Vermont
Some Vt. business owners hit by flooding blame landlords for slowing reopening

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – It’s been five months since devastating flooding hit Vermont. While many Montpelier businesses managed to reopen, others are still struggling. And some are blaming the owners of their buildings.
When the July flooding hit, no one knew what to expect. Some people lost their homes while others lost their businesses.
Many downtown Montpelier businesses managed to reopen pretty quickly while others are still facing challenges.
“This process has been grueling, humbling, frustrating,” said Jenny Sebold, the owner of Rebel Heart and Pink Shutter.
Sebold has been working relentlessly to get her store back and running like it used to, but her plan isn’t going the way she thought it would.
“You know just going through the flood to begin with and like seeing your dream that you created and invested your whole heart and hands and sweat and dollars and to wash away… is really intense,” Sebold said.
Not only is she going through a hard time but so is Bobbie Roehm of Roam on Langdon Street. They both happen to be tenants of Vermont Rental Solutions.
“It’s been really daunting to say the least,” Roehm said.
Roehm says it’s been a difficult process to try to bring her store to life again.
“Five months later still not being open is really difficult and it’s been stressful, you know a lot of tears, a lot of frustration, it’s been really hard,” Roehm said.
She’s been frustrated with her landlord, telling us fixes weren’t done fast enough. And she’s still been paying rent. She’s in talks with the landlord to try to reach a deal.
“I just felt like I was already losing so much money because we weren’t able to be open that to pay rent on top of it felt like it was just adding insult to injury,” Roehm said.
I reached out to Vermont Rental Solutions for an on-camera interview, but they declined. However, they emailed a statement saying materials and labor shortages held up the repairs, and that moving electrical, heating, replacing the floors, etc., can add a lot of additional work to the project. They also say when a 400-square-foot space opens up and people wonder why a 4,000-square-foot space is not open yet shortly after, it’s evident they are unaware of what this kind of rebuild entails.
On the other hand, Sarah DeFelice owns Bailey Road. She got her store up and running two months after the flood and is taking advantage of the shoppers looking for deals during the festive season.
DeFelice says the good relationship with her landlord is a reason why she was able to open quickly.
“I feel like some stores in town… it’s almost like butting heads with the landlord. And this was definitely how can we help each other, we’re in this together,” DeFelice said.
Her landlord, Tim Heney of Heney Realtors, says getting help from the outside was beneficial.
“A good group of contractors we work with found others that were willing to help. We’re still working on it, you know, five-and-a-half months later and we still have four to six crews a day working, so it’s an ongoing effort,” Heney said.
“A lease is a contract,” said Jared Carter of the Vermont Law and Graduate School.
Carter says it is difficult for tenants to do anything beyond what’s provided in the written lease.
“That means it can be very hard, unfortunately, for tenants who are dealing with the impacts of the flood to force their landlords to you know, get things repaired by a certain time or to withhold rent if things aren’t repaired by a certain time unless that’s in the lease provision,” Carter said.
As for Roehm, she says she hopes to have her store open again in March after all of the hassle.
While Sebold considered moving, she says she wants to stay because of the people in the city.
“I know so much more about my community,” she said. “I know when babies are born, I know when spouses die, I know when people get married, get engaged or promoted.”
Sebold is optimistic she will reopen in February.
Copyright 2023 WCAX. All rights reserved.

Vermont
VT Lottery Mega Millions, Gimme 5 results for May 23, 2025
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 May 23, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Vermont Mega Millions numbers from May 23 drawing
07-18-40-55-68, Mega Ball: 18
Check Vermont Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Gimme 5 numbers from May 23 drawing
04-08-12-19-27
Check Gimme 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life VT numbers from May 23 drawing
04-11-15-19-38, Lucky Ball: 04
Check Lucky For Life VT payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 23 drawing
Day: 4-1-7
Evening: 5-8-4
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 23 drawing
Day: 4-1-1-5
Evening: 7-2-0-5
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.
Vermont
Vermont’s state parks are offering free entry for income-eligible residents in 2025 – VTDigger

More than 100,000 income-eligible residents are going to have free access to Vermont’s state parks this year, thanks to a first-in-the-nation pilot program.
The Park Access Fund Pilot Program will give people who receive benefits through the state’s Economic Services Division or the Women, Infants and Children program free entrance to any of Vermont’s 55 state parks during the season, which runs from May through October.
To participate in the program, residents can show their EBT or WIC cards at the park entrance. Those who are eligible but do not have an EBT card can visit their local Economic Services Division District Office to request a card that can be used for state park entrance in 2025, according to the Park Access Fund website.
Once inside, all guests have the option to participate in free park-led activities, such as bird walks, concerts and evening campfires. The state parks events and programs page contains information on upcoming programming.
READ MORE
The initiative originated from an idea to bring park accessibility to Vermonters experiencing food insecurity, according to Sarah Alberghini Winters, the executive director of Vermont Parks Forever, which runs the program.
This new program is an extension of the Parks Access Fund, which grants free park passes to 55 nonprofit community partners to help their clients get outside, according to Winters.
Winters said she hopes this year’s expansion of the program is well-utilized. Depending on its success and donors’ willingness to support future efforts, the pilot program could continue in 2026 and beyond, she said.
“It really takes a village,” Winters said. “We’re so thankful to have support from local and national foundations.”
Vermonters not eligible for this pilot program can also receive assistance accessing state parks through library passes and the Green Mountain Passport.
Financial barriers are not the only thing preventing some Vermonters from getting outside, Winters said, but this program is a starting point. She said her hope is that Vermont will set an example for other states to consider expanding programs for outdoor accessibility.
“We’ll continue to learn about how we can help with other barriers that exist,” she said.
Vermont
Gov. Phil Scott signs Vermont lawmakers’ 2026 state budget proposal into law – VTDigger

MONTPELIER — Vermont Gov. Phil Scott signed lawmakers’ state budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year into law Wednesday. The plan lays out $9.01 billion in state spending for the yearlong period starting July 1 — and includes a handful of new measures designed to limit the impacts of potential cuts to the state’s federal funding.
Scott, a Republican, was notably complimentary of the House and Senate’s budget bill in a letter to legislators that accompanied his signature. Democratic leadership in both chambers, knowing they almost certainly could not override a budget veto this year, trimmed tens of millions of dollars in proposed “base” spending — money expected to be appropriated year-over-year — from the legislation after Scott insisted on cuts.
The governor had proposed an $8.99 billion state budget in January.
“I appreciate that this budget makes important affordability investments,” Scott wrote, pointing to lawmakers’ use of about $75 million from the state’s general fund that’s expected to help reduce the property tax bills people pay to support education.
Scott also complimented how lawmakers set aside about $13 million in the budget to offset a slate of proposed tax credits that would benefit low-income families, workers and veterans, as well as retirees and people receiving military pensions.
The credits are included in a separate bill, S.51, over which House and Senate leaders still need to work out their differences in a joint conference committee.
While the state budget is typically lawmakers’ last act before adjournment every year, this year, there are still several major bills working their way through the Statehouse that deal with some of the headline issues from last fall’s election.
In his letter, the governor urged legislators to pass a version of this year’s landmark education reform bill, H.454. The bill is being debated on the Senate floor Thursday as school district leaders — and a number of senators themselves — have panned the language that several of the chamber’s committees drafted in recent weeks.
Senators were weighing to what extent they should revise their version of the bill to be more in line with what passed out of the House last month. That version appeared to have more support among the members of the Senate’s Democratic majority.
Scott has threatened to use his power to summon lawmakers back to the Statehouse if they adjourn for the year without reaching agreement on an education bill.
“While not perfect, (the budget bill) makes critical investments in affordability, housing, education and public safety,” the governor wrote Wednesday. “But we must focus on the policy bills that fix what’s broken so the funding can have its intended impact.”
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