Vermont is in the midst of an alarming referee shortage — a problem unfolding nationwide, but one that has hit hard in a state with a small and aging workforce.

Between 2018 and 2023, the National Federation of State High School Associations reported a loss of almost 60,000 officials nationwide, a trend exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Vermont, officials are spread thin covering games across 23 sports at over 70 high schools in the Vermont Principals’ Association — the state’s governing body for school athletics. Trainees aren’t offsetting the number of retiring veteran officials, and the resulting gap in personnel is forcing games to be postponed or canceled.

“What was just affecting a couple sports out of the wide pool of varsity sports in the state — now it’s virtually every sport,” said Devin Wendel, president of the Vermont State Athletic Directors Association and athletic director at Mount Abraham Union High School.

With a working population that is already strained, the persisting shortage of officials in Vermont carries a serious risk of interrupting high school seasons.

“If we don’t do something, in the next three to five years there won’t be enough of us to cover sporting events in Vermont and that is bad for all involved,” Steve Cicio — president of Vermont’s branch of the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials — wrote in a Nov. 13 email. “We are going to struggle this season with what we have for numbers,” he said.

This year alone, the association lost between 10 and 12 varsity officials, and five to six junior varsity officials, according to Cicio.

Many of those retiring have been in the business for numerous decades, with expertise in multiple sports. Their retirements mean fewer mentors for the next generation filling their shoes.

A 2023 survey of the association’s officials found that around half planned to retire by 2028.

“Not only are we losing a large percentage of our board, but out of that 50%, a large percentage of those folks are capable and qualified to work almost any game in the state,” said Trevour Houle, a varsity basketball official of nearly 10 years. “If I were to guess, it’s going to create a snowball effect where we lose a large amount of officials — those who are left are asked to work more nights a week, those officials are probably going to get burnt out or injured, and they’re going to decide next year whether they want to do that all over again or not.”

Dwindling numbers puts a greater burden on those remaining, who are expected to cover more games across further distances than they had previously.

“You’re seeing officials that are getting overworked, trying to hustle over to get from one location to the next,” said Michael Jabour, senior director of activities at South Burlington High School and Middle School.

Varsity teams typically take priority because their regular seasons determine playoffs and championships, unlike junior varsity teams, said Tim Messier, athletic director at Lamoille Union High School. Teams at Lamoille Union lose a couple games each season because officials aren’t available, he said.

Referees are paid $97.50 for varsity and $75 for junior varsity games, plus the cost of mileage. First-time registration to be an official costs $30 and secures certification for one year. Referees can then officiate as many sports they choose to train for.

The VPA’s officials committee increased the pay by 30% two years ago and the earnings are aligned with all other New England states, said Lauren Young, executive director of activities at the VPA.

“You take your $97.50 and it sounds like, ‘Wow, that’s a great fee for a game.’ Well, it was an hour there. You have to get to the game an hour early. The game takes an hour and a half to two hours. You shower, you’re in the locker room for 20 minutes after the game and then you have your hour ride home,” Houle said. “When you start breaking it down to an hourly rate, it’s not that great.”

Vermont’s handful of remaining referees also face continuing harassment, particularly from spectators, said Young. She suspects that poor sportsmanship is partially to blame for disillusionment about joining the force.

Among those who become certified, most new officials resign within their first three years, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.

“They can never be right. They’re always to blame,” Jabour said. “It’s hard to be an official because you’re constantly being told how terrible you are.”

As the VPA ramps up their recruitment efforts, Young wants to see a more accurate representation of Vermont’s student body with whistles — particularly through more women and people of color becoming certified to officiate.

“We have diverse schools, and I think there’s power in seeing people in a position of authority in the game that are reflective of what they look like to try to dispel some of the older white male dominance over the officiating world,” she said.

Nationally, the shortage could be on the mend. The National Federation of State High School Associations reported an 8% increase in registered officials this year compared to 2018.

But in Vermont, the void left by referees stepping down isn’t being filled. While the VPA is marketing to college students and tapping school administrators to spread the word about the shortage in their communities, Young expects to draw in just two or three newcomers this year.

“Even recruiting 10 officials in the state of Vermont can have a huge impact on a local high school being able to actually keep their schedule intact,” Wendel said.

Busy Anderson is a reporter with the Community News Service, part of the University of Vermont’s Reporting & Documentary Storytelling program.

Justice Department lawyers pushed back on a series of arguments from accused assassin Luigi Mangione’s defense team — countering that his challenges to the potential death penalty have failed repeatedly in front of federal courts for decades.

Mangione can still receive a fair trial with the government seeking the death penalty, federal prosecutors argued in a 144-page “omnibus opposition” filed Friday.

“Publicity — even intense — is not novel in this district,” Sean Buckley, an attorney for the federal government, wrote to the judge. “Courts routinely try high visibility cases here, with robust prophylaxis against spillover prejudice, including written juror questionnaires probing media exposure, individualized and sequestered voir dire, instructions forbidding media consumption, sequestration of witnesses, and targeted admonitions.”

LUIGI MANGIONE PROSECUTORS FIRE BACK ON ‘EAVESDROPPING’ CLAIM

The massive filing served as an opposition to a slew of challenges Mangione’s defense raised in September and October — against the death penalty, against the government’s notice of intent to seek the death penalty and against Mangione’s federal indictment.

Buckley called some of the defense arguments premature, speculative and unsupported by evidence.

Law enforcement has methodically and purposefully trampled his constitutional rights by interrogating him without Miranda warnings in violation of the Fifth Amendment and illegally searching his property without a warrant in violation of the Fourth Amendment.

— Mangione attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo, writing to a judge

“The defense motions have little to no chance of success, and are more to preserve the arguments and raise issues on appeal if Mangione is sentenced to death,” said Neama Rahmani, a Los Angeles trial lawyer and former federal prosecutor.

Mangione is accused in the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was shot in the back on video outside a Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4, 2024, as he walked to an investor conference that was supposed to start later that morning.

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Mangione faces charges in New York state and at the federal level in connection with the murder — in addition to another set of charges in Pennsylvania in connection with the fake ID and illegal handgun police say they found in his possession when they arrested him at a McDonald’s in Altoona.

But only the federal case carries the potential death penalty, and Buckley argued that the Justice Department would be acting within long-standing legal precedent in seeking it if Mangione is convicted.

“What the defendant recasts as a constitutional crisis is merely a repackaging of arguments that controlling precedent has repeatedly rejected, and none warrants dismissal of the indictment or categorical preclusion of a congressionally authorized punishment,” he wrote.

UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO MURDER SUSPECT LUIGI MANGIONE INDICTED IN NEW YORK

Mangione’s defense is fighting on multiple fronts. Earlier this year, his team succeeded in having a New York judge throw out terror charges at the state level.

In the federal case, his lawyers have asked the judge to dismiss charges of murder through use of a firearm and stalking in his federal indictment — and to have the potential death penalty taken off the table. In the New York and federal cases, they are asking the courts to suppress documents seized from his backpack during his arrest as well as statements he made before receiving a Miranda warning.

“Law enforcement has methodically and purposefully trampled his constitutional rights by interrogating him without Miranda warnings in violation of the Fifth Amendment and illegally searching his property without a warrant in violation of the Fourth Amendment,” Mangione attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo wrote to a New York judge Tuesday.

LUIGI MANGIONE ARGUES DOUBLE JEOPARDY IN BID TO DROP MURDER CASE, SUPPRESS EVIDENCE

Buckley countered that the defense argument against those charges is legally flawed, the backpack search would have taken place regardless, and the only pre-Miranda statement prosecutors plan to use against him is when he allegedly lied about his name in response to a question that did not require the Miranda warning.

According to court filings, one of the safety concerns officers on scene had was that there might be a bomb in the bag, which she ruled out after searching it, according to prosecutors.

“Mangione’s arrest was valid and the search of his backpack was lawful as a search incident to arrest or an inventory search,” Rahmani told Fox News Digital. “Prosecutors have the discretion to seek the death penalty and the defense arguments about pretrial publicity tainting the jury pool and double jeopardy because there are parallel state and federal prosecutions have been recycled and rejected by appellate courts for decades.”

Thompson, 50, was a father of two from Minnesota. He was visiting New York City for an investor conference at the time of his murder.

Judge Margaret Garnett has not yet ruled on Mangione’s motions.

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She did, however, grant his request to wear civilian clothing to an upcoming hearing on the matter.

Mangione is due back in state court Monday.

“The remaining arguments are mitigation for jurors or the DOJ’s capital case review committee to consider, not something that a judge can use to strike the death penalty at this stage of the proceedings,” Rahmani said. “Bottom line is, there is no meat on the bone, but this is what defense attorneys in capital cases are expected to do to try to save their client’s life.”

The holiday season is in full swing: The puffer jackets have been broken out of storage, carols and festive pop classics play throughout every store, and the annual struggle of what gifts to get your loved ones (and that one office White Elephant) is back. If you are looking to skip the long lines (and stinky cheese) at more social media-famous markets, but still want some one-of-a-kind holiday shopping from small businesses, here are some smaller holiday markets to visit this winter.

A CLASSIC CHRISTMAS Reading Memorial High School’s Drama Club (and supporting organizations) will host a Dickens Holiday Marketplace and Craft Fair once again this holiday season. The market, which has run for over 20 years, hosts 55 New England-based vendors selling artisan goods, including wooden cutting boards and goods from Magnus Woodsmith, pottery from Nancy Littlehale, and more. There will also be hands-on crafting opportunities, including coloring and cookie decorating. The Saturday marketplace — including an on-site warm beverage sale — is also a fund-raiser for RMHS’s drama department, raising money to support production equipment, scholarships for graduating students, and other needs. RMHS drama club members dressed in Victorian costumes will roam the fair and perform short skits and sing carols. There will also be tap, jazz, and contemporary dance performances by local troupes in the school’s performing arts center.

Dickens Holiday Marketplace and Craft Fair. Reading Memorial High School, 62 Oakland Road, Reading. Dec. 13, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Entry is free. rmhsdrama.org

SUPPORTING WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES Boston Women’s Market hosts its holiday market at Night Shift Brewing in Everett on Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. New England-based, women-owned vendors will be selling gift-able goods, including handmade jewelry from ADK Jewelry, natural skincare products from Beauté Noir, and cat toys and playhouses from Cat in the Box. The market will also be host to a family holiday celebration, including free ornament painting and an ugly sweater contest. There will be giveaways throughout the market of Night Shift Brewing gift cards and merchandise. If you’re hungry, Daddy’s Bonetown Burgers has you covered, and specialty holiday cocktails, yet to be announced, make the perfect holiday treat.

Boston Women’s Holiday Market. Night Shift Brewing, 87 Santilli Highway, Everett. Dec. 13, noon to 5 p.m. Entry is free. bostonwomensmarket.com

CULTURAL COLLECTIVE In celebration of the season, the Cultural Survival Bazaar will hold a Winter Solstice Indigenous Art Holiday Market on Dec. 13 and Dec. 14 at The Boston Center for the Arts Cyclorama. The market will highlight Indigenous art and artists from around the world, including North and South America, Palestine, East Africa, and more. There will be over 50 vendors, such as Chinampa Temachtiani, which sells jewelry, clothing, and axolotl plushies, Hebron Glass, which sells blown glass goods, and Afri-Root Collective, which sells handmade African art from women artists. The market will also feature live musical performances from Lyla June, Yarina, and more. Looking for a new book to cozy up with this winter? Attendees can also participate in a book swap.

Winter Solstice Indigenous Art Holiday Market. Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St. Dec. 13 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Dec. 14 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets are $10. Free for children under 18. bazaar.culturalsurvival.org/boston

SHOPPING SMALL Returning for its fourth year, Small Mart Market is hosting the second of two holiday vintage shopping events in Greater Boston. The holiday market will take place at the Crystal Ballroom with over 50 vendors, including vintage clothing resellers and upcycled fashion designers. Vendors include the market’s organizers, High Energy Vintage, a Somerville-based secondhand clothing and record shop, and Existential Thread, a Rhode Island-based vintage clothing store, as well as others, such as Jessamy Shay, who designs clothing by repurposing garments and fabrics. There will also be artisan goods and artists selling prints, posters, and pottery. The market will also feature a full bar, complete with festive beverages such as a cranberry Moscow Mule and Irish Coffee for purchase.

Small Mart Market Holiday Market, Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville. Dec. 20, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Entry is free. smallmartmarket.com

FRIENDLY SHOPPING (AND COMPETITION) The Charles River Speedway and the Brighton Bazaar are partnering for the Bazaar’s 100th event, The Holiday Stroll, on Dec. 20 and 21. The Speedway hosts over 60 local vendors, featuring a variety of artisan goods, including metal art, kitchenware, and decor from Eli West, handmade pottery from Sugalski Ceramics, and more. At the upper courtyard of the Speedway, there will be a gingerbread house building competition on each day of the market. With a $5 buy-in, which can be purchased ahead of time or on site, the competition will last from noon to 3 p.m. Winners will be announced within the week after the market for prizes such as a $75 gift card to a Speedway vendor of their choice or two tickets to a show at The Roadrunner of the winner’s choice. For a less high-stakes activity, there will be card-making stations where attendees can craft personal holiday greetings for loved ones.

The Holiday Stroll. The Charles River Speedway, 525 Western Ave., Brighton. Dec. 20-21, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Entry is free. charlesriverspeedway.com

SECONDHAND STOCKING STUFFERS The Somerville Flea — usually known for holding court in Davis Square in summer and fall — hosts its annual holiday market on Dec. 21 for last-minute shoppers looking for one-of-a-kind secondhand goods. The extensive shopping event will feature around 40 vendors and their curated collections of vintage goods, such as clothes from Dandelion District, books from Hiding in Books, and home decor from Unpredictable Finds. A DJ will play holiday mixes to set the festive mood while you shop. Snacks and beverages will be available at Arts at the Armory’s ROOTED Café.

The Somerville Flea Holiday Markets. Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Avenue, #1C, Somerville. Dec. 21, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Entry is free. thesomervilleflea.com

Isabella Bernstein can be reached at isabella.bernstein@globe.com.