WTSA NEWS FOR FRIDAY AUGUST 8th 2025

The Vermont Supreme Court will soon have another vacancy after Justice William Cohen announced Thursday he will retire in December. Cohen was sworn in as an associate justice by Governor Phil Scott in 2019. Before that, the Rutland native was a superior court judge in Rutland and Bennington . It comes as Justice Karen Carroll is also set to retire from the High Court this month, leaving a total of two vacancies.

Vermont state police say a possible link between a high-profile murder in Arkansas last month and the 2023 unsolved murder of Honoree Fleming in Castleton appears to be a dead end. Police in Arkansas arrested James Andrew McGannafter the 28-year-old allegedly stabbed and killed a married couple hiking with their children in Devil’s Den State Park. Vermont authorities believe the shooting death of the 77-year-old former Castleton University dean in October 2023 was also a random attack. But given some similarities between the two cases, they contacted the police in Arkansas.

Average gasoline prices in Vermont is $3.11 per gallon, up 2 cents per gallon from last week, down 1 cent from last month and down 31 cents from last year. The lowest price in the state this week was $2.89 while the highest was $3.39.

The national average price of gasoline has risen 2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.16 today. The national average is up 2 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 29 cents per gallon lower than a year ago,

A popular but harmful group of insecticides is one step closer to leaving Vermont. As of July 1, it’s illegal to spray neonicotinoids, or “neonics,” on a host of plants. It’s the first phase of a 2024 law with a ban on neonic-treated seeds coming in 2029. Restricted uses include outdoor applications to crops during bloom, soybeans, cereal grains, leafy vegetables and ornamental plants.

The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office is trying to crack down on illegal robocalls, joining a national effort to put pressure on voice providers to put a stop to them.
The national Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force sent letters Thursday to 37 voice providers demanding that they step in to stop illegal robocalls from being routed through their networks.

The A- G’s Office said the focus is on voice providers because the scammers who place the calls are typically outside of the United States and outside the jurisdiction of the 51 attorneys general involved with the task force.
All telecom providers are supposed to certify that they’re taking certain steps to help reduce illegal robocalls.

TSA Sports

The Boston Red Sox play tonight at San Diego.

The New York Yankees host Houston.

The New England Patriots open their exhibition schedule against the Washington Commanders tonight at Gillette Stadium.