Erin Petenko

Montpelier

Data Reporter at VTDigger

Data reporter for @vtdigger. Past: @njdotcom, @dailytargum. She/her.

Articles

Vermont man incarcerated in Newport prison dies - VTDigger

2 weeks ago | vtdigger.org | Erin Petenko

James Ingerson, a 54-year-old man from Hartford, died Saturday while incarcerated at Northern State Correctional Facility in Newport. Ingerson had reported not feeling well and was receiving care for an unspecified medical issue prior to his cellmate discovering him unresponsive Saturday morning, according to a Vermont State Police press release.
Hundreds of Vermont schools and child care facilities do not meet herd immunity threshold for measles

2 weeks ago | vnews.com | Erin Petenko

E-Edition Advertise Newsletters Subscribe Home News Opinion Sports Photos Arts & Life Obituaries Classifieds Calendar Puzzles By ERIN PETENKO VtDiggerPublished: 04-04-2025 11:00 AM The United States is in the midst of a surge in measles cases driven by unvaccinated children. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 483 measles cases so far in 2025.
Federal government slashes staffers at critical heating program for Vermont

3 weeks ago | vtdigger.org | Erin Petenko

Vermont officials are assessing how residents may be affected after the mass firing of federal workers who administer the LIHEAP program, which provides millions of dollars in heating assistance to low-income households in the state. The cuts, reported by national news outlets Wednesday, wonât immediately affect Vermonters receiving the federal assistance, according to the state Agency of Human Services.
Hundreds of Vermont schools and child care facilities do not meet herd immunity threshold for measles

3 weeks ago | vtdigger.org | Erin Petenko

The United States is in the midst of a surge in measles cases driven by unvaccinated children. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 483 measles cases so far in 2025. If the current pace of spread were to continue, it would make this year the worst for measles in the 21st century. About 97% of cases have been in unvaccinated people or people with unknown vaccine status, the CDC reported. Three-quarters of cases have been in people under the age of 20.
Federal government cuts almost $7 million in Covid grants to Vermont

4 weeks ago | vtdigger.org | Erin Petenko

The federal government announced Wednesday that it would cut $11 billion in Covid-19-related grants to local health agencies, including $6.9 million to two departments in the Vermont Agency of Human Services.
A visual history of Covid-19’s path through Vermont

1 month ago | vtdigger.org | Erin Petenko

This is the second story in a two-part series that looks back on the impact of Covid-19 in Vermont after five years. The first story, “New technology, and mistrust, is legacy of Covid-19 for Vermont public health,” can be found here.
New technology, and mistrust, is legacy of Covid-19 for Vermont public health

1 month ago | vtdigger.org | Erin Petenko

Five years ago last week, Vermont health officials announced the first confirmed case of Covid-19 in the state. Since then, 1,200 Vermonters died from Covid, countless residents were infected and hundreds of thousands of Covid jabs were put in the arms of Vermonters. Last month, the health department announced that it would stop publishing Covid death and case data after years of daily and weekly tracking.
Vermonters Who Work From Home Tend To Earn More, Data Shows

1 month ago | mountaintimes.info | Erin Petenko

By Erin Petenko/VTDiggerVermonters who work mostly from home earned 28% more than the average employee in the state in 2023, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau that was recently released. Remote workers reported a median income of about $65,000 per year, well above the $51,000 median for all workers 16 and older, according to the bureau’s American Community Survey, which surveyed people from roughly 14,000 Vermont households in 2023.
Vermont reports case of measles in school-aged child - VTDigger

1 month ago | vtdigger.org | Erin Petenko

The Vermont Department of Health has confirmed a case of measles in a school-aged child in Lamoille County — the first to be discovered in 2025. The unnamed child became sick after travelling internationally with family. The risk to the public is believed to be “low,” but Vermonters who may have been exposed to the child at the Copley Hospital emergency department may need to take action to protect others, according to a Tuesday press release from the department.
Vermont stops publishing Covid-19 death and case data

1 month ago | vnews.com | Erin Petenko

E-Edition Advertise Newsletters Subscribe Home News Opinion Sports Photos Arts & Life Obituaries Classifieds Calendar Puzzles By ERIN PETENKO VtDiggerPublished: 03-04-2025 11:00 AM The Vermont Department of Health has stopped including data on COVID-19 cases and deaths in its weekly surveillance reports. The department posted on its website on Feb.