Vermont

Addison County cops dismayed by local prosecutor’s disparaging email

Published

2 years ago

February 1, 2024

Addison County cops dismayed by local prosecutor’s disparaging email

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (WCAX) – The relationship between Addison County’s prosecutor and law enforcement has gone from bad to worse in the course of two weeks. It began with DUI-refusal charges against Eva Vekos last Thursday after police said she got behind the wheel after drinking. Now, a disparaging email chain between Vekos and law enforcement is calling into question the state’s attorney’s relationship with local police.

Addison County Sheriff Michael Elmore has called Eva Vekos’ conduct unprofessional and says bridges have been burned. “To talk to us in that way was shocking to say the least,” he said.

It started as an email by Vekos Tuesday to county law enforcement regarding the policies for filing paperwork with her office. Vermont State Police Lt. Thomas Mozzer then recommended the group discuss this at their chiefs’ meeting. Vekos replied, “Because I no longer feel safe around law enforcement, I will join the next chiefs’ meeting by video.” Citing a grammatical error in the email from Mozzer, Vekos added, “It’s too bad, I would have loved to teach grammar skills to bring police up to the elementary school level at least.”

“Following her arrest last week, it just seems with this email–combined with that–our relationship has definitely tanked, and it needs to be fixed somehow,” Elmore said.

It’s unclear what Vekos meant by her response. She did apologize at the end of the e-mail thread. We called her office to get more information but did not hear back. Her attorney, David Sleigh, also did not respond immediately.

Jared Carter, a professor at Vermont Law and Graduate School, says with a pending criminal case against Vekos, there could be significant implications of her ability to do the job. “They have to live up to a higher standard, maybe not legally but certainly from a moral and ethical perspective than other people in that county. I think it has a dramatic impact on the ability of a state’s attorney to continue to prosecute crimes in that county,” he said.

The DUI case is being prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office and Vekos will remain in her role as prosecutor, but Carter says this adds fuel to ongoing conversations at the Statehouse about how to deal with state’s attorney misconduct. “I can’t imagine it doesn’t impact the appetite in Montpelier to amend the Vermont Constitution to make it easier to remove state’s attorneys in light of what’s happening across the state. I would anticipate we’ll see additional momentum to make changes to prevent this sort of thing in the future,” he said.

Under the Vermont Constitution, an elected official like a state’s attorney or sheriff can only be removed by impeachment or by voters. It’s unclear what the Legislature will do in response to this situation.

Vermont

Check out these Vermont students recognized for their creative talents

Published

3 hours ago

February 9, 2026

Press Room

Check out these Vermont students recognized for their creative talents

Beth McDermott
| Reporter assisted by AI

Nearly 170 students have been honored for their creative talents through the Vermont Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, according to a community announcement from the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center.

Their award-winning work will be showcased at the museum from Feb. 20 to March 6.

The exhibition will include work from categories such as ceramics, digital art, painting, photography, poetry and personal essays, according to the announcement.

The exhibition will culminate in a ceremony at noon March 7. Doors open at 10 a.m. The event is free and open to the public, with cartoonist and illustrator Harry Bliss delivering the keynote address.

The awards are part a national recognition program for students in grades 7-12. This year, 280 students from 43 Vermont schools submitted 707 works, the highest participation level since the museum began administering the program in Vermont, according to the announcement. Of these, 167 students received a total of 279 awards: 59 Gold Keys, 60 Silver Keys and 160 Honorable Mentions.

Dashiell Moyse of Brattleboro Union High School, Lillian Allen of Craftsbury Academy and Marcus Burns of St. Johnsbury Academy won Gold Keys for their portfolios. These portfolios will be considered for the program’s highest honor, the Portfolio Gold Medal, which includes a $12,500 scholarship.

Rhys Grandy, a junior at the Mountain School of Milton Academy, received the highest number of awards in writing, with three Gold Keys, three Silver Keys and four Honorable Mentions for his poems and short stories. Chloe Rosner, a senior at the Putney School, garnered eight awards in art, including a Gold Key and an American Visions nomination for her painting, “Sitting, Thinking.” Myrrh Pitkin, a senior at Champlain Valley Union High School, received four Gold Keys, including one for her novel, “Black Heart of the False God,” and an American Voices nomination for her personal essay, “Picking Apart My Pomegranate Heart.”

The only middle school Gold Key awardee was Tess Wiesmore from the Grammar School in Putney for her poem, “Shades of Pink.”

The schools with the most award winners were Stratton Mountain School with 30, St. Johnsbury Academy with 27 and Burlington Technical Center with 23.

For more information, visit brattleboromuseum.org or call 802-257-0124.

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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Vermont

This Day in History: Vermont women given right to vote

Published

15 hours ago

February 8, 2026

Press Room

This Day in History: Vermont women given right to vote

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – On this day in 1921, the Vermont legislature ratified the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote.

It was ratified six months after the amendment became the law of the land federally, and three months after women in other states voted in their first election. Vermont could have been the state that put the ratification over the top in 1920, but Governor Percival, a staunch opponent of women’s suffrage, refused to call a special session of the legislature.

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Vermont

VT Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life results for Feb. 7, 2026

Published

1 day ago

February 8, 2026

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 Feb. 7, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Feb. 7 drawing

25-36-42-51-58, Powerball: 06, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life VT numbers from Feb. 7 drawing

08-30-31-37-38, Lucky Ball: 05

Check Lucky For Life VT payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Feb. 7 drawing

Day: 0-3-7

Evening: 3-9-9

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Feb. 7 drawing

Day: 6-1-2-0

Evening: 6-7-8-9

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Megabucks Plus numbers from Feb. 7 drawing

09-15-16-20-24, Megaball: 04

Check Megabucks Plus 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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