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Vile school bullies drove vulnerable Vermont girl, 14, to suicide by making fun of her mother

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Vile school bullies drove vulnerable Vermont girl, 14, to suicide by making fun of her mother


A teenager from Vermont was harassed by school bullies relentlessly to the point where she took her own life. 

Isabelle Vezina-Dykema, 14, from Winooski near Burlington had been attending Mill School, an alternative high school for students with complex needs but was the victim of constant bullying.

The teen was in her first year at the school and was tormented both in person and over text with cruel taunts that made fun both of her appearance and her mother’s.

Heather Miller, her mom, had recently been dealing with complex health problems, including recovering from recent brain surgery that had left her with a shuttered eyelid.

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She recounted how on the day of Isabelle’s suicide, Isabelle came home extremely distressed from school. Heather gave Isabelle some time to work through her feelings, but unbeknownst to her, the abuse had driven her to breaking point.

Isabelle Vezina-Dykema, 14, right, from Winooski near Burlington is seen alongside her mother Heather Miller before taking her own life on September 15

The 14-year-old from Winooski near Burlington had been attending Mill School, an alternative high school for students with complex needs but she was the victim of constant bullying

The 14-year-old from Winooski near Burlington had been attending Mill School, an alternative high school for students with complex needs but she was the victim of constant bullying

‘I thought I was doing the right thing, but in 35 minutes our whole lives changed,’ Heather said through tears to WCAX, describing her as ‘spunky, so outgoing [and someone who] loved to dance. 

‘She was excited about the school year, excited about being a freshman. “I’m finally in high school, I’m not going to let things bother me, I’m going to succeed,”‘ she recalls her daughter saying. 

On September 15th, the day of her death, Heather shared her devastating news with friends and family.

‘My world stopped today. We lost our precious Isabelle Vezina. I am forever changed. I can not and will not ever be the same without my baby girl. None of us will,’ Heather wrote.

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‘Fourteen years with you wasn’t even close to enough. I’ve always thought of myself as strong. Never have I felt so weak. I am consumed with a pain too immense to measure and too deep to heal,’ she added.

Isabelle was known as an outgoing, bubbly energetic girl reads an obituary to the teen.

Heather was in tears as she told of the struggles her daughter faced to a local TV station

Heather was in tears as she told of the struggles her daughter faced to a local TV station

Her mom Heather said Isabelle's bullies made fun of her mother's appearance

Her mom Heather said Isabelle’s bullies made fun of her mother’s appearance 

She enjoyed sports, ice skating, baking and cooking, dancing, and making TikTok videos with family and friends. 

‘Isabelle was a bright spark and destined to be a huge personality,’ the obituary reads. 

Her mother went to state how she takes comfort from the fact her daughter’s organs were able to be transplanted.

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‘She saved 7 lives and gave a child sight. Her brain was received by autism research which is a near and dear cause to us,’ Heather wrote.

In a another posting, a photo of an urn containing Isabelle’s ashes can be seen sitting atop a cabinet in the family’s living room.

‘This isn’t how you were supposed to come home,’ Heather wrote in a heartbreaking post. 

‘I miss you so much baby. I miss everything about you. The pain is unbearable but we are doing everything we can to honor you and help others .’

The teen was in her first year at the school and was bullied both in person and over text

The teen was in her first year at the school and was bullied both in person and over text

Isabelle's ashes now sit in an urn atop a cabinet in the living room of the family home

Isabelle’s ashes now sit in an urn atop a cabinet in the living room of the family home

Meanwhile, The Mill School are investigating the claims of bullying but have not elaborated on the allegations.

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‘We, at the Mill School, have been devastated by the loss of one of our students. We are working with the appropriate agencies and continue to provide counseling support,’ officials said in a statement.

Teen suicides appear to be a growing problem in Vermont with at least one death every year since 2019 in 14 to 14-year-old.  

‘Very much our adolescents not only feel things in extremes, they also feel like now will be forever. They may have this really strong emotion and feel trapped,’ said Matt Wolf, an experienced Community Organizer with the nonprofit Vermont Afterschool to CBS3.

The Mill School are investigating the claims of bullying and have not elaborated on the claims

The Mill School are investigating the claims of bullying and have not elaborated on the claims

Christ Allen  of Vermont Department of Mental Health says at least one third of high school students experience poor mental health. Matt Wolf, right, an experienced Community Organizer, says teens experience very strong emotions

Matt Wolf an experienced Community Organizer, says teens experience very strong emotions

Christ Allen, left,  of Vermont Department of Mental Health says at least one third of high school students experience poor mental health. Matt Wolf, right, an experienced Community Organizer, says teens experience very strong emotions

The Vermont Department of Mental Health says at least one third  of high school students experience poor mental health.

‘That is a cause of alarm for me because that means that close to half of high school students feel like they don’t matter,’ said Chris Allen from VDMH. 

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‘Our bullies are calling for help or crying out for help in the only way they know. I think if we address them in more of a therapeutic way, more of a concerning way instead of a punitive way, we might actually get somewhere to reduce bullying,’ Allen said.

Isabelle’s family are hosting a celebration of life event at Waterworks Park next to the skate park in Burlington on Saturday 28th September from 2-9pm.

For confidential help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.



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Hour-by-hour: When to expect showers & thunderstorms Tuesday in Vermont, New York

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Hour-by-hour: When to expect showers & thunderstorms Tuesday in Vermont, New York


The most widespread storm coverage will occur between 2-8 PM Tuesday, April 14

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Timeline: When to expect showers & thunderstorms Tuesday in Vermont, New York

The most widespread storm coverage will occur between 2-8 PM Tuesday, April 14

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NBC5 meteorologists expect strong to locally severe thunderstorms Tuesday afternoon into the evening for Vermont and northern New York.Watch the video to see when showers, downpours, and storms are most likely near your town.

NBC5 meteorologists expect strong to locally severe thunderstorms Tuesday afternoon into the evening for Vermont and northern New York.

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Watch the video to see when showers, downpours, and storms are most likely near your town.

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weatherWatchLink.setAttribute(‘href’, “https://www.mynbc5.com/alerts”);
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var iconEl = container.querySelector(‘.weather-grid–current-icon’);
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function updateWeatherBackground(iconName) {
try {
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function refreshWeatherIframe(containerId) {
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function initializeWeatherBox(container) {
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}
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if (window.fetch) {
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.then(function(data) {
if (data && data.data) {
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var tempValue = weatherData.current.temp_f || ”;
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var tempEl = container.querySelector(‘.weather-grid–current-temp-value’);
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for (var i = 0; i 0 ? currentIndex – 1 : tabs.length – 1;
tabs[prevIndex].focus();
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case ‘ArrowRight’:
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var nextIndex = currentIndex

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Noah Kahan, Vermont consumers and venues voice support for ticket resale limits

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A movement to limit the resale price of concert and event tickets is growing in Vermont.Last Thursday, renowned Vermont singer Noah Kahan submitted a video to a state Senate committee voicing his support of H.512. The bill passed the House last month. “This bill is a critical step in eliminating predatory resale behaviors and offering promoters a great solution for exchanging and reselling tickets in a safe marketplace,” the Strafford native said to lawmakers.The bill would limit the resale of tickets to 110% of the value they were originally purchased at. Other Vermonter’s testified that day and said they found themselves purchasing tickets online, not from the event’s venue or artist. They said the price was way above the original rate. “Now I was not just mad at myself, but I was mad at this person who did it to me,” Marina Cole of Wheelock told lawmakers. In 2024, the National Association of Ticket Brokers told NBC 5 that they were against price caps, which this bill is currently pursuing.”We have really good businesspeople who are doing the right thing,” Executive Director Gary Adler said at the time. The bill, as passed by the House, would charge the Vermont Attorney General’s Office with enforcing the resale cap. The office would have the authority to conduct audits, issue penalties and revoke a reseller’s license. Resale licenses would be a new requirement under the current bill. “I suspect the enforcement won’t be easy,” executive director of the Champlain Valley Exposition Tim Shea said Monday. “But it’s something we’re looking to follow and advocate for the right ticket buyer.”Shea said the Expo has been approached by consumers who have faced high resale prices and even some cases of ticket fraud through online reselling. He believes the legislation would help avoid those issues and keep revenues for Vermont venues and artists within the state. “When tickets are marked up to the level, they are that money’s going out of Vermont. It’s not staying here. It’s not going to the promoter. It’s not going to the concessioners on the ground,” Shea said. The bill is currently being reviewed by the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs.

A movement to limit the resale price of concert and event tickets is growing in Vermont.

Last Thursday, renowned Vermont singer Noah Kahan submitted a video to a state Senate committee voicing his support of H.512. The bill passed the House last month.

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“This bill is a critical step in eliminating predatory resale behaviors and offering promoters a great solution for exchanging and reselling tickets in a safe marketplace,” the Strafford native said to lawmakers.

The bill would limit the resale of tickets to 110% of the value they were originally purchased at. Other Vermonter’s testified that day and said they found themselves purchasing tickets online, not from the event’s venue or artist. They said the price was way above the original rate.

“Now I was not just mad at myself, but I was mad at this person who did it to me,” Marina Cole of Wheelock told lawmakers.

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In 2024, the National Association of Ticket Brokers told NBC 5 that they were against price caps, which this bill is currently pursuing.

“We have really good businesspeople who are doing the right thing,” Executive Director Gary Adler said at the time.

The bill, as passed by the House, would charge the Vermont Attorney General’s Office with enforcing the resale cap.

The office would have the authority to conduct audits, issue penalties and revoke a reseller’s license. Resale licenses would be a new requirement under the current bill.

“I suspect the enforcement won’t be easy,” executive director of the Champlain Valley Exposition Tim Shea said Monday. “But it’s something we’re looking to follow and advocate for the right ticket buyer.”

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Shea said the Expo has been approached by consumers who have faced high resale prices and even some cases of ticket fraud through online reselling. He believes the legislation would help avoid those issues and keep revenues for Vermont venues and artists within the state.

“When tickets are marked up to the level, they are that money’s going out of Vermont. It’s not staying here. It’s not going to the promoter. It’s not going to the concessioners on the ground,” Shea said.

The bill is currently being reviewed by the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs.



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Meet the 95-year-old Vermont herbarium volunteer who had a fern named for her

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Meet the 95-year-old Vermont herbarium volunteer who had a fern named for her


BURLINGTON, Vt. (InvestigateTV) — For 28 years, Hilda White has shown up at the University of Vermont’s Pringle Herbarium to do a job most people have never heard of: mounting plants.

Now 95 years old, White has carefully preserved more than 50,000 plant specimens — pressing and affixing them to archival paper so they can be studied and referenced for generations to come.

“If I mount the plants, the plants will be around for hundreds of years, barring any unforeseen accidents or anything,” White said.

Birthday gift unlike any other

For her 95th birthday, the herbarium gave her a gift unlike any other: a newly discovered fern, found in Colombia in 2023, was officially named for her.

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The plant — a Christmas fern — was discovered by Wes Testo, now the director of the Pringle Herbarium collection, during a research trip to South America.

“I was walking through the forest there, and I saw this just spectacular fern,” Testo said. “I knew immediately it was something I hadn’t seen before.”

After further research confirmed it was a species new to science, Testo and his colleagues decided to name it for White: Polystichum hildae.

“Oh, I was absolutely blown away,” White said when she learned of the honor.

“You can’t imagine, I cried all afternoon.”

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‘Library for plants’

White’s work at the herbarium is kind of a library for plants.

“I can’t draw, but this is my artistic outlet,” she said.

Testo said White’s contributions have been essential to the research conducted in the collection, which now houses 400,000 plant specimens in a single room.

“Hilda mounted a huge amount of the specimens you see here,” Testo said. “Her contributions are absolutely essential to the research we do here.”

The collection’s survival is not something White or Testo take for granted. In 2017, a fire broke out at Torrey Hall, where the collection was housed at the time. Testo was in South America doing research when he received word.

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“All I could see from an email in Colombia — the roof on fire. I thought my whole Ph.D. was going up in flames along with the whole collection here,” Testo said.

White was on her way into work when the fire broke out. Staff and volunteers, including White, worked to restore and remount the damaged plants. The collection has since been relocated to the Jeffords Building.

No plans to stop

White says she has no plans to stop.

“Oh no! I’ll be here as long as I can,” she said.

And when asked what she planned to give Testo for his birthday in return for the honor of having a plant named after her, White kept it simple.

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“He just got good wishes!”

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