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DECEMBER 30, 2025
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
A lookback at the happenings of 2025 BY JASON STARR Observer staff
W
ithout precedent, at least in our lifetimes — many of the events of 2025 could be described that way. National and international news seemed to herald new social contracts, a breaking point for institutions, attempts at impunity, and a stress test for justice. These shifting currents washed through Williston in a few ways. One resident’s detention without cause by federal agents at a Texas airport thrust him into a position to lead a legal battle against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Our local library trustee, Charity Clark, Vermont’s Attorney General, is at the forefront of numerous judicial fights against the expanding use of executive power under the president. And our streets remain an epicenter of citizen protests against federal immigration policy because we host two Immigration and Customs Enforcement office buildings that support federal agents as they carry out deportations. Yet, the “old town charm” and “new town spirit”
Shelter from the storm
WWW.WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM rethink its relationship with the company, although it remains an essential portal for families and students. According to CVSD Information Technology Director Matt Vile, PowerSchool previously had unfettered access to CVSD data, but now can only access the information if the district reaches out for customer support. “They can only access our database by us initiating it,” Vile said. “It’s not an open login anymore … We believe that they’ve taken the necessary steps to keep our data secure.”
FEBRUARY TRUSTEES ENDORSE LIBRARY EXPANSION; BOND QUESTION SET FOR TOWN MEETING
The Village Green bandstand is alight under a blanket of snow Dec. 23 outside the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library. ‘It felt like walking into a postcard,’ said Williston resident Courtney Matthews, who captured the evening scene.
described in our town motto continue their unique interplay at the foot of the Green Mountains, making Williston the welcoming, livable, resilient community its residents envision and manifest in their daily lives. Presented here, a lookback at the local happenings of the
past year shows the ups and downs of a democratic community in 2025, one that endures through unprecedented winds of change. JANUARY STUDENT, STAFF DATA EXPOSED IN POWERSCHOOL BREACH
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District administrators were alerted that student and staff data was exposed in a hack of PowerSchool, a nationwide software company that school districts use to manage student records, grades, attendance and enrollment. Student and staff names, addresses, email addresses and birth dates were exposed in the hack, CVSD officials acknowledged. The breach caused the district to
The Dorothy Alling Memorial Library Trustees released detailed plans for a library expansion and urged the Williston Selectboard to pursue funding for the project. Developed in conjunction with Black River Design, the plans show a roughly doubling of the library’s size, with a twostory addition facing Williston Central School that would become the library’s main entrance. The project also comes with reconfigured parking and traffic patterns around Library Lane, the Town Green and Central School Drive, as well as landscape upgrades to the green itself. “This is the library we need and deserve,” library trustee chair Charity Clark said. The selectboard later initiated a private donation campaign and announced plans to place a bond question on the upcoming Town Meeting Day ballot asking voters for borrowing authority of up to $15 million for the project. see 2025 page 2
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