Latest Vermont Headlines
All the headlines from our Vermont Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Judge Approves $34M Settlement Over PFOA Contamination of Vermont Community
Apr 21 2022 // A federal judge has given final approval to a $34 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit against a plastics company over toxic chemical contamination of soil and groundwater in a southern Vermont...
Vermont Opioid Deaths Rose 33% to Record in 2021
Apr 12 2022 // The number of opioid-related overdose deaths in Vermont increased by 33% in 2021 to a record number of 210 fatalities, the Vermont Health Department reported. The report released this week found that fentanyl was involved...
Police Investigate Allegations of Women’s Rugby Team Hazing at Vermont University
Apr 5 2022 // Police in Vermont are investigating allegations of hazing involving the women’s rugby team at Norwich University, authorities said. Multiple law enforcement agencies went to a residence hall at the private military...
Vermont Jury Awards $5.25M to Florida Woman Impregnated by Own Fertility Doctor
Apr 1 2022 // A federal court jury in Vermont on Wednesday awarded a Florida woman $5.25 million from a doctor who used his own sperm to impregnate her during an artificial insemination procedure in 1977. The federal court jury in...
Vermont Court Sides With Ambassador Insurance in Allocation of Asbestos Losses
Mar 8 2022 // The Vermont Supreme Court has denied a bid by a manufacturer of asbestos products to bypass Vermont law in determining the allocation of losses for insurance purposes. In so doing, the Vermont court sided with Ambassador...
Vermont Police Continue Probe Into 36-Car Pileup
Mar 7 2022 // Vermont State Police say the recent multi-car pileup on I-89 likely was the largest motor vehicle crash in state history. Thirty-six vehicles were directly involved in the crash Feb. 28 in heavy and blowing snow and icy...
Vermont Town’s Voters Asked to Allow ATVs on Roads to Connect Trails
Mar 1 2022 // Voters in Royalton, Vermont will be considering at the town meeting next week whether to allow all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) on parts of some town roads. The Cascadnac Valley Wheelers has requested access to town roads...
Vermont Town Officials Seek Opinions on Police Review Board
Feb 15 2022 // A Bennington, Vermont task force is seeking opinions from the public about a recommendation for a police department review board in the southwestern Vermont community. Bennington’s 10-member Safety and Equity Task...
Vermont Governor Vetoes Registration, Insurance Requirement for Contractors
Feb 14 2022 // Gov. Phil Scott last week vetoed a bill that proposed creating a framework for registering construction contractors, saying it would hurt small businesses. The Republican said that while he supports protecting the...
People Moves: Brace Underwriting Adds Dorr; Brown & Riding Expands in New York; Mead Heads Vermont Captives
Feb 8 2022 // Brace Bolsters North America Team with Dorr Brace Underwriting Limited announced the appointment of Glenn Dorr as head of distribution, North America, continuing the firm’s expansion. Based in Boston, Dorr will help...
Vermont State Police Releases List of 11 Internal Investigations
Feb 1 2022 // The latest summary of internal investigations against Vermont State Police troopers listed 11 cases that led to the resignation of two troopers, the retirement of a third, and in other cases found that no violations took...
Vermont Workers’ Compensation Loss Costs to Drop 4.9% in April
Jan 27 2022 // Vermont businesses will see a rate decrease of 4.9% in workers’ compensation costs. The reduction will be effective on April 1, 2022, and is estimated to save Vermont employers more than $8 million in premiums over...
Vermont Added 45 Captives in 2021
Jan 25 2022 // Forty-five new captive insurance companies were licensed this past year in Vermont, making 2021 Vermont’s fourth highest year of growth in its 40-year history. Vermont is now home to 620 licensed captives, consisting...
Judge Gives Preliminary OK to Firm’s $34M ‘Forever Chemical’ Settlement in Vermont
Jan 12 2022 // A federal judge has given preliminary approval to a $34 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit against a chemical company over contamination of groundwater and soil in a southern Vermont community. Notices are going...
Suit Filed Over Inmate Death in Vermont Alleges Racism and Negligence
Dec 15 2021 // The estate of a Black man who died in custody at a Vermont prison is suing, alleging racism and negligence. The lawsuit, reported by VTDigger, was filed this week in Washington County Superior Court, alleging that the...
Vermont Company to Pay $34M in Chemical Contamination Lawsuit
Nov 15 2021 // A chemical company has agreed to pay $34 million to compensate residents of a Vermont town for chemical contamination in groundwater and soil. The ChemFab plant in Bennington, owned by Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics,...
State of Vermont Revokes Quarry Owner’s Explosives License
Nov 10 2021 // The owner of a Castleton, Vermont, quarry has had his explosives license revoked after blasting this summer ejected rocks onto adjacent properties, risking public safety, the Vermont Department of Public Safety said...
Police Investigating Pair of Suspicious Fires in Vermont
Oct 12 2021 // Authorities are investigating whether two suspicious fires in Vermont are connected. One of the fires happened Saturday at an auto repair shop in Putney, Vermont State Police said. The blaze caused extensive damage to the...
President Signs Disaster Declaration After Vermont Storms
Oct 1 2021 // President Joe Biden has signed a disaster declaration for damage caused by storms that hit the southern Vermont counties of Windham and Bennington at the end of July, the office of Vermont Governor Phil Scott said...
Vermont Governor Seeking Disaster Assistance After Flooding
Sep 17 2021 // Vermont Governor Phil Scott asked the federal government to help Bennington and Windham counties recover from summer flooding. Scott said communities in the two southern Vermont counties suffered an estimated $4 million in...
