Forty-two judges, 1,600 entries, 139 categories. By Friday, Vermont finds out whether it repeats last year’s 49-ribbon haul.
Vermont cheese wheels landed in Minnesota to compete for their makers
Tuktu app aims to help Vermonters care for seniors
Tuktu, an app designed to connect seniors with local care providers, launched in Vermont earlier this year.
Lack of consensus results in slimmed down Landlord/Tenant bill
The bill passed out of the committee 3-2 with the Democratic committee chair siding with the committee’s two Republicans against members of her own party. The bill now moves to the floor for a vote of the full Senate.
Act 181 Facebook page commenters accused by House leaders of threats, attacks
S.325 in second day of conference committee talks
Emerald Ash Borer infestation grows
The EAB is a beetle introduced from Asia that attacks all native ash trees (trees in the Fraxinus group). If trees are not treated, this insect is expected to kill nearly 99% of Vermont’s ash trees.
MacDonald: plenty of shootings outside VT bars – none inside
Criminals will still carry, and that’s the truth, but this is Burlington, where the truth is what they say it is, and the excuse they came up with to ask for a ban in bars was a shooting that wasn’t in a bar.
Soulia: You are not the public
As Vermont lawmakers continue debating immigration enforcement, public safety, bail reform, school policy, and state authority, a deeper constitutional question increasingly sits underneath the arguments: What legal obligation does government actually owe individual citizens when foreseeable harm occurs?
Letter: Hardy makes false claims against Heffernan
Democrat senator from Addison County makes false claim about Republican senator from Addison County.
Jewish-owned business vandalized
The owner of DG Bodyworks is is an outspoken supporter of Israel and critic of anti-Israel Town Meeting resolutions.
Road rule decision expected from conference committee today
Gov. Phil Scott has said the Legislature cannot approve a state budget and go home until it first passes a school organization and funding bill.
LaFleur: Election Integrity panel avoids issues that compromise election integrity
Don’t count your chickens until you know they’re chickens
VT Headlines: House lawmakers abandon push to unmask ICE in Vermont
Rutland officials appoint new city attorney; $13.9 million Williston library renovation project fails at second vote; Revised school budget passes after second vote in Milton; A new body will recommend how state government and Vermont businesses could adopt AI
Vermont to celebrate heroine Ann Story on May 30
Ann Story was a strong young widow and a mother of five children who earned the honorific “mother of the Green Mountain Boys.”
Local print newspapers scaling back printing
To combat pressures on local media outlets, state leaders awarded taxpayer funding to sixteen media outlets that demonstrated strong “civic journalism.” The awards ranged from $5,000 to $10,000. While intended to address the challenges facing local news, the efforts raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest, legality, and questions surrounding which media outlets are winning these awards.
Roper: Democrats plot next carbon tax during repeal of Clean Heat Standard
And they double down GWSA’s “right to sue” provision.
The national math catches up with the UVM model — It doesn’t add up
A recent New Yorker column named the trend Compass Vermont has been watching for months.
The business plan was sketched in a green notebook at an Afghanistan patrol base. The brewery is now an anchor of downtown Saint Albans.
Combat veteran. Mountain warfare trainer. Saint Albans brewer. UVM professor. Steve Gagner has had four careers in one.
CLG: U.S. Supreme Court won’t hear Los Angeles schools COVID vaccine case
Israeli tech company aiming to cool the Earth with masses of tiny particles; Outrage as cancer-linked chemicals are sprayed in skies over multiple U.S. states under controversial government program; CDC restricts travel after Americans are exposed to Ebola virus that kills half of those infected
Top two Montpelier police officers depart for Northfield
The Town of Northfield announced May 19 that it has hired Montpelier Police Chief Eric Nordenson as Northfield’s new chief of police and Kevin Moulton as deputy chief of police.
State rodeo finals May 30
Get ready for an action-packed day of speed, skill, grit, and western excitement as the Vermont High School Rodeo Association (VTHSRA) State Finals takes over Millbrook Horse Farm in Wells Saturday, May 30.
Powers: My wife’s NO vote on Prop 4 definition of courage
The comments Deb heard for voting NO were “not a hill worth dying on” and “hope this doesn’t bite you in November”.
Fairfax rep runs for Senate
Raised in a family of dairy farmers, Bartley graduated feom CVU and UVM.
VT Headlines: Four pets killed in Milton house fire
Burlington daycare center ONE Arts hopes to reopen after state report details alleged violations; Vermont’s highest pond stocked with trout by chairlift; South Burlington: $16.4 million needed for wastewater upgrades; Burlington City Councilors discuss mayor’s FY2027 Budget, reject Chief Greylock statue
Lawmakers removed Governor from the Sister-State Bill. He returned it unsigned on constitutional grounds.
Chapter II, Section 20 of the Vermont Constitution says the Governor does — “correspond with other states, [and] transact business with officers of government, civil and military.”
Carroll: People charged with murder should be incarcerated
Vermont has studied the need for a forensic system for years. We are now approaching another moment of déjà vu, as in 2023 when forensic facility language was removed.
Scott names AI task force for business, wants quick results
“AI is the first technology in a generation that gives small Vermont employers the same tools the biggest companies use,” said Lunderville. “New technology often widens the gap between big and small. This one can close it.”
$$ bills, Act 250 reform now in hands of small committees – let the Whiffleball begin
Adjournment won’t happen until conference committees can connect on the tax (H933), budget (H951) and homestead property tax (H949).
North: Coups and Constitutions
It’s been a busy week in the State House, yet as for Education Reform, Taxes, and the Budget… nothing.
Jesse: The Association of American Educators, an alternative to teachers’ unions
A new report sheds light on AFT and NEA spending tens of millions of dollars on electing Democratic political candidates, and prioritizing politicking over the needs and interests of their union members. The study found that of the NEA’s $450 million annual disbursement budget from fiscal year 2025, less than $46 million, or 10 percent, was spent on activities directly representing the union’s constituents.
Vermont’s roads kill at nearly three times the rate of its neighbors
A new study finds that driver behavior — not terrain, traffic, or infrastructure — explains the state’s disproportionately high fatal crash rate.
Fernandez: The trouble with The New York Times’ “The silence that meets the rape of Palestinians”
It is a moral error to imagine Hamas as “freedom fighters” since freedom fighters do not gang rape women and mutilate their corpses and laugh about it. Nor do they sexually torture teens at music festivals, burn families alive, and livestream it online.
Feds seize millions from Vermont crooks
$$ from Chinese fraudsters, Newport defense firm, Winooski pornster, Rutland embezzler goes to victims
Candidate rolls out ‘YIMBY’ property tax relief plan
Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Ryan McLaren on Monday, May 18 unveiled his “Yes In My Back Yard Tax Credit” plan to provide municipalities with $25,000 in education property tax relief for every new home fully permitted this year.
VT Headlines: Wrong-way driver causes multivehicle crash on I-89 in Middlesex
State officials and local residents respond to ongoing PFAS contamination concerns in Bennington County; Vermont motorcycle ride raises awareness for men’s health; Welch, Balint talk election integrity with town clerks
Castleton man faces aggravated stalking case for teen girl
Vermont State Police say they have new evidence that a Rutland County man arrested on a misdemeanor stalking charge, also was illegally pursuing a separate victim under the age of 16.
Rutland World War II monument plans take shape
The new monument will be placed just north of the Vietnam War memorial in the park.
New drive-in lane for Burger King?
A pickup truck crashed the Colchester Burger King Sunday morning.
McGuinness: Are persons identifying as animals exempt from Vermont’s bestiality laws?
Senator Steven Heffernan asked Senator Tanya Vyhovsky on the Senate Floor Friday whether persons that identify as animals would be exempt from Vermont’s bestiality laws.
Blotter: Man dies when Kia hits tractor-trailer head-on
Also: A mailbox, a driveway, and a fourth DUI.
Ryan: Freshman rep fights party leaders over ‘spite wells’
A first-term legislator is seeking solutions to a long-ignored consent problem inside ANR’s wastewater permitting. Party leadership told him to back down. He’s not backing down.
Soulia: What if Vermont’s Presidential vote no longer matters?
The agreement is called the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), a multi-state pact designed to ensure that the winner of the national popular vote becomes president of the United States. Under the compact, participating states agree to award all of their electoral votes to the national popular vote winner, regardless of how their own state voted.
Light summer reading: Gruesome Vermont deaths
“Villainous Vermont” contains 32 true accounts of murder, homicide and unresolved deaths in the Green Mountain State.
Vermonter PGA’s Keegan Bradley fails cut, scolded for playing too slow
Vermont Daily Chronicle follows state’s favorite PGA player
Boutin: Why the “Equal Rights” amendment doesn’t live up to the name
After reading the language and reviewing the testimony, I do not believe this amendment is written correctly nor do I believe it delivers on the promise of equal rights for all. That is important because this is not just some law that can be undone. There is a four-year process to make a constitutional amendment. It should be difficult and should be done correctly.
Senate reverses vote on pregnancy resource center amendment
On Thursday this week in an uncommon move, the Vermont Senate reversed one of their previous votes and struck down an amendment to a bill that the same Senators had approved by high margins the day prior.
VT Headlines: Vermont man at center of gun trafficking network to Canada
BPD releases body camera footage from March 11 Dorset Street ICE operation; Burlington daycare center ONE Arts temporarily closed; Brattleboro hospital and its support staff avert strike by signing first contract; Barre city manager stepping down to take deputy role in South Burlington
The corridor that never closed: Two centuries of immigrant smuggling at Lake Memphremagog
Long before the U.S.-Mexico border dominated American conversations about immigration enforcement, a cold lake in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom had already been the site of one of the country’s longest-running and least-told human smuggling histories.
S.227 would restrict school cooperation with immigration enforcement
Vermont lawmakers are considering a bill that would require schools to adopt immigration protocols restricting when school officials may cooperate with federal immigration enforcement and when law enforcement officers may access nonpublic areas of school buildings.
Roper: Vermont kids can’t read, Democrat politicians don’t care
Democrat leaders refuse to fund a proven literacy program in Vermont.
UVM Police phone number being spoofed
While these callers may possess some of the recipient’s personal information, it has been gathered from public records — they have no access to law enforcement databases or warrant systems. UVM Police emphasize that they will never call to request money, payment information, photographs, or to warn of an ongoing investigation or open warrant.
Bananas: WHO demands national IQ test before mid-terms
After electing Joe Biden and then Donald Trump for a second time the American people are being questioned by the international community about their ability to form a coherent thought.
Four arrested for trespassing charges at ICE facility in Williston
Peter Booth, 58, the vice chairman of the Jericho selectboard, Henry Prensky, 79, of Burlington, Aiden Balentine, 39, of Montpelier and Casey Seem, 20, of Oakham, Mass. They are due in state criminal court in Burlington on June 30. For Booth and Prensky it was the second time arrested for a similar blockade at a building containing a support office for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, state police said.
Judge finds Windham County man not guilty in major tree cutting case
A federal judge has ruled federal prosecutors failed to prove a Windham County man, who cut down about 300 trees, did it in an area designated for protection as part of the Green Mountain National Forest.
Gov. Scott appoints Kevin Geno as Rutland County Assistant Judge
Geno has served in law enforcement since 1976, first with the Rutland City Police Department and, most recently, with the Rutland County Sheriff’s Department following his retirement as commander of the Rutland City Police Department.
The village that vanished
Gaysville and the Great Flood of 1927
Released after sex assault charge, re-arrested for making porn
State police said investigators continued to pursue the case after Olson’s release.
Whitmire announces run for Bennington Senate seat
Pledges tax caps and full Act 181 reform to protect working families and rural Vermonters
VT schools’ hiding gender change from parents exposed on national media
Marie Tiemann of SpeakVT addressed the subject Tuesday night on the prime time Rob Finnerty Show on Newsmax, reportedly the #4 cable news network after Fox, MSNBC, and CNN.
Anti-ICE protestors arrested today
The four individuals identified above refused to comply with arrest procedures and required physical police intervention and separation tactics.
Letters: Mattoon on remembering fallen Vermont submarine sailors
Always remembered, not forgotten.
Operation Diaper big success at State House
Diapers and wipes are amongst ongoing expenses that place added strain on family budgets, particularly during periods of transition and uncertainty.
VT Headlines: $20 million in FEMA funding will repair flood damage in Montpelier, railroads
Enosburg Falls cream cheese producer agrees to pay the state $265,000 for allegedly releasing untreated wastewater; Eight migrants arrested for illegally crossing US-Canada border in Vermont, CBP says; Budget challenges ahead for UVM with enrollment down 7%
Proposal 4 passes House floor with no pre-vote discussion, questions
One ‘No’ vote says Vermont needs to follow the Bible
Texas Roadhouse issued fines over food waste found in trash.
The restaurant off Williston Road, known for its steaks, peanut shells, and Texan atmosphere, found itself the target of an investigation by the Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) over unusually high amounts of food scraps found in landfill waste.
St. Albans native joins long list of Navy admirals from Franklin County
A St. Albans native has been named to command the surface ships of the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet.
Vermont’s Notch fine just got ten times bigger. The driver will probably still pay it.
A bill moving through the final days of the legislative session targets the carrier. The national truckers’ association says that rarely holds. And the driver gets five points on their CDL.
McGuinness: House Republicans, your Prop 4 silence speaks volumes
Well, you know what, House Republicans? Your silence and poor arguments for voting in favor of Prop 4 “Equality of Rights” on the House floor yesterday spoke volumes. Volumes of fear of losing one’s seat and pandering to Democrats.
Alleged dealer sold kilo of cocaine per day
Joshua P. Bedard, 38, is named in a criminal complaint in federal court with drug distribution in Windham County in April, but his business operated as far north as the White River Junction region, according to records.
Cohen: Vermont Hospital Chief’s cooperation a breath of fresh air vs. arrogant predecessor
Out with Eappen, in with Leffler
VDC Headlines: Burlington Police Commission holds closed-door meeting discussion on March 11th protest
Barre voters strike down school budget for a second time; Vermont’s congressional members are rich. But they don’t buy stocks; Rutland County covered bridge damaged by town work vehicle
Dem House majority rejects adding Current Use to conservation goals
An effort led by Rep. Mark Higley (R-Lowell) to force a floor debate on a stalled current-use land bill failed Tuesday after a lengthy House debate over legislative process and committee authority.
Roper: Voting rights bill debate exposes major problem with VT elections
And legislators don’t want to solve it.
Klar: New farm bill a step in right direction
Stripped of a liability shield for manufacturers, the bill is a major MAHA win. Still, not all farmers and farmer advocates are happy.
Rabid skunk found in Westmore, residents urged to take precautions
The department said the detection of a rabid animal indicates the virus is circulating among wildlife in the greater Westmore area.
Grand Isle DA DiSabito denies DUI charge
Case will be held in Franklin County
Ethan Allen, Windham jail, Westminster massacre subjects of VT history award winners
These awards are handed out annually by the society to recognize the exceptional work done by individuals and community heritage organizations across the state to collect, preserve, and share Vermont’s rich history, with particular emphasis upon innovation.
BREAKING UPDATE: Student, teacher data firm makes deal with extortionist hackers
Instructure, whose Canvas learning management software was compromised, claims to have “reached agreement” with the extortionist hackers at the last minute in order to halt release of roughly 275 million records from more than 8,800 educational institutions.
Letters: Salat on affordability
Fireovid on the problems with Prop 4.
VT Headline: BTV mayor says city won’t release body cam footage from March 11 yet
Swanton Electric seeks 30% rate hike from state regulators; Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark takes leading role on AI, internet privacy
VT announces neglect, Medicaid overbilling in NEK
Pattern of ‘upcoding’ reaped undeserved benefits for the region’s human services agency.
Breaking: Biden gave pass to major drug dealer/tax cheat in Vermont
Biden gave pass to major drug dealer/tax cheat in Vermont
Republicans challenge 50% conservation by 2050 on floor today
Abenaki celebration on State House lawn today; Shout out to VDC from…. John Walters?
Hinesburg community weighs pros and cons of proposed turf field
Student-athletes face disruptions when the school’s grass field is unplayable, but critics worry about the environmental risk of turf.
Vermont’s state fish is ‘thriving’ despite national population decline
As the weather gets warmer, Vermont’s brook trout are staying cool.
Diaper drive at State House on May 13 to help Vermont families during deployment
For households with infants and toddlers, diapers and wipes are amongst ongoing expenses that can place added strain on family budgets, particularly during periods of transition and uncertainty.
Breaking bread: Dismas reconciles formerly incarcerated people with their community
Dismas works with the Department of Corrections to find housing for incarcerated individuals who are ready to leave jail
Sandbar burn this week targets one of Vermont’s most threatened forests
A multi-agency team will set fire to 53 acres of the Sandbar Wildlife Management Area in Milton starting Tuesday, in an effort to restore one of Vermont’s rarest and most endangered forest types.
Fire department tired of nuisance neighbor campfire complaints
“The taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for neighbors not getting along.”
BREAKING: Former cop leads State Police on 130 mile chase to Canadian border
Police said the chase ended at the Highgate Springs border crossing, where Canadian customs authorities detained Romeus.
VT student and educator data exposed in Canvas data breach
The incident, first reported in early May, has raised serious concerns for families and schools in the Green Mountain State, where Canvas serves as a primary platform for online learning, course management, and communication at higher education institutions and through virtual learning programs. The deadline for the data ransom is May 12.
Former VT legislator victim of ‘suspicious death’
Neely served three terms in the Legislature.
Soulia: Special treatment for Baruth’s gun ban
It’s good to be the king
VT Headlines: Vermont State Police investigating suspicious death in Norwich
Man arrested after shooting in St. Albans Town; Georgia town reinstates police department after mayor fires officers; Date officially set for Jason Eaton attempted murder trial; Utility pole severed after crash in Colchester;
Vermonters are rich (in home equity) / Homeschoolers dodge Big Guv oversight
Anti-semitic government sanctions north of the border – could it happen here?; A government sanction you WON’T be seeing here in Vermont anytime soon – Florida has passed a law pressuring teachers’ unions.
Change to state constitution could empower homeless, immigrant, transgender rights
“That the people are guaranteed equal protection under the law. The State shall not deny equal treatment under the law on account of a person’s race, ethnicity, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or national origin. Nothing in this Article shall be interpreted or applied to prevent the adoption or implementation of measures intended to provide equality of treatment and opportunity for members of groups that have historically been subject to discrimination.”
Ellis: NYT – cover to cover
One of my great pleasures – still – is reading the New York Times in detail, in hard copy, in my hands many times a week, especially on Sunday.
A gas station worker in Senegal was in dire pain. The Vermont National Guard made a house call.
Three soldiers from Vermont spent two weeks last month working in three hospitals in southern Senegal. It is the kind of story most Vermonters never hear about their National Guard.
7 more busted in $21 million Grandparent scam
Seven more Canadians, wanted in Vermont on federal charges as part of a multi-million “Grandparent Scam” that targeted vulnerable elderly people, have been arrested in Quebec on a new fraud indictment, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Burlington said Friday.
New Jersey man gets 18 months for human smuggling
The U.S. Border Patrol found Tyshan Murray, 45, with four adults and five children stuffed in his Nissan Murano in Richford during a traffic stop about 1 a.m. Sept. 8, 2024. Two young children were located in the rear cargo compartment sitting on luggage without seatbelts or safety seats, the Border Patrol reported.
Ponies join human at race finish line
The equine Rosie Ruiz wannabes led to a finish line moment nobody will forget: competition, chaos, and pure Vermont charm all in the same frame.
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