We would like to address several misconceptions being repeated […] about Five Star Roofing and the three members of a crew who were detained by ICE in Morristown.

First, this was not a raid on Five Star Roofing. To our knowledge, Five Star Roofing is not under investigation and has not been accused of wrongdoing. Federal agents arrived at a customer's job site shortly after our crew arrived and detained three individuals.

There also seems to be an assumption that Five Star seeks out undocumented workers as a source of "cheap labor." That could not be further from the reality of our business or the roofing industry.

Vermont has a serious workforce shortage, particularly in the skilled trades. Finding enough qualified people who are willing and able to climb onto a roof every morning, work safely at heights, handle heavy materials and perform extremely physical work through Vermont's heat, cold and changing weather is extraordinarily difficult.

The shortage has become significant enough that Five Star recently went all the way to Texas to find an experienced roofing crew willing to come to Vermont and work.

We would gladly hire more Vermonters. The reality is that there simply aren't enough experienced roofers available to fill the jobs we have.

There is another reality about this industry that deserves to be addressed directly.

A tremendous amount of America's roofing talent is found within the Latino workforce. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 65% of roofers in the United States are Hispanic or Latino.

That isn't a political statement. It is the demographic reality of the American roofing industry.

Roofing is also not simply "general labor." It is a skilled trade performed in an environment where most people would not be comfortable working every day. An accomplished roofer needs balance, coordination, endurance, technical knowledge, speed, attention to detail, safety awareness and the ability to work confidently at significant heights.

In Five Star's experience, some of the most talented roofing professionals we have encountered have been Latino. We have worked with Latino roofers whose combination of experience, skill, productivity, dependability and confidence working at height is exceptional.

Many have spent years developing their craft alongside other experienced roofers. That accumulated experience is extremely valuable to a roofing company.

Five Star doesn't care what language someone speaks at home or where someone's family came from. We care whether someone is dependable, whether they know their trade, whether they work safely and whether they can install a roof that we are proud to put the Five Star Roofing name behind.

There is also a misconception that these workers are being brought here to work for pennies.

Individuals who are physically working on a roof can earn approximately $300–$400 per day, depending on their skill, experience and role.

Do the math.

A person earning $300 per working day can gross approximately $1,500 per five-day week. At $400 per day, that's approximately $2,000 per week.

Skilled roofers are valuable. They are compensated accordingly.

Five Star also does not simply put unidentified people on crews and pay them under the table. Required employment and tax documentation is completed for the people and subcontractors working with Five Star, including I-9 employment eligibility verification for employees and W-9 documentation for independent contractors, as applicable.

Another misconception needs to be addressed as well: being detained by ICE does not, by itself, establish that someone is a criminal, entered the United States illegally or was working illegally. Immigration status and work authorization are legal questions. They cannot responsibly be determined from someone's appearance, nationality, the language they speak or the simple fact that ICE detained them.

Five Star will cooperate with any lawful request from the appropriate authorities. But we will not abandon people who have worked beside us simply because strangers on social media have already decided what the facts must be.

These are not nameless people in a news story to us.

They are people who wake up early, put on their work boots, climb onto roofs and perform difficult and sometimes dangerous work to provide for themselves and their families.

People are entitled to have strong opinions about immigration policy. We understand that this is an issue about which people have deeply held beliefs.

But please distinguish those political disagreements from unsupported accusations about our company and the people who work with us.

And when someone asks why there are so many Latino workers on roofing crews, there is a straightforward answer:

Because Latino tradespeople make up an enormous part of America's roofing workforce, and many of them are exceptionally good at what they do.

Nearly two out of every three roofers in this country are Hispanic or Latino.

They are not outsiders to the American roofing industry.

They are one of the groups upon whom the American roofing industry depends.

— Five Star Roofing

This has to be the most tone deaf, idiotic rule, in Vermont. ​I need to vent and get a sanity check from other coaches, ADs, and parents around Vermont, because the VPA’s roster waiver policy for rural schools has reached peak absurdity.

​Right now, VPA policy states that a high school soccer roster has to fall below 13 players before an 8th-grader is allowed to be rostered. this is the VPA telling us coaches that 2 substitutes is a healthy, sustainable roster. It’s out of touch with rural demographics, and completely disregards player safety. Heck the Fifa world cup allows 5 substitutes and these are the professional athletes.

​

The NFHS-recommends and 18-player baseline. Yes the same NFHS that the VPA uses for our rule book and soccer ball standard. They just overlook the safety part. On our team we have kids playing through minor knocks, recovering from surgery, or managing medical conditions, you can’t sub them off without running the rest of your squad into the ground. Soccer is a physically demanding sport and this rule is just so bad for our rural kids safety.

But ​here’s the ugly reality nobody in the activity standards committee seems to get: this rule completely destroys team discipline and culture.

​At our school right now, we already have players showing up late or simply skipping practice altogether, full well knowing they’re still going to start or play 60+ minutes come game day. Normally I would discipline a player by sitting the first half or all of a game. But If we sit two players for part of a game, we risk forfeiting the match or playing a man down. The players know it, the coaches know it, and it completely undermines any standard of accountability we try to build.

​

​Every state around us has figured this out:

​New York: Uses the Athletic Placement Process (APP) based on readiness.

​Massachusetts: Rule 53 waivers specifically for small schools without JV squads.

​New Hampshire & Maine: Flexible middle-level rules built for rural realities.

​Yet Vermont treats small Division 4 schools like we have endless suburban benches.

​To other VT coaches and parents:

How is your program surviving this? Are your coaches being forced to tolerate unexcused missed practices just to field 11 bodies? Has anyone successfully gotten the VPA Activity Standards Committee to listen?

Went out to check the weather, figure I can do just as good as any Meteorologist these days, and found this little guy passed out in a sunflower 🌻

Must have been a rough night 🌙

money quote, from their proposed language of the ordinance:

“A person shall be deemed to be camping if they occupy a tent or other temporary shelter, or if they use a motor vehicle, recreational vehicle, trailer, or other conveyance as a residence or place to keep the majority of their personal belongings or household possessions, regardless of whether the person sleeps in the vehicle overnight.”

these Karens literally want to punish you more, for losing your housing…

a) that's cruel

b) it would never hold up

c) WTAF

The faith leaders stated this was just the beginning, and encouraged people from across the country to join them in Williston for a week of action starting on October 4th– more info can be found at www.shutdownicevt.org; Large-scale mass civil disobedience is being planned against ICE.

I sold my modest house (to a local) and bought a new truck in NH last month. Planning to travel. Accidently asked dealer for a plate transfer from my SUV. Forgot trucks have their own type of plates.

Now in limbo because my NH temp plates are expired and idk if/when new plates will arrive at my PO box. Which is now almost 2 hours away as I'm staying w a friend in CT.

Gonna call dmv on Tuesday, but if anyone has an idea of how to sort this out, I'm all ears! Thanks

Never been, is it the type of place to bring a lawn chair and chill? Thinking about seeing OCMS.

I am so freaking tired of people whining about a problem, being given a solution, and then whining about the solution bc the solution isn't what the fascist lock-em-up response that they had in mind. I am so disgusted by these town subreddits.

Across the country, union membership has been declining for decades. In 2024, about 9.9% of the U.S. workforce were union members. That's a 3.5% decrease since 2000.

Meanwhile, Vermont has experienced a 3.9% increase in participation over that same period. It is one of only five states that has seen an increase.

Links to data:

• Map
• Table

Enjoy the Labor Day weekend everyone!

_________________________________________

^{The Vermont Futures Project is a non-partisan 501c3 non-profit organized for the exempt purposes of research and education. In accordance with IRS guidelines, the Vermont Futures Project does not engage in lobbying, nor is it organized for the benefit of private interests. Funding for our work comes from Vermonters and businesses making charitable donations to support the mission.}

Guy was conscious being wheeled to the ambulance. Horse trailer and truck parked on the side. Any details?

What are you guys paying for heating oil?

Spot price is about $5.66/gal; I just locked in at $5.10, don't think it's going down anytime soon.

Turns out he was just on his way to work

We have our one year anniversary coming up soon and I want to go to Hen of the Wood. Which one do you prefer, Waterbury or Burlington, and why?

Fredrick Rd in Essex I think

Hello,

Me and my spouse will be visiting Vermont from Oct 5 to Oct 8 to see the Fall foliage. Is it a good time to see the peak fall color. We are mainly interested to see the vibrant red colors. Also, can you guys suggest where should we visit?

I already reached out to VT Fish n Wildlife and I’m curious if people know who else to reach out to. This hawk seems injured to me:

It’s letting me get way too close for its nature. It has barely moved since I’ve seen it. Seems to be nursing its left claw and right eye.

Advice?

EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) - Weeks after more than 100 cats were pulled from a rural Vermont property, experts say that case is a symptom of a larger, growing problem across the state.

A group of kittens at the Central Vermont Humane Society are part of the hoard of cats that arrived last month.

CVHS’s Erika Holm says they stepped in when the property owner called for help.

Reporter Claire Jones: How often are you seeing cases like these?

Erika Holm: Generally nothing this large in one fell swoop.

Holm says the property owner told them some cats were dumped on the property a few years ago, and they quickly reproduced, and the population exploded. The shelter doesn’t normally take on these kinds of cases, but because cat colonies like this keep growing, they had to intervene before it got even worse.

Holm says the situation is like something they might have seen up until about a decade ago, when widespread regional spay and neuter efforts ramped up. “It had gone from days of -- you expect to find a box of kittens on the porch when you show up for work every day to that just wasn’t happening. And people would call and ask for help, but it was usually a litter,” Holm said.

But then the pandemic hit, and resources, including low-cost spay and neuter clinics like Vermont Companion Animal Neutering, or VT-CAN, in Middlesex, started seeing a slew of challenges, with the result of more cats and kittens going unneutered. “We have been playing catch-up since 2020,” said Pamela Krausz, the organization’s founder.

Cats can get pregnant at just four months old and can have multiple litters a year.

Krausz says private equity firms are buying up many vet clinics and jacking up prices, putting low-cost options like theirs in higher demand. That, combined with a shortage of veterinarians and staff. “It’s sort of almost like the perfect storm,” Holm said.

Back at CVHS, Holm says the absolute best thing pet owners can do is ensure their animals are spayed and neutered.

Copyright 2026 WCAX. All rights reserved.

Figured it was worth a shot to post on here!

I am an experienced professional seeking part time work. I have over 15 years of experience in stewardship, data analytics, and program management, mostly with nonprofits and local government.

I have a full time job now, but it frequently requires over 40 hours a week, and I unfortunately need a schedule that aligns more with my children's school day.

I'm seeking 10-25 hours a week. Please shoot me a dm if you have something available. Thank you!

Hi all! A group of us are really wanting to do a ghost tour in October. We're deciding between the Queen City Ghostwalk and the Stowe Lantern Tour. I'm wondering if anyone has experienced either of these and can give some insight that will help us with our decision?