Vermont
Trump Administration looks to sell off 4 federal properties in Vermont – VTDigger
Four federal facilities in Vermont could be on the chopping block as the Trump administration seeks to sell off what it has deemed “non-core” government properties in an effort to cut costs.
The U.S. General Services Administration on Tuesday published a list of 320 federal facilities considered “not core to government operations” that the agency said it would look to shutter or sell, including the Winston Prouty Federal Building in Essex Junction, the U.S. Post Office and Customs building in St. Albans and the Social Security Administration offices on School St. in Montpelier.
A “shed” in Derby Line that was listed as used by the federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service was also included in the inventory.
By Wednesday afternoon, the list had been removed entirely from the agency’s website and replaced with a web page that said the list was now “coming soon.” The quick change raised further questions about whether the Trump administration would follow through on its plan to “dispose of” all the properties listed, as described on the web page.
“To be clear, just because an asset is on the list doesn’t mean it’s immediately for sale,” Paul Hughes, a spokesperson for the General Services Administration, said in a written statement to VTDigger.
During the disposal process, the General Services Administration, which manages real estate belonging to the federal government, can transfer or sell a property to any number of entities, including private companies and organs of state or local government.
Assuming the agency does move forward with its plans, it’s unclear what would happen to operations at the Vermont properties, some of which provide essential services to Vermonters and residents of neighboring states.
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Formerly a post office facility, the St. Albans property now houses the state’s only U.S. passport center, as well as offices for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the State Department, according to city manager Dominic Cloud.
“The building has been a prominent fixture of downtown for a generation,” he said. “People from all over the Northeast come to get their passports here.”
Cloud emphasized that he hoped the decision to sell the facility wouldn’t necessarily spell the end of the passport center, as the offices could be moved elsewhere. But he also questioned the building’s designation as a “non-core” facility.
“Over the 15 years that I’ve been here the building has been nearly constantly invested in and improved,” Cloud said. “It’s not a white elephant by any measure.”
“We’re monitoring the situation to see where it goes from here,” he said.
In Montpelier, Mayor Jack McCullough said that although he was aware that the city’s Social Security office had appeared on the General Services Administration list, the city had received “no communication” from the federal government about possible plans for the building.
The General Services Administration is currently in the process of trying to sell off the Federal Building in Montpelier, which housed the city’s post office and other federal offices until it sustained significant flooding damage in July 2023 and shuttered its doors.
But McCullough said that, as far as he knew, the Social Security offices were still operating and serving Vermonters.
“It’s a real concern to me because I think people in the community have been relying on that office as a way of communicating with the Social Security Administration,” McCullough said.
Assuming the building does get sold off, McCullough said, he hoped that the Social Security Administration would find another way to provide services to community members and that the facility would eventually fill a different need for Montpelier.
“One can imagine productive uses for the building,” McCullough said. “But I don’t really know what’s happening with it at this point.”
According to Hughes, the General Services Administration expects to republish the list “in the near future” and had received “an overwhelming amount of interest” in various properties on the list — though he did not specify whether any of the Vermont properties had garnered interest.
“To be clear, just because an asset is on the list doesn’t mean it’s immediately for sale. However, we will consider compelling offers (in accordance with applicable laws and regulations) and do what’s best for the needs of the federal government and taxpayer,” Hughes said.
VERMONT (WRGB) — Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark will host a free criminal record clearing clinic on Thursday, January 15, 2025 in Brattleboro, the first to be held in the state since new expungement laws changed in July.
Sealing a record allows an individual to wipe from their criminal record specific convictions and dismissed charges after a certain period of time has passed, including records relating to contact with the criminal justice system, like arrest or citation, arraignment, plea or conviction, and sentencing. Under Vermont’s updated law, most misdemeanors, various non-violent felony offenses, and all dismissed charges can be sealed. The free clinic will focus on sealing criminal charges and convictions from Windham County, and will be open to the public by appointment only.
“For many years, my office has assisted Vermonters with clearing old criminal records that are holding them back from securing stable housing, getting better jobs, and participating fully in their communities,” said Attorney General Clark. “These clinics are a way for us to help Vermonters who have paid their debt to society and stayed out of trouble get a fresh start and strengthen the community as a whole. I want to thank Windham County State’s Attorney Steve Brown, Interaction, and the Brooks Memorial Library for their assistance in hosting this clinic.”
Attorneys from the Attorney General’s Office will offer free assistance with petitions for Vermont-specific “qualifying” criminal convictions and dismissed charges. Appointments will be available from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Vermonters must schedule appointments in advance by calling the Attorney General’s Office at 802-828-3171 or emailing AGO.Info@vermont.gov by Tuesday, January 6, 2026. Eligible participants will be given an in-person appointment at the Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro, Vermont, on the day of the clinic.
More information on sealing and expungements generally is available at Vermont Legal Aid’s website at www.vtlawhelp.org/expungement.
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A 21-year-old is dead after a pickup truck slammed head-on into her vehicle on Interstate 89 Wednesday evening in Bolton, Vermont, and the other driver involved has been cited.
State police say they responded around 5:22 p.m. to reports of a wrong-way driver in the area of mile marker 71. As troopers were responding, a multi-vehicle crash on the interstate was reported to dispatchers.
A preliminary investigation shows 45-year-old Timothy Wooster was driving a Toyota Tundra in the northbound lane when he crossed the median into the southbound lane, where he continued traveling the wrong way until he collided head-on with a Kia Sportage that was being driven by 21-year-old Hailey Westcot, police said.
A third vehicle, a Cascadia Freightliner, was traveling southbound when the head-on collision happened ahead, causing the vehicle to strike Westcot’s car and then rollover.
Westcot, of Northfield, Vt., was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Wooster, of Jericho, Vt., was taken to University of Vermont Medical Center to be treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The third driver who was involved, 50-year-old Douglas Bailey, of Londonderry, New Hampshire, was evaluated on scene and did not report any injuries, police added.
Officials haven’t said what led Wooster to allegedly drive in the wrong direction on the highway. Wooster was cited on a charge of grossly negligent operation with death resulting. Further charges will be determined as the investigation continues, according to police.
Any witnesses are asked to contact Trooper Shawn Morrow at 802-878-7111. Anonymous tips can be submitted online here. The investigation remains ongoing.
It’s unclear if Wooster has obtained legal representation at this time. He’s due in Chittenden County Superior Court on Jan. 29, 2026.
The University of Vermont men’s rugby team romped the University of Chicago last weekend, 71-5, to win its first-ever national championship. It’s the second time, notably, that a UVM sports team has won a national-level title in the past year.
Rugby is not a varsity sport at UVM — such as soccer or basketball — which means the school’s men’s and women’s teams play outside of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA. The men’s team plays in National Collegiate Rugby’s Division II, which has more than 100 teams in different regional conferences across the country.
The team’s win Sunday capped an undefeated season that also saw it dispatch rivals in earlier rounds of the Division II tournament by double-digit margins.
“It really hasn’t even set in yet, still. Every time I see a picture or something, I’m like, holy — I can’t believe it,” said Jack Worobel, a senior mechanical engineering major at UVM who plays in the No. 4, or “lock,” position. “It’s awesome.”
In UVM’s rugby league, 15 players are on the field for each team at a time. Players advance the ball by running or kicking it but aren’t allowed to pass the ball forward. Points come primarily through “tries,” which are worth five points each and scored by bringing the ball into the opponent’s in-goal area and touching it to the ground.
Worobel credited UVM’s win to strong bonds that he said he and his teammates have built up over the past four years. A number of the players, including himself, have been on the team every year since they were first-year students, he said.
UVM has had a men’s rugby team since 1970, according to a school press release.
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The University of Vermont men’s rugby team handily defeated the University of Chicago 71–5 to win its first ever national championship. Photo courtesy of National Collegiate Rugby
“We all do anything for each other. Anyone would do a favor for anyone else on this team — I think that’s where the win comes (from),” Worobel said Wednesday. “It’s not from the skill or the talents. Really, it’s what’s off the field.”
The rugby team’s win comes about a year after UVM’s men’s soccer team — which competes at the highest level of collegiate athletics — won the NCAA Division I championship last December. UVM has also won six NCAA championships in skiing, with the most recent coming in 2012.
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