Burlington Free Press

Bailey Allen USA TODAY NETWORK - New England July 3, 2026, 5:11 a.m. ET Need to grab some last-minute hot dogs, burgers, or ketchup from the grocery store during your Fourth of July cookout? While no state laws prevent supermarkets from opening as usual on Independence Day, and most stores are open regular hours. But a couple do opt to close early to allow employees to celebrate the holiday.

July 3, 2026, 4:01 a.m. ET With our annual features on the Vermont high school athletes of the year posted, now it's time to give proper credit to other outstanding performances and accomplishments from the 2025-26 year. After a full year of watching games and combing through our Burlington Free Press All-State teams and coaches' all-league and all-state teams, here are a batch of girls standouts — 21 in all — who also caught our attention in the fall, winter and spring months.

Caitlyn Kelleher Updated July 2, 2026, 11:35 p.m. ET 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.

July 2, 2026, 8:32 p.m. ET Kaiden McCarthy, Vermont's Gatorade high school baseball player of the year and among the country's top prospects for the 2026 MLB Draft, is one of three players featured in Season 2 of "The Prospect," a three-episode original docuseries from GameChanger and MLB Network. McCarthy, who hails from Chester and attended Vermont Academy in Saxtons River, is ranked No. 78 overall by MLB Pipeline.

July 2, 2026, 11:16 a.m. ET It’ll be hotter than Miami in Burlington for the rest of the week as a heat wave settles in ahead of Independence Day weekend, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures in the mid-90s were expected to feel like 105 degrees Fahrenheit or more with humidity and little breeze. Highs in the upper 80s were forecast through the weekend.

51% of Vermonters approve of Scott’s handling of his job as governor, while 43% disapprove. While his net approval rating is still positive (+8), it’s the lowest numbers since the poll started asking the question in April 2022. Despite the dropping numbers, Scott still leads his prospective Democratic challengers. In February, a Morning Consult poll found that Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, despite being a Republican governor of a blue state, was the most popular governor in the country.

Communities across Vermont will see millions in federal funding to clean up and revitalize polluted properties, according to a community announcement. Vermont is expected to receive $5.8 million across five projects, plus another $1 million in supplemental funding for two Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund programs. The grants are intended to help towns assess and clean up contaminated sites, making way for new housing, businesses, recreation areas and other community needs.

Chris Moore, a teacher at Bellows Free Academy in St. Albans, has been selected for C-SPAN's annual Teacher Fellowship program. Moore is one of five educators chosen nationwide to collaborate with C-SPAN's Education Relations team, according to a community announcement. The fellowship runs from June 29 to July 24 and will involve creating content for C-SPAN Classroom, a free digital learning platform.

July 2, 2026, 4:01 a.m. ET With our annual features on the Vermont high school athletes of the year posted, now it's time to give proper credit to other outstanding performances and accomplishments from the 2025-26 year. After a full year of watching games and combing through our Burlington Free Press All-State teams and coaches' all-league and all-state teams, here are a batch of boys standouts — 21 in all — who also caught our attention in the fall, winter and spring months.

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.