Meet the NGOs that shape Vermont’s laws this Saturday

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The 2026 Vermont Changemakers Summit, organized by the Vermont Natural Resources Council and co-sponsored by more than two dozen of the state’s most active advocacy organizations, comes to Harwood Union Middle and High School on April 11 — a free, full-day convening billed as a gathering for “community activists, organizers and advocates passionate about people and the planet.” For Vermonters who have watched property tax bills climb, heating costs rise, and land use regulations tighten, it is a rare opportunity to meet the coalition responsible in person.

Abuse alleged at NH youth lockdown used by VT

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Complaints include: “Lockdown” status was in place at the facility for approximately a month and a half. Also, the initial “full lockdown” for 2 weeks; single movement (which means 1 child out of their sleeping quarters at a time), no off-unit time, all muscle movement on the units (which was very minimal), shackled to walk around off unit if needed/approved, and no education.

Vermonter averts double death penalty trial, accepts life sentences

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Under the 13-page signed plea agreement filed Thursday, Bland admits to causing the deaths of both Solomon and White during a drug trafficking crime on Oct. 12, 2023. Both criminal charges carry life sentences. He also has admitted to carrying and using a gun on Oct. 14, 2023 during a drug trafficking crime, which calls for a consecutive life sentence, the plea agreement notes.

New ROOT permit will boost housing starts, Miro tells Legislative caucus

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Former Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger joined lawmakers last Friday to present for Let’s Build Homes, a nonprofit where he now serves as executive chair. He criticized Vermont’s regulatory environment for housing, pointing in particular to a subjective permitting process and to burdensome aspects of Act 181 and Act 250. Ultimately, his message was clear, Vermont is not building enough housing, and reform is needed.

Stone: Act 181 is serfdom

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When mapped to its statutory language and agency behavior, Vermont’s Act 181 emerges as far more than a conservation law. It is a comprehensive land allocation system that integrates biodiversity protection, housing distribution, agricultural land preservation, and redistributionist and reparation (aka equity) considerations into a unified framework.

Blotter: Man killed in ATV crash; Domestic assault charges Filed; Big Barre drug bust

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Ten people were arrested and significant quantities of illegal drugs and cash were seized following coordinated law enforcement operations at two Barre residences on April 4, according to local police. Police reported seizing approximately 13.5 grams of crack cocaine, fentanyl, psilocybin mushrooms, assorted pills, and $1,337 in cash. An additional traffic stop tied to the investigation resulted in the seizure of $6,500.

Murder victim’s mom lists suspected mentally ill killers, urges secure forensic facility

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Elijah Compagna was found not competent and deemed dangerous, yet was placed in a community-based group home in 2025. While there, he was able to lure a young woman into the home and stab her to death — in a setting not designed or staffed to manage that level of risk – just one example of a pattern of inadequate state care for the dangerously mentally ill, Carroll said.

CLG: Trump vows to hit Iran ‘extremely hard’ as Tehran denies talks 

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Bullet used to kill Charlie Kirk did NOT match rifle allegedly used by Tyler Robinson, court filing claims; Mystery of scientists dead or missing rises to 8 as 2 more men tied to America’s most coveted secrets join the list; Suspected Ukrainian drones have crashed in Finland – prime minister; Trump says Iran war will end ‘shortly’ as he rips into allies for lacking ‘courage’ on Strait of Hormuz: ‘Just take it’; Massive oil tanker struck by Iranian drone near Strait of Hormuz as U.S. unleashes 2,000-pound bunker buster bombs on ammunition depot; Pentagon ‘prepares for major escalation in Iran War with ground operations set to last for weeks’ as U.S. Marines arrive in the Middle East

North: The choice couldn’t be clearer

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These examples continue to emphasize the need for the Vermont legislature to wake up and squarely address the affordability crisis in Vermont.  The House majority party continues to block our efforts to do exactly this. Stay tuned as we fight the affordability battle for you.  The choice couldn’t be clearer.

Carroll: S.193 and the need for a forensic treatment facility

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Our current system is also failing those in need of those mental health services, as well as the victims impacted by these cases. Individuals are often effectively warehoused in correctional settings while refusing or unable to participate in evaluations, resulting in prolonged court delays without meaningful treatment or progress toward restoration. At the same time, victims and families are forced to relive their trauma again and again through repeated postponements — often stretching on for years with no resolution in sight. This ongoing cycle is not only ineffective, it is deeply harmful — to the individual, to the courts, to public safety, and to the victims who are left waiting for accountability and closure.

Vermont engineering firm advances cryogenic tech for NASA’s moon missions

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As NASA prepares for the Artemis II mission—the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17 in 1972—Vermont is showcasing its direct historical connection to the Apollo program through a special public display of rare lunar samples. At the same time, a Vermont-based engineering firm is contributing cutting-edge technology to support the broader Artemis program’s goal of sustainable lunar exploration.

House passes bill to regulate data centers 

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The bill, H.727, introduced by Rep. Laura Sibilia (D-Windham 2), seeks to regulate data centers requiring 20 or more megawatts by mandating annual reporting and requiring operators to enter into large load service equity contracts. These contracts would hold data centers accountable for paying their fair share of grid and infrastructure costs while ensuring that Vermonters aren’t subsidizing their electricity use.

Peyton: Right to farm and clean food 

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At the Statehouse, a coalition is forming to bring forward a constitutional amendment which will take another biennium before it can be introduced, but the time is now to promote it. The primary purpose for it is to fulfill this goal: to put Vermont at the helm of progress, to initiate a growth of small- and medium-scale organic farming, to encourage and expand local gardens, and to totally dedicate ourselves to the cause of sustainability in harmony with Nature.

Commentary »

Klar: Fake meat withers on the propaganda vine

Soulia: Pull back the curtain on pre-legislative dealmaking

Scott: House punting hard work of education reform

Stearns: Rich people with big lawyers still pollute, working people stuck with Act 181

Page: Repeal Road Rule, Tier 3 now – don’t delay

Roper: Sometimes the sausage NOT being made is uglier than the sausage

Stone: Act 181 is serfdom

Keelan: What is reasonable compensation for State officials?

Herron: Act 181 and our natural rights

Roper: House votes to spend another $83,000,000 on homeless