Cock-a-doodle-don’t? Vermont towns can’t agree on roosters.
“You can order someone with a barking dog to keep their dog inside. You can’t really order a rooster to be kept inside the home,” said Chip Sawyer, St. Albans planning director.
Young Writers Project: ‘Crossing Familiar Waters’
This week’s Young Writers Project entry is “Crossing Familiar Waters,” a painting and accompanying narrative by Abigail Balon, 15, of Panton. Abigail’s piece was the March winner of YWP’s Tomorrow Project monthly contests.
Champlain Valley School District weighs merger study
Although a draft report to the board isn’t expected for just over a month, an administrative committee has been studying the feasibility and impact of linking the schools in some capacity since the summer.
‘Mini truck’ owners show off their wheels at the Vermont Statehouse
Also in Final Reading: Olympic visitors and campaign launches.
US Forest Service cuts research positions at local lab
The U.S. Forest Service announced national reorganization plans Thursday, cutting its research and development headquarters at a University of Vermont laboratory.
Editors’ Picks
Our best stories, investigations, podcasts and more, as recommended to you by VTDigger editors.
Vermont labor board orders state to end return-to-office requirement for employees
State officials filed a notice of appeal with the state Supreme Court Wednesday, as Gov. Phil Scott called the decision “disappointing, but not surprising.”
Former tow truck driver, who needs an oxygen concentrator to breathe, faces eviction from state motel program
As the state’s expanded program for winter emergency housing ends Wednesday, Fred and Lisa Allard confront the challenge of living in their Jeep.
Some kids with autism are losing therapy services after a Medicaid change reduces clinics’ revenue
The state says the changes are essential to keep its health coverage program compliant with federal rules. Clinics say it’s a fundamental threat to their ability to operate.
ICE took the wrong people — and got called on it. A reckoning may be coming.
Vermont may now be at the forefront of addressing the question of whether ICE’s tactics violate the U.S. Constitution.
South Burlington voters may be on hook to further fund wastewater projects
The project’s new price tag will likely translate into steep wastewater rate increases for city residents.
UVM wants to use state scholarship money to pay for a new sports complex. Vermont legislators are skeptical.
“It’s completely unrelated to the uses of the fund,” the House’s top budget-writer said.
Opinion
Commentaries and letters to the editor written by community members and regular contributors.
No room at the inn
As Vermont’s winter housing vouchers expire, thousands face homelessness during a season meant to celebrate hope and renewal.
It’s time to take to the streets again
The 1960s brought war, assassinations and injustice — and the people pushed back and won. The same fight is here again.
Why does Vermont make it so hard to keep strangers off your land?
Vermont law forces landowners to jump through hoops every year to keep hunters off their property. A bill before the Legislature would finally change that.
The lesson of Act 181 is that trust matters
Act 181 revealed a fracture between Montpelier and rural Vermont. The path to repair runs through humility and listening.
As manufacturing jobs decline, Vermont business leaders take their concerns to the Statehouse
Also in Final Reading: Budget battles, crime victim notifications and endorsements.
House panel opts for voluntary school merger proposal. It faces a tough path forward.
The education reform plan comes after weeks of deliberations but still faces significant political hurdles, with the governor saying he cannot support it.
Migrant Justice leader facing federal charges is released
Federal judge was skeptical of the government’s claims that José Ignacio “Nacho” De La Cruz could not be released.
International migration to Chittenden County plummeted last year, new data shows
The state’s largest county lost residents between 2024 and 2025, according to the Census Bureau. The drop in international migration was partially to blame.
Obituaries
Death notices and celebrations of life.
Trucker’s brief detour into Canada leads to 3 weeks in federal custody
A U.S. judge in Vermont ordered the man’s immediate release “given the nature of the constitutional violations in this case.”
