Turner, a former House Republican leader, Milton state representative, fire chief and town manager, died in 2024.
Milton Republicans cry foul on Dem candidate claiming support from deceased fire chief, legislator Don Turner
Out-of-state anti-ICE protesters due in Vermont this week
A series of protests and gatherings are planned throughout this week as part of “Shut Down ICE VT” to disrupt two ICE facilities in Vermont.
War correspondent Lara Logan to speak at Norwich today, tonight
She also will participate in a 7 PM panel discussion Monday in Mack Hall with Dr. Ike Wilson, Dr. Deborah Deacon and retired Air Force Lt. Col. Dan Hampton. LTC Chris Cadigan will moderate.
VT Headlines: Vermont highway to be renamed for fallen Border Patrol agent
Guard commander says Vermont F-35 pilots faced hostile fire over Iran; Derby Veterans Park adds monuments to honor unrecognized veterans; Driver cited with domestic assault charge hours after car fire
Gary Sinise has spent 23 years playing for troops. Vermont was state no. 49.
The actor plays bass. Around him: a Pat Metheny Group drummer, a 22-year Army Band trombonist, jazz professors — and his late son’s songs.
CLG: White House on high alert and ‘assessing options’ as airborne plague breaks out in Russia with hundreds put into quarantine
Also, Fauci’s diary reveals alarm that U.S. had aerosolized Ebola virus: ‘Never should have been done’
Letters: The Elephant in the school spending room is Administration
Also, asking Democrats why they think Democrat incumbents deserve another term.
Vermont dead last in education return-on-investment, think tank finds
Vermont is last or almost last in ROI, academic transparency, and civics education, conservative think tank says.
Tiemann: Standing with Rebecca Duprey
We at SPEAKVT congratulate and extend our appreciation to Rebecca Duprey for courageously speaking up at a school board meeting regarding Green Mountain High School’s attempt to secretly counsel her special-needs son to be transgender.
Zito finalizes purchase for Christian university in Poultney
Evangelist Tommie Zito has completed his purchase of the former Green Mountain College campus in Poultney, clearing the way for his plan to open a Christian college called Z University.
Peak color, summer-sized crowds at Lake Willoughby
Lake Willoughby looked like the middle of July on Saturday, minus the swimsuits.
Feds charge four-time felon for Burlington City Hall Park drug cases
The ATF arrests Nathaniel Santiago, 40, of Barre City on federal drug charges on Pine Street in Burlington on Friday
Cohen: Will Vermont’s Bernie go 0 for 2?
After failing miserably the first time, Bernie Sanders is trying again to influence Maine’s politics
Newport affordable housing, brownfield work costs $21.5 mil
The project combined redevelopment of the former convent with construction at two sites in Newport Center and included cleanup of two brownfield properties.
Prison guards working mandatory double shifts, union complains
Crowley said Vermont prisons have been operating with fewer than half the recommended number of security staff.
Border jumper wanted for NY sex crimes busted in NEK
Ndaiye has an arrest warrant from the New York County Criminal Court for charges related to three sex crimes stemming from a September 1, 2025 arrest, records show.
Vermont Historical Society has acquired Big Heavy World’s Collection of Vermont music
The collections holds treasures such as a 2008 field recording of the Hannaford Fife and Drum Corps in Hyde Park, The Vermont Symphony Orchestra at the Flynn in 1999, and music from venues around the state, including Nectar’s and Toast. There is also a small collection of items, including the ladle from Nectar’s and the door from 242 Main.
Klar: Supporting blood cancer research in memory of my Father
Multiple Myeloma took his life early.
Stop the hearings, lawmakers urge Two Rivers-Ottaquachee board
Sen. John Benson and Rep. Mike Tagliavia sent a formal request to the commission’s chair asking that the process be stopped “until rural Vermont municipalities and residents are truly given a voice.”
Kelly: Freedom means the freedom to work and the freedom to be equal
In a free and democratic society, should an individual have to join a private organization as a condition of getting or keeping a job?
Brown: Can Vermont Afford Proposal 3?
Once you account for what things cost, people in Right to Work states take home about $3,500 more per person.
VT Headlines: A Rutland County school district recovers from cybersecurity attack
Man tied to 2018 Fair Haven school shooting plot accused of Sterling College burglary; Police say man taken into custody tried to burn down occupied camper; Record diesel prices strain Vermont school district budgets; What are those tiny flies swarming some Northeast Kingdom homes?
LaFleur: Pieciak’s ‘Vermont Saves’…or does it?
About 214 college students are losing out on funds to help them further their education and make it more affordable every year.
Bus service faces ‘Fiscal Cliff’ in Burlington, Chittenden County
The dire financial woes of Green Mountain Transit will be the subject of a public forum next week.
Letters: Klar says Burlington aid must have strings, Stearns gives Nielsen high rating
Klar on Burlington’s natural consequences of short-sighted leadership.
Cohen: Vermont’s socialists sandbagged?
Democrat Molly Gray painted by leftists as a turncoat
VT’s LURB wants to hear from you!
You do not need to know a board member, hire a lawyer, or learn a secret handshake to speak at a Vermont Land Use Review Board meeting.
BETA hopes to fly medical supplies across Lake Champlain. It’s testing the idea in North Carolina and Texas first.
UVM Health runs hospitals on both sides of the lake. BETA says the Vermont flights haven’t launched and it is working on a start date.
Attorney General Clark urges Congress to fully fund Supreme Court security
The request comes as authorities document a sharp rise in threats against federal judges. According to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, “security incidents of significant concern” for judges spiked by 57 percent in FY 2025.
Scott names senior leaders, Advisory board members
Governor Phil Scott this week announced new appointments within the administration, including senior agency leaders and per diem board members.
Scott announces $31.7M agriculture and timber disaster aid
Loss assistance program will provide recovery assistance for eligible agricultural and timber losses caused by 2023 and 2024 weather events.
Burlington downtown biz board asks Scott for more cops, homeless bed, etc.
“Immediate, substantive and collaborative action must be taken as soon as possible,” the commissioners wrote.
Eginton: Pseudo-politicians
As we enter the election’s crunch time, and Vermont’s economic, demographic and education problems metastasize, one candidate for governor has zero life experience with the issues at hand.
VT Headlines: Police searching for missing Vermont man Raymond Liberty
Missing hiker spotted again in Vermont, Lincoln police say case is closed; Fire destroys building on Elmore Road in Worcester; Medicaid changes are set to kick in for Vermonters; Free education opportunity for 3SquaresVT recipients
Socialists call out Gray for pivot on wealth tax, abolishing ICE
Before the hotly contested August 11 primary against Ryan McLaren and Esther Charlestin, Gray won support from the progressive voters when she told the GMDSA she would support a wealth tax. But just last week on the Morning Drive – having won the Democratic primary and now facing a Republican incumbent – she said she doesn’t.
UVM offers reward cash for drugged date rape info
UVM Police and Safety Teams said they received allegations involving incapacitating drugs, sometimes referred to as “date rape” drugs.
Gleason: Trump’s Executive Order has election officials terrified
Don’t believe the hype about the Supreme Court ending Trump’s effort to clean up mail-in ballots. He’s got every bureaucrat nervous and careful—and you can help.
Vermont Catholic Church files to withdraw from bankruptcy amid mounting legal costs
Since filing two years ago, the Vermont Catholic Church’s bankruptcy has developed into multiple overlapping legal battles that could have ramifications across the state for the church’s faithful.
Vermont ranks among the nation’s highest for grocery-store shoplifting
According to an analysis of FBI data, Vermont recorded the seventh-highest rate of grocery-store shoplifting in the United States.
Feds charge Williston anti-ICE trespassers
The move comes after Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George refused to honor the criminal trespass citations that the Vermont State Police have issued this year to about two dozen people that troopers said blocked the facility.
Person taken into custody after lawmaker shoved at Abenaki event
The incident comes amid a dispute over Vermont’s recognition of four Abenaki tribes.
VT Headlines: Burlington Police lieutenant resigns following multiple misconduct investigations
Land Use Review Board holds meetings on new Act 250 forest criterion; College students allegedly damaging Middlebury bar; Burlington cat lounge recovers after front window is smashed; 2 drivers injured in Warren Route 100 crash
Four arrested after stolen vehicle stopped in Rutland
Four people were arrested Monday after Rutland police stopped a vehicle that Vermont State Police say had been stolen overnight from a Clarendon business.
Rail Trail trashed by well-meaning litter pickerer-upper
Police said the cleanup effort created hazardous conditions for people using the trail and left the Vermont Agency of Transportation facing a “significant financial burden” to remove the accumulated waste.
Fentanyl addict faced her addiction at Teen Challenge, now she’s clean and helping others
Calling Adult and Teen Challenge a “ministry of transformation,” Dougherty added, “I am one of those stories.”
57% back a Second-Home Tax. The poll didn’t define one — or ask who owned one.
A majority said yes. The survey never said what counts as a second home or asked whether respondents own one, a camp or a rental.
Your AI twin could save your life: UVM to build ‘Digital Twins’ to improve ICU care
“The multidimensional dynamics of immune dysfunction is too complex for a person, even an expert, to comprehend. But we can train a computational model to do that.”
Canada import ban takes effect
Alcoholic beverages, dairy products, and motorcycles were among the Canadian products banned from import into the United States, under a Trump administration measure that took effect yesterday.
Cohen: Vermont Digger under fire – from liberals!
Believe it or not, as Ripley would say.
Klar: Hamburger was more expensive under Obama. So was gasoline.
Democrats, however, don’t want voters to know that.
Rep. Troy Headrick allegedly assaulted at private Abenaki event
The Council said the situation escalated when Headrick intervened and one of the four allegedly pushed and struck him.
Rodgers to pay cannabis fine
Lt. Gov. John Rodgers has agreed on behalf of his cannabis business to pay a $2,500 fine to the Vermont Cannabis Control Board for operating at a location that had not received required state approval.
Media festival on socialism, education Oct. 3 at Main St. Landing
A media festival featuring national and Vermont speakers on education, socialism, teachers unions and two proposed amendments to the Vermont Constitution will be held Saturday, Oct. 3 at the Main Street Landing Film House in Burlington.
VT Headlines: Defense seeks reduced charge for suspect in fatal Burlington stabbing
School consolidation talks underway in Central Vermont; Advances in BTV Overdose Prevention Center, tax fairness proposals; Burlington’s ‘Hot Spot Working Group’ is making areas safer, mayor says
Man wanted for molesting child at quarry busted at border
The 12-year-old told investigators that Ouimet had inappropriately touched them Aug. 9 at the Dorset Quarry on Route 30 in Dorset, a popular swimming and cliff-jumping spot.
Culp: the urban-rural compact is broken
Over time, disparities in political power and wealth magnify as rural areas are drained of resources to enrich the core and are increasingly deprived of a voice in the political process.
Woodstock Railroad opened 151 years ago today, co-founded by the remarkable Frederick Billings
Behind the railroad was one of the most successful Vermonters of the 19th century. Billings, Montana. Billings Student Center at UVM. Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock. Yeah, THAT Billings.
‘Mend it and keep it alive’: Inside Vermont’s growing repair culture
New state program aims to increase opportunities to reuse and repair.
Barre Granite Festival shows that the industry with a rich history is still very much alive
The event included museum exhibits, live demonstrations, and family fun.
Vermont ski company melting misfortune
Vail Resorts needs snow – and lots of it
Before polls, Americans watched the betting odds. Now the odds are back — and pricing Vermont’s races
Polymarket makes Phil Scott an 84% favorite even as one local poll has him trailing. It backs Molly Gray too — and there, the polls agree.
Vermont Yankee’s buildings are almost gone. Its nuclear fuel isn’t
In everyday English, decommissioned sounds like gone. In federal nuclear rules, it means something narrower.
Who is Chris Ford?
And can he be re-elected to an office that doesn’t exist?
VT Headlines: Vermont DOC reports death of man held at Springfield prison
St. Anselm College offers free tuition to Vermont students; Missing South Burlington man with Alzheimer’s found in Shelburne; Vermont rolls out new plan to battle chronic school absenteeism
Chronicle Conversations today: Coolidge biographer Amity Shlaes, Senate candidate Irene Wrenner
Amity Shlaes is the author of four New York Times bestsellers, The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression, The Forgotten Man: Graphic, a full length illustrated version of the same book drawn by Paul Rivoche, and Coolidge, a full-length biography of the thirtieth president, which debuted at number three on the Times list and The Greedy Hand: How Taxes Drive Americas Crazy.
Which poll is right? Latest shows Scott leading Janoo
The Vermont Public survey found Scott leading Janoo 42%-32% among all respondents, with 20% undecided. Among likely voters, Scott led 44%-34%, while 16% were undecided.
Candidates, officials condemn decision to prosecute anti-ICE protesters
Clark said she’s just upholding the law and that her personal political preferences are clearly on the side of the trespassers.
Gerald Malloy challenges Becca Balint in third federal campaign
Gerald Malloy, an Army veteran who has twice previously run for US Senate in Vermont as a Republican, is seeking a seat in the US House, where he will face incumbent Democratic Rep. Becca Balint in the November 3 general election.
Dangerous SOBU man held on gun charge, again
A dangerous South Burlington man, who was sentenced to federal prison in 2022 after threatening a former domestic partner with an AK-47 rifle while on drugs, has been arrested again for a new gun charge, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Dam protecting Montpelier #2 on safety priority list. Drilling starts Oct. 5.
Wrightsville Dam ranks second of 18 on the state’s own dam safety priority list, behind only the East Barre Dam. The drilling is part of the state’s effort to learn more about the vulnerabilities and potential failure scenarios identified in its assessment.
State court overturns Police Chief Swanson’s demotion again
For the second time in less than a year, a Vermont court has overturned efforts by Municipal Manager Eric Duffy and the Village Trustees to demote Woodstock Police Chief Joe Swanson to a patrol officer.
Vandalism reported at retired Woodstock chief’s home
Police investigate it as a possible hate crime
Green: Prop 4 grants rights for some, not all
Vermont legislators seem to have an uncanny knack for crafting constitutional amendments which are touted as noble and necessary to uninformed voters, but are, in fact, neither.
Couple’s love story 40 years in the making
Friends from second grade reconnect decades later to form a new special bond and got recognized by Variety Magazine’s Favorite Couple Contest.
State employee union vows fight on “Return to Commute”
Executive Director: “State employees struggling under the weight of ever-increasing costs and a failing economy under Governor Scott can’t give up the fight, and neither will their union.”
Shorts: Fairlee woman winning the reading wars
Also, a silent film series gets underway.
Poll says Scott, Rodgers both trail Dem challenges
Because Janoo’s six-point advantage falls within the poll’s margin of error, the Survey Center characterized the race as a statistical tie.
VT Headlines: More than 3,000 could strike at UVMMC if vote approved
Car damaged in gunfire incident on Maple Street in Essex Junction; Vulnerable adult reported missing in South Burlington
Supreme Court backs Scott Return to Work order
Requiring stare employees to return to the office is not an unfair work practice, the Supreme Court rules.
Airport bomb threat prompts brief South Burlington school lockdown
An informed source said South Burlington dispatch received a threat involving a bomb at the airport. Authorities responded under normal emergency procedures but quickly determined the threat lacked credibility.
Bookkeeper challenges Health Care chair for House seat
Working with individuals and small businesses gives me a close-up view of what rising costs, taxes and fees are doing to Vermonters,” Mack said.
Thayer: Vermont cannot afford to say no to prosperity
Data Centers should not automatically be treated as the enemy.
Rural Vermonters are pushing back on land-use rules. A 30-town dispute shows why
Beyond mapping where growth should go, the Two Rivers draft set rules on heating fuel, EV chargers and farm events. Staff now proposes easing them.
Franklin County man arrested for threatening to kill President Trump
A Franklin County man with a history of making threats to shoot up or bomb schools in northwestern Vermont, has been charged in federal court in Burlington with threatening to kill President Donald J. Trump.
Seymour: ABRA-CADABRA! Make it disappear!
An independent congressional candidate’s voice in Vermont
Dad who broke infant daughter’s three ribs pleads guilty, escapes jailtime
Thomas Hatfield, 26, entered the plea Monday. A charge of cruelty to a child was dismissed as part of the agreement accepted by the court.
Galfetti: Barre school board’s lack of budgetary concern is alarming
What we actually need are more special educators, paraeducators and behavioral specialists in classrooms. We need them urgently if we are serious about improving educational outcomes. But that is not what this budget protects or prioritizes.
VT Headlines: Rutland’s new monument, honoring local World War Two veterans, has been completed
Milton man dies in crash; Police look for suspect in South Burlington vandalism investigation; Second fire ignites at Vermont family-owned convenience store; Vermont Route 9 reopens after hazmat trailer failure; Vermont program teaches how to forage, process, and cook wild foods
State, towns face ’27 ban on license plate cameras
The state says the 2027 repeal stands. Four attempts to change it went nowhere, and one Vermont town is already debating its cameras.
Laquerre: Why I’m challenging Sarah George
When Sarah George took office, she brought new ideas about criminal justice that I believed were worth trying at the time. I still believe in criminal justice reform. But it’s been over nine years, longer than a presidential term, and we’ve seen the results. The experiment has failed.
Jeeps, fall festivals and cheese lead weekend activities
Last weekend of September, and Vermont has decided to spend all of fall at once. Two long-running festivals open within an hour of each other Saturday morning at opposite ends of the state, Cabot puts close to forty cheese, ferment, and beverage makers on its village common, and the Paramount in Rutland books Talking Heads on Friday and Journey on Saturday like it’s settling a bet. Ten counties are doing something worth the drive.
A trailer that can power 50 homes for 10 hours—while crews repair the lines
GMP’s planned mobile batteries could keep neighborhoods powered after storms and help lower electricity costs for customers beyond the five proposed communities.
Vermont AG will charge Anti-ICE trespassers in Williston
Move comes after State’s Attorney Sarah George gives them a pass.
Kastner: Waiting for Jack Ruby
Sixty-three years ago, Jack Ruby stepped out of a crowd and killed Lee Harvey Oswald before the accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy could ever stand trial.
Roper: Not-no-moderate Molly Gray
Scores 100% on the Democratic Socialist Party policy questionnaire.
VT Headlines: Vt. lawmaker claims Franklin County state’s attorney candidate deceived impeachment panel
Vermont Route 9 closed after tractor-trailer crash, hazmat spill; Baaaaad influence: Sheep on the lam wander Burlington High School grounds; Alleged Springfield kidnapping brings additional federal charges; Fire damages Stowe building housing several businesses
Senate candidates differ on F-35 siting
“I believe I probably did sign a petition years ago when this was an issue in Vermont. Since the F-35s have come here, we have seen the damage this is doing for people under the flight path,” Wrenner said.
Klar: Why there is no quick fix for America’s beef price problem
The American beef market faces unique challenges that will likely keep burger prices high for some time.
New England journos knock Trump
Several New England journalism organizations have come together to condemn the Trump administration’s decision to ban Politico, CNN, and MS Now reporters from the White House.
Palestinian shooting conviction, sex crimes lead week’s VT crime news
A mother and son both charged in incident of child sex crime.
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