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Vt. communities still working out how to pay for flood repairs

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Vt. communities still working out how to pay for flood repairs


CALAIS, Vt. (WCAX) – Municipalities across Vermont are working to cover the costs of repairing damage caused by the summer’s flooding. Calais is one of those communities.

There were unforgettable scenes of damage in Calais over the summer when a deluge of water from a broken culvert cut deep caverns in the town’s roads. But thanks to the tireless work of road crews over many months, they were finally able to get the roads in all the problem areas back in tip-top condition.

“The workers, we’re a small crew again, we’re still small, everybody kind of just pitched in and did what it took to get it done,” said John Stafford, a member of the Calais road crew.

We rode with Stafford the day he discovered the massive issues at Bliss Pond Road in Calais, one of about 30 roads that endured significant damage.

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The Calais town administrator says they finished all the repairs last month. The price tag– $1.5 million.

The town is now going through the process with FEMA for reimbursement which they expect about 75% of the cost and more from the state.

They say they don’t expect any direct budgetary impacts, but getting the money could take a while.

“It could take many months to get all that back. So we are preparing for a cash flow crunch. And we’re going to be accessing a line of credit or the state’s municipal loan fund,” Calais Town Administrator Kari Bradley said.

Calais isn’t alone, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns says July’s flooding cost towns around $200 million in FEMA public assistance funds.

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Many other municipalities are also working to get by until reimbursement can happen.

“There are several of our larger communities that were really badly impacted, that are having to reduce their budgets. They’re having to cut services, they’re having to, you know, raise taxes because they don’t know exactly what they’ll be reimbursed for yet of that $200 million,” said Ted Brady of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns.

Back in Calais, the storms keep coming. Road crews continue to work after the recent December flooding and an early mud season of sorts.

“It does lend a sense of urgency to making sure that we have an adequately funded highway department which includes people and equipment,” Bradley said.

The storms have had crews working overtime, but the increasing intensity of storms has crews wondering about the future.

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“It’s gonna keep raining like this,” Stafford said. “They’re gonna start talking about paving roads, which there’s no feasible way anybody can afford it now because our roads don’t have bases or anything that would support asphalt.”

Related Stories:

Dozens of Vermont roads remain closed

Curtis Pond Dam damaged in recent flooding

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See the honorees at Vermont Recovery Day next week

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See the honorees at Vermont Recovery Day next week


Policymakers and advocates will talk about efforts to promote addiction recovery in Montpelier next week, according to a community announcement from the Vermont Association for Mental Health and Addiction Recovery.

The Recovery Day event is set for 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 11 at the Supreme Court auditorium in Montpelier, 111 State St. The event aims to highlight the importance of building recovery systems around individuals rather than isolated sectors, according to the announcement.

Patty McCarthy, CEO of Faces & Voices of Recovery and a nationally recognized recovery leader, will be the keynote speaker. Her experience includes advocating for recovery-oriented systems of care and federal policy changes, as well as efforts to reduce stigma surrounding addiction.

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Several individuals will be recognized for their contributions to recovery efforts in Vermont:

  • Kimberly Blake will receive a lifetime achievement award for her work in harm reduction and compassionate care.
  • Nels Kloster will also receive a lifetime achievement award for his efforts to expand access to treatment and promote coordinated, person-centered care.
  • Sara Byers will receive the Tammy Bushell Recovery-Friendly Workplace Award for fostering recovery-friendly workplace cultures and values.
  • Isaac Dayno will receive the Peter Mallary Legislative Champion Award for his leadership in advancing recovery supports within the state’s correctional system.
  • Katy Leffel will receive the Dr. Mark Depman Trailblazer Award for her leadership in perinatal health, overdose prevention and cross-sector collaboration.
  • Benjamin Lerner will receive the Jack Barry Communications Award for using storytelling and music to reduce stigma and inspire hope.

The event is open to the public and welcomes individuals and families directly affected by substance use and mental health challenges.

American Sign Language interpretation will be provided throughout the event, and organizers encourage inquiries about additional access needs to ensure full participation.

The Vermont Association for Mental Health and Addiction Recovery, in collaboration with Recovery Partners of Vermont, is organizing the event. Registration details and more information are available at https://vamhar.org/rd2026.

Sponsors include the Vermont Department of Health Division of Substance Use, Central Vermont Prevention Coalition & Central Vermont Medical Center and the 802 Scoops Podcast.

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This story was created by reporter Beth McDermott, bmcdermott1@usatodayco.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.



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House lawmaker’s proposed school consolidation map would combine 119 districts into 27

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House lawmaker’s proposed school consolidation map would combine 119 districts into 27


Rep. Peter Conlon, D-Cornwall, said the proposal was “faulty,” and his “first attempt” to create conversation and debate. But it signals a ramped up attempt by lawmakers to garner consensus on efforts to consolidate the state’s 119 school districts.



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Before and after: In New England, the ‘Ugliest House in America’ gets a makeover

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Before and after: In New England, the ‘Ugliest House in America’ gets a makeover


Real Estate

Before its transformation, Retta described the house as a “mishmosh hodgepodge color-block animal sanctuary.”

Before: A Vermont house dubbed “Mishmash Hodgepodge” won season 7 of HGTV’s “Ugliest House in America” and received a $150,000 makeover.
HGTV

“Treat yo self” was Retta’s tagline in “Parks and Recreation.”

And that’s just what a New England couple did when they won a $150,000 home renovation from HGTV after their Vermont home was deemed the “ugliest” in America.

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Hosted by Retta, HGTV’s “Ugliest House in America” sees the comedian travel across the country to “tour properties nominated by their owners as the ugliest home around,” per the show description. In the finale, HGTV designer Alison Victoria surprises the winners with a total home renovation.

On the season 7 finale, which aired Feb. 4, homeowners Brooklyn and Dylan teared up when they saw their remodeled Vershire, Vermont, home. (HGTV did not provide last names.)

“Ugliest House in America” host Retta and interior designer Alison Victoria show Vermont residents Brooklyn and Dylan their remodeled home in the season 7 finale, which aired Feb. 4, 2026. – HGTV

The couple and their three sons were introduced in episode four when Brooklyn explained the house “is our nightmare.”

Retta named the home “Mishmash Hodgepodge.”

The bright orange and blue house— three stories high, built on stilts, and 3,344 square feet, per the show description — may have been deemed the ugliest in America by HGTV, but the view is gorgeous. It sits on 14 green acres, with panoramic views of the White Mountains.

“Is there a significance to the colors?”Retta asked of the bright exterior.

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Before: The living room looking into the dining and kitchen area. – HGTV
After: The living room looking into the dining and kitchen area. – HGTV

“At least you never get lost when you’re driving up to it,” Dylan quipped. The family said they had lived in the home for 10 months when they appeared on the show.

As for the chaotic inside, Dylan said, “We definitely want to make it less circus-like.”

Before: The living room and staircase. – HGTV
After: The living room and staircase. – HGTV

There were green monkeys carved into the cabinets and birds carved into the staircase railing. The primary bedroom and bathroom ceiling was thatched. Parts of the interior were painted in blocks of yellow, orange, and blue.

“I feel like I need to center myself,” Retta said.

She pointed out that the living area had built-in couches made of stone and concrete. “I look at your couches and I think: hemorrhoids,” she joked.

After looking into their mirror-filled bathroom, Retta remarked, “This is sensory overload. This is a fifth-grade project.”

Before: The powder room. – HGTV
After: The powder room. – HGTV

Retta pointed to the thatched ceiling in the primary bedroom: “You’re asking for mice.” Walking into the upstairs bathroom, her eyes popped, as she took in another thatched ceiling. The couple shared that spiders kept them out of the bathtub.

At the end of the episode, Retta dubbed the home a “mishmosh hodgepodge color-block animal sanctuary.” She scored the Vermont house a 6 out of 6 for appearance on the “Ugly Meter.”

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Before: The primary bedroom. – HGTV
Before: The en suite bathroom in the primary bedroom. – HGTV
After: The primary bedroom. – HGTV
After: The en suite bathroom in the primary bedroom. – HGTV

In last night’s finale, we learned that of the 15 houses Retta toured this season, the Vermont house was “uniquely ugly.”

She and Victoria announced to the New Englanders: “You have the ‘Ugliest House in America!’” as confetti rained down.

Victoria pointed out that the land they sit on is “amazing…This could be very picturesque… The view’s ridiculously beautiful,” the designer said. “I want the outside of your home to be as beautiful as the property it sits on.”

Walking inside, Victoria suggested leveling out “wonky weird” floors in the conversation pit area, taking out the bird carving on the stair handrail, taking down the plastic sheeting wall of the primary bedroom, and redoing and thatched “tiki-hut-kind-of-feel” ceiling, among other things.

“I don’t know where to start,” she told the camera. “This is seriously one of the wildest, craziest, ugliest houses that I’ve ever taken on.”

After demolition and remodeling, the couple was brought blindfolded before the house for the big reveal.

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After: A Vermont house dubbed “Mishmash Hodgepodge” won season 7 of HGTV’s “Ugliest House in America” and received a $150,000 makeover. – HGTV

Gone was the orange and blue paint. “It’s like a painting behind your house,” Victoria said of the green woods and hills. “And now your house is part of the painting.”

“This doesn’t even look like the same house,” Brooklyn said touring the interior.

The primary bedroom, totally redone, now boasts sliding glass doors to an outdoor hot tub. They also see a madeover patio area with a new walkway.

“I am blown away,” Dylan said.

“It reminds me of a fairy forest house,” Brooklyn added. “And I love that.”

Lauren Daley is a freelance culture writer. She can be reached at [email protected]. She tweets @laurendaley1, and Instagrams at @laurendaley1. Read more stories on Facebook here.

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Lauren Daley is a longtime culture journalist. As a regular contributor to Boston.com, she interviews A-list musicians, actors, authors and other major artists.





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