CogniLocal Your Community, More Completely.
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Newport / Derby

Your Community, More Completely.
Tuesday, November 3, 2026 · Permanent link to this edition
Edition archive
November 3 · Election Day and Newport charter vote, polls close 7 p.m.November 4 · NCUHS Paint Your Own Pottery Night, 5:30 p.m.November 5 · Local Author Reading, Haskell Free Library, 6 p.m.November 7 · Wellness in Community open house, 194 Main Street, 1 p.m.
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Today in Newport / Derby

Newport votes today, Tuesday, November 3, on an amended city charter; polls at the Municipal Building, 222 Main Street, are open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voters who still have an early ballot can hand it to the presiding officer at their polling place before the polls close at 7 p.m. today.
North Country Supervisory Union schools, including Newport City, Derby and NCUHS, have a board policy setting rules for student and staff use of AI.
Newport is asking homes that still lack a water meter to schedule an installation, which the city says is free in most instances.
The next NCUHS Paint Your Own Pottery Night is tomorrow, Wednesday, November 4, from 5:30 to 9 p.m., raising money for student ceramics trip scholarships.
The Haskell Free Library in Derby Line hosts a Local Author Reading Thursday, November 5, from 6 to 8 p.m.

NEW: newly reported developments or upcoming opportunities. UPDATE: later substantive information on a covered story. ONGOING: continuing useful information. RESOLVED: the reported issue has ended. BACKGROUND: dated historical context, not a new development or confirmation of current availability. UNCONFIRMED: a story, continuing story or detail that could not be confirmed against its cited source on the edition date; the note under the headline says what is not confirmed. Today and countdown lines carry "(unconfirmed)" for the same reason. All local times are Eastern Daylight Time.

Elections

ONGOING

Newport votes on an amended city charter November 3

Newport voters decide today, Tuesday, November 3, whether to approve an amended city charter dated September 21, 2026. The question is on a separate City of Newport Special Meeting ballot, voted by Australian ballot at the Newport Municipal Building, 222 Main Street, with polls open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The city's August notice called the proposed amendments substantial. The ballot lists 31 charter sections, from the mayor's powers and the City Council to police and fire services, water and sewer systems, a city manager and a harbor commission.

A public informational hearing on the article was scheduled for Monday evening, November 2. The full charter amendment is posted on the city website and available at the City Clerk's office.

ONGOING

How to return an early ballot on Election Day in Newport and Derby

Election Day is today, Tuesday, November 3. Voters who still have an early or absentee ballot can hand it to the presiding officer at their polling place before the polls close at 7 p.m., under Vermont law.

A ballot sent by mail is counted only if it reaches the town clerk's office before the polls close today. The deadline for returning ballots to the town clerk's office or to a town drop box was the close of business Monday, November 2.

City, Roads & Planning

ONGOINGNewport

Newport asks homes without water meters to schedule an installation

The City of Newport is asking residents who have not yet had a water meter installed to contact the city to schedule one. The city says that in most instances the meter and installation are free.

Meters are required by city ordinance, according to the city, which says they are the only way to establish fair billing and will help it track and prevent water leaks. To start, email newportwaterdepartment@gmail.com with an address and contact information, or call (802) 487-9448.

ONGOINGNewport

Newport Planning Commission has one open seat

The Newport City Council is seeking nominations for one open seat on the city's Planning Commission, which the city says is working on a major revision of Newport's zoning bylaws. Residents and business owners may nominate themselves or others.

Interested people can send a letter of interest and a summary of related experience to Zoning Administrator Frank Cheney at zoning.administrator@newportvermont.org. The city says the council is particularly interested in candidates who have not considered this kind of service to the community in the past.

BACKGROUND

Regional planning board approves new Northeast Kingdom plan

The board of NVDA, the regional planning commission serving 55 municipalities in Orleans, Caledonia and Essex counties, approved the organization's regional plan at its annual meeting October 15 at Le Belvedere, the Barton Chronicle reported. The meeting came not long after the third public hearing on the plan.

The Chronicle reported that this year's plan drew extra attention because it was written to meet the requirements of Act 181, the 2024 law that changed Act 250, and that residents raised concerns at the hearings. The Legislature repealed the most disputed parts of Act 181 earlier this year, according to the report.

Arts, Culture & Events

ONGOING

Paint-your-own pottery nights at NCUHS raise money for student ceramics trip

The next Paint Your Own Pottery Night is set for tomorrow, Wednesday, November 4, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at North Country Union High School, 209 Veterans Avenue, Newport. Participants paint a food-safe ceramic mug with help from NCUHS art students, and no experience is needed, according to the event listing on the Discover Newport calendar.

The cost is $30, which covers a mug, materials and student support; additional mugs are $20. The listing says all proceeds help provide scholarships for students to attend the Ghost Ranch Ceramics Trip. Registration is through an online form linked from the listing.

ONGOING

Wellness open house set for November 7 on Newport's Main Street

A Wellness in Community open house is set for Saturday, November 7, from 1 to 4 p.m. at 194 Main Street in downtown Newport, according to the Discover Newport events calendar.

The event listing describes The Nest, a community wellness studio on the third floor of the Montgomery Ward Building, reachable by stairs or elevator. Wellness teachers can use it for classes, and residents and businesses can book it for projects, events and groups through memberships or by the hour.

ONGOINGDerby Line

Haskell Free Library lists November author events and workshops

The Haskell Free Library's fall program lists a Local Author Reading on Thursday, November 5, from 6 to 8 p.m., a Local Author Storytime on Saturday, November 14, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., and a French Writing Workshop on Thursday, November 19, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

Monthly programs continue as well, including Crafty Adults on the first Saturday of the month (November 7) from 1 to 3 p.m. and the Coding Club for Kids on the second Saturday (November 14) from 1 to 2:30 p.m. The library is at 93 Caswell Avenue in Derby Line.

Public Safety & Weather

ONGOINGNewport

Morgan man pleads innocent to assault charges from Newport incident

Ezra Foss, 28, of Morgan has pleaded innocent to felony charges of first-degree aggravated domestic assault and first-degree aggravated domestic assault with a weapon, plus three counts of reckless endangerment, the Barton Chronicle reported. A judge in the Criminal Division of Orleans County Superior Court in Newport ordered him held without bail.

According to a Newport City Police affidavit cited by the Chronicle, a woman called police just before 9 p.m. on October 19 and said Foss was armed and holding her and her child. The affidavit places Foss at Cumberland Farms in Newport at the time. The charges are accusations and have not been proven in court.

AI in Your Community

BACKGROUND

North Country schools have a policy on student and staff use of AI

The North Country Supervisory Union and its member school boards have adopted a policy, G.21 Acceptable Use of Artificial Intelligence, that sets rules for how students and staff use AI tools. According to the policy's adoption table, the Newport City School Board adopted it August 10, 2026, and the Derby, North Country Union High School and North Country Union Junior High boards adopted it August 18.

Only AI tools reviewed and approved through a district review process may be used with students or student data. The policy bars entering student personal information into AI systems not approved for that purpose, and it says AI detection software cannot be the sole basis for a finding of academic misconduct.

Rules vary by grade. Generative AI chatbots are not allowed from prekindergarten through grade 2. In grades 9 to 12, approved generative AI tools may be used for appropriate tasks, teachers decide what is allowed on each assignment, and students must disclose AI use. The superintendent or a designee must report to the board at least once a year on AI use.

Still Developing

The latest confirmed movement, the open question and the next checkpoint.

OPEN

Future of the North Country Union High School and Career Center buildings

The North Country Supervisory Union says North Country Union High School and the North Country Career Center, both approaching 60 years of age, have major building systems nearing or past their expected lifespan, and that PCB contamination found through the state's testing program has added urgency. A building committee of staff, parents, community members and others is studying the buildings' condition and possible long-term solutions. A community survey on the facilities' future was open through October 13.

First covered October 23, 2026.

Source: North Country Supervisory Union: Community input on future of NCUHS, NCCC facilities
OPEN

North Country and Orleans Central begin Act 170 merger talks

Board members from districts in the North Country and Orleans Central supervisory unions met in Newport October 8 to begin merger discussions required under Act 170, the Barton Chronicle reported. The law does not require districts to combine, but it does require good-faith consideration of a merger plan. The state named Heather Boucher, a former interim secretary of education, to facilitate.

First covered October 23, 2026.

Source: Barton Chronicle: North Country and Orleans Central begin merger talks

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