Wafic Faour speaks during a press conference during which activists called for the resignation of five state representatives who recently went on an Israeli-sponsored trip to the Middle-Eastern country at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday, Jan. 6. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
MONTPELIER — A Jewish group that opposes Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has lodged ethics complaints against the five members of the Vermont House who traveled to Israel last September on a trip that was sponsored by the Israeli government.
The Vermont and New Hampshire chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace argued in filings last week that by accepting invitations to go on the trip, the Democratic and Republican legislators ran afoul of state laws limiting what gifts public officials should accept.
The lawmakers are Rep. Sarita Austin, D-Colchester; Rep. Matt Birong, D-Vergennes; Rep. Gina Galfetti, R-Barre Town; Rep. Will Greer, D-Bennington; and Rep. James Gregoire, R-Fairfield. In all, 250 legislators from all 50 states attended the trip, which was described as the largest-ever gathering of U.S. state legislators in Israel.
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byShaun Robinson
According to an Instagram post from Israel’s government at the time, the lawmakers “witnessed the magnitude of the October 7 tragedy, experienced Israel’s innovation and cutting-edge technology, tasted our incredible cuisine, and met with Israel’s leaders — including the Prime Minister, the President, the Foreign Minister, and many others.”
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At a press conference Tuesday in the Statehouse — the first day of the 2026 legislative session — members of Jewish Voice for Peace, and several other advocacy groups, lambasted the lawmakers’ decision to travel to Israel and demanded they resign.
Officials from the Israeli government valued the trip at $6,500 per person, according to records attached to the ethics complaints that Jewish Voice for Peace filed.
“As elected representatives of Vermont, they implicated our state in Israel’s atrocities,” said Ashley Smith, a member of the Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation, one of the groups at the press conference, speaking to a crowd of dozens of people.
Israel’s ground and air campaign against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 70,000 people, according to local health authorities. Israeli strikes have destroyed vast swaths of buildings and other infrastructure in the enclave. At the same time, the United Nations has declared a famine there, saying that more than half a million people face “starvation, destitution and death” as a result of Israel’s war.
An independent U.N. commission determined last year that Israel has committed four “genocidal acts” in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. The Hamas attacks on that day that prompted the campaign killed about 1,200 people and led to 250 being taken hostage.
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Three other current state legislators were also at the press conference standing among the presenters, including Sen. Tanya Vyhovsky, P/D-Chittenden Central; Rep. Kate Logan, P/D-Burlington; and Rep. Esme Cole, D-Hartford. Vyhovsky called the trip “unconscionable.”
Jewish Voice for Peace is asking Vermont’s State Ethics Commission to recommend that the Vermont House’s internal ethics panel “conduct a thorough investigation” of the group’s complaints. The State Ethics Commission has little authority to take substantive action on ethics complaints when those complaints are related to legislators’ conduct, but the body is generally required to refer such complaints when it receives them.
Christina Sivret, the commission’s executive director, said Tuesday she could not discuss publicly what actions were or were not being taken regarding the complaint.
According to Jewish Voice for Peace, most aspects of the legislators’ trip did not fall into one of the categories of gifts that state law allows public officials to accept. Moreover, the group contended in a press release, the trip amounted to a paid lobbying effort by Israel’s government “with the expectation” that the lawmakers “would support legislation in their home states favorable to Israel’s geopolitical and economic interests.” At the least, the group wrote in its complaints, that created the appearance of a quid pro quo.
The legislators did not file lobbying disclosures with the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office, as is required for some gifts, at the time of the trip. But Vermont legislators aren’t required to disclose gifted trips, anyway, Seven Days reported last year.
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The group pointed to how four of the five sponsored a bill last year aimed at creating a new curriculum for Vermont students, and new training for Vermont teachers, focused on “the evolving nature of antisemitism” in the U.S. The legislation, H.310, would also create a new definition of “antisemitic harassment” in Vermont law that includes, among other pieces, “negative references to Jewish customs or the right to self-determination in the Jewish people’s ancestral and indigenous homeland,” which is Israel.
The group also noted how, during a stop in Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar urged the assembled legislators to pass laws in their states that would hinder the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. That’s the international movement aimed at using economic pressure to force Israel’s government to change its policies.
All five of the legislators pushed back against the advocacy groups’ assertions and calls for resignation in written statements and interviews on Tuesday.
Birong chairs the House Government Operations and Military Affairs Committee and is the most powerful Vermont legislator who took the trip.
“In a world increasingly filled with siloed media and narrowed information streams, I wanted to take the opportunity to witness for myself and ask questions,” he said in a statement. “When accepting the invitation, I was under no illusion as to the perspective of our hosts.”
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Gregoire is vice chair of the House Corrections and Institutions Committee and pushed back against the assertion that the trip was a lobbying effort by a foreign government.
“We went during the off session and there was no connection to our legislative work,” Gregoire said in a statement. “No one asked us to do anything beyond standing up against antisemitism and that was during casual conversations.”
Austin said she did not believe she or her colleagues had violated any ethics rules when traveling on the trip. Both Galfetti and Greer said they were eager to move forward with their legislative work for the year, and pointed to how they have been threatened and have feared for their safety since the details of their trip were made public last fall.
Galfetti said in a statement that the complainants and organizers of Tuesday’s press conference “have lied and continued to lie about this trip, pushing an incendiary false narrative designed to spread disinformation in these troubled times.”
In a statement, House Speaker Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, said her office did not have purview over the legislators’ decision to go on the trip and that “our established, independent review process — the House Ethics Panel” — was where any issues from critics of the trip could be reviewed. The panel’s proceedings are highly secretive, with little information typically available to the public about a given complaint or how it gets resolved.
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Meanwhile, Pattie McCoy, the House GOP leader, said in a statement Tuesday that she supported the legislators’ decision to go on the trip.
“We support State Representatives who reach out and travel to engage in, and build, international relations,” the Poultney Republican said. “Through these efforts Vermont has built business partners that continue to increase our economic presence globally, allowing Vermont businesses to grow and thrive.”
THETFORD — Vermont Superior Court Judge Dickson Corbett died unexpectedly last week.
Former colleagues said Corbett was found unresponsive Thursday morning and was taken to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased. Colleagues and friends said he died of natural causes.
Corbett was in his mid-40s. His death cuts short a career characterized by an intelligent, kind and community-oriented approach to the law, his colleagues said.
“His passing is a devastating loss to our communities,” Kiara Senecal, co-executive director of Orange County Restorative Justice, said in an interview. “He was doing what he was doing for the right reasons, and that truly showed up in his work.”
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Efforts to reach Corbett’s family were unsuccessful. His wife, Megan Campbell, is also a lawyer and works in the Vermont Attorney General’s Office. They have two children, ages 16 and 13. After years living in Chelsea, a short walk from the Orange County Courthouse, they moved to Thetford around the time Corbett became a judge.
Corbett’s mild-mannered and soft-spoken demeanor was backed by a deep knowledge and understanding of the law and a commitment to public service, colleagues said.
“He was a dedicated public servant,” Will Porter, the former Orange County state’s attorney who hired Corbett as a deputy in 2013, said in an interview. Corbett “never saw the law as a means to make money,” Porter said.
A native of Pennsylvania, Corbett earned a bachelor’s degree in English at the University of North Carolina, and graduated from Vermont Law School in 2007 with juris doctor and master’s of environmental law degrees.
“I just recall that he was very active,” said Shirley Jefferson, who was then the law school’s associate dean of student affairs and diversity. He was community-oriented, and also took an interest in the school and its well-being, she said.
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He clerked in Orange and Windsor county courts while working out his career plans, and when Porter hired him in 2013, judges had assured him that Corbett was a bright light.
He quickly proved himself to be a strong researcher, an excellent writer, a patient listener with victims and witnesses who also could build good relationships with judges, Porter said.
“He made light-strides the first year he was here,” he said.
Corbett was so capable that Porter assumed he’d quickly move on to bigger things, but instead the young deputy immersed himself in the job and stayed for a decade, taking over for Porter after he retired in 2021.
In addition to his work, Corbett served as the town moderator in Chelsea and served on the town Planning Commission before moving to Thetford.
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Corbett’s approach to the law put politics to the side. He remained an independent, but both major parties recommended his appointments as state’s attorney and as judge.
He was eager to be a judge, mainly because he felt he could help more people in that role.
“He was a true scholar of the law, so it was natural for him to be a judge,” Orange County State’s Attorney Colin Seaman, whom Corbett hired as a deputy, said in an interview.
“He was just the most wonderful,” Michelle Donnelly, Washington County state’s attorney and a close friend of Corbett and his family, said in a phone interview. “He was so smart and had such a capacity to research and study the law, but he was also incredibly kind and compassionate. … He wanted to understand people’s stories.”
Corbett had all the makings of a jurist who would fit well on either the state Supreme Court or the federal bench, Porter said. But at the same time, he was not one to chase a title or acclaim, but wanted to find ways to be of help, Donnelly said.
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“It was about what he could do through the work,” she said.
‘A profound loss’
Official statements about Corbett’s death stress how great a loss this is for the judiciary. He was assigned to hear cases in Windsor County and was overseeing several with a high public profile.
“I am saddened to learn of the passing of Judge Dickson Corbett,” Gov. Phil Scott, who appointed Corbett to serve as Orange County state’s attorney in 2021 and as a superior court judge in 2023, said in a statement. “I always appreciated his dedication to improving the lives of Vermonters through public service. This is an unfortunate loss for Vermont and the Judiciary, and my heart goes out to Dickson’s family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.”
“This is a profound loss for the judiciary and for the many people whose lives were touched by his dedicated public service,” Court Administrator Therese Corsones and Chief Judge Thomas Zonay said in a statement last Thursday.
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A conversation with Corbett helped turn Seaman into a public servant after 20 years in private law practice. In court in Chelsea one day in early 2023, Corbett talked to him about an opening in the Orange County state’s attorney’s office. He took the job and replaced Corbett soon after, when Corbett became a judge.
“All I can say about him,” Seaman said, “he is the one who always strived to do what was right.”
To the Editor: I am writing in support of Molly Gray who is running for Lieutenant Governor of Vermont. Molly has spent her career as a human rights lawyer, fighting for the rights and freedoms of Vermonters. She served as Vermont Lt. Governor (2021-23), Assistant Attorney General, and more recently led the Vermont Afghan Alliance, supporting Afghanis, who risked their lives serving with the US military, in rebuilding their lives here.
We can depend on Molly to be a strong and effective voice for Vermonters. She will protect Vermonters from unlawful and unconstitutional federal action. During a visit to Bennington, she declared, ”I want Vermonters to know that I will continue to use every tool at my disposal to protect the fundamental rights of every Vermonter!”
Born and raised on a vegetable farm in Orange County, Molly knows the many challenges facing working families. She will address the big issues, including lack of affordable healthcare and housing. Molly is a good listener and a great communicator. Her background and skillset is geared for the challenges Vermonters face today.
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Molly has been endorsed by Governors Howard Dean and Madeleine Kunin amidst over 100 Vermont lawmakers who enthusiastically support Molly. She will be a strong advocate for Vermont Proposal 4, an amendment supporting equal treatment under the law, being written into the constitution that will be on the ballot on November 3.
Molly Gray will have my vote in the August 11th primary. I hope she will have your vote too!
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 July 6, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from July 6 drawing
17-44-63-66-67, Powerball: 04, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Gimme 5 numbers from July 6 drawing
04-12-30-34-38
Check Gimme 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from July 6 drawing
Day: 5-7-2
Evening: 5-7-8
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Pick 4 numbers from July 6 drawing
Day: 7-9-1-6
Evening: 9-8-4-1
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Megabucks Plus numbers from July 6 drawing
01-06-24-32-37, Megaball: 04
Check Megabucks Plus payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 6 drawing
02-08-32-54-56, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life 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.
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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
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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.
