With two weeks until Election Day, voters are being urged to use drop boxes or deliver ballots in person to avoid possible mail delays.

About 70,000 ballots have been returned so far, according to Vermont election officials. Compare that to 110,000 at this same point in 2024 and 92,000 in 2022, the last midterm election.

Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas suspects some may be holding onto their ballots because they may be unsure of who they are voting for and need more time. “We’ve heard a lot of people saying, ‘I want to be deliberative, wait until the last debate happens. I want to consider all of the candidates,’” she said.

Surrounding towns can’t send their sludge to Rutland for a while.

That sounds like it ought to be a metaphor, but the city’s wastewater treatment plant has suspended treatment of trucked-in sludge from other communities due to an equipment failure expected to take weeks to repair. Public Works Commissioner Robert Protivansky said treatment of the city’s own sewage should be unaffected.

Assistant City Engineer Ted Gillen said the plant operates with two belt filler presses — giant rollers — that process the sludge. One has broken down and needs to be replaced. The problem, Protivansky said, is the $19,000 part is not something they can just go buy — they need to have one made.

As the war in Iran sends home heating costs skyward, Republican Gov. Phil Scott and Democratic lawmakers are negotiating an emergency aid package for the 15,000 Vermonters who rely on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

At Southeastern Vermont Community Action, executive director Josh Davis said the impact of $6-a-gallon heating oil is already coming into focus.

“As the temperatures drop, people are having to turn on their heating systems and are reaching out for support,” Davis said. “And we’re seeing prices that are just incredible when you’re comparing it to what people paid last year.”