State regulators have approved wind testing towers in southern Vermont, despite opposition from the host towns. The decision comes during an intensifying debate over renewable energy projects in Vermont.

Officials say the state has made progress in the past year in the effort to expand both broadband and cell service and coverage for both now exceeds 90% of the state. 

Governor Peter Shumlin says he'll support a federal ban on the sale of semi-automatic assault weapons. And he thinks an NRA plan to place armed guards in all schools is a bad idea.

Former State Senator Edgar May - a Pulitzer prize wining journalist who became a liberal voice in Vermont politics - has died. May was 83, and had suffered a stroke about three weeks ago, according to his sister, former Vermont Governor Madeleine May Kunin.

A winter storm that raged through the South and Midwest began dumping snow overnight in New England. By sunrise, 3 to 8 inches had fallen across Vermont - with plenty more on the way.

State police say a 51-year-old Bradford woman has been charged in the Christmas evening shooting death of 43-year-old Dale Rock of Newbury.

Teen pregnancies have been declining for almost two decades now, and the rates in Vermont and New Hampshire are among the lowest in the nation. While that may be good news, it's also one reason a residential program for teen mothers in Lebanon, New Hampshire is closing its doors. That will leave some teens without social services they have come to depend on.

The trees may be bare, but there's still a lot of action at Vermont's apple orchards. This time of year, growers are packing fruit for sale, and putting the rest of the crop in long-term storage to sell through the spring.

A century ago mills were a central feature of working life in the Upper Valley. Generations of families depended on them for their livelihood. Now one example of the area's industrial history is being highlighted in a traveling Smithsonian Museum exhibit.

It's taken more than a decade, but the Superfund clean-up of an abandoned copper mine in South Strafford is almost finished. The EPA has sealed 45 acres of tailings-which are finely ground sulfide ore-that had been leaching into local waterways.

The Northeast has made big gains in cutting carbon pollution. But a regional program to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions is struggling with how to build on that success. Environmentalists want governors keep up the pressure.

Green Mountain Power says service has been restored to all of the customers who lost power in Friday's powerful windstorm.

Around 2,000 Vermont households and businesses have been without power since Friday, and the lights still might not come back on until Monday.

Sometimes a certain photograph or a familiar smell can trigger a rush of memories. Other times it can be a long forgotten song. In the case of John Stone, a recording he made years ago brought back vivid memories that illuminate a part of Vermont's cultural past.

A powerful wind storm that blew through Vermont Friday caused more power outages than Super Storm Sandy.

In Vermont, the effort to boost local food production is a priority that's spelled out explicitly in state law. The Legislature passed the Farm to Plate investment program in 2009. The program aims to create jobs in the farm economy and improve access to healthy, local foods.

Vermont's Veteran's Home in Bennington was already facing problems stemming from deficiencies in its quality of care identified after state inspections last spring.

As travelers rush to catch planes for the holiday season, the municipal airport in Lebanon looks less busy than its competitors in Burlington and Manchester.

Many Vermonters are without power today, as high winds have knocked down trees and power lines. Utilities are reporting nearly 18,000 customers without power.

The final count for Rutland's Gift of Life Marathon Blood drive was 1,954 pints of blood, which means the city fell 14 pints short of the record set by Manchester, New Hampshire.

A candlelight vigil will be held in Vermont's capital of Montpelier to remember the 26 victims of the shootings in Newtown, Conn.

Officials say an early morning fire at a granite shed in Barre was not suspicious although the cause has yet to be determined.

Fire has destroyed a home in Middletown Springs, southwest of Rutland.

Vermont State Rep. Paul Poirier is no longer running for speaker of the House.

A St. Johnsbury man shot by a Vermont State Police trooper in a Danville school bus is now facing a series of charges from the incident.

On Thursday, Vermont Gas Systems filed a petition for a state permit to begin construction of its underground pipeline project, which has already collided with opposition from local residents who don't like the route.

There is some consternation over the Mayan Long calendar, and a cycle within it that by some counts ends this Friday. But because there is such a clamor over just what the calendar does indicate, we decided to ask a Vermonter who has both a particular interest and expertise in the Mayan calendar for some answers.

Vermont has proved fertile ground for food co-ops and farmers' markets. But advocates for a strong local food economy say it's not enough to make nutritious local foods available. They want to get fresh locally grown food to everyone.  

Double digit increases in health care costs are posing a significant budget challenge to many school boards across the state and local school officials are also feeling pressure from Governor Peter Shumlin.

Scientists who've been tracking Lake Champlain's fish populations say that, while lake trout are in ample supply, the surviving adults are exclusively hatchery-raised fish.

A Burlington woman has pleaded no contest to charges that she contributed to her mother's fatal drug overdose this summer.

The Vermont Attorney General's office says it's getting an increasing number of complaints about "free money" and other financial fraud scams.

The United States government says it's not going to seek the death penalty against a man charged with killing a woman as part of a drug deal in southern Vermont.

The FBI has ruled out serial killer Israel Keyes in the disappearance of Vermont teenager Brianna Maitland in 2004.

A tiny insect is damaging Vermont's hemlock trees. The hemlock wooly adelgid eats the trees and subsequently kills them. And there's no known enemy of the insect, until now. Researchers have been releasing a type of beetle that feeds exclusively on adelgids to try to stem their spread.

For folks in Rutland this year's Gift of Life Marathon was a real nail biter. Unofficially Rutland fell just 18 pints short of setting the national record for a one-day drive, collecting 1,951 pints of blood.  Manchester, New Hampshire set the record of 1,968 pints last year. 

Roger Miller, a long-time member of the Vermont Environmental Board, has died at the age of 87.

A Rutland man has been sentenced to more than five years in prison after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography.

The Vermont Health Department is offering free vaccines at clinics around the state to prevent the spread of whooping cough which has reached epidemic numbers in Vermont.

A Burlington man has been sentenced to over four years in prison for being a felon in possession of a handgun.

It's likely that every school district in the country is taking a look inward at safety protocols today following the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary. VPR's Mitch Wertlieb speaks with Education Commissioner Armando Vilaseca about Vermont's school safety procedures.

In Rutland, organizers of the city's newly expanded winter farmer's market say they're thrilled with the community support they've gotten. The larger location has boosted attendance and sales for participating vendors. 

A legislative study committee has recommended that lawmakers oppose taxing computer software that's accessed over the Internet. The committee, which included members of the business community, debated whether a cloud computing tax will hurt innovative companies or cost the state much-needed revenues.

The U.S. Forest Service says a snowmobile trail in Vermont's Green Mountain National Forest has been closed because the trail was damaged by "unauthorized excavation" and "substandard alterations."

Vermont public health and safety officials are going to be talking about a spike in traffic fatalities.