Vermont

A timeline of activities of a cultlike group tied to the killing of a Border Patrol agent

Published

10 months ago

February 15, 2025

A timeline of activities of a cultlike group tied to the killing of a Border Patrol agent

Here’s a look at the timeline of events in a series of killings that culminated in a Jan. 20 highways shootout that killed a Border Patrol officer in Vermont. It is based on Associated Press interviews and a review of police reports, court records and online postings:

2016

Jack LaSota, who uses feminine pronouns, a computer programmer and transgender woman living in the San Francisco Bay area, starts writing a blog under the online persona “Ziz” with complex and sometimes rambling theories about technology, gender identity and human cognition. She gets involved in the rationalist movement, a community that seeks to understand human cognition and is concerned with the potential dangers of artificial intelligence.

2018

LaSota attends programs organized by rationalist groups but splits from them after they reject her theory that the two hemispheres of the brain can hold separate values and genders.

November 2019

LaSota and three others — Emma Borhanian, Gwen Danielson and Alexander Leatham — are arrested during what they called a protest against sexual misconduct within rationalist organizations.

August 2022

The U.S. Coast Guard responds to a report that LaSota had fallen out of a boat in San Francisco Bay. No body is found. An obituary is published.

November 2022

Curtis Lind goes to court seeking to evict LaSota, Borhanian, Leatham and others who have been living in vans and box trucks on his property in Vallejo, California, for nonpayment of rent. On Nov. 15, two days before the eviction deadline, Lind is impaled with a sword and partially blinded in an attack during which he shoots and kills Borhanian.

Concluding that Lind acted in self-defense, officials charge Leatham and Suri Dao with murder. LaSota is not charged but police report having contact with her at the scene.

December 2022

Rita and Richard Zajko are shot and killed in their home in Chester Heights, Pennsylvania, on New Year’s Eve. A neighbor’s doorbell camera captures audio and video of a car pulling up to their home, a voice shouting “Mom!” and another voice exclaiming, “Oh my God! Oh, God, God!”

January 2023

Police question the Zajkos’ daughter, Michelle, at her home in Vermont. A few weeks later, officers briefly take her into custody at a Pennsylvania hotel, but release her without charges. LaSota, staying at the same hotel, is arrested and charged with obstructing the homicide investigation and disorderly conduct.

July 2023

Felix Bauckholt, also referred to in court documents as Ophelia, begins renting half a duplex in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

May 2024

Teresa Youngblut’s parents report her missing in Seattle after she sends her mother emails saying she has moved in with a friend and changed her number.

November 2024

Youngblut and Maximilian Snyder apply for a marriage license in Washington state. Also this month, Youngblut begins renting a condo near Bauckholt’s in North Carolina.

January 2025

Youngblut and Bauckholt check into a hotel in Lyndonville, Vermont, on Jan. 14. Investigators put the pair under surveillance after a hotel worker reports concerns about their all-black tactical clothing and the gun Youngblut was carrying.

On Jan. 17, Lind, the landlord in California is killed. Snyder is charged with murder, and prosecutors allege he was trying to prevent Lind from testifying against his earlier attackers.

On Jan. 20, U.S. Border Patrol officers pull Youngblut and Bauckholt over on Interstate 91 in Coventry, Vermont. Agent David Maland and Bauckholt are killed in a shootout. Youngblut, who is wounded, is charged with firearms charges.

February 2025

The FBI searches the Chapel Hill property where a landlord says Youngblut, Bauckholt and LaSota had been living earlier this winter.

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Vermont

VT Lottery Mega Millions, Gimme 5 results for Nov. 28, 2025

Published

5 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Press Room

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.

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 Nov. 28, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Vermont Mega Millions numbers from Nov. 28 drawing

06-07-13-39-48, Mega Ball: 04

Check Vermont Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Gimme 5 numbers from Nov. 28 drawing

06-23-25-29-31

Check Gimme 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life VT numbers from Nov. 28 drawing

19-28-32-41-47, Lucky Ball: 16

Check Lucky For Life VT payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Nov. 28 drawing

Day: 7-9-0

Evening: 8-4-4

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Nov. 28 drawing

Day: 6-1-1-8

Evening: 4-0-8-4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

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

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.

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.

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Vermont

Pride Center of VT says a donor gave it $350K to reopen. What’s next?

Published

23 hours ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

Pride Center of VT says a donor gave it 0K to reopen. What’s next?

The Pride Center of Vermont says it received an anonymous donation of $350,000, enough money for it to eventually reopen.

Back in October, the center, one of the state’s largest LGBTQ+ organizations, announced a sudden pause in operations after 26 years, citing “critical funding shortfalls.”

The organization laid off its employees and paused all programs, save for the SafeSpace Anti-Violence Program, which has continued under the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. At the time, the group’s board said it would need $350,000 to start back up.

Despite meeting that fundraising goal, the Pride Center has not set a date for when it will reopen, turning its focus toward rehabilitating the organization, which operated in “crisis-mode” for years until a recent back-to-back loss of state and federal money made continuing impossible, according to the board.

“Instead of rushing to restore the status quo, we are intentionally taking this moment to design a stronger, healthier and more community-rooted organization,” the board of directors said in an Oct. 25 press release.

Before reopening, the Pride Center also plans to conduct a statewide assessment to ensure it provides services Vermonters need and to avoid duplicating the efforts of other organizations.

The Pride Center intends to rehire staff and hire new employees in phases once it develops a sustainable financial plan and clear operational structure, according to its website. The first group of employees are set to help with the statewide needs survey.

“We know the Pride Center is deeply missed, and we share that urgency,” the board said on the organization’s website. “But our priority is to ensure that when we reopen, it is on solid, sustainable and transparent footing.”

What will the $350,000 be used for?

With the $350,000 donation, the Pride Center says it plans to pay off debt and liabilities, secure new stable funding, create an emergency fund, hire outside help for a financial review and pay for limited operational costs during the rebuilding process. The money is also set to pay for the community needs assessment, the organization says.

The board plans to speak with former organization leaders, staff and partners to determine what did and didn’t work in the past. Board members said they also plan to tighten financial oversight.

The Pride Center is also looking for new board members, specifically candidates with experience in fundraising and development, communications or media and finance and organizational management. For more information, email board@pridecentervt.org.

Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at mstewartyounger@gannett.com.

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Vermont

Vermont Afghan allies react to “re-examination” of status

Published

2 days ago

November 27, 2025

Press Room

Vermont Afghan allies react to “re-examination” of status

BURLINGTON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – After an Afghan national was charged in the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., the Vermont Afghan Alliance is criticizing the Trump administration’s response as “deeply harmful.”

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, posted on X Wednesday night that they would stop processing all immigration requests for Afghan nationals immediately.

The Vermont Afghan Alliance, a group connecting the Afghan community in Vermont with housing, immigration, and language services, said that they feared misinformation while thanking the Afghan community in Vermont for their contributions.

“An act of one individual, on his own, cannot be attributed to an entire community or nationality… These individuals face persecution by the Taliban for their loyalty to the U.S. and fled everything – including family – for safety here.”

The most recent U.S. Census was before many Afghans sought refuge in the United States following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, but according to the Associated Press, 100 refugees out of the first group of 37,000 chose to settle in Vermont.

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