont Attorney General’s Office has resolved a misdemeanor case against two state troopers by referring them to a pretrial diversion program. If the troopers complete the program, the case would be wiped from their public record. Trooper Zachary Trocki and Sgt. Ryan Wood were each charged with reckless endangerment last May. They were accused of causing a man to fall from a roof — resulting in serious injury — by firing a beanbag-type projectile at him during a 2022 inci ..read more
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Senate advances tax on streaming services to bolster public media
VTDigger
by Shaun Robinson
7h ago
Photo via Adobe Stock Photo via Adobe Stock Photo via Adobe Stock Vermont’s public access television stations have a problem. As more and more people cancel their cable TV subscriptions in favor of online services — a practice known as “cutting the cord” — the local entities are losing out on badly needed revenue.  That’s because the state’s two dozen such stations get about 90% of their annual funding from cable companies. The cable providers are required, as part of their state permits, to set aside 5% of their revenue in the state for community programming.  One public acces ..read more
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Crossing the border? Watch out for tracking devices
VTDigger
by Auditi Guha
7h ago
An Apple air tag. Photo via Adobe Stock An Apple air tag. Photo via Adobe Stock An Apple air tag. Photo via Adobe Stock Vermont residents have something new to worry about when driving across the Canadian border: Is your car being tracked? At least four cars that returned to Vermont from Montreal recently were found tagged with hidden tracking devices, possibly in an attempt to commit a crime, according to state and local law enforcement agencies.. “As far as we know, this is a new trend we are seeing recently,” said Sarah Hernandez Timm, spokesperson for the Burlington Police Department ..read more
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House signals support for Act 250 overhaul, while Gov. Phil Scott says it misses the mark
VTDigger
by Carly Berlin
8h ago
Zephyr Place, an affordable housing development in Williston run by Champlain Housing Trust, in October 2023. Photo by Carly Berlin/VTDigger and Vermont Public A bill that would make major changes to Act 250, Vermont’s half-century-old land-use law, appears likely to head to the Senate after it survived a marathon debate on the House floor this week. The sprawling bill, H.687, would relax Act 250’s reach in some municipalities, allowing new development to proceed without triggering review under the state law. It also would direct a process for mapping out new “critical natural resource” areas ..read more
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Survey shows vaping rate doubled in Vermont, while cigarette use declined
VTDigger
by Juan Vega de Soto
12h ago
The Adult Tobacco Survey, conducted in 2022, collected online and mail responses from nearly 3,000 Vermonters. Photo via Adobe Stock The Adult Tobacco Survey, conducted in 2022, collected online and mail responses from nearly 3,000 Vermonters. Photo via Adobe Stock The Adult Tobacco Survey, conducted in 2022, collected online and mail responses from nearly 3,000 Vermonters. Photo via Adobe Stock More people than ever are vaping in Vermont. Survey results released this week by the Vermont Department of Health show the rate of e-cigarette use in the state doubled, from 3% to 6% of adult resp ..read more
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Evan Carlson: Vermont’s fight for repair freedom
VTDigger
by Opinion
14h ago
This commentary is by Evan Carlson of Sutton. Vermont has assumed numerous identities throughout its 230-year history as a state, yet the enduring facets have always been the deep-rooted connections to agriculture and logging ingrained within its people. While I strongly believe both of these industries are ripe for innovation, the primary innovation that has been seen over the past 20 years is in the manufacturing of equipment that has been quietly stripping away our ability to be self-reliant.  Our independence as a people is rooted in self reliance. Self-reliance is a trait deeply in ..read more
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Prospero B. Gogo Jr: Preventable nicotine-product-related illnesses cost Vermont money and suffering
VTDigger
by Opinion
18h ago
This commentary is by Prospero Gogo Jr. M.D. of Burlington. He is a cardiologist with the University of Vermont Medical Center and chair for state advocacy with the Vermont Chapter of the American Heart Association. The Vermont Legislature has passed S.18 and soon the bill will make its way to the desk of Gov. Phil Scott. What is the aim of S.18? By banning the sale of addictive flavored products containing nicotine, such as vapes and menthol-flavored cigarettes, the bill would, in short, save money, save lives and prevent suffering. While acknowledging the latter two results, the governor h ..read more
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​​Upper Valley residents pan post office plan to move mail sorting to Connecticut
VTDigger
by Valley News
18h ago
This story by Patrick Adrian was first published by the Valley News on March 27.  Carol Fairbanks loads sorted mail into bins at the U.S. Postal Service processing plant in White River Junction. Photo by James M. Patterson/Valley News Carol Fairbanks loads sorted mail into bins at the U.S. Postal Service processing plant in White River Junction. Photo by James M. Patterson/Valley News Carol Fairbanks loads sorted mail into bins at the U.S. Postal Service processing plant in White River Junction. Photo by James M. Patterson/Valley News LEBANON, New Hampshire — Upper Valley residents ..read more
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