The Vermont Air National Guard has deployed more than 200 members to the United States’ Kadena Air Force base in Japan for training and support operations in the Indo-Pacific region, according to a press release.

The deployment, which includes the latest F-35 aircrafts and equipment, is expected to last several months and will include exercises in Japan and area islands.

As a result, there will be fewer local flight operations during that time, the release stated.

“With this latest deployment, more than a third of our Airmen are actively contributing to critical missions worldwide,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Daniel Finnegan in the release, which noted that 50 members had deployed last fall.

Almost 18,000 Americans and more than 4,000 Japanese employees and contractors are stationed at the Kadena Air Base, which is known as the Keystone of the Pacific, according to the website.

F-35 aircrafts assigned to Vermont’s 134th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron touched base in Kadena today, according to a press release from the air base in Japan.

“Our squadron eagerly anticipates the chance to elevate our training by testing ACE (Agile Combat Employment) concepts during this deployment,” said Lt. Col. Trevor Callen in that release. 

The operation includes participating in Cope North, the largest multilateral joint exercise of its kind in the region, to “maintain an open and free Indo-Pacific,” Col. David Deptula said in the release.

“Exercise Cope North is a unique opportunity to work closely with our allied partners,” said  U.S. Air Force Col. Michael Blair, 158th Operations Group Commander, in the Vermont release. “The level of interoperability required during this exercise demonstrates our collective ability to respond to emerging threats and ensure regional stability.”

The personal data of students and staff at several dozen Vermont school districts may have been compromised in a nationwide data breach of a student information system, according to state education officials.

PowerSchool, a California-based company that provides a student information system and cloud software used by 39 school districts in Vermont, told its customers on Tuesday that personal data of students, staff and faculty of school districts throughout the country were hacked, according to officials.

The company serves more than 75% of students in North America, according to a report from TechCrunch, and its software is used by roughly 16,000 customers to support more than 50 million students in the United States.

Schools use the software to manage student records, grades, attendance and enrollment.

It is unclear how many school districts in Vermont were affected by the data breach. Lindsey Hedges, a spokesperson for the state Agency of Education, said in an email that not all of the 39 districts that use PowerSchool were affected, but noted that the agency “will continue to work with districts and remain in contact as the full impact of the incident unfolds.”

Champlain Valley School District was among the affected districts. Adam Bunting, the district’s superintendent, said in a letter to families that “the Agency of Education is actively working with PowerSchool to determine the next steps.”

“We understand that the situation is concerning and will keep you informed as we learn more,” Bunting wrote in the letter.

In a phone interview, Bunting said PowerSchool informed the district that the breached personal information of faculty and staff mainly included things like contact information.

“The information, as far as we understand, does not include things like Social Security numbers,” he said. “The initial information we have is that it’s more about contact information.”

Student information, Bunting said, may include names, address, emails and birthdates.

A spokesperson for PowerSchool, Beth Keebler, said in an emailed statement that the company “is committed to protecting the security and integrity of our applications.”

“We take our responsibility to protect student data privacy and act responsibly as data processors extremely seriously,” the statement reads. “Our priority is to support our customers through this incident and to continue our unrelenting focus on data security.”

TechCrunch reported that hackers successfully breached the company’s school information system, and the company was made aware of the breach on or around December 28.

“As soon as we learned of the incident, we immediately engaged our cybersecurity response protocols and mobilized a cross-functional response team, including senior leadership and third-party cybersecurity experts,” the company’s statement said.

The company said it does not anticipate the data being shared or made public.

Zoie Saunders, Vermont’s secretary of education, said in correspondence to superintendents of the affected districts that the impact of the breach may vary from district to district.

“We understand that this news may be concerning, but please be assured that the agency takes incidents involving student information very seriously and is committed to ensuring that all necessary measures are in place to safeguard it,” she wrote.

Grace Potter is staying safe amid the fires in California.

In an Instagram Reel shared on Wednesday, Jan. 8, the “Mother Road” singer spoke about evacuating the Los Angeles fires after recently being in New Orleans during the terror attack on Jan. 1 and losing her Vermont home amid the flooding in July 2024.

“We are safely evacuated from Topanga Canyon but many are still in harms way,” Potter, 41, wrote. “Just now we discovered that the place we evacuated to is also under evacuation orders. They just announced the schools are shut.”

Potter said that she had just arrived in L.A. after a cross-country trip after being in New Orleans “amid the terror attack.” She also mentioned that last summer her Fayston, Vt. farm was “devastated by the floods.”

“Life is wildly unpredictable and it’s important [to] keep your heart strong and your mind clear. If you see smoke, don’t wait for cell signal,” Potter continued.

“Trust your gut. Pack the necessities & GET OUT. I’m feeling deep gratitude for family, friends, the firefighters and for community. We are lucky. Stay safe out there folks.”

Her Jan. 8 video showed her driving away from the smoke. “Am I a storm chaser, or do I just like being places where really bad things happen? Or is this just happening everywhere? I don’t know,” she said in the clip, adding that she would pick up her son Sagan, 7 this week, from school and found a hotel to stay at.

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On Jan. 1, Potter was in New Orleans celebrating the New Year when a truck intentionally drove through the crowd on Bourbon Street leaving at least 14 people dead and dozens injured.

“We were standing at the corner of the intersection where only hours later a car came crashing through in a terrifying & violent act,” Potter’s joint Instagram post with husband Eric Valentine read.

“Then this morning, as we were in our room packing our bags to leave, a bomb was detonated less than a block away from our hotel in the quarter.”

Valentine added: “I am grateful my family is safe. I am grateful for the brave people who put their lives on the line to do their best to keep us safe. Our hearts go out to those who were injured and to the families and friends of those who were lost.”

In July, the singer posted pictures and videos of the damage from the floods with water overflowing rivers and roadways. Following the flooding, Potter said that the annual Grand Point North Festival would also serve as a benefit for those affected by the Vt. floods.

“Vermont, my heart is with you. I’ll be home soon, and we will rebuild as we always do,” she wrote.

Potter also shared a picture of a map of the blaze on her Instagram Stories on Jan. 8, pointing out where her home was. “Emotionally preparing to lose our home,” she wrote. “All i can do now is hope for a miracle & send love to the Canyon that brought me back into the daylight.”

The L.A. fires began on Tuesday, Jan. 7. Thousands of structures have been affected by the disastrous blaze.

Click here to learn more about how to help the victims of the L.A. fires.