For Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a ground-level view from one Vermont high school Read the story on VTDigger here: ‘An edge in the air’: The challenges of discussing race in our classrooms.

“An honest reading of (the town plan) puts a lot of emphasis on ‘keeping Fairlee Fairlee,’ ” the Planning Commission chair said. “That means allowing for sustainable population growth, but not beyond that, and promoting a socially and economically thriving village center.” Read the story on VTDigger here: Fairlee zoning rules would encourage clustering residents, keeping spaces undeveloped.

Many drowning stories came from the Champlain Islands, where people had no other way to get to the mainland during winter than braving the ice. Read the story on VTDigger here: Then Again: In an era of fears, going through the ice ranked high.

The decrease was the first for the program since it was established in 2013. Read the story on VTDigger here: State: Naloxone distribution at community sites declined during pandemic’s first year.

Feedback from Vermonters will be essential to an open process in drafting a reapportionment plan that is fair, legal and responsive to voter input at the local level. Read the story on VTDigger here: Rep. Mike Mrowicki: Vermont is leading the way on democracy.

A St. Johnsbury coffee shop has encouraged, though not mandated, that customers wear masks. The owner said she is grateful that most of her customers understand that, if one of her employees tests positive, she must close. Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont businesses and employees face Omicron with uncertainty.

Vermont utilities should offer a profitable plan to renovate Vermont’s power plants to reduce CO2 emissions and remove CO2 from the sky, and set the right example to the nation, the world and Joe Biden too. Read the story on VTDigger here: Jim Hurt: Can Gov. Scott and the Climate Council please just get along?.

“Anecdotally, we know that if people don’t have a network to support them, they leave within 18 months,” says one racial justice advocate who’s promoting an easy yet empowering retention effort in the nation’s second whitest state. Read the story on VTDigger here: Meet-and-greets encourage new Vermonters of color to stick with the state.

In Vermont, there needs to be a transformation in public higher education. With support from the state, shared governance on the boards, and affordability for our students, we can achieve this transformation. Read the story on VTDigger here: Linda Olson: Public higher education for the public good.

Hospitals were made to care for patients with nurses, doctors and nurses aides, not to become paperwork-driven bastions of highly paid peripheral staff. Between these money swallowers, health insurers, pharmacy middlemen, costs have exploded. Read the story on VTDigger here: Vicki Ward: Corporatization of health care has caused enormous damage.