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This commentary is by Rep. Mike Rice, D-Dorset. He serves on the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry. During the two years I’ve served in the legislature, Vermont’s housing crisis has been constantly top of mind. I’ve heard heart-wrenching stories of Vermonters with disabilities facing homelessness, seen tears in the eyes of constituents…

Michael Carriveau of Plainfield says he was ripped off by unscrupulous loggers. Seen at his home on April 7, 2023. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger EAST MONTPELIER — When Barbara and Roger Clark asked a logging company to harvest some of the trees on their roughly 80-acre property in 2013, they had no idea they…

This commentary is by John Freitag. He retired in 2017 from a 34-year career as facilities director at the Newton Elementary School in Strafford. He has long been involved in community and school issues both locally and on a state level. He recently finished his fourth term on the Strafford Selectboard where he served as…

The National Weather Service has said that a winter storm warning will remain in effect until 6 a.m. Friday. Photo by Natalie Williams/VTDigger About 12,800 Vermont customers were without power Thursday morning as a late season snow storm pelted the state, according to the power tracking website VTOutages.  The most outages were reported in Rutland…

This commentary is by Rep. Larry Satcowitz, D-Randolph. He is a member of the House Committee on Environment and Energy. Act 250, Vermont’s visionary development statute, is more than 50 years old. It is often credited as one of the primary reasons that our landscape looks the way it does. The law has been changed…

Volunteers from the Waterbury Skatepark Coalition dismantle the old skatepark at Hope Davey Park in October. Courtesy photo WATERBURY — Jake Blauvelt began skateboarding when he was 9 or 10. A well-known professional snowboarder today, Blauvelt told VTDigger that “skateboarding was my first passion for riding sideways.” Blauvelt remembers shredding various versions of skateparks in…

This commentary is by Bob Galvin of Richmond. He is the Vermont state director for the nonprofits Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. Recently, the Vermont Senate took a significant step for the state’s environmental stewardship by passing S.258, an act relating to managing fish and wildlife, by a 21-8 vote…

This commentary is by Kelly Lange, vice president of managed care contracting for the University of Vermont Health Network In early March, a patient went to neurosurgery at the University of Vermont Medical Center for testing on her brain for a serious condition. The specialist recommended more advanced imaging and scheduled an appointment.  Because it…

A birdhouse sits across the street from the nonprofit Groundworks Collaborative’s drop-in center and overnight shelter in Brattleboro. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger BRATTLEBORO — Five years ago, this town’s Groundworks Collaborative — a nonprofit whose tagline promises “basic needs met with dignity” — hoped to help a rising number of people sleeping on the streets…

This commentary is by Alana Stevenson of Charlotte. There are two bills currently in the Vermont legislature, H.626 — an act related to animal welfare, and S.258 — an act relating to the management of fish and wildlife. S.258 has passed the senate and H.626 has been stalled in the House Appropriations Committee. The Governor…

The Vermont College of Fine Arts campus in Montpelier on June 15, 2022. File photo by Natalie Williams/VTDigger Vermont College of Fine Arts announced Tuesday that it has reached an “affiliation agreement” with the California Institute of the Arts that would make the Santa Clarita-based private college VCFA’s “parent.” The Vermont arts school will retain…

Pictures of Christina Chatlos with her miniature horse Whiskey, at left, and her first horse, Taz, which she got as a yearling and trained, hang on the refrigerator of her parents Andrew and Marilyn Chatlos, in White River Junction, on Friday, March 22. Christina Chatlos struggled with addiction and died of a gunshot wound in…

This commentary is by Sultana Khan. She is the director of social change at Mosaic Vermont, a sexual violence and substance use prevention agency in Washington County. She is a writer, speaker and educator from central Vermont, where she spends most of her time getting lost in the woods. As Vermont continues to explore ways…

One of the new terminals in the South Burlington Dispatch Center. Courtesy photo This story by Corey McDonald was first published by the Other Paper on March 28. South Burlington has unveiled new improvements to its dispatch center that the city says will bolster its public safety apparatus as efforts to regionalize remain elusive. The…

This commentary is by members of the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals Bargaining Committee. The Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, AFT Vermont represents 2,700 nurses and technical professionals at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington. A list of signatories is below the text. We are the LPNs, RNs and…

Hubert Gillespie sits back, talking about the past, as his wife Lois stands beside him. Photo by Aaron Calvin/News & Citizen Hubert Gillespie sits back, talking about the past, as his wife Lois stands beside him. Photo by Aaron Calvin/News & Citizen Hubert Gillespie sits back, talking about the past, as his wife Lois stands…

Vermonter Julia Alvarez is author of the new novel “The Cemetery of Untold Stories.” Photo by Brandon Cruz Gonzaìlez/El Vocero de Puerto Rico. Photo courtesy of Algonquin Books Vermonter Julia Alvarez is author of the new novel “The Cemetery of Untold Stories.” Photo by Brandon Cruz Gonzaìlez/El Vocero de Puerto Rico. Photo courtesy of Algonquin…

Outgoing Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger speaks during an interview in his City Hall office on Wednesday, March 27. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Outgoing Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger speaks during an interview in his City Hall office on Wednesday, March 27. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Outgoing Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger speaks during an interview in his…

Rep. Theresa Wood, D-Waterbury, chair of the the House Human Services Committee, speaks at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Jan. 25. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Rep. Theresa Wood, D-Waterbury, chair of the the House Human Services Committee, speaks at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Jan. 25. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Rep. Theresa Wood, D-Waterbury, chair…

Bus service in Chittenden County will be scaled back unless a new state funding source can be applied, Green Mountain Transit administrators said Monday. Photo by Jason Starr/Williston Observer Bus service in Chittenden County will be scaled back unless a new state funding source can be applied, Green Mountain Transit administrators said Monday. Photo by…

Sen. Nader Hashim, D-Windham, speaks during a meeting at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Feb. 21. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Credit: Glenn Russell Sen. Nader Hashim, D-Windham, speaks during a meeting at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Feb. 21. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Credit: Glenn Russell Sen. Nader Hashim, D-Windham, speaks during a meeting at…

This commentary is by Tom McKone of Montpelier. The build-up to Town Meeting Day and the record failure of 30 school budgets have overshadowed an earlier, stunning report that has received only modest coverage: Vermont faces at least $6.3 billion in school construction costs over the next two decades — even more, if we don’t…