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By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

A judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit brought by two Vermont state senators over Gov. Phil Scott’s appointment of Zoie Saunders as interim education secretary.The ruling came a day after Judge Robert Mello heard from both sides in Washington County...

By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

After surprise PCB test results this summer forced North Country Union High School students to take some classes in tents, all classes will move back inside next week.The news came after the latest round of test results, according to Chris Young, the...

By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

SOUTH BURLINGTON— The political debate about plans to replace Vermont’s only women’s prison, Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility, is marked by calls for reform, fiscal responsibility and abolitionism.But for those who are incarcerated at or work...

By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department no longer guards the doors of the Orange County Courthouse in Chelsea. That responsibility now belongs to the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department.And while state judicial officials have been mum on why, emails...

By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

A teacher at Twinfield Union School is facing a charge of aggravated disorderly conduct for allegedly using a permanent marker to draw around a student’s throat, according to Vermont State Police.Kathleen Wheelock, 48, of Montpelier, allegedly drew on...

By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

New details of a 2022 murder in Springfield, Vt., illustrate an extensive police investigation that tied together the alleged major players in a particularly violent period for the town.Vermont State Police last week announced the arrest of Paul...

By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

Vermont State Police said Wednesday that Paul Lachapelle Jr., of Littleton, New Hampshire, was arrested in that state, and charged with the 2022 murder of Justin Gilliam in Springfield, Vermont.“VSP’s investigation determined the homicide was related...

By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

North Country Union High School students will start the school year learning in tents after testing registered high levels of PCBs in the school’s primary academic wing.The polychlorinated biphenyls have also pushed back the start of school until...

By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

Vermont is pursuing two potential locations for a new women’s prison in Essex, Vt.For years, state Department of Corrections officials have stressed the need to replace Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington, calling conditions...

By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

If anyone could navigate Vermont’s special education system, it was Chris and Pallas Ziporyn — or so they believed.Chris, once a teacher, received a master’s degree with a focus on special education. As a teenager, Pallas served on her local school...

By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

In a motion filed Wednesday, Gov. Phil Scott’s administration fired back at the two Vermont senators suing the governor and Interim Education Secretary Zoie Saunders, asking the court to dismiss the case. The motion, penned by two lawyers in the...

By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

On Tuesday, Vermont joined a small list of states approved to bill Medicaid for some prison health care coverage. “We were expecting this, but it’s definitely very exciting,” said Isaac Dayno, chief of staff for the Vermont Department of Corrections....

By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

Last week, two state senators announced they were suing Gov. Phil Scott over his appointment of Interim Education Secretary Zoie Saunders. In a Friday press conference, Sens. Tanya Vyhovsky, P/D-Chittenden Central, and Dick McCormack, D-Windsor, said...

By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

Negotiations between Gov. Phil Scott’s administration and legislative leadership soured after a Wednesday afternoon meeting to discuss the executive branch’s property tax and education finance proposal. The meeting and subsequent fallout followed...

By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

While studying economics and education at Yale University, Grace Miller found a surprise topic on the agenda: Vermont’s one-of-a-kind school funding formula. The 22-year-old from Newport and her classmates learned about the “Brigham decision,” a 1997...

By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

Gov. Phil Scott vetoed the annual property tax bill on Thursday, setting up a veto session showdown on a piece of legislation that must pass for schools to be funded as normal. “We must provide property tax relief now. This can’t wait for another...

By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

The Senate’s version of the annual education funding bill, passed Wednesday night, would make a dent in Vermonters’ looming property tax increases but stopped short of changing the system. By and large, the bill punts tough questions about how to...

By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

After a lengthy and dramatic debate Tuesday morning, the Vermont Senate voted against the confirmation of Zoie Saunders as state education secretary — but the fight over her appointment appeared far from finished.Saunders needed a majority of the...

By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

The Senate Education Committee voted 3-2 on Wednesday to favorably recommend Zoie Saunders as the next education secretary.The Senate is expected to vote on Saunders’ confirmation next week. She needs the support of a majority of the 30-member body,...

By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

The Vermont House’s tax-writing committee rolled out a preliminary proposal this week that would radically reimagine education finance in the state. The plan, written into the annual bill that helps set tax rates statewide, would provide school...

By ETHAN WEINSTEIN

A former student, who is Black, has settled a complaint with Twin Valley School District alleging that officials didn’t do enough to address racist bullying she faced at the district’s middle and high school, according to the ACLU of Vermont, which...