Carla Occaso

Writer, photographer and editor with The Bridge on and off since 2014. Managing editor of The Bridge from 2014 to 2017. Writer and editor for the Caledonian Record. Correspondent and contributing writer for The Barre Montpelier Times Argus, Burlington Free Press, Green Mountain Trading Post, North Star Monthly, Science Magazine, Country Woman, Vermont Magazine, The Northland Journal, and other publications. English teacher and Interventionist in the Montpelier Roxbury School district. Born in Montpelier.

News and Features

Berlin Installs New Parking Signs, Starts Using AI

October 6, 2026

BERLIN — Although people continue to violate the parking rules at the south end of Berlin Pond, the Berlin Selectboard has installed signs making the parking situation clear. Reading from the amended…

Montpelier to Revisit Encampment Policy

March 20, 2026

by Carla Occaso

Spring is almost here, and that means city councilors can expect homeless encampments, according to Zack Hughes, co-chair of the Homelessness Committee, which was…

Heard on the Street, Mar. 18, 2026

March 18, 2026

by Carla Occaso and Cassandra Hemenway

Safety Code Violations Found After Elm Street Fire A report of fire alarms sounding, an “electrical odor,” and water gushing from a possible broken…

History Corner: Thomas Jefferson’s Sweet Trip to Vermont

March 18, 2026

by Carla Occaso

The year 1791 was a busy one for founding father Thomas Jefferson (who was the third U.S. president from 1801 to 1809). But in…

Heard on the Street, Mar. 4, 2026

March 5, 2026

by Carla Occaso

Walmart Donates Clothes to DCF Families Berlin Police Department’s Sgt. Chad Bassette and the Berlin Walmart coordinated the delivery of 11 bins of brand…

several people fill out ballots at voting stations in a carpeted room with stairs

$34.8 million MRPS School Budget Sails Through

March 3, 2026

by Carla Occaso

The Montpelier Roxbury Public Schools district’s $34,754,275 budget passed easily by 1,521 to 667 on Town Meeting Day, March 3. The ballot article read,…

Gwinn is In, Montpelier Budget Passes, Article 12 Defeated

March 3, 2026

by Carla Occaso

Marc Gwinn, a 2024 city council candidate who lost by four votes, won this time when he was elected mayor unopposed on Town Meeting…

New Manager Takes Helm

March 3, 2026

by Carla Occaso

Kelly McNicholas Kury, Montpelier’s new city manager, attended her first city council meeting Feb. 25. Topics included a required pre-town meeting ballot and budget…

Heard on the Street, Feb. 18, 2026

February 18, 2026

by Carla Occaso

Police Arrest Man for Alleged Embezzlement Montpelier Police received a report on Jan. 8 of several alleged thefts from the Montpelier Roxbury Public Schools…

History Corner: Remembering America’s First Scoutmaster

February 18, 2026

by Carla Occaso

Did you know that the first Boy Scout troop in the United States began in Barre? Scout Troop No. 1 was formed in 1909…

Montpelier DPW Replaces 20 Feet of Water Main After Barre Street Leak

February 17, 2026

by Carla Occaso and Cassandra Hemenway

Montpelier’s Department of Public Works ended up replacing a 125-year-old water pipe at the corner of Main and Barre streets earlier this month after…

One Person’s Public Records Requests Cost City Hall Hundreds of Hours

February 17, 2026

by Carla Occaso

The Montpelier City Council addressed a surge in public records requests, Country Club Road funding, and the Barre Street water breaks during its Feb.…

Heard on the Street, Feb. 4, 2026

February 12, 2026

by Carla Occaso, Phil Dodd and Cassandra Hemenway

Average Home Price Up The median sale price of a single-family home in Montpelier in 2025 was $468,000, while the median price of a…

The Art of Antiquing

February 10, 2026

by Carla Occaso

Antiquing in central Vermont has a group of devotees creating community and friendly competition around items from the past. Two local enthusiasts talked to…

Council Goes Back to Basics: Keeps Bike Lane Off East State Street

February 9, 2026

by Carla Occaso

Less is more. That was the apparent conclusion of Montpelier city council members when deciding how to proceed with the East State Street reconstruction…

Large granite building with tower in the middle, dark blue sky behind it.

Council OKs Unchanged City Budget at 7.9% Over FY26

January 27, 2026

by Carla Occaso

Montpelier’s fiscal year 2027 city budget has been finalized for the Town Meeting Day ballot. During its second and final public budget hearing Jan.…

Old newspaper clipping style illustration of two women on the street, one leaning out a window, the other leaning in to whisper.

Heard on the Street, Jan. 21, 2026

January 21, 2026

by Carla Occaso

Tribute to Morgan Brown Homelessness Task Force Co-chair Zack Hughes paid a heartfelt tribute to the late Montpelier resident Morgan Brown during the Dec.…

History Corner: A Brief History of the Montpelier PD

January 21, 2026

by Carla Occaso

The Montpelier Police Department began shortly after 1895, when the village of Montpelier became the city of Montpelier, per a 1981 report written by…

Montpelier Budget Cuts Bring Increase to 7.92% Over Last Year

January 20, 2026

by Carla Occaso

Pending a final public hearing, the city council set Montpelier’s municipal budget at around $20 million, with $13,287,636 to be raised by taxes. This…