LATEST NEWS
Hinesburg moving forward with wastewater plant construction
HINESBURG, Vt. (WCAX) - Plans are moving forward in Hinesburg to replace its wastewater treatment facility. The town’s current wastewater discharge doesn’t meet state standards. They’ve been trying to bring their facility up to code for the last several years. Now, after narrowing down four bids on...
Seth Brunell set to stand trial in July on murder charge in Fern Feather’s death
Brunell has been held without bail for more than two years in the fatal stabbing of Feather, a transgender woman from Hinesburg. Feather’s killing led to an outpouring of grief and condemnation across Vermont. Read the story on VTDigger here: Seth Brunell set to stand trial in July on murder charge in Fern Feather’s death.
Injection drug use leads to serious blood infection surge at Vt. hospital
BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - A new investigation shows serious blood infections are way up among patients at the UVM Medical Center. The probe revealed a 900% increase in those infections among patients treated over the last two years. The hospital found 70% of those infected were current or previous drug users, many experiencing homelessness. Most had major skin and tissue wounds.
Vergennes mayor confirms city picked to host juvenile justice facility
VERGENNES, Vt. (WCAX) - Vergennes Mayor Chris Bearor says state officials have officially chosen the city as its location to place a long-planned juvenile justice facility. We told you in April that a 14-bed facility was in the works to be built on state-owned land near Comfort Hill in Vergennes.
'We're Leaving': Winooski's Bargain Real Estate Attracted a Diverse Group of Residents for Years. Now They're Being Squeezed Out.
Help us pay for in-depth stories like this one by becoming a Seven Days Super Reader. Cailyne Crowder called Winooski home. She had moved to the upper half of an old duplex on Lafountain Street in 2015 because the $1,150 rent, cheaper than what she'd pay in Burlington, suited her budget as a single mom. The lower cost of living enabled her to open Atlas Hair Studio, a downtown salon where she built a loyal clientele.
Vt. man sentenced in plot to murder his stepfather
BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - A man who pleaded guilty to conspiring with his mother to murder his stepfather in 2019 was sentenced on Monday. Kory George pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in the slaying of David Auclair and will remain behind bars for at least 13 more years after being sentenced.
Say goodbye to meters. Burlington moves forward with contactless parking plan
BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Changes are afoot in how drivers in Burlington pay for parking that could spell the end for parking meters in the Queen City. The clinking of coins might soon be a thing of the past when parking in Burlington. The city has gotten rid of single-space parking meters on Cherry Street and the Pearl Street parking lot in exchange for contactless parking via a mobile app.
UVM Medical Center nurses rally for wage increase in new contract
BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Negotiations between the nurses union and the UVM Medical Center are heating up ahead of a new bargaining period. Hundreds of nurses walked off the job back in 2018 to fight for better wages. On Wednesday, they rallied again with a similar message in hopes of avoiding another strike.
Aggressive Behavior, Increased Drug Use at Burlington's Downtown Library Prompt Calls for Help
Librarians at Burlington's Fletcher Free Library are doing far more these days than just shelving books. They're monitoring security cameras, trying to distinguish naps from drug overdoses and employing something called "verbal judo" to calm agitated patrons. The downtown library has always been the proverbial "community living room," open and...
Vermont’s Island Line Trail | The Bike Ride That Has It All
The magic of exploring a place on two wheels instead of four comes into full focus on Vermont’s Island Line Trail, a bike ride that’s a lesson in the art of going slow. Sure, you could cover this relatively flat, relatively easy distance in a couple of hours, but why? This is a journey made for meandering and stopping. And then stopping again. The views, after all, include both Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains, not to mention sailboats, lighthouses, and killer sunsets. And the sights are as varied as the terrain. You’re in a city. You’re on a paved path. You’re on an island. You’re on…the water? In a sense, yes.
'A huge slap in the face': Pro-Palestine UVM students protest commencement speaker
Over 100 University of Vermont students rallied around the front steps of Howe Library on Monday to proclaim that Linda Thomas-Greenfield – the U.S ambassador to the United Nations and the university’s 2024 commencement speaker – is not welcome on campus. The students' qualms with Thomas-Greenfield? While...
A day in the life of Amy Morgan, Colchester elementary school psychologist
COLCHESTER — In an office housed at Malletts Bay School, adorned with a plethora of informational posters and a shelf of fidget toys and games for kids, one can usually find Amy Morgan, school psychologist for MBS, Porters Point School and Union Memorial School. Morgan starts her days early...
Dreary, yet drier today before more showers Thursday
Happy Wednesday! Temperatures are in the 40s this morning alongside mostly cloudy skies, very dense fog, and light and variable winds. Make sure you’re traveling with extra caution this morning especially if you’ll be moving through the mountain passes or higher elevations. That’s where some of the thickest of fog is hiding out.
Overdose-Prevention Site Bill Advances in the Vermont Senate
A bill that would pave the way for a facility to help people use illegal drugs more safely advanced in the Vermont Senate on Wednesday. H.72 was approved on second reading by a 21-8 vote, suggesting it would have sufficient Senate support to overcome a likely veto by Gov. Phil Scott. Supporters say they fully expect the House to also be able to muster the two-thirds majority required to make the bill become law over Scott’s objections.
Missing Vermont man found safe, police say
HUNTINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Police say a Vermont man who was reported missing has been found and he is safe. Vermont State Police on Monday morning asked the public for help finding Raymond Phelps, 49, of Huntington, saying there were concerns for his welfare. At about 7 p.m., troopers reported...
Waterbury man among three killed in a two-vehicle crash in Berlin on Saturday
Three people including a Waterbury man were killed in a two-car crash on Vermont Route 62 in Berlin on Saturday night, according to the Berlin Police Department. The crash happened around 9:30 p.m. near the intersection of Rt. 62 with Airport and Fisher roads. Central Vermont Medical Center is at that location.
Xylazine in drug supply is implicated in dramatic increase in bloodstream infections
University of Vermont Medical Center researchers found a 900% increase over two years in blood infections linked primarily to people who injected drugs, most of whom were also experiencing homelessness. Most of the 57 people included in the study, which compared 2022-2023 to 2020-2021, were Chittenden County residents, with a...
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