In The News

Consumer advocates in education and healthcare see internet connectivity as a way to lift up struggling families. PHOTO: ERIC GAY/ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON—Backers of a popular subsidy for Americans’ monthly internet bills are making last-minute appeals to leaders to keep the program funded, with Senate proponents hoping to…

Welch comes to Catamount touting climate change bill Sen. Peter Welch speaks at a press conference on April 25 at Williston's Catamount Community Forest promoting new legislation that would reward communities that help build electrical transmission capacity, necessary for expanding access to renewable energy. Observer…

Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., speaking about the Affordable Connectivity Program, ACP, at the Shaw Library in Washington, Tuesday April 30, 2024. Advocacy groups and policymakers are pushing for Congress to fully fund the ACP, because April 2024 marks the last month of full funding. (AP…

Professional nonprofit theaters could be upstaged by Broadway without assistance from the government, Democratic lawmakers say. Four years after it began, Covid-19 is in the rearview mirror for millions of people and hundreds of businesses across the U.S. — but not for some theaters that…

After a monthslong journey, the bill cleared the Senate by a vote of 79 to 18. The two Vermonters were among only three progressives to oppose it. Peter Welch, left, and Bernie Sanders. File photos by Glenn Russell/VTDigger The U.S. Senate voted by a wide…

Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios Two Capitol Hill Democrats want to give communities incentives to host power transmission — and hope their bill hitches a ride on wider permitting legislation. Why it matters: Grid upgrades are needed to bring renewables to demand centers, but the maze of approvals required often ties up…