Governor Phil Scott signed into law the property tax rate “yield bill,” H.491 yesterday. The average increase in property taxes this year is 1.1%. Last year’s increase was 13.8%. While costs have come down this year, the Legislature used $77.2 million in surplus funds from the General Fund as a one-time fix for FY2026, which begins this July 1st.
Data from the Vermont Department of Health indicates a significant reduction in opioid overdose deaths in 2024, with a 22% decrease from the previous year. This marks the second consecutive year of decline following a peak in 2022, despite a slight drop in 2023. Officials report that fentanyl remains the primary substance in opioid-related fatalities, responsible for 93% of deaths in 2024, alongside cocaine and xylazine, which are also frequently involved in fatal overdoses.
Flash flooding closed roads and inundated downtowns Saturday across the Green Mountain State. White River Junction was hit especially hard, and appears to have seen the worst of the damage. Flash flooding following a microburst forced the Veterans Affairs Hospital there to move its emergency department to higher ground.
On Sunday, students at the University of Vermont marked a significant achievement as graduates took the stage. UVM hosted its 224th commencement ceremony on the University Green, after which students received their diplomas at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction. Approximately 3,000 students earned their bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and medical degrees. University officials anticipate that around 1,000 of the graduates will remain in Vermont to enter the workforce. This is the first time in UVM history that the school has used the Expo as a graduation space.
A federal investment aims to enhance community safety by addressing hazardous land. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfield program has announced $8 million in grants for eight organizations in Vermont to assist in cleaning up contaminated properties, including funding for assessments and revolving loan funds.
This summer, Vermont’s historic fire towers will undergo modernization. State officials report that there are 16 fire towers across the Green Mountains, with a new project targeting eight on state land, including those on Burke and Okemo mountains. The work involves construction workers being secured to the exterior of the towers at significant heights, all aimed at enhancing safety for summer activities in Vermont.
On Monday, student workers at Dartmouth College initiated a strike concerning wages and working conditions. The Student Worker Collective, representing dining staff and residential advisers, is in negotiations for new contracts. Their demands include safeguarding dining jobs from automation, increasing the minimum wage to $23 per hour, and ensuring ICE does not operate on campus. Organizers cite the installation of kiosks in dining halls, rising tuition fees, and the Trump administration’s immigration policies as contributing factors.
The Vermont Agency of Transportation’s State Highway Safety Office joins law enforcement agencies across the state and nation in urging drivers to Buckle Up today and every day. Law enforcement officers and first responders from Vermont and New York, with support from the Vermont and New York State Highway Safety Offices, held a press conference today at the Fairhaven Welcome Center to raise awareness about the Buckle Up seat belt safety campaign. This year marks Vermont and New York’s 24th year participating in the national seat belt enforcement campaign. This campaign (also known throughout the country as the Click It or Ticket campaign) began in North Carolina in 1993.
WTSA SPORTS FOR TUESDAY MAY 20th 2025
THE REDSOX BEAT THE METS YESTERDAY 3 – 1. GAME 2 OF THEIR 3 GAME SERIES IS TONIGHT, FIRST PITCH AT 6:45PM.
THE YANKEES ARE BACK ON THE FIELD TONIGHT AT HOME TO START A 3 GAME SERIES WITH THE RANGERS, FIRST PITCH AT 7:05PM.
AND THE PGA TOUR CHARLES SWAB CHALLENGE STARTS UP ON THURSDAY MAY 22nd AT THE COLONIAL COUNTRY CLUB IN FORT WORTH TEXAS.