Emma Cotton

“Of all the bad things, here is one good one,” said Alexi’s wife, who was detained with Alexi and their three children at the Highgate Springs border crossing in February but later released.

Lawmakers proposed an update to the law following a 2021 high-profile lawsuit in which neighbors of a large dairy farm in Addison County sued the farm over damage to their property and won.

A small addition to a bill on reorienting energy efficiency goals does the job.

“Farmers thrive on predictability,” said Anson Tebbetts, secretary of the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. “But we're not in that space right now. So I think everyone is taking it day to day.”

“I think, frankly, the environmental community and the Democrats in the supermajority overestimated what they thought was doable. And now I fear that they're going to go completely the other way and say, ‘Well, nothing's doable.’”

“We don't have anything like a flood watch out at this moment,” said Jessica Storm, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Burlington. “We are just letting people know to use caution around these waterways.”

While Scott said his proposal would reduce the costs of climate policies, early reactions indicate that many of his ideas are not likely to gain support from Democrats.

“This population, their rights are being violated,” said Jill Martin Diaz, executive director of the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project. “Now, we're really seeing a systematic dismantling of the people available to help.”

Attorneys and advocacy organizations are navigating an increase in federal immigration arrests — and rampant rumors and misinformation.

“The grid will remain reliable,” newly appointed Department of Public Service commissioner Kerrick Johnson told House lawmakers on Tuesday afternoon. The big question, he said, is “what’s the price?”

The confluence of very cold weather, reduced federal funding and high need among Vermonters has made an emergency heating program especially busy.

The furry dam builders are a flood protection method with real teeth, experts said.

Attorney General Charity Clark announced Tuesday afternoon that Vermont has joined a separate multi-state suit against the Trump administration. She called the freeze a “brazen violation of the Constitution.”

“The legislature has a major role to play here,” said Scott Sanderson of the Conservation Law Foundation Tuesday. “This is not just between EPA and ANR.”

The state has “a long history of implementing innovative and effective programs to reduce energy use,” commissioners wrote, and it would be more effective to build on existing programs rather than create a new policy.

The councilors’ deadline, July 1, comes shortly after the conclusion of this year’s legislative session, meaning that lawmakers wouldn’t be able to consider most of the council’s recommendations until next January.

“It's my dream, one day, that the houses that we are building are open for our own community to live in, as well,” said Jose Ignacio De La Cruz, who helps construct housing.

The five-member committee went from no Republicans to having two, including its vice chair.

Many of the expanded incentives, which include rebates for electric cars, heating systems, bicycles, lawn mowers and other appliances, apply specifically to the utility’s low-income customers.

Attorney General Charity Clark said she thinks the oil companies are “running out of tricks,” but still, the lawsuit could go on for years.