The Bridge

Spaulding, Waszazak Win House Seats as Barre City Voter Turnout Hits 54%

BARRE — Barre City voters chose Democrats Sonya Spaulding and Teddy Waszazak to represent them in the Vermont House on Tuesday, with 1,722 and 1,529 votes, respectively. Republican Michael Boutin narrowly missed a seat by roughly 200 votes. About 54% of Barre City’s 5,704 registered voters cast ballots, including absentee ballots. Fifteen candidates were elected as justices of the peace…

From the Editor’s Desk: A National Crisis Hits Home

by Cassandra Hemenway

If you live in central Vermont, you don’t need to see the data to understand that our state has seen…

Galfetti, Soucy win House Seats as Barre Town Favors Republicans in Statewide Races

by Tracy Brannstrom

Barre Town voters chose two Republican incumbents to represent them in the Vermont House on Tuesday: Gina Galfetti and David…

Montpelier Voters Back Janoo 3 to 1 as Scott Wins Sixth Term

by Carla Occaso

Montpelier overwhelmingly favored Democratic Amanda Janoo as state governor by a vote…

Reductions and Barriers to Motel Program May Leave Central Vermonters Out in the Cold

by Heather Koontz

In recent years, private hotels and motels have provided the largest source…

News

Vermont’s 2025 Per Capita Homelessness Rate Third Highest In The Nation, Feds Say

by Phil Dodd

Every January, community organizations around the country conduct a “point-in-time” survey of the number of unhoused people in the region. The most recent data…

Profile: Skyler Litchfield

by Cassandra Hemenway

Skyler Litchfield studied golf course management because he thought it was a sure thing. The 39-year-old Waterbury native graduated from Harwood Union High School…

A Safe Place to Take Up Space

by Rachel Pierce

From a 24-hour hotline to a transitional home in Plainfield, Elevate Youth Services builds a web of support around young people in Washington County…

Profile: April McMahon

by Cassandra Hemenway

If you shop at Shaw’s supermarket in Montpelier, you may be familiar with April McMahon, 56. McMahon and her partner are regulars in the…

Homelessness is Rising in Washington County and is Concentrated in Barre-Montpelier

by Phil Dodd

In June 2025, Washington County had the third highest per capita rate of homelessness in Vermont, behind Windham and Bennington counties, according to a…

Arts

Then and Now, Nov. 4, 2026

by Paul Carnahan

During the summer of 1983, six Montpelier High School students under the direction of art teacher Barbara Austin painted an “architectonic” mural on a…

Poetry: Two Totes

by Julie Bond

They say I can only have two totes to store my things at the shelter. How can two totes carry all that I am?…

“You Can See Everything” is a Key Cultural Event but a Mediocre Film

by Joseph Moser

If any prognosticator had claimed in January that one of the biggest draws at the cinema this year would be a three-hour documentary, I’d…

Writing Your Story

by Cynthia Ross

MONTPELIER — Maggie Thompson, long-time facilitator and mentor of memoir and creative writing, has cultivated the deep engagement of adults in her many years…

A Montpelier Physician Makes the Case for More Imagination in Health Care

by Tracy Brannstrom

MONTPELIER — What if health care, workplaces, and other systems were designed with the people who use them in mind? That question is at…

Schools

Montpelier Roxbury Students Outperform State Average, Data Show

by Jenni Belotserkovsky

MONTPELIER — Montpelier Roxbury students performed above the state average in English language arts, science, and math, according to data the school board reviewed…

Separate Ballot Asks Voters to Decide $54.9 Million Career Center Bond

by By Lisa Scagliotti | Waterbury Roundabout

CENTRAL VERMONT — For the second year in a row, voters in 18 Washington County communities are being asked to consider supporting a bond…

Janoo Fields Questions from High Schoolers at Candidate Forum, Students Raise Concerns on Affordability

by Hojun Choi

MONTPELIER — Most high school students from central Vermont may not yet have a vote, but many had a chance to have their voices…

Twinfield and CVCC Join Act 170 Merger Group 20

by Phil Dodd

MONTPELIER — A legislatively mandated effort to consider the possible merger of local school districts kicked off Oct. 8 at the Montpelier High School…

Living

A Halloween Tradition Keeps Barre Woman’s Memory Alive, One Pumpkin at a Time

by Gina Tron

BARRE — What began as an idea shared during a Sunday afternoon outing has grown into a community tradition honoring Kay Santamore, who spent decades giving back to Barre. Santamore wanted to…

‘I Just Don’t Feel Like Myself Anymore’: Four Myths About Menopause

by Andy Dorwart Crane, CNM

Midlife women’s health is having a moment. Type “menopause” into any social media platform and you’ll find a flood of stories, advice, and products. With World Menopause Day arriving Oct. 18, let’s…

Blanket Share Returns to Montpelier

by Press Releases

MONTPELIER — Last year, the Montpelier community came together in a big way. Residents donated new and gently used blankets, and Laundry on Elm made sure those blankets were cleaned and ready…

Preparing Annual Beds for Winter and Beyond

by Deborah J. Benoit

Garden beds devoted to annual plants — whether flowers or vegetables — have a permanent place on our fall to-do lists. A few additional tasks this fall can make all the difference,…