Education, healthcare and land use reform dominate Legislative breakfast

VERGENNES — Healthcare reform, new land-use protocols and an ongoing revamp of Vermont’s public education system were among the dominant topics at this year’s first legislative breakfast, held Monday at the St. Peter’s Catholic Parish Hall in Vergennes. Around 30 attendees listened to, and questioned, a handful of Addison County lawmakers who braved frigid conditions to get to the forum, sponsored by the Addison County Farm Bureau and Bridport Grange. Among the speakers was Rep. Rob North, R-Ferrisburgh, a … (read more)

100+ Women Who Care, Addison County distributed $17,800 to local nonprofits at its first-quarter 2026 meeting, with Early Care and Learning Partnership receiving the largest share of funds.

Lawmakers have a big question awaiting them — how to move forward with the process of transforming Vermont’s education system. There local superintendents weigh in.

Schools, infrastructure, Trump and more made headlines in 2025. Take a look at our recap of the 12 months ending, then dive into 2026!

The new year dawned on Jan. 1 for the rest of us, but for one little girl the whole shebang kicked off on Jan. 2, when Porter Medical Center welcomed its first baby of 2025. Raigan Sanborn arrived at 9:42 p.m. to parents Brittanie Loso Sanborn and Donald … (read more)

On Feb. 1, the Middlebury College Class of 2024.5 (popularly called “Febs”) headed to the Snow Bowl for their iconic graduation ceremony — going up the chairlift in their academic regalia and skiing down with their diplomas. The next day, hundreds convene … (read more)

March means town meeting, and Addison County residents dutifully went to the polls and their annual meetings to elect local leaders and pass a variety of municipal and public education budgets. It was indeed a departure from March of 2024, when only two s … (read more)

April brought sad news for the town of Ripton: Its elementary school, decimated by declining enrollment, would be closing at the end of the academic year. The Addison Central School District board voted unanimously to take that step, while directing Super … (read more)

At the beginning of May it looked like Bridport’s and Shoreham’s elementary schools would both remain open for the next school year, serving their own local children with multi-age classrooms. The ACSD was trying to figure out if some Shoreham kids would … (read more)

Readers of the Addison Independent Summer Guide in June got some ideas about what would make a good “staycation” in the Green Mountain State and read about how outdoor musical performances could be paired with picnics to make a fun seasonal activity. Folk … (read more)

As the dog days of summer unfolded in Addison County, a group of community members had their sights set on the upcoming school year and the fate of the Ripton Elementary School building. The school had shuttered its doors to K-5 instruction the prior mont … (read more)

August in Addison County started out on a dry note, and local residents continued to battle drought throughout the month. Jon Lucas of Lucas Dairy in Orwell reported hauling 5,000 gallons of water each day for his cows, noting the dry conditions were affe … (read more)

September opened with the community talking about the recently concluded 11th annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival, which featured films from across the state and the world. The five-day extravaganza broke its attendance record this year, selling 5,5 … (read more)

Trump’s battle on immigrants came to Addison County in October when Panton’s Juan De La Cruz, a native of Mexico who has lived in the United States for two decades — reported to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in St. Albans in Oc … (read more)

The Middlebury College community kicked off the month of November by officially welcoming President Ian B. Baucom to his post. Baucom’s installation ceremony culminated a weekend of events that gathered the college community together and considered the qu … (read more)