Interim Vermont State University president to stay in the job through 2026

By ERIN PETENKO

Interim Vermont State University President David Bergh’s contract has been extended through 2026, the Vermont State Colleges board of trustees announced Wednesday. Bergh was appointed to the presidency in November 2023, the third person to serve in...

New Vermont food labeling rule raises concern among some purveyors of homemade food

By SHAUN ROBINSON

A new Vermont Department of Health rule requires food producers who work out of a home kitchen to put a safety disclaimer onto their products — raising concerns among some purveyors that the state is taking too firm a hand in regulating such small...

A new Vermont law prevents hunters from selling bear paws and organs

By EMMA COTTON

Bear hunting season begins on Sept. 1, and the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is reminding hunters that a new law prohibits the sale of bear paws and organs, such as the animal’s gallbladder.In passing the law, Act 141, Vermont joined the vast...

USDA secretary approves disaster declaration for 6 Vermont countie

By HABIB SABET

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has approved Gov. Phil Scott’s request for a Secretarial Disaster Designation for six Vermont counties that were impacted by flooding this July, the governor’s office announced Thursday.The designation from...

Suspect arrested in 2022 Springfield, Vt., murder that police link to drug dispute

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...

Upper Valley schools’ cellphone policies seek to prevent distractions

By PATRICK ADRIAN, CHRISTINA DOLAN and ALEX HANSON

WEST LEBANON — As the new school year begins, Upper Valley school officials, like their counterparts around the country, are trying a variety of approaches to limit cellphone use during classes.The efforts come as public health experts warn about the...

New Hanover supported housing welcomes first residents

By LIZ SAUCHELLI

HANOVER — Sarah Peters helped her three sisters move to college and, afterward, saw them settled in homes of their own.She wanted to do the same one day, to have her own apartment that she could decorate however she wanted. She wanted to be able to...

Pleasant Street outdoor furniture at issue in Claremont

By PATRICK O’GRADY

CLAREMONT — This summer, the city did not install colorful outdoor furniture that was included in plans when Pleasant Street was reconstructed two years ago.City Manager Yoshi Manale explained the circumstances at the end of the council meeting...

Patients ready for discharge languish in New Hampshire hospitals, taking up needed beds

By ANNMARIE TIMMINS

When the state’s hospitals say they have problems at the front and back doors, this is what they mean.On a single day in early June, 79 much-needed hospital beds were occupied by people who were ready for discharge to a lower-level of care but...

Vermont health officials urge residents in at-risk areas for EEE to stay indoors from dusk until dawn

By HABIB SABET

Vermont health officials are recommending that people in towns at high risk for eastern equine encephalitis stay indoors from dusk until dawn and take extra precautions to avoid contact with potentially infected mosquitos. The virus, which can cause...

State took in record lottery revenues last year, a boost to Education Trust Fund

By ETHAN DEWITT

The New Hampshire Lottery Commission brought in record revenue the past fiscal year — money that will help fuel the state’s Education Trust Fund.In state fiscal year 2024, which ran from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, New Hampshire took in a total...

Two Democrats and two Republicans vie for District 2 Executive Council seat

By NICOLA SMITH

WEST LEBANON — The lack of affordable housing and the question of reproductive rights are some of the pressing issues confronting the two Democrats and two Republicans vying to win their party’s primary on Sept. 10 for the New Hampshire Executive...

Hartford residents criticize School Board for former superintendent’s severance

By CHRISTINA DOLAN

HARTFORD — At a tense meeting this week, residents accused the Hartford School Board of procedural wrongdoing related to the departure earlier this summer of former Superintendent Tom DeBalsi.The board pushed back against residents’ allegations...

Gifford Health Care chooses new CEO

By NORA DOYLE-BURR

RANDOLPH — Michael Costa, of Norwich, is set to become the new CEO of Randolph-based Gifford Health Care this fall when current CEO Dan Bennett retires.Costa, currently the CEO of Northern Counties Health Care in St. Johnsbury, Vt., will begin his...

School districts across Vermont struggle to find, retain bus drivers

By AUDITI GUHA

When the Peacham School lost its bus route last November due to a bus driver shortage, Principal Samuel McLeod was in a quandary.The Caledonia County K-7 school has about 70 students and most of them depend on a contracted bus service that runs a...

‘Being closer to New Hampshire is better’: Sununu signs child welfare reforms, prioritizing in-state residential care

By MICHAELA TOWFIGHI

Cassandra Sanchez’s visit to a Tennessee facility last year raised an alarm for the New Hampshire child advocate.One of the children held at the facility told her he had one goal: to do “whatever it takes” to return to the Granite State.A new law,...

Mold discovery delays start for two grades at Dothan Brook school

By CHRISTINA DOLAN

WILDER — The discovery of mold in classrooms has delayed the first day of school for kindergarten and first-grade students at the Dothan Brook School.While the rest of the district returns to school this week, the 70 Dothan Brook students in those two...

Newport Selectboard approves preliminary plan for public works addition

By PATRICK O’GRADY

NEWPORT — The Selectboard granted the school district preliminary approval for an addition at the public works garage where the district leases space for school buses.In a 3-2 vote Monday, the Selectboard accepted a floor plan from school...

Upper Valley waste management company pleads guilty to falsifying reports

CONCORD — An Orange-based waste management company has pleaded guilty to falsifying annual facility reports and will pay a total of $100,000 in fines, state officials announced.Hammond Grinding and Recycling, which specializes in construction and...

New Hampshire resident dies after testing positive for mosquito-borne encephalitis virus

By PATRICK WHITTLE

A New Hampshire resident infected with the mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis virus has died, state health authorities said.The Hampstead resident’s infection was the first in the state in a decade, the New Hampshire Department of Health and...