Gov. Scott

Gov. Scott talks about housing shortage, rebukes Senate bill changes

MONTPELIER- Gov. Phil Scott focused on Vermont’s housing shortage in his weekly press conference Tuesday afternoon, and criticized proposed changes to a Senate housing bill.
Gov. Scott said Vermont needs to make the construction of housing easier, faster, and more affordable in order to...

Gov. Phil Scott

Governor calls for civility

MONTPELIER- Gov. Phil Scott used his weekly press conference Tuesday to call for civility following recent outbreaks of hate and violence in Vermont.
The incidents include several instances of racial slurs directed at student athletes. The Vermont Principals’ Association, which governs...

Dr. Robert Ruhl File photo

Ruhl aces examiners appointment

Local named chair of state board that oversees dentistry WILMINGTON - Last week, Gov. Phil Scott released a list of appointments to various state boards. Among them was Dr. Robert Ruhl, who was reappointed to the State Board of Dental Examiners. Actually, Ruhl is the chair of...

Data from the Department of Financial Regulation shows hospitalizations are rising slightly but remain below earlier peaks during the Omicron variant’s spread in January and February. Courtesy Vermont Department of Health

As BA.2 spreads, state urges acting on personal risk levels

Ending mask mandate for public transportation considered “premature” MONTPELIER - At the governor’s weekly press conference on Tuesday, commissioner of health Dr. Mark Levine said the BA.2 variant continues to spread in Vermont and throughout New England, but hospitalizations...

BA2 not causing severe symptoms, pandemic correlates with opioid overdoses

MONTPELIER- Vemont Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said COVID-19 variant BA2 is “driving an uptick” in COVID-19 cases in Vermont at the administration’s press briefing Tuesday.
“We’ve had a 29% increase in our seven-day average of numbers of cases, you can see a very slight uptick,”...

Agency of Education Secretary Dan French at Tuesday's COVID-19 press briefing

State shifting gears in COVID strategies More at-home testing for students, child care

More at-home testing for students, child care
MONTPELIER- The state’s response to COVID-19 is changing rapidly, along with the spread of the Omicron variant, officials said Tuesday.
New strategies include a focus on at-home antigen testing for Vermonters,...

Vermont Department of Financial Regulation Commissioner Michael Pieciak File photo

State official says unvaccinated case rate four times greater than vaxxed

MONTPELIER- Gov. Scott acknowledged a glitch in test reporting that resulted in delayed reporting of some COVID-19 case data last week, and ruled out new pandemic mandates and restrictions at least for now at his weekly press conference Tuesday.
Gov. Scott said it was an IT vendor’s...

Gov. Phil Scott File photo

State plans for booster, child shots

MONTPELIER- At his weekly press conference, held just one day after the federal Food and Drug Administration announced its full approval of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. Phil Scott said pediatric vaccination and booster shots for those who are fully vaccinated are on the horizon.
Gov....

Gov. Phil Scott File Photo

Fauci says youth vaccine coming

MONTPELIER- Gov. Phil Scott and administration officials at Tuesday’s COVID-19 press conference said vaccines are working, and the risk of COVID-19 to fully-vaccinated Vermonters is low.
Gov. Scott also said that Dr. Anthony Fauci told participants at Tuesday’s call with governors and...

Agency of Human Services Secretary Mike Smith

Administration defends emergency housing changes

MONTPELIER- Gov. Phil Scott and members of his administration reported on the latest pandemic developments at their weekly COVID-19 press conference Tuesday, and responded to questions about a class action lawsuit filed by Vermont Legal Aid.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Vermonters...