Some of the best musicians from the Green Mountains’ folk and bluegrass scene are banding together to help feed hungry Vermonters this winter.
Chad Hollister, Kris Gruen, Bow Thayer and the VT Bluegrass Pioneers headline the FEED VT benefit concert on Sunday, December 21, at the Haybarn Theatre at the Creative Campus at Goddard in Plainfield. Billed as “an inspiring evening of music, community and love to help feed Vermont families in need,” the show funnels all proceeds to the nonprofit Capstone Community Action’s Food Shelf in Barre. The organizers ask attendees to bring nonperishable food items. Find the wish list at capstonevt.org, where you can also follow a link for tickets.
Violet Crimes Credit: Courtesy
Burlington punk band Violet Crimes have joined forces with singer Bri Lucas, formerly of the rock band Embers in Umbra, to release the new single “Don’t Own Me.” The hard-charging pop-punk rager is an anthem for the fight to restore and protect women’s reproductive rights.
“Does my body make you nervous?” Lucas sings on the track. “My autonomy so disturbing? Oh well, you don’t own it.”
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The song came about after Lucas reached out to Violet Crimes singer Amy Klinger. Fueled by the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022, they joined forces to write the track with Violet Crimes drummer Jason Dean and recorded it with producer Ryan Cohen at Robot Dog Studio across the lake in Mineville, N.Y.
“I once benefited from medical intervention during a miscarriage,” Lucas wrote in a press release for the single. “I decided to write a punk-rock song about this era of women’s rights and our ongoing struggle for bodily autonomy.”
Lucas wanted to sing with another female vocalist on the track and immediately thought of Klinger and Violet Crimes.
“Working on this song literally and figuratively gives us voice at a time when it’s easy to feel powerless,” Klinger said in the press release. “Plus, having the chance to sing a great, earworm-worthy song with a powerhouse, high energy vocalist like Bri is an absolute privilege.”
All profits from “Don’t Own Me” will be donated to the Center for Reproductive Rights, a global organization. Stream the track at violetcrimesvt.bandcamp.com and watch the making-of video filmed at Robot Dog on YouTube.
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Snow is falling, bells are jingling — you know what time it is. And so do Vermont musicians! The wave of holiday shows and albums has started to roll in.
Kick off the festive month on Thursday, December 4, at Richmond Congregational Church with a performance from bluegrass and jazz act Mr. Sun. The quartet, led by ace fiddler Darol Anger and mandolin virtuoso Joe K. Walsh, performs its interpretation of Duke Ellington’s interpretation of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite. (Mr. Sun also recorded their version in 2023 at Mass MoCA in North Adams, Mass.) Check out valleystageproductions.com for more information and to purchase tickets.
Burlington band EmaLou & the Beat have dropped an entire new holiday album titled Simple Things. Recorded live last year at Burlington’s Tank Recording Studio — on the winter solstice, no less — the record features classics such as “Let It Snow” and “White Christmas,” alongside originals and new arrangements of traditional tunes. The band celebrates the vinyl release of the record with two holiday shows: Friday, December 12, at the Montpelier Performing Arts Hub and Friday, December 19, at the Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge in Burlington. Visit emaloumusic.wordpress.com to learn more.
Bull’s Head, the solo project of folk songwriter Andy Samara, has a new EP out titled Joy to the World. The album features three traditional, public-domain holiday classics; Bob Dylan’s “Must Be Santa”; and Samara’s own original yuletide composition, “Same Light as the Kings.”
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“As a lukewarm fan of Christmas music, and hater of contemporary Christmas originals, it feels fun to release this small collection,” Samara wrote in an email. He compiled the songs after recording them over the years as holiday gifts to friends. Give Joy to the World a listen at bullshead.bandcamp.com.
Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots: What to know in case you win
Here’s what to know in case you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
The Vermont Lottery offers several draw games for those willing to make a bet to win big.
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Those who want to play can enter the MegaBucks and Lucky for Life games as well as the national Powerball and Mega Millions games. Vermont also partners with New Hampshire and Maine for the Tri-State Lottery, which includes the Mega Bucks, Gimme 5 as well as the Pick 3 and Pick 4.
Drawings are held at regular days and times, check the end of this story to see the schedule.
Here’s a look at April 20, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from April 20 drawing
09-17-36-47-64, Powerball: 26, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Gimme 5 numbers from April 20 drawing
16-17-25-33-36
Check Gimme 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 20 drawing
Day: 0-5-8
Evening: 6-1-9
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 20 drawing
Day: 7-8-3-4
Evening: 0-0-4-9
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Megabucks Plus numbers from April 20 drawing
04-11-23-32-41, Megaball: 04
Check Megabucks Plus payouts and previous drawings here.
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Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
For Vermont Lottery prizes up to $499, winners can claim their prize at any authorized Vermont Lottery retailer or at the Vermont Lottery Headquarters by presenting the signed winning ticket for validation. Prizes between $500 and $5,000 can be claimed at any M&T Bank location in Vermont during the Vermont Lottery Office’s business hours, which are 8a.m.-4p.m. Monday through Friday, except state holidays.
For prizes over $5,000, claims must be made in person at the Vermont Lottery headquarters. In addition to signing your ticket, you will need to bring a government-issued photo ID, and a completed claim form.
All prize claims must be submitted within one year of the drawing date. For more information on prize claims or to download a Vermont Lottery Claim Form, visit the Vermont Lottery’s FAQ page or contact their customer service line at (802) 479-5686.
Vermont Lottery Headquarters
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1311 US Route 302, Suite 100
Barre, VT
05641
When are the Vermont Lottery drawings held?
Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Gimme 5: 6:55 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
Pick 3 Day: 1:10 p.m. daily.
Pick 4 Day: 1:10 p.m. daily.
Pick 3 Evening: 6:55 p.m. daily.
Pick 4 Evening: 6:55 p.m. daily.
Megabucks: 7:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily
What is Vermont Lottery Second Chance?
Vermont’s 2nd Chance lottery lets players enter eligible non-winning instant scratch tickets into a drawing to win cash and/or other prizes. Players must register through the state’s official Lottery website or app. The drawings are held quarterly or are part of an additional promotion, and are done at Pollard Banknote Limited in Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Vermont editor. You can send feedback using this form.
ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. (Aging Untold) — For 10 days, the Champlain Valley Fair, a county fair in Vermont, becomes its own little town with thousands of people, hot afternoons and the occasional emergency.
Charlene Phelps, 74, runs the fair’s emergency response team.
“We have a lot of seniors that come and people don’t drink enough water,” Phelps said.
The team handles sprains, bee stings, heat exhaustion and whatever comes through.
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“I like taking care of people, I like helping people,” Phelps said.
Living out a childhood dream
It’s also a childhood dream.
Phelps wanted to be a nurse, but college wasn’t possible, so she found another route into care and has been showing up year after year at the fair.
Aging Untold expert Amy O’Rourke said living out your purpose can improve mental and spiritual well-being.
“When you tap into that, you’re tapping in on a place that’s a risk, that’s a challenge that inevitably creates growth inside you, gives you confidence so that if you’re in another situation you can build on that,” O’Rourke said. “Or, if you’re in an everyday situation where you’re a little anxious, it’ll help create stabilization in that place as well.”
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Saving lives at the fair
Sometimes it’s bigger than a bandage.
“Over on there near the swings way over there is Gustovo, and we saved his life,” Phelps said.
Gustovo had gone into cardiac arrest at the fair a few years ago.
“I mean he was gone,” Phelps said.
Now he’s back and working the rides.
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“Came for my hug, Gustovo,” Phelps said.
O’Rourke said stories like this are also why some people keep working past retirement age. Purpose isn’t a number, it’s a role.
“I’ve seen a 92-year-old still working as a nurse’s aid. I’ve seen people in my neighborhood chilling out and loving it,” O’Rourke said. “So, I think it’s being really self-aware of what you need and making sure that you’re getting those needs met.”
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A plan by Gov. Phil Scott’s administration to make all of the state’s lottery games, including scratch-off tickets, available on a person’s phone never got off the ground at the Statehouse this year.
Lottery Commissioner Wendy Knight told lawmakers in January that the plan was a way to modernize the lottery “because you need to keep pace with technology — you need to meet your players where they are.”
Fifteen states have created a “digital” lottery system, and many have discovered there’s a distinct market of people who don’t buy lottery tickets at retail outlets but will do so on their phones, according to Knight. “We’re trying to ensure the future of the Vermont Lottery, ” the commissioner said.
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But state lawmakers have not been persuaded.
Vergennes Rep. Matt Birong, the Democratic chair of the House government operations committee, said members of the panel felt this year was not the time to move forward with this plan, especially given the recent legalization of sports betting.
“It is digitizing a current system and after moving forward with the sports wagering — people just wanted to take their time with it — so my committee decided to tap the brakes on further testimony.”
The administration estimated that the plan would have raised roughly $5 million a year for the state’s education fund after two years of implementation.
The prospect of that additional revenue is appealing to lawmakers, and Birong said they may reconsider the plan next year.
