VTDigger

Why do only 2 health insurers sell plans on Vermont’s exchange? It’s an issue of size. Health insurance is a game of large numbers, and Vermont just doesn’t have them. Read more at vtdigger.org and follow healthcare coverage with our weekly healthcare newsletter.

Hunting antlerless deer has some seasoned hunters wary. buff.ly/Y1l7nqW

From White River Valley Herald: Other fish hatcheries across the state are already operating at capacity, officials say. buff.ly/4vyHQxN

BREAKING: The FAA notice on Friday afternoon said the ground stop was being imposed “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.” buff.ly/N95ipCT

“We just don’t have enough beds for folks to sleep in inside,” said Tom Morgan, the project operations director for the state’s emergency GetWarmNowVT initiative. buff.ly/bG0WPfP

A family is suing the state in federal court, arguing that Vermont’s 2025 education reform law is unconstitutional because it excludes religious schools from receiving public tuition dollars. buff.ly/sCj4XJ6

While federal policy has left some businesses on shaky ground, officials and business owners agree that outdoor recreation could increase its role in the state’s economy. buff.ly/yRYY4b4

Chronic wasting disease, which stems from defective proteins called prions, has never been spotted in Vermont, and with northern New York’s deer season in full swing, officials want to keep it that way. buff.ly/9Jwi2X7

“The names on this memorial remind us that freedom is not free,” said the chaplain of Rutland’s Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter. buff.ly/duZ5kT9

A Dorset man is facing a charge of involuntary manslaughter for allegedly losing control of his vehicle in his friend’s driveway, striking and killing him. buff.ly/FHdaVxE

Vermont is set to receive nearly $190 million in 2027 from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the second year of the federal rural healthcare transformation program. buff.ly/LD6OQqf

“Insurance is a game of large numbers, and we don’t have those numbers,” said the commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation, pointing to the state’s lack of scale. buff.ly/yNHPUl7

“At this moment, I am choosing Burlington, and up to this point, Burlington is choosing me. I couldn’t be more grateful for that opportunity,” Chief Anthony Geraci said. buff.ly/g2dMKvY

While the January 2026 point-in-time count found a modest decrease in the number of people experiencing homelessness overall, it registered a jump in the number of unhoused children and an increase in people without shelter. buff.ly/Cur98jk

DEW Properties plans to build roughly 108 housing units in its initial phase. Residents won’t move in for several years. buff.ly/TcYwdHA

“The risk presented to most Vermonters by the current situation is low,” the Vermont Health Department said, but it is asking providers to be on alert. buff.ly/ZBFAgNU

Bernie Sanders wants the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to “be very aggressive about moving toward ‘Medicare for All,’” he said Thursday. buff.ly/juMjMkl

Vermont winters, the latest Vermont Climate Assessment says, are seeing inconsistent freeze-thaw cycles, decreased snowpack and more precipitation in the form of rain. buff.ly/3x76jl9

VTDigger is currently accepting applications from early-career journalists for the Jim Welch Internship Program. Learn more and apply at buff.ly/HWBtOIJ.

PHOTOS: Protesters aimed to “call attention to the human cost of this system.” buff.ly/Q3Fuq1V