Stories from surrounding communities, closest first.
VTDigger · Montpelier, VT
Nearby: Montpelier, VTDear Reader, Today, you can support two worthy causes with one donation. Make a year-end gift to VTDigger and you will also provide 10 meals to the Vermont Foodbank. Donate and send 10 meals Last fall, when the government shutdown disrupted food assistance, I spoke with Vermonters flooding to the state’s food shelves, and watched leaders in Montpelier approve emergency funding to restore benefits. Since then, provisions in the federal budget law known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act have further tightened access to SNAP. The Vermont Foodbank says about 5,000 people in Vermont have lost their benefits since the changes took effect. VTDigger has worked this year to track the impacts of those federal changes, as well as following state-level shifts in food assistance and the struggles of local service providers. Will you make a gift today to support reporting on these issues? Every gift during VTDigger’s year-end drive will also send 10 meals to the Vermont Foodbank.
VTDigger · Montpelier, VT
Nearby: Montpelier, VTMONTPELIER — Four years after buying a 138-acre former golf course to help solve its housing crisis, Montpelier finally has its most detailed development blueprint to date for Country Club Road. Under a non-binding letter of intent approved unanimously by the Montpelier City Council, developer DEW Properties has proposed building an initial 108 housing units on roughly 20 buildable acres along the site’s lower ridge. The agreement represents the most concrete vision produced for the Country Club Road property since city voters authorized its purchase in 2022. “We were just eager to get involved if they wanted us involved,” Robert Wells, development coordinator for DEW Properties, told VTDigger Monday. “So happy that the (selection) process is done now, and we can get started.” Shovels aren’t set to hit dirt until around 2028, though, Wells said.
White River Valley Herald · Chelsea, VT
Nearby: Chelsea, VTThe skies held in Chelsea on Wednesday morning for the town’s annual Veteran’s Day ceremony held on the 11th hour of the day. A group of roughly 30 gathered in front of the memorial by the town hall and members of the Heath-Doyle American Legion Post 61 stood before the crowd. Secretary of Post 61, Dana Peterson, welcomed those gathered […] You must be an online subscriber to view this story. Please subscribe or buy this week's issue here or login below. The full version of this story will be available to all readers after 1 week. Full versions of news stories from the current week are available to online subscribers only. Access to full versions of news stories from issues older than 1 week are available to all readers for free in our archive of all issues. Forgot Password The post Chelsea Honors Veterans first appeared on The White River Valley Herald.
White River Valley Herald · Chelsea, VT
Nearby: Chelsea, VTStudents at First Branch Middle School and Pre-School in Chelsea got a special visit Tuesday morning, Nov. 10, as one of the trademark bright orange snowplows from the Vermont Agency of Transportation fleet rolled up to the school. This particular truck bore a plaque naming it the “Red Devil,” a name, chosen by First Branch students in honor of the […] You must be an online subscriber to view this story. Please subscribe or buy this week's issue here or login below. The full version of this story will be available to all readers after 1 week. Full versions of news stories from the current week are available to online subscribers only. Access to full versions of news stories from issues older than 1 week are available to all readers for free in our archive of all issues. Forgot Password The post Snowplow Gets Warm Reception first appeared on The White River Valley Herald.
White River Valley Herald · Rochester, VT
Nearby: Rochester, VTTwo area libraries will receive a combined $385,000 in federal funding for major building improvements, including restoration of a deteriorating wall at the Rochester Public Library and roof replacement and insulation work at the Morrill Memorial & Harris Library in Strafford. The grants, announced October 30 by the Vermont Department of Libraries, are part of a statewide program distributing capital […] You must be an online subscriber to view this story. Please subscribe or buy this week's issue here or login below. The full version of this story will be available to all readers after 1 week. Full versions of news stories from the current week are available to online subscribers only. Access to full versions of news stories from issues older than 1 week are available to all readers for free in our archive of all issues. Forgot Password The post Rochester, Strafford Libraries Receive $385,000 in Grants first appeared on The White River Valley Herald.
Seven Days · Essex, VT
Nearby: Essex, VTWendy Piotrowski and Andrew Machanic confirmed that they will close the Pinwheel, their Western-influenced breakfast and lunch spot in Essex, on November 20. The couple operated the Swingin’ Pinwheel on Center Street in Burlington from 2014 to 2021 and then ran the Sweet Wheels Donuts bus before relaunching a suburban version of their daytime restaurant at 4 Carmichael Street, Suite 106, in early 2025. Customers can still place orders at the Pinwheel for Thanksgiving catering until the closing date. Machanic, 58, said he might continue catering for Christmas if November demand is strong. The couple attributed their decision to labor shortages. “We just haven’t had enough staff to manage how busy we are,” said Piotrowski, 44. They quietly put the restaurant on the market in May for $225,000.
White River Valley Herald · Bethel, VT
Nearby: Bethel, VTPlans to place the White River National Fish Hatchery in Bethel on inactive status have raised concerns among Vermont fishery officials, who say the state’s remaining hatcheries are already operating at capacity and could be affected by changes to federal programs. A letter addressed to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik from Sens. Peter Welch, Chuck Schumer, Bernie […] You must be an online subscriber to view this story. Please subscribe or buy this week's issue here or login below. The full version of this story will be available to all readers after 1 week. Full versions of news stories from the current week are available to online subscribers only. Access to full versions of news stories from issues older than 1 week are available to all readers for free in our archive of all issues. Forgot Password The post National Hatchery Closure Has Vt. Officials Concerned first appeared on The White River Valley Herald.
VTDigger · Winooski, VT
Nearby: Winooski, VTThis commentary is by Caitlin MacLeod-Bluver, a teacher at Winooski High School. She is the 2025 Vermont Teacher of the Year and the 2026 Vermont History Teacher of the Year. In the WCAX debate on Oct. 28, Gov. Phil Scott incorrectly claimed that the Winooski School District offers 17 languages, unlike smaller, more rural districts that may offer only one or two. This is false. Winooski offers one language, French. Elementary school students have no language opportunities, middle school students take French for one quarter, and high school students are offered French I or French II. When Scott claims that Winooski offers 17 languages, it is not just a curriculum mistake. It is a remark that serves to pit our rural, largely white communities against our more urban, more diverse communities. This misinformation fuels anti-immigrant, xenophobic thinking that hurts our students, our families and our communities. Collectively, our student body does speak at least 17 languages.
Seven Days · Burlington, VT
Nearby: Burlington, VTThe past six years were bumpy ones for the students and staff of Burlington High School. In 2020, the pandemic shifted students to remote learning. Later that fall, the New North End campus closed due to PCB contamination, and BHS moved into a former Macy’s department store downtown. The high-school-in-a-mall story went viral, capturing attention around the world. Downtown Burlington High School was windowless and noisy, and some students struggled to adapt. Finally, this past August, students returned to a brand-new, 256,000-square-foot, $204 million building on the site of the old BHS. This month, the BHS Drama Club stages its first musical in the state-of-the-art auditorium. Guys and Dolls, which runs November 19 through 21, represents an exciting new chapter for the club, which has built an impressive legacy over the past 30 years but faced a change in leadership and dwindling participation during the mall years.
White River Valley Herald · Strafford, VT
Nearby: Strafford, VTStrafford residents who received notices for November hearings about potential reclassification of their roads should expect a new letter in the mail soon. Officials are working to send out corrected notices for hearings on December 14 and December 17. The error surfaced at the selectboard’s meeting Tuesday, Nov. 10 when residents said letters they received contained conflicting dates. The first […] You must be an online subscriber to view this story. Please subscribe or buy this week's issue here or login below. The full version of this story will be available to all readers after 1 week. Full versions of news stories from the current week are available to online subscribers only. Access to full versions of news stories from issues older than 1 week are available to all readers for free in our archive of all issues. Forgot Password The post Strafford To Correct Road Hearing Notices first appeared on The White River Valley Herald.
White River Valley Herald · Barnard, VT
Nearby: Barnard, VTIn the 31 years that Rock Webster has been a member of the Barnard Selectboard, a meeting has never been held in East Barnard. Webster, who had the idea to go “on the road” to the East Barnard Community Hall said he “thought it’d be something different and interesting.” Folks seemed to be pleased, some expressing their gratitude in the […] You must be an online subscriber to view this story. Please subscribe or buy this week's issue here or login below. The full version of this story will be available to all readers after 1 week. Full versions of news stories from the current week are available to online subscribers only. Access to full versions of news stories from issues older than 1 week are available to all readers for free in our archive of all issues. Forgot Password The post Barnard Selectboard ‘On The Road’ in East Barnard first appeared on The White River Valley Herald.
