A Vermont man accused of killing a 19-year-old police officer in a head-on crash during a pursuit in Rutland last summer pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a new elevated charge of aggravated murder. Tate Rheaume, who was ordered held without bail pending an evidence hearing, was “engaged in extraordinarily dangerous driving” at more than 80 mph (129 kph) while also moving in and out of traffic before the fatal crash, Rutland County State’s Attorney Ian Sullivan said. According to a police affidavit, the July 7, 2023, pursuit started after Rheaume, 20, broke into the home of an ex-girlfriend with w ..read more

STOW, VT. (WHDH) — The sun was entirely blocked out by the moon during a total solar eclipse in northern Vermont on Monday, a moment many people have been anticipating the day for a long, long time. Hundreds of people gathered behind a brewery in Stow and the crowd cheered as the moment of totality took everyone’s breath away. One woman was in tears because her father passed away recently and they had planned on seeing it together. Max, 12, from Hampton, New Hampshire, said he traveled to Vermont for the “once-in-a-lifetime experience” which was “really eye opening.” Total Eclipses in New Engl ..read more

MESQUITE, Texas (AP) — Eclipse spectators staked out their spots across three countries Sunday, fervently hoping for clear skies despite forecasts calling for clouds along most of the sun-vanishing route. North America won’t see another coast-to-coast total solar eclipse for 21 years, prompting the weekend’s worry and mad rush. Monday’s extravaganza stretches from Mexico’s Pacific beaches to Canada’s rugged Atlantic shores, with 15 U.S. states in between. “I have arrived in the path of totality!” Ian Kluft announced Sunday afternoon after pulling into Mesquite fro ..read more

A $40,000 reward for information leading to a resolution of the case of missing Vermont teen Brianna Maitland was announced by the FBI on Tuesday, the 20th anniversary of her disappearance. The 17-year-old was last seen the evening of March 19, 2004, when she left work at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery. She was headed to a friend’s house where she was living, but she never arrived. Her vehicle was later found backed into the side of an abandoned barn about a mile from the restaurant, state police said. “We remain as dedicated to this case now as we were when Brianna disappeared,” Col. Mat ..read more

ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. (AP) — A 15-year-old from Springfield, Massachusetts, has been arrested in the shooting of a woman who was found dead in a vehicle in a St. Johnsbury parking lot last month, Vermont State Police said Monday. The suspect will be charged as an adult with second-degree murder in the Jan. 23 death of Christina Chatlos, 38, police said. He is accused of fatally shooting Chatlos during a confrontation, police said. Chatlos, of Williamstown and Barre, died of a gunshot wound to the torso, police said. The teen, whose name was not released, was arrested after the shooting ..read more

NEWPORT, Vt. (AP) — Plunging into a frozen lake and swimming laps may not be everyone’s good time but for winter swimmers who return year after year to a northern Vermont lake near the Canadian border, there’s nothing better. The 10th annual Memphremagog Winter Swimming Festival kicked off Friday with the 200-meter (218-yard) freestyle race in a narrow pool cut from the ice. But the festivities started Thursday and on Friday morning some of the 180 participants swam a lap wearing a decorated hat. “It was amazing. It’s the highlight of my year,” said Andie Nelson, of Arlington, Virginia, after ..read more

A Vermont mother wanted to teach her then-14-year-old son a lesson after he came home with electronic cigarettes he stole from a gas station. So she called the police. What happened next that evening in May 2021 is the basis for a lawsuit by the mother alleging that Burlington police used excessive force and discriminated against her unarmed son, who is Black and has behavioral and intellectual disabilities. After he failed to hand over the last of the stolen e-cigarettes, two officers physically forced him to do so, then Cathy Austrian’s son was handcuffed and pinned to the ground a ..read more

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A Vermont woman charged with planning the killing of her husband, who police say was lured to a parking lot and shot multiple times in 2019, has changed her plea to guilty. Angela Auclair was charged with her son, Kory Lee George, in the death of David Auclair in July of 2019. On Tuesday, she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. David Auclair, 45, of Williston, was shot in a trailhead parking lot in Hinesburg. His body was found partly under his pickup truck. The morning after he was killed, Angela Auclair called police to report her husb ..read more

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont sports fans will be able to bet online starting early next year when mobile sports betting kicks off in the state on Jan. 11, Republican Gov. Phil Scott announced Tuesday. The state Department of Liquor and Lottery picked DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics Sportsbook to operate mobile sports wagering platforms in Vermont, he said. “I first proposed Vermont legalize sports wagering several years ago, and it’s good to see it come to fruition,” Scott said in a statement. “Vermonters and visitors alike will soon be able to access a regulated sports wagering ..read more

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — The last of the three college students of Palestinian descent who were shot and seriously injured in Vermont during their Thanksgiving break has been released from a Burlington hospital and will undergo rehabilitation. Hisham Awartani, who is paralyzed from the chest down, left the University of Vermont Medical Center on a stretcher Wednesday to clapping, according to a video shared by his uncle Rich Price. Awartani waved with one hand as he was transported out. Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad are childhood friends who grew up in the West ..read more