Opt-in to the federal school contribution tax credit, opt-out of smart meters talk of the Legislature today.
Opt-out for Smart Meters, new opt-in for school tax credit considered
White supremacist bites U.S. Marshal, bail $100,000: police, media reports
Palermo’s record includes child sex assault and cocaine trafficking.
House draft bill creates new tax on investment income
This new 4% VIP surtax would target investment income, such as capital gains and dividends, for individuals with total income over specific thresholds,
Permanent Burlington diversity office becomes law
Also: Former rep, special educator named to State Board of Education, and State revenues higher than expected
VT Headlines: Brattleboro teen arrested after reports of shots fired
Gov. Scott signals veto for road salt runoff reduction bill; Potential bill could change who is authorized prescribing; Federal reclassification of marijuana could ‘turbocharge’ Vermont’s medical market; Cyberattacks on water plants are on the rise. Can the state do anything to stop them?
You set the agenda for Feedback Friday at 11:05 AM….
….but we have a few conversation starters culled from the headlines and a startling suggestion by a HOTP caller.
VT weekend guide
St. Albans is the obvious anchor this weekend, but the rest of Vermont isn’t sitting still — get out there and find your corner of it.
Soulia: Becca, Bernie, Musk, & math
The policy argument is straightforward. The picture of what that wealth actually is bears closer examination.
Small Dog Electronics to close retail store, end repair services April 28
The company is not shutting down. “Small Dog isn’t going away,” the spokesperson said. “Just the retail side of the operation is going away.” Sales will continue online, by phone, and by email, with continued computer shipping and consulting services. The spokesperson said the business is shifting toward a business-to-business focus. Repair services, however, will be discontinued entirely. Customers whose devices are currently in for service have until April 28 to pick them up.
Roper: Act 181 isn’t the only attack on rural Vermonters
It’s a multi-front war on multiple issues.
Vermont raised DMV fees to match inflation, but fewer showed up to pay them
Road costs are rising at 10% a year. Revenue is rising at 1.33%. The extra $15 on your registration hits a budget that is losing ground every year against the actual price of asphalt.
Suspected pickpocket of 80-year-old man arrested
Police say he went into Market 32 in Rutland and pickpocketed an 80 year old victim and stole their wallet while they were shopping.
Dame: Fire the Ethics Commission Executive Director
Suspend the financial disclosure provision of state law for just this election? what gives? Ii seems like there is a more severe dysfunction at work, Paul Dame says.
VT Headlines: Vermont Maple Festival starting in St. Albans tomorrow
Brush fire in Shelburne spreads after homeowner burns field without permit; Lawmakers venture to the Springfield prison; Vermont State House briefly evacuated after fire alarm goes off
Planet Hank: Police dog helps investigate drive-by shootings
Several bullet holes confirmed in building located in densely populated residential neighborhood.
Dean criticizes nuclear, data centers in Vermont energy debate
Former Vermont governor Howard Dean is warning that proposals to expand nuclear power and attract large-scale data centers risk creating long-term environmental and economic problems for the state.
Another woman killed by someone the State knew was a threat, and still there is no secure facility
Since 2021, lawmakers have studied, debated, passed, stripped, reintroduced, and delayed a bill to close the gap that keeps producing these deaths. Kelly Carroll has watched every round.
Southern Poverty Law Center, which put VT parents’ group on ‘hate map,’ indicted for bankrolling the Ku Klux Klan
The SPLC had a field source who was a member of the online leadership chat group that planned the 2017 “Unite the Right” event in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Bills on land posting and sextortion head to Governor’s desk
Two bills reported on by Vermont Daily Chronicle earlier this year are on their way to the Governor after being passed on Tuesday, one from each chamber of the legislature. One makes clarifications to Vermont’s land posting laws and the other criminalizes blackmail for extortion using explicit images
Sarah George gives pass to six anti-ICE protesters police arrested last month
Several state troopers were seriously injured as they attempted to keep peace between the protestors and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
Rav-4 driver dies in head-on crash
A westbound driver attempted to avoid the crash by swerving, but Vautrain also tried to return to his lane at the last moment, resulting in a head-on collision.
Public Safety Commissioner, VSP Director deplore Sarah George failure to charge anti-ICE protest arrestees
Individuals at the Dorset Street incident repeatedly stated that State’s Attorney George would not prosecute them for their behavior that day.
Segregation, not talent, prevents women from playing big league baseball, state-paid women’s advocate tells Legislature
Brown declined to answer a legislator’s question: ‘What is a woman?’
VT Headlines: Vermont City Marathon approaches as organizers work to cut down on waste
No charges for protesters cited at South Burlington ICE protest; Three arrested in Brattleboro for alleged cocaine sales; Racial disparities in Vermont traffic stops resurge after Covid-era dip, study finds
Burlington teen charged with attempted murder outside Domino’s
South Burlington Police said they received a report of shots fired at about 7:23 p.m. Officers arrived within two minutes, but all individuals involved had already left the scene. A short time later, a victim connected to the incident arrived at University of Vermont Medical Center with an apparent gunshot wound. Authorities said the injuries were not life-threatening.
Despathy: Admitting our worst environmental hypocrisy could solve Act 181 conundrum
Key questions are now in play – how will Act 181 shift and what might accompany the repeal?
LURB suspending Tier 3, road rule work, member tells Chester Telegraph
The statement by a member of the regulatory board charged with writing rules for implementing Act 181 comes a week after Chair Amy Sheldon and every other member of the House Environment Committee, as well as House Speaker Jill Krowinski, announced plans to repeal the rural development restrictions passed in 2024 over Gov. Phil Scott’s veto and slated to take effect this summer.
Prairie: Speaker Krowinski has an epiphany
If you were having trouble putting your finger on that one thing that bugs you about the Whiz Kids on the Winooski (aka the Vermont legislature) you only have to read the recent apologia of House Speaker Jill Krowinski concerning the ill-considered Act 181.
Klar: The Iran War threatens to pull the plug on American farming’s life support
America’s energy-dependent food supply is highly vulnerable to a global spike in oil prices and to many other potential disruptions.
McLaren: Fixing Act 181’s fundamental flaw
Act 181 revealed a fundamental inequity in policy from Montpelier—wealthy, urban communities get a choice. Rural or poor communities don’t. Montpelier must fix it.
Barre bans public nudity, citing inquiry from nude taxi driver
Barre City Manager Nicolas Storellicastro confirmed to The Bridge that the ordinance was prompted by an inquiry from “Tara,” who operates a taxi while naked in St. Albans. He said Tara called the clerk’s office and the police department in March asking about applications and permits.
Johnson: “We already have a Homo Deus”
An Oxford professor’s take on the transhumanist agenda
Teen charged after video shows he threw Bullet the Puppy
A video circulating online showed the suspect holding a puppy, identified as “Bullet,” and throwing it a distance out of view of the camera.
VT Headline: SoBu police chief reports on ICE raid
Vermont man charged with aggravated assault, unlawful restraint; Burlington man faces child sex crime charges; No suspicious package found after HAZMAT team called to Williston ICE facility; Hundreds of students gather on UVM campus for 4/20 celebration
Fatal crash victim ID’d/ teen suffers life-threatening injuries in crash
David McGuire, 39, of Maine, died at the scene from injuries sustained when a six-passenger utility terrain vehicle left the roadway, went down an embankment and struck multiple trees at about 8:25 p.m. April 18.
Don’t declare victory on Act 181 yet, committee rep says
“We are far from repealed. We haven’t seen any updated legislation,” North told VDC in the State House cafeteria this AM. “I asked that question and did not get a definite answer. Which is concerning.”
CLG: Iran’s armed forces say Hormuz back under military control
U.S. seizes Iranian cargo ship, Tehran vows to retaliate
Report: 199 VT schools allow student gender transitions to be kept from parents
A national education watchdog group says dozens of Vermont school districts have policies that may allow student gender transitions to be kept from parents, according to a report released April 20.
Tiemann: Proposed law H.817 raises concerns over parental rights and school focus
Supporters frame it as strengthening “protective factors” for youth and increasing mental health awareness. However, we see it as shifting decision-making away from families toward schools and government entities, undermining parental authority in sensitive health and identity matters.
Keelan: Missing in action
The federal and state income taxes that exist today are progressive by statute. The more one earns, the greater the tax. It has been such since 1913, when an income tax was allowed under the 16th Amendment to the Constitution. It has been reported that about 80% off all income taxes are paid by the top 10% of filers. They are also the major contributors to the non-profit community. So why is it that they are allowed to be ostracized by the Bernie crowd without any support at all from the non-profit world?
Gutmann: The choice for Vermont: mausoleum or real world
Vermont is at a tipping point. Vibrant little towns like my beloved Wallingford—where one still sees mothers pushing strollers, school kids trooping home with their backpacks, and deer hunters hanging out in driveways to show off their trophies—could become frigid, exquisitely-maintained mausoleums inhabited only by one or two affluent summer people whose children have long since left.
Roper: Watch Democrat leaderships’ words carefully regarding Act 181
They have not really changed their minds, only their tactics.
VT Headlines: Vt. State Police cruiser involved in crash in Jamaica; 5 people injured
Driver crashes on Norwich University campus, police say; Some sugarmakers break records, though a range of results reported across Vermont; Vermont Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired celebrates 100 years; Charlotte FD battles bedroom fire
N.H. man busted for crossing state lines to have illegal sex
The girl was also afraid because Hutchins insisted that if he got arrested he would be bailed out in an hour and he would find her.
VT child welfare reporting system: quick to act, slow to provide services
Vermont refers children to child welfare services at three times the national rate. It’s also first in the nation in placing foster children with relatives. However, the state’s mandatory reporting system needs updating, and the state’s provision of services to child abuse victims is twice as low as the national average.
Father of modern snowboarding craze, whose son is a Vermont corporate ‘Board’ guru, dead at 89
Alden’s son, actually, has been actively involved in Burton Snowboards, a Vermont firm named for Jake Burton, one of the inventors of modern snowboards.
Pianist vowing to ‘Play Every Town’ to present Waterbury concert April 26
A multi-year project by Vermont concert pianist David Feurzeig comes to Waterbury on Sunday, April 26, for what will be the 98th concert in his Play Every Town series to perform in every community in the state.
Bill banning herbicide linked to Parkinson’s moves to Senate
Paraquat, one of the most widely used herbicides in the U.S., would be phased out over five years
Soulia: S.205 solves a problem Vermont doesn’t have
Vermont’s S.205, at four years, proposes the longest moratorium period of any state bill filed this cycle. The PUC study and report are due January 2027 — leaving more than three years between the report’s delivery and the moratorium’s expiration.
Boutin: Fighting to deliver real reform
Fixing our education system is hard, but we must do the hard thing, because it is the right thing to do.
Leary: Vermont’s little-known Liberty Bell replica
In 1950, President Harry Truman launched a campaign to sell US bonds to fund the rebuilding of our military after WWII. As part of the Treasury Department initiative tied to the bond drives, more than fifty Liberty Bell replicas were cast in France and distributed across the country – one for each state and territory.
Cops seek man who threw a fit in store
The man became upset when an employee did not immediately comply with his request to dispose of trash.
Panhandling & prostitution/ Fatal DUI side-by-side crash/ Wrong-way freeway driver/Alpha male DUI bust
Cops hearing complaints about prostitution among transients. Early AM wrongway driver. Alpha male arrested for drunk driving.
Hanson: Trump just crushed Iran in 5 weeks
I know a lot of you have been exasperated by the reaction to the Iran war, from the Democratic grandees in the House and Senate, the liberal media.
Dismas House leader named Mother of the Year
After a stint in Bolivia with the Sisters of the Presentation, Black found motherhood to be a happier calling.
Twister hits town
90 MPH winds destroyed an old sugarhouse and sheared the tops off trees.
Dems bash guv for ignoring their House rep recommendations
“The local district committee did their job, meeting and putting forward three qualified members of the community in a timely manner. The Governor chose to ignore them..”
VT Headlines: South Burlington Police Department releases body camera video from March 11 ICE raid
NWS surveying thunderstorm damage in Williamstown; Bristol man reported missing Thursday; Burlington School District lawsuit against Monsanto moves forward
House passes education overhaul bill
Lawmakers emphasized that the bill does not mandate school district consolidation. Any mergers would remain voluntary and subject to local voter approval.
Big Sugar is in the House!
Nicknamed Big Sugar for the most famous product made in Vermont, USS Vermont is the 19th Virginia-class sub.
Soulia: The VT state office bloat
Five years later, state records show a more complicated outcome: Vermont’s office footprint grew, vacancy increased, and the state ultimately signed new leases to support a return to in-person work.
Roper: Aly Richards, poster child for failed government
While I’ll buy Richards is likely to put up a better show than Esther Charlestin or Brenda Siegel based purely on fundraising capabilities and a political network, Democrats might think twice about hitching their wagon to what, when examined under the brighter scrutiny of a campaign, is a dumpster fire of a record that any sane politician would run away from.
Jury convicted Burlington felon on five federal gun charges
Brother died in gang-related homicide in Burlington in 2022
Sheriff faces new sex crime charges
The allegations claim Palmer, 39, of Windsor, paid a woman on multiple occasions to engage in sex acts and sent unsolicited sexual material to another woman.
Suspected fake cop pulling over drivers on I-89
A black Ford Explorer police interceptor with flashing amber and white lights was intimidating drivers and pulling vehicles over.
Pandemic school closures, new disease policies subject of online documentary tonight
A free online screening of the documentary 15 Days: The Real Story of America’s Pandemic School Closures on Thursday, April 16 at 7:00 p.m.
VT trees are dying at an alarming rate, and lawmakers are making it worse
A new UVM study documents a dramatic shift in what’s killing northeastern trees. The debate over how Vermont should respond reveals a deep divide between science, policy, and philosophy.
VT Headlines: Homemade explosives seized during investigation in Barre
Georgia furnace fire; Thousands of salmon stocked in Winooski River as part of study; Former Bove’s restaurant site in Burlington could become affordable housing units
Former police chief, church employee appointed to fill Dem House seat
If House Democrats were hoping the governor would appoint a young, progressive Burlingtonian to fill the North End Burlington seat long held by Rep. Bob Hooper, they are likely disappointed.
Teen armed with BB gun arrested for hitting person, cars
The incident shows the need for a bill, now in Senate Judiciary, that would streamline eviction of dangerous tenants.
Harbin: We want Vermonters to feel safe in their homes
While Vermont’s visible challenges with drug trafficking maybe happening on streets and in parks, what’s happening inside residential apartment buildings is also putting citizens and their neighbors at risk, largely out of sight. These illegal enterprises are surprisingly often operating under tacit protections from State law and the resulting risks are exacerbated by a lengthy court process that takes months to resolve. And this is putting vulnerable Vermonters in harm’s way.
Gambling bans introduced in House
Two separate bills that together ban the state lottery and impose criminal penalties on offering sports betting were presented to lawmakers on Tuesday.
Kinsley: House voting on education reform package
Guy, the House is set to vote on the next phase of Vermont’s education reform effort today. The bill they are putting forward is a grab bag of policies that House members managed to agree on.
Baruth takes final shot at gun control legislation
S.329, “criminal procedures involving firearms,” was introduced today, Wednesday April 15.
UPDATE: Grand Isle County prosecutor ordered into court for suspected DUI
DiSabito is now the second elected state’s attorney among the 14 serving in Vermont to face a charge of DUI in just over two years.
Speaker Krowinski now backs repeal of ‘Road Rule’ and ‘Tier 3’
“Following extensive feedback from communities across Vermont, it is clear that the ‘Road Rule’ and ‘Tier 3’ need to be repealed,” Krowinski said.
VT Headlines: Bomb squad, hazmat team respond to scene in Barre
Vermont House Ethics Panel dismisses complaints against legislators who took paid trip to Israel; Vermont’s Champlain Valley poised to become a federally recognized wine region
Climate bill moving thru Senate
The fuel dealers registry bill and the Miles Based User Fee are both moving through the Vermont Senate. Also: Anti-ICE bill passes Senate.
Klar: How “progressives” rob working-class Vermonters
The Green Mountain State is a textbook case of how progressives employ social justice causes to drain the wallets and dreams of citizens.
Soulia: From emergency to entitlement — and another bill VT taxpayers will pay
The emergency was over. The remote work was not.
Ellis: Rogue nation?
We have crossed the line.
Mobile Home Infill Program expands affordable homeownership
The Northeast Kingdom Collaborative, alongside RuralEdge, Vermont State Housing Authority, and the State of Vermont, invites community members, prospective homebuyers, employers, municipalities, service providers, developers, and funders to attend free in-person home tours and information sessions on Wednesday, May 6.
Election Integrity Town Halls in Chester, at State House
Attend at the Fullerton Inn in Chester 6 PM Thursday, or at the Vermont State House noon Friday.
Roper: 2024 Payroll Tax cited as one reason VT is losing manufacturing jobs
$100 million childcare tax the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Main Street fentanyl den busted
A search of 296 South Main St. yielded evidence of drug use, drug distribution, and a firearms offense.
BREAKING: Grand Isle County prosecutor suspected of DUI
St. Albans City Police reportedly received a call around mid-day about DiSabito had arrived at Vermont Superior Court in St. Albans and may have been under the influence.
BREAKING: House chair supports Act 181 road rule repeal
“I’m looking at repealing the Road Rule and Tier Three,” Rep. Amy Sheldon, Chair of House Environment, said this afternoon.
Former Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie pens protest song targeting Act 181
Referencing a sharp increase in property taxes, the song opens: “Property taxes jumped forty-one percent in five years flat / While we’re bustin’ our backs just to keep the lights on, that’s a fact.”
VT Headlines: Judge rules man accused of shooting Palestinian students fit for trial
Car crashes into a building in Montpelier; Defense seeks to dismiss aggravated murder charge in deadly Vt. cruiser crash; Vermont State University labor leaders criticize administrators, citing staff attrition and stagnating wage
Road Rule repeal vote planned
An effort to repeal the Act 181 Road Rule will be attempted in committee this week, Republican House members say.
Newport’s Dr. Umair Malik wins national award for primary care practice
The award recognizes a healthcare leader who has built a practice environment that prioritizes the patient-provider relationship, according to the organization. Malik was selected from hundreds of practices nationwide for what the conference described as his “Care Over Codes” philosophy.
Food trucks in Vermont: From State license to local maze
The result is a decentralized system in which a vendor operating in multiple communities may need to navigate multiple sets of rules.
Vermont’s health ranking: great for headlines, harder for rural families
Vermont’s ranking is being carried by a handful of counties that don’t represent most of the state’s geography, or most of its working-age population.
State’s Attorney DiSabito says bail laws need overhaul
Says judges do little when disrespected by defendants
Election integrity, St. Joseph’s Orphanage subjects of community meetings
The Vermont Police Academy will host the Voices of St. Joseph’s Orphanage Exhibition Display from May 7 through May 21, offering the public an opportunity to engage with the stories of former residents of St. Joseph’s Orphanage and the decades-long effort to bring their experiences to light.
Coordinated, brazen retail theft hits Kohl’s
Three individuals entered the store, filled shopping carts with merchandise, and then exited without attempting to pay.
VT Headlines: Swanton honors WWI soldier with new historic marker
Six suspects charged in Vermont kidnapping case remain in custody; Vermont History Day gives students a chance to present their own research; New Vermont soccer club makes home debut in the Green Mountain State
‘Not everyone satisfied’ with bills repealing Supreme Court ruling
Legislators are debating how to reformat a law that would exempt farmers from municipal regulation
NGO influence strong in Dem guv, lite-guv races
Vermont Republican Party Chair Paul Dame is criticizing Democratic gubernatorial candidate Aly Richards following her campaign launch, framing her candidacy as emblematic of broader Democratic policy priorities.
Right to grow vegetables protected under new bill
H.537 passed the House on March 20 and is now in the Senate Committee on Economic Development.
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