The man accused of starting a fire outside independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Vermont office earlier this month will remain detained pending further legal proceedings, a federal judge ordered Thursday. Shant Michael Soghomonian was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of maliciously damaging or attempting to damage and destroy by fire a building used in interstate commerce, according to the indictment filed with the court. Soghomonian, 35, has not yet been arraigned. Surveillance video shows the man throwing a liquid April 5 at the bottom of a door opening into Sanders’ third-floor office i ..read more

Hundreds of Vermont farms are still recovering from last July’s catastrophic flooding and other extreme weather as they head into this year’s growing season. Dog River Farm, in Berlin, Vermont, lost nearly all its produce crops in the July flooding. The farm removed truckloads of river silt and sand from the fields before another round of flooding in December washed away more precious soils, wiped out the farm’s garlic planted in late fall and left behind more silt and several giant holes in a field, said owner George Gross on Wednesday. “We had 15,000 garlic heads — bulbs growing here which i ..read more

A Vermont man is facing multiple charges in connection with sexual assault involving a child, police said. Daniel Reilly, 66, of Lowell, Vermont, is accused of sexually assaulting a child in Barton multiple times over a number of years.  Police arrested Reilly on Friday following an extensive investigation, which included an interview with him. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday at Orleans County Superior Courthouse. It is unclear if he has an attorney ..read more

The man accused of starting a fire outside U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Vermont office a week ago has had past brushes with the law involving guns and a history of traveling from place to place, prosecutors say in court filings arguing that he should remain detained. Security video shows Shant Michael Soghomonian throwing liquid at the bottom of a door opening into Sanders’ third-floor office in Burlington and setting it on fire with a lighter last Friday, according to an affidavit filed by a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Seven employees working in th ..read more

Vermont’s Goddard College, a small school known for its progressive education, is closing after years of declining enrollment and financial struggles, the board of trustees announced. The decision to close at the end of the semester was heart-wrenching but unavoidable as the school, created in 1938, faces financial insolvency, the board said in a statement Tuesday. Goddard currently has 220 students, compared with more than 1,900 in the early 1970s, the board said. “The closure of Goddard College is a significant loss for students in search of an alternative, progressive higher education,” boa ..read more

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 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 whom he has ..read more

The man charged with setting a fire outside the Vermont office of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders had been staying at an area hotel for nearly two months and was spotted outside Sanders’ office the day before and the day of the fire, according to court paperwork filed by a federal agent. Shant Michael Soghomonian, 35, who was previously from Northridge, California, entered the building on Friday and went to Sanders’ third-floor office where security video showed him dumping a liquid on the bottom of the door and setting it afire with a lighter, according to the special agent with the Bureau of Alcoho ..read more

The best place to view the eclipse in totality on Monday were in northern New England, and it showed on the highways. Some people started the trek up north Sunday, others started already Monday morning. Shortly after 8 a.m. Monday, Interstate 93 north in New Hampshire was already flooded with cars trying to make the trip to both northern New Hampshire and Vermont. Later in the day New Hampshire State Police tweeted out video of crawling traffic as revelers attempted to make it to an ideal viewing spot. While the total solar eclipse cut across more than a dozen states, the weather and cloud cov ..read more

Relatives of a Vermont woman whose obituary drew national attention for its candid and heart-breaking discussion of her opioid addiction have reached a settlement with some of the parties who were sued for allegedly failing to provide adequate medical care. The family of Madelyn Linsenmeir sued the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, and the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, saying law enforcement officials ignored the 30-year-old mother’s pleas for help before she died of an infected heart valve. The Springfield City Council is scheduled this week to take up the proposed settlement involvi ..read more

Authorities have arrested man accused of setting fire to the door of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders‘ office in Burlington, Vermont, police said Sunday. 35-year-old Shant Soghomonian (also known as Michael Soghomonian), was arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging him with using fire to damage the building at One Church Street in Burlington, Vermont, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont. According to court records, Soghomonian entered the building at 1 Church Street in Burlington on Friday morning and proceeded to the third floor where the Vermont offi ..read more