Now that Congress is back in session, members are getting down to the business of health care reform.

Vermont is well positioned in both chambers thanks to the key committee assignments held by Rep. Peter Welch (D) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I).

After 16 years in the House, Sanders has worked his way up to a seat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.... Read more

The state troopers suited up in woodland camouflage and smeared black paint on their faces. They were armed with submachine guns, Tasers, night-vision goggles and 12-gauge shotguns loaded with beanbag projectiles.

Their commander briefed them on the mission before deploying them into the woods of rural Corinth, Vt. A local man had made camp in the woods and threatened his family members at gunpoint earlier that day when they confronted him there. Left unchecked, he posed a danger to any hiker or camper who might cross his path.... Read more

A color photo of Aaron Bing Xue hangs above a shrine of personal mementos in his family’s spacious home in Essex. Narrow strips of paper inscribed with Chinese calligraphy frame his young, smiling visage. They read: “His happiness and sadness are over now. But his voice, his look and his smile are in our hearts forever.”... Read more

Hunger isn’t hidden in Vermont’s most affluent county. On the third Friday of every month, it shows itself in a startling spectacle on the sidewalk outside the Imani Youth and Family Center on Burlington’s North Winooski Avenue. In scenes reminiscent of Depression-era bread lines, 100 or more Chittenden County residents await the 3 p.m. food giveaway, at which each receives a cardboard box filled with canned goods, bread, pasta and, occasionally, meat.... Read more

Back in the 1960s, the term “Kelly Girl” was shorthand for any temporary office worker who filled in for an absentee receptionist, secretary, file clerk or other office worker. In more recent years, male and female Kelly temps have become a major part of the global workforce, including those who teach reading, writing and arithmetic in the public schools.... Read more

Dan Giangreco has big plans for resurrecting the old Jonesville Country Store on Route 2, on the eastern edge of Richmond. He wants to convert the long-defunct market, deli and gun shop into an informal community center and local watering hole with an artsy, countercultural spin. The 24-year-old Richmond native intends to specialize in Vermont-made foods and crafts.... Read more

The Vermont Lake Champlain Quadricentennial celebration was 400 years in the making, six years in the planning and, in Burlington alone, cost $1.7 million, featured 102 events, involved more than 1000 artists, musicians, dancers, technicians and volunteers, and was seen by tens of thousands of spectators. Still, when the final chapter is written on Burlington’s Summer of Samuel, it’s almost inevitable that people will focus on just one number: the bottom line.... Read more

More questions surfaced late last week about how the Greater Burlington YMCA handled staff and patrons’ concerns about Democrat Sen. Ed Flanagan, a Chittenden County state senator and candidate for lieutenant governor.

Two weeks ago, a YMCA member filed a formal complaint alleging that Flanagan was seen masturbating in the Men’s Wellness Center, an adults-only area of the facility. Flanagan, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a 2005 car accident, denied the accusation, but later apologized if any of his behavior was construed as offensive.... Read more

Winning the Nobel Peace Prize is a tremendous honor, but with the global distinction come certain responsibilities. One of those was “to teach myself not to say ‘fuck’ in public,” says 1997 laureate Jody Williams, a Brattleboro native and graduate of the University of Vermont. “It was hard, but it made my mom happy.”... Read more

The Adirondack Park — all six million acres of it — suffers from an identity crisis. It was set aside in 1892 as a place beyond the reach of the many axes and saws then clearing New York’s primeval forests. According to Article 14 of the New York Constitution, approximately one-third of it is supposed to be “forever kept as wild forest lands.” But in that same region, people live, businesses operate, and cars and trucks pass through. It’s a delicate balance of conservation and commerce.... Read more