Melissa Cooney
Morning Reporter
Burlington, Vermont
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Melissa Cooney joined WCAX in June 2021 and reports for Channel 3 This Morning. She is a graduate of Wake Forest University, where she received a B.A. in communication media studies and minored in both journalism and studio art.
During her time at WCAX, Melissa has enthusiastically taken over the education beat, following developments in state surrounding standardized testing, restraint and seclusion, school safety, COVID-19, mascot changes, and legislation, to name a few.
She has also covered top stories including the Morrisville manhunt, a double homicide in Burlington and South Burlington, the sale of Jay Peak Resort, and even traveled to Columbus, Ohio to cover the University of Vermont's appearance in the NCAA March Madness Tournament.
Melissa regularly puts miles on the WCAX car by traveling all across the state to share your stories. In the winter, you'll find her inside Street View 3 sharing road conditions ahead of your morning commute.
In her free time, she loves to paint, read, run and ski! She is thrilled to be a part of this amazing team and loves Burlington so much.
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Vermont doctors have a clear vision of how to help kids in The Republic of Gambia.
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As cell service remains spotty in many parts of the Green Mountains, the town of Stowe is working with AT&T to maintain the charm of the town while improving service.
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Foster parents play a vital role in a child’s life if they become in the custody of the state.
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Teens continue to get their hands on vape products and are using them in school, causing concerns for Vermont school and health officials statewide.
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Runners in the Vermont City Marathon are taking their final rest and carbo-loading before the big race on Sunday.
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The unofficial start to summer is nearly here, and while Vermont state parks are open, some trails could use a little help.
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The Vermont Lake Monsters are back with the first pitch of the season Wednesday night.
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Restaurant owners have been through a lot with pandemic shutdowns, different menus and staffing shortages, but some had it extra hard this winter with burst pipes.
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Winooski streets can have 20,000 cars a day driving down them, leaving bikers and walkers a bit uneasy.
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The Vermont Emergency Management Center helps town leaders come up with their plans and in some towns, the exercises and discussions are ongoing.
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Snowboarding season may be over but there’s a plan to get skateboarders riding in Middlebury.
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Vermonters helping Vermonters, that’s the message as Castleton University nursing students beta-test virtual reality technology for a local entrepreneurial venture.
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A hospital in one of Vermont’s rural regions has more patients with mental health issues than they can keep.
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Vermont transportation officials say Ethan Allen Express ridership numbers are on track and work on extending Vermonter service to Montreal continues.
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Many Vermont students are still feeling the effects of the pandemic months after remote learning ended. A new cross-campus collaboration is focused on helping students talk about the emotional toll and share with others.
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Fire and EMS response has changed over the years, with a record number of calls for help but fewer firefighters hopping on trucks. That has departments across the state working to figure out how to get more people to join.
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Rutland Town is in the process of drafting an ordinance that would keep track of short-term rentals in the area.
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A group of Upper Valley teens are getting an out-of-this-world experience in a unique collaboration with NASA and the National Science Foundation.
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As the school year winds down, bus driver shortages continue to impact operations.
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A local bus company is giving free rides for people in Rochester to provide easier access to shopping.
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Green Up Day is Saturday and teams are getting ready now.
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A Windsor County town is losing its only grocery store, forcing people to drive over a half hour to find a supermarket.
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Knotweed is taking over the Mad River Valley and volunteers from several towns are banding together to try to manage it.
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Battery Street is highly traveled in Burlington, and city officials say ideas are on the table when it comes to reimagining the street.
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Vermont is quickly becoming one of the top wedding destinations in the country. After a pandemic with next to no nuptials, the wedding season is already heating up.
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Thousands of babies are born every day but nursing students often don’t get to witness a birth in school. A new simulation lab is giving hands-on experience at Northern Vermont University-Lyndon.
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Construction season is here as the weather warms. One of the most talked about projects is the Exit 16 diverging diamond interchange in the Colchester/Winooski area.
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School isn’t just about learning and taking tests. Physical education and wellness play a large role, too. And an Essex Middle School teacher was recently recognized with top honors.
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Child care centers in Vermont can earn STARS ratings from one to five. The 20-year-old STep Ahead Recognition System run by the Vermont Department for Children and Families sets standards and goals in the state, but it’s scheduled to change come July.
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Smartphones are never too far from people’s hands these days, but is there an amount of screen time that becomes unhealthy?
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Potholes and mud come to mind in the spring, and with the recent variety of weather, spring melting is underway.
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A band on a mission to preserve its indigenous heritage and create a space for others to appreciate it made a stop at a Vermont school.
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Melissa Cooney spoke with the Flynn’s Jay Wahl about coming attractions and other post-pandemic plans.
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Chickens are not your typical rental but it’s giving people who want farm fresh food a part-time deal.
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For many people, pets are part of the family, and losing one can be really hard. Rev. Linda Moore, a health care worker and trained interfaith chaplain, had the idea to create a pet loss support group for Vermonters.
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The Miller’s Run Bridge in Lyndon is a target for trucks that simply don’t fit. Despite the signs, drivers keep going and damage a piece of history.
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Helping to track down where a call came from could be the job of a cybersecurity specialist, and they may be trained here in Vermont.
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Easter is around the corner, and store workers are busy boxing, baking, and “bouquet-ing.”
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Students across Vermont will take a new standardized test next week after the state last year switched from the old Smarter Balanced Assessment, or SBAC, to Cognia.
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South Burlington residents might see bike patrols around town this summer. The city and the police department are hiring two bike patrollers.
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The town of Lincoln is running its school district independently after successfully separating from the Mount Abraham Unified School District in November 2022.
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A beauty salon in Rutland is about to open its doors to service the Black, Indigenous and people of color or BIPOC community. That is a service that’s not always easy to find in Vermont.
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There’s a push to keep cocktails on the menu with takeout orders from Vermont restaurants.
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The majority of Vermonters woke up or are waking up in a warm bed, but that’s not the case for everyone. In St. Albans, some people traded their homes for a tent for the night.
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March is almost over, which means pandemic-era federal food funding is, too, but what does that mean for local food banks? Our Melissa Cooney takes a look.
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Telehealth appointments took over during the pandemic, but now in-office is the norm again.
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The labor market looks a lot different today than when the pandemic first began.
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A Burlington task force wants to hear from residents about proposed off-leash areas for dogs in the city.
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