The Bridge

Barre’s Third School Vote Could Put Student Activities at Risk

by Gina Tron

BARRE — For some students, school is about much more than what happens in a classroom. It can mean connecting with other teens for a board game, working on an art project together, and reaching an athletic milestone. Those activities could be among the things the Barre Unified Union School District (BUUSD) has to consider cutting if voters reject its…

Feast Farm Gets Back to Growing

by Tracy Brannstrom

MONTPELIER — The city-owned Feast Farm is deep into its harvest season, with about 2,800 pounds of produce grown this…

Heney Family Selling Downtown Buildings as Package Deal

by Cassandra Hemenway

MONTPELIER — The Heney family is selling five downtown properties as a package deal for $13.65 million. The properties are…

Local School Districts to Talk Merger as Education Reform Kicks In

by Phil Dodd

MONTPELIER — Starting this fall, five local school districts will form a…

Reid and Voorhees Join Homelessness Committee

by Tracy Brannstrom

MONTPELIER — Two new members were appointed to the city’s Homelessness Committee:…

News

Image of winooski river in Montpelier Vermont, with mudflats exposed.

Dam Removal Across Winooski Watershed Proceeds Despite Setbacks: Conversations with Michele Braun

by Jenny Blair

Removing obsolete dams is a huge and tricky job. Permissions must be secured and regulatory and financial hurdles cleared. Engineering and construction are complex.…

Wendy Halley’s Vision of a World Gone Hollow

by Linda Radtke

I’ve always balked at the common distinction between “fiction” and “nonfiction” when teaching English. Students often viewed fiction as “fake” and nonfiction as “true.”…

Community Safety Concerns Prompt Response from Montpelier Officials

by Tracy Brannstrom

Downtown has been the subject of a growing chorus of concern this month, with several residents posting on Front Porch Forum about encounters they…

A-Frame center building surrounded by attached motel rooms, pavement in front.

Good Samaritan Haven Requests End to Courtesy Payments to Berlin

by Carla Occaso

Julie Bond and Luke Racker, co-executive directors for Good Samaritan Haven, went before the Berlin Selectboard seeking property tax abatement for future years. The…

a bus parked in front of a brick building with a small tree planted on the ground to the left.

Urban Trees are Often Planted Just to Die. Montpelier Wants to Change That.

by VTDigger

This article was written by Erin Petenko for VTDigger, and shared with permission. Montpelier residents have a particular attachment to some of the trees…

Arts

Waterbury’s MakerSphere, a Community Art Space

by Mary Cole Mello

Born from Waterbury's recovery after Tropical Storm Irene, MakerSphere has grown into a thriving community arts center offering classes, camps and creative space for…

Heidi Broner: From Bread and Puppet to Barre Granite to the Maine Coast

by Tom McKone

Calais artist Heidi Broner's new exhibit at the Vermont Supreme Court Gallery spans more than 20 years of paintings, from workers to weathered stone.…

One of a Kind Historic Sailmaking Symposium Comes to Marshfield July 25 and 26

by Kimberly Hagen

MARSHFIELD — Vermont may be landlocked, but the art of historic sail making will be the focus of a weekend symposium July 25 and…

Waterbury Arts Fest to Launch ‘Discover Waterbury’

by Press Releases

This year’s 25th annual Waterbury Arts Fest will celebrate the launch of “Discover Waterbury,” the organization’s new name following 35 years as “Revitalizing Waterbury.”…

“WBCN and the American Revolution” Is a Countercultural Tonic for Our Times

by Joe Moser

Stodgy bastion of cultural conservatism and old boys’ clubs. City of youth and bold ideas. Boston undoubtedly fits both these descriptions, but as a…

Schools

Vermont’s New World of School Finance, Part 1

by Phil Dodd

With two roughly 150-page bills — H.454 that passed last year and H.955 this year — the Vermont Legislature has initiated a transition to…

Washington Central Superintendent Steps Down Amid Enrollment Crisis

by Grace Benninghoff

CENTRAL VERMONT — Steven Dellinger-Pate announced his resignation as superintendent of the Washington Central Unified Union School District earlier this month, stepping down after…

high school students file into graduatoin in green gowns with green brick wall behind them.

Montpelier Commencement Encourages Growth Over Perfection

by Sonya Mancauskas

In a 90-minute ceremony moved indoors due to thunderstorm threats, family and friends of Montpelier High School graduates sweated through a ceremony in which…

group of students standing behind a table with computers on it on a gym floor

Area Fourth Graders Teach Their Communities About Climate Resilience

by Mary Cole Mello

NORTHFIELD — On Tuesday, May 27, the Northfield Elementary School gym became the Student Showcase for Vermont Food Systems, celebrating a month-long study of…

Living

World Soccer Festival Featured 51 Teams

by J. Gregory Gerdel

The World Soccer Festival, an event created to engage players of all ages, had its biggest turnout in the two years of holding the regional festivities at Montpelier High School, Saturday, Aug.…

Nathan’s Track: a Fun Run Photo Story

by John Lazenby

About 70 athletes of all ages converged on the newly rebuilt Montpelier High School track on Friday, August 21, for the Nathan Suter Track Celebration put together by Central Vermont runners and…

Vermont Mountaineers End 2026 Season with Numerous Accolades

by Heather Koontz

MONTPELIER — The Vermont Mountaineers ended their New England Collegiate Baseball League season with a final home game on July 31. The game, which resulted in a 4–4 tie, also ended the…

Teen Welder Wins Thunder Road’s Chaotic Enduro in Just His Second Try

by Gina Tron

BARRE — At just 19 years old, Massachusetts driver J.D. Stockwell accomplished something many racers spend years chasing: winning Thunder Road’s legendary Bolduc Metal Recycling Enduro. “It still doesn’t feel real,” Stockwell…

Opinion

The Neighbors We Have

MONTPELIER — The phone rang at 2 a.m. — the police. There had been an incident in the parking lot behind the church: people…

Letters to the Editor, July 22, 2026

This week's letters to the editor discuss the WCUUSD governance vote, endorsements in the Montpelier House primary, and the annual Hiroshima Peace Walk.…