Two suspects, including a man from Springfield, were arrested in Vermont in connection with drug possession and trafficking. Vermont State Police stated that at approximately 12:37 p.m. on Thursday, a trooper observed a motor vehicle violation on I-91 in Westminster and conducted a traffic stop. It was discovered that the passenger, identified as 48-year-old Kenneth Piller of Los Angeles, California, was wanted for drug-related offenses. The driver, identified as 21-year-old Chantz Dudley of Springfield, Mass., was also detained, and both suspects were brought to the State Police Barracks. Troopers seized the vehicle and executed a search warrant, during which time they located suspected crack cocaine and fentanyl. Piller was turned over to Rutland City Police custody, and Dudley was sent to the Southern State Correctional Facility in place of $30,000 bail. Dudley was charged with possession of cocaine 1oz+, fentanyl trafficking, and transporting fentanyl into the state.
Brattleboro Memorial Hospital announced Thursday that the hospital’s CEO would not be returning from his unexplained leave of absence. In a message on social media, hospital interim board chair Chloe Learey asked for the community’s patience as they search for a replacement for Chris Dougherty. Since 2017, the hospital has lost money every year but one, and state regulators this year rejected the hospital’s budget plan, saying the numbers were neither reliable nor realistic.Dougherty went on leave as the hospital was working to resubmit its budget to the Green Mountain Care Board. Vermont’s new health care law, Act 68, gives state regulators additional authority to require hospitals to resubmit budgets, and even order outside oversight when a hospital’s finances raise red flags.
Vermont is paying college graduates to stay in the Green Mountain State, offering $5,000 in student loan relief to those who commit to living and working in Vermont for two years after graduation. The Green Mountain Job Retention Program released $845,000 in stipends this fall to 169 students who graduated from Vermont higher education schools in 2023. Nearly half of the recipients graduated from the University of Vermont. The program verifies graduates live and work in Vermont full-time after one year of work. Recipients get $2,500 the first year and another $2,500 the second year, sent directly to their loan servicer. The deadline to apply for the program is December 1st.
On Saturday, just before 4pm, the Vermont State Police responded to a single vehicle crash on Guilford Center Rd in Guilford. The operator, Jocelyn Pond (36) of Brattleboro, was driving north when she left the roadway and struck a utility pole. During the investigation, Pond showed signs of impairment. Pond was arrested for suspicion of DUI and transported to the Westminster Barracks for processing. Pond was later released with a citation to appear in the Vermont Superior Court, Windham Criminal Division on December 9th.
November 24th marks the start of the national Thanksgiving “Buckle Up” occupant protection campaign, a high-visibility enforcement effort led by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in partnership with the Vermont Agency of Transportation’s State Highway Safety Office. From November 26th through November 30th, law enforcement agencies across the country will focus on increasing seat belt use during one of the busiest travel periods of the year. The goal is simple: save lives. The push for seat belt use comes as sobering statistics highlight the dangers of holiday travel. According to the National Safety Council, more than 400 people could die on U.S. roadways during the Thanksgiving weekend alone. Officials stress that many of these deaths are preventable. In Vermont, roughly 60 percent of crash-related fatalities involve unbelted occupants, underscoring the importance of buckling up with every trip.
The Vermont Department of Health is urging Vermonters to get vaccinated for influenza as we approach the typical winter peak. 26% of Vermonters have already gotten their seasonal flu shot, according to state data – with the highest percentage in Grand Isle County. Women and older Vermonters are more likely to be vaccinated. According to the most recent flu report on Friday, activity in Vermont is “minimal”, with only 9 positive tests in the state in the second week of November.
WTSA SPORTS FOR MONDAY NOVEMBER 24th 2025
THE PATRIOTS DEFEATED THE CINCINNATI BENGALS YESTERDAY
26 – 20 THE PATS 10-2 ON THE SEASON. THEY’LL PLAY THE GIANTS NEXT MONDAY NIGHT ON MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL AT 8:15PM
IN MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL TONIGHT ITS THE 6-5 PANTHERS AGAINST THE (7-4) 49ERS, KICK OFF AT 8:15PM
THE CELTICS BEAT THE MAGIC YESTERDAY 138 – 129, THE CELTICS IMPROVE TO 9-8. THE CELTICS ARE BACK ON THE COURT WEDNESDAY AT TD GARDEN AGAINST THE PISTONS TIP OFF AT 5:00PM.
THE BRUINS ARE IN NEW YORK ON WEDNESDAY AGAINST THE ISLANDERS PUCK DROPS AT 7:00PM.