The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced an air quality alert for northern and central Vermont TODAY on Tuesday, July 15. Wildfire smoke from Canada is anticipated to increase fine particle levels to “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” (code orange), particularly in northwest Vermont. Southern Vermont is expected to experience “Moderate” (code yellow) conditions on the Air Quality Index. An update on the air quality forecast will be provided on Tuesday afternoon regarding the expected conditions for Wednesday.
As a heat wave approaches, the Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration is advising employers on how to reduce the risk of heat stroke and other heat-related illnesses. VOSHA suggests adjusting work schedules during hot conditions to allow for regular breaks in ‘cool zones’. It is also important to promote frequent hydration. To mitigate risks, employers should train employees to recognize early signs of heat-related illnesses. Prompt action in identifying and reporting symptoms such as extreme fatigue can be beneficial. Workers outdoors with limited cooling options are particularly vulnerable. More tips and information are available on the VOSHA website.
The risk of deportation increases for the Afghan community in Vermont. Six hundred resettled Afghans reside in Vermont, but this situation may soon alter. On Monday, the temporary protected status (TPS) for Afghanistan will officially end, following the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s conclusion that conditions in Afghanistan have improved. TPS permits foreign nationals from nations facing armed conflict or perilous situations to remain and work in the United States. The termination of TPS does not affect green card holders, but it may influence Afghans who have asylum or are in the process of applying for asylum.
A plane crashed in Charlestown on Sunday night, as reported by officials. A News 9 crew present at the location near Morningside Lane and Claremont Road observed New Hampshire State Police and firefighters conducting an investigation. State police verified that the ultra-light aircraft, referred to as a Dragonfly, had departed from Morningside Flight Park after delivering several hang gliders. Officials indicated that DHART arrived at the scene, and the pilot was transported to the hospital. The cause of the crash remains unknown.
U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) is set to submit a Statement for the Congressional Record condemning Senate Republicans for their efforts to push forward President Trump’s rescission request, which seeks to retract congressionally-allocated funding, as well as his FY26 budget that jeopardizes funding for HIV/AIDS and other essential global health initiatives. In his statement, Senator Welch cautions that the White House’s severe funding cuts to maintain the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and to meet the United States’ commitments to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will adversely affect the world’s most vulnerable populations. He asserts that if Congress endorses these cuts, it will bear the responsibility for undermining one of the significant bipartisan public health successes of this century. Welch concluded by stating: “An American biopharmaceutical company has developed a drug that can prevent HIV/AIDS. Let us replicate what President Bush accomplished nearly twenty-five years ago and demonstrate to the world that the United States can lead in saving lives from this deadly disease.”
Attorney General Charity Clark has filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration for unlawfully freezing an estimated $26 million in federal funding meant for Vermont schools. Nationwide, $6.8 billion in federal funding has been frozen just weeks before the start of the school year. This funding supports six longstanding programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education, and, without it, school districts—particularly those serving high-need student populations—will be impeded from retaining key staff, maintaining high-quality educational offerings, and providing mentorship and training programs to improve instructional capacity.
Facing budget shortfall,Vermont Foodbank resorts to layoffs. Vermont Foodbank President John Sayles says the organization has laid off seven staff members and eliminated two vacant positions to offset a post-COVID drop in government funding.
Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.08 per gallon, down 3.3 cents per gallon from last week’s $3.11/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.47/g while the highest was $3.37/g, a difference of 90.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has risen 2.0 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.11/g today.
Now a Message from Bernie Sanders:
Dear Fellow Vermonter,
On July 4th, while Americans should have been celebrating 249 years of our democracy, President Trump signed into law the most dangerous piece of legislation in modern U.S. history. Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” — passed by just one vote in the Senate — is a massive transfer of wealth from the working class to the top 1% and a death sentence for tens of thousands of low-income Americans. At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, this bill gives $1 trillion in tax breaks to the very rich paid for by slashing health care, nutrition and education for the working class.
Instead of addressing our broken health care system, this deeply immoral legislation throws 17 million Americans off of the health insurance they have and threatens to devastate rural hospitals, community health centers and nursing homes by making massive cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. The result of these cuts is that many Americans won’t see the doctor when they should and, it is estimated, more than 50,000 will die unnecessarily each year as a result according to researchers at Yale and the University of Pennsylvania.
But it’s not just health care. At a time when the United States, shamefully, has one of the highest rates of childhood poverty of any major country on Earth, Republicans who wrote this bill chose to take food out of the mouths of children by wiping out nutrition assistance for over 1 million kids.
As many young people in our country struggle with student debt and others wonder how they will ever be able to afford to go to college, this bill cuts education funding by more than $300 billion, raises student loan payments and makes it much harder for working class kids to get the higher education they need to succeed in life.
Vermont is no stranger to the effects of climate change. Just last week, communities throughout our state felt the devastating effects of more frequent and damaging severe weather on their homes, crops and local infrastructure for the third year in a row. As Vermonters continue to work together to rebuild from these floods and to reverse the effects of climate change, this bill decimates investments in sustainable energy like wind and solar while providing billions in corporate welfare to Big Oil.
The bottom line: at a time when our country faces many serious problems, this bill makes bad situations even worse. This is not what the American people want or need.
During the coming weeks and months there will be a lot of discussion in the Senate as to how we can best address the crises this bill creates. I will keep you informed as to the progress I hope we will be making.
Sincerely,
Bernie Sanders
WTSA SPORTS FOR TUESDAY JULY 15th 2025
THE 2025 MLB All-Star Game is on FOX at 8 p.m. tonight featuring The American League vs. The National League in Atlanta.
NBA Summer League games are going on at NBATV and ESPN.
In the WNBA, The Indiana Fever will play the Connecticut Sun at TD Garden in Boston at 8:00 p.m.tonight, televised on ESPN.