There were nasty reminders across Vermont this morning that the winter driving season is upon us. State police say a 43-year-old Rutland woman died today after her car spun around on an icy bridge and into oncoming traffic on U.S. Route 7.

Bed and breakfasts have long been known for their homey atmosphere and personalized service, but as consumer demands have changed, Vermont's traditional B&Bs have had to change with them. 

A Woodstock cheese company that was launched late last year is expanding its distribution.

A homeless shelter in Burlington is raising money to help rebuild what it calls its day station. The station was temporarily moved to the parsonage of a Burlington church after its original location was damaged by a summer flood.

Six elderly Massachusetts women are due to go on trial on charges they chained themselves to the gate at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant two days after the state was hammered by the remnants of Tropical Storm Irene.

Some of the state's police officers and firefighters are teaming up to collect toys for patients at the Vermont Children's Hospital in Burlington.

The Springfield police chief says he needs at least two more officers to help patrol the southern Vermont community that has seen a spike in crime in recent years.

Almost every business in Wilmington was damaged in Tropical Storm Irene. But no loss was greater than Ann Coleman's. Her entire art gallery was lifted up by the floodwaters and swept away. Now Coleman hopes to replace her loss with a building that will float -- but stay put -- in the next flood.

Some of Vermont's best known ski Olympians trace their roots back to the same hill: Pico Peak in Mendon. And many are looking back fondly on the mountain and the extraordinary couple who started it this year as Pico celebrates its 75th anniversary.

The developer of what could be Vermont's largest wind project says a proposed moratorium on ridgeline wind could dampen investment in renewable energy.

The groundbreaking is scheduled for next week on a project to consolidate some schools in a Vermont community.

The post office in the town of Plymouth is offering a special stamp cancellation to mark the town's 2012 annual Coolidge holiday open house.

The Southwestern Vermont Medical Center plans to reduce expenses by up to $5 million this fiscal year to make for a decline in projected revenue.

The South Burlington Development Review Board is expected to rule by early January whether to permit a methadone clinic to open about 500 feet from the city's middle school.

A union representing faculty and staff at a Franklin County school district has registered a no-confidence vote in its superintendent.

Police in Norwich say fire caused $100,000 in damage to all three of its police cruisers.

Bradford residents recently learned when they opened their water bills that fluoride was no longer being added to the town's water supply.

In rural places like Morristown, it's easy for shoppers to hop online, or drive to a hub like Williston. It's also not far to venture across the border to New Hampshire to take advantage of chain-store promotions. But Morristown is home to around 75 locally owned businesses. And this year they're banding together to encourage shoppers to stay close to home.

Every year when Thanksgiving rolls around, teachers face a challenge. How do you help students uncover the real story of this holiday in a culturally sensitive way?  

A 30-year-old Arlington woman is free on bail after pleading not guilty to charges stemming from a crash on New York Route 22 in Hebron that killed an 83-year-old man.

It looks like the state of Vermont will not meet its goal of starting construction on a new psychiatric hospital in Berlin before the end of this month.

Vermont's law enforcement community has a new tool for seeking dangerous fugitives in the state.

Vermont State Police say a 74-year-old Bradford man was killed while cutting wood when he was hit by a part of a tree that was already on the ground after a branch was cut off.

Figures announced this week show an uptick in the Vermont unemployment rate, but those who watch the numbers caution it's too early to call it a trend. 

Green Mountain Power has commissioned the last of its 21 wind turbines in Lowell - well in time for the company to meet an end-of-the-year deadline for federal tax credits.

State utility regulators recently gave a boost to a wind energy developer eyeing a project in the Northeast Kingdom. The Public Service Board refused to dismiss the developer's application for a wind testing tower. But the project still faces fierce local opposition. And there are growing calls for a statewide moratorium on ridgeline wind development.

The Vermont Transportation Agency is considering design changes at the airport that serves Bennington to help it meet federal requirements due to take effect in 2015.

Gov. Peter Shumlin is urging Vermonters to help the less fortunate by donating food, money and their volunteer time during the holiday season.

The mayor of Vermont's largest city says there's funding available to help 100 Burlington homes become lead-free over the next two years.

Vermont State Police say six people are due in court in January on charges stemming from fires that destroyed two warming huts in a Belvidere sugarbush.

People across Vermont should be seeing more law enforcement officers on the roads over the holiday weekend checking to make sure motorists are wearing their seatbelts.

Contract negotiations between unionized nurses and caregivers and the Brattleboro Retreat have gotten increasingly testy. The psychiatric hospital and its 500 unionized workers were far apart when talks ended last week.

A group of left-leaning political activists say the Legislature needs to shed light on the operations of "super PACs" well before the next election.

The forums, mandated by the legislature last session, require the Governor to hold public meetings on budget priorities before the budget is written and presented to the legislature.

Three Michigan residents are facing drug charges and a 2-year-old girl is in protective custody after a Vermont police officer smelled marijuana while following the car they were riding in in the city of Winooski.

Ski areas across New England have made big investments in low-energy, high-efficiency snowmaking to ensure the slopes are snow-covered earlier and longer than last season.

A 20-year-old Essex woman is facing charges she tried to smuggle drugs into the Northern State Correctional Facility in Newport.

A legislative study committee is looking at whether the state sales tax should be extended to software that is accessed remotely. It's called cloud computing. And the challenge for lawmakers is to make tax policy catch up with technology.

The plan for building a new state mental health hospital cleared a key hurdle Monday.

A well-known defense attorney from Rutland died on Monday. Fifty-four-year-old Mathew Harnett, who represented some of the most high profile criminal cases in Rutland County, battled cancer.  

Vermont Gas Systems is inching forward with its plan to expand natural gas service to Addison County and points south, with the support of town officials.

Difficult discussions are underway once again between the Burlington School district and the families of immigrant and refugee students.

The vote was 74 in favor of joining the union and 45 against, in elections held this week. The vote was supervised by the National Labor Relations Board.

A Burlington man has been arrested after police say he tried to retrieve a package containing a pound of marijuana that had been delivered to the wrong address.

Vermont's attorney general says the state will receive $1.1 million as part of a national settlement with pharmaceutical manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline.

New campaign finance reports show that Vermont Republican gubernatorial challenger Randy Brock spent more than $806,000 in his unsuccessful attempt to unseat Democratic Governor Peter Shumlin.

An entrepreneur is interested in renovating and expanding a defunct airport in West Dover.

House Speaker Shap Smith says the Legislature needs to examine why state government has invested in expensive information technology systems that have failed to perform as promised.

Vermont hired two consulting firms shortly after Tropical Storm Irene to navigate FEMA's bureaucratic maze. The state is set to pay up to $4 million under a pair of consulting contracts with the disaster management specialists.

Last week's election energized supporters of marijuana legalization, with Colorado and Washington voters legalizing the drug in their states. In Burlington, voters passed a non-binding­ referendum with 70 percent of the vote in favor of legalizing, taxing and regulating cannabis and hemp.

The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife says a teenager is facing deer poaching charges that he and a juvenile shot a 4-point buck at night.

The city of Burlington is getting a $400,000 "Smarter Cities" grant from the philanthropic arm of IBM.

University of Vermont Provost Jane Knodell is resigning at the first of the year.

Vermont State Police say a Hardwick man is dead after the vehicle he was driving went off Route 2 in Danville and hit a tree.

With the election over, the political jostling is heating up at the Vermont Statehouse. On Wednesday, Veteran lawmaker Paul Poirier announced plans to run for House Speaker against Democrat Shap Smith.