“Following extensive feedback from communities across Vermont, it is clear that the ‘Road Rule’ and ‘Tier 3’ need to be repealed,” Krowinski said.
Speaker Krowinski now backs repeal of ‘Road Rule’ and ‘Tier 3’
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.
Three fires, three deaths reported over weekend
Three bodies were recovered from three separate fires in Barre, Hinesburg and Bristol over the weekend, according to WCAX reports and local and state officials.
Trump Jesus? Truth Social publishes controversial pic
The Truth Social posts are deeply troubling to Christians who have supported Trump for his pro-life stance and Supreme Court selections and his opposition to LGBTQ advocacy.
Steele: As Tax Day approaches, some good news for VT taxpayers
A typical family with two children in Vermont can expect to see higher take-home pay of about $7,400 to $10,600 with the Working Family Tax Cuts, the Small Business Administration claims.
Letters: Mazur on 2028 Democrat candidates/ Lanese on ID for…. bottle return?
Also, Lanese on Liberal Logic 101
North: Act 181 group is true grassroots
When the people rise up in unity over an issue and are not driven by deep-pocketed activist organizations, but by their own recognition that their rights are being trampled, the legislature had best take notice. We’re in such a time.
CLG: Trump orders blockade of Strait of Hormuz
U.S., Iran fail to reach peace agreement after marathon talks in Pakistan; ‘Attempted assassination’: Tucker Carlson on Israeli attack on RT correspondent; ‘This is the last warning:’ Iran radioes U.S. during Strait of Hormuz de-mining effort
NJ teens win UVM biz pitch challenge with cheap drones
Vermont’s search and rescue teams are caught in a cost squeeze. The winning idea at UVM’s annual entrepreneurship event is designed to solve exactly that problem — and the timing couldn’t be better.
Deadline approaches for Vermont to receive $195M for rural health care
Lawmakers on the Senate Health & Welfare Committee received an update Thursday from AHS on the status of the funding and how the state plans to use it. Director Jill Mazza Olson and Sarah Rosenblum, said Vermont will receive $195 million in 2026 for its first year of funding and has put out notices for six opportunities to bid with plans for ten more. According to the newly created public webpage, the submission periods for the first six proposals end starting April 10.
Williams: Will Vermont permit hunters to bait bears with garbage?
On February 18, the Vermont Bowhunters Association petitioned the state Fish and Wildlife Board to lift the ban on hunting bears over garbage. A decision is expected April 22. Bear baiting is a dying, discredited practice. Only 12 states still permit it.
Roper: How much evidence does it take to learn taxing “The Rich” doesn’t work?
VT Democrats will apparently never learn.
Supreme Court votes to suspend Vekos law license
Suspension follows her conviction for a driving while intoxicated arrest more than two years ago.
Meet the NGOs that shape Vermont’s laws this Saturday
The 2026 Vermont Changemakers Summit, organized by the Vermont Natural Resources Council and co-sponsored by more than two dozen of the state’s most active advocacy organizations, comes to Harwood Union Middle and High School on April 11 — a free, full-day convening billed as a gathering for “community activists, organizers and advocates passionate about people and the planet.” For Vermonters who have watched property tax bills climb, heating costs rise, and land use regulations tighten, it is a rare opportunity to meet the coalition responsible in person.
VT Headlines: State is racing to implement nearly $200M in rural health projects
Lyndon man cited after pulling pants down at passing cars; Man detained in South Burlington ICE raid recounts experience at Burlington City Council meeting; Lyndon man cited after pulling pants down at passing cars
Letters: Mazur on “No Kings”
Pearl on Guy Page’s alleged incompetence.
Abuse alleged at NH youth lockdown used by VT
Complaints include: “Lockdown” status was in place at the facility for approximately a month and a half. Also, the initial “full lockdown” for 2 weeks; single movement (which means 1 child out of their sleeping quarters at a time), no off-unit time, all muscle movement on the units (which was very minimal), shackled to walk around off unit if needed/approved, and no education.
HOTP Feedback Friday: Who REALLY writes the big, controversial bills?
We’re seeing a pattern. Bills show up already polished, already supported, already moving. And it raises a bigger question: who helped write them?
Vermont’s oldest unsolved triple homicide
The 1935 East Middlebury mystery
FedEx driver killed in crash with beemer-driving teen – DUI suspected
Preliminary investigation indicates Vestal was at fault in the crash. Troopers reported observing signs of impairment and determined that Vestal had been operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Vermonter averts double death penalty trial, accepts life sentences
Under the 13-page signed plea agreement filed Thursday, Bland admits to causing the deaths of both Solomon and White during a drug trafficking crime on Oct. 12, 2023. Both criminal charges carry life sentences. He also has admitted to carrying and using a gun on Oct. 14, 2023 during a drug trafficking crime, which calls for a consecutive life sentence, the plea agreement notes.
Lyndonville fentanyl dealer sentenced to up to 10 years in prison
George Ellis Phelps, 43, was convicted April 1, in Caledonia Superior Court after entering a guilty plea to cocaine sale or delivery of 2.5 grams or more and fentanyl trafficking.
UVM has $803M on hand, but it’s asking for Vermont Students’ Scholarship funds to help build a sports complex
The university with the lowest in-state enrollment percentages of any large public school in the country is asking the legislature to let it take $15 million from a $66 million state scholarship fund.
Senate just made property tax reform more expensive
The Senate Education Committee wants to raise the formula’s starting price before it even begins.: By FY27 the base would be $16,575 under the Senate concept versus $15,936 under the law as written.
Floor challenge looms as GOP, Guv, and rural Dems back Act 181 Road Rule, Tier 3 repeal
“Repeal the road rule and repeal Tier 3 this session. Trust has been broken,” Neil Ryan says.
VT Headlines: Students carried from bus after striking utility wires
Barre man arrested for climbing on roof, waving gun at neighbor, police say; Burlington man sentenced to at least 17½ years in prison for deadly stabbing in restaurant; Unpaid taxes are stressing local budgets in pockets of Vermont; Green Mountain Transit to hold public meeting on proposed route cuts
School board passes communicable disease policy – VSU pushes back
According to the policy language, measures may include vaccination requirements for staff, mask wearing, social distancing, screening testing, quarantine and isolation protocols.
Klar: Fake meat withers on the propaganda vine
But Illinois technocrats and Democrats keep throwing more money at it.
After threats to clerks, Vermont lawmakers push election interference bill
H.541 would create new penalties as clerks report disruptions during elections
Elderly man solicits sex from women soliciting money, cops say
The man, driving a maroon vehicle, approached women who were soliciting money and allegedly offered payment in exchange for sexual acts.
Soulia: Pull back the curtain on pre-legislative dealmaking
That pattern raises a simple question: when does the real policymaking actually happen—and who is involved before anyone else sees it?
New ROOT permit will boost housing starts, Miro tells Legislative caucus
Former Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger joined lawmakers last Friday to present for Let’s Build Homes, a nonprofit where he now serves as executive chair. He criticized Vermont’s regulatory environment for housing, pointing in particular to a subjective permitting process and to burdensome aspects of Act 181 and Act 250. Ultimately, his message was clear, Vermont is not building enough housing, and reform is needed.
Scott: House punting hard work of education reform
Achieving scale through larger districts isn’t controversial because it won’t work — it’s controversial because it’s hard work. The proposal that passed the House Education Committee last week takes the easy way out.
$11M more approved by House for capital construction budget
A bill increasing current fiscal year capital construction budget spending from $112 million to $123 million passed the House yesterday and now moves on to the Senate.
VT Headlines: Man found dead under Vt. bridge used as homeless encampment
Police searching for missing Vermont woman; Winooski woman charged with credit card fraud; Lamoille County towns get funding for flood warning system; Williston will hold new vote on $13.8m library bond
Manfacturers’ concerns, fresh face in Senate race topix on Hot Off The Press this week
Listen on WDEV AM 550, FM 96.1, and wdevradio.com. Listeners are invited to call in anytime at 802-244-1777.
Manufacturers urge lawmakers to cut barriers to growth, jobs
Vermont may lack the energy, regulatory, and workforce advantages of many states, but if given an edge like the proposed R&D tax credit, the Green Mountain State could become an innovation hub.
Vermont wants 40k new homes by 2030, but nobody has shown where
The state has set vital housing targets while lawmakers built a regulatory framework that may make those targets unreachable. The math has never been reconciled — and half the maps don’t yet exist.
Stearns: Rich people with big lawyers still pollute, working people stuck with Act 181
The people who work the land and those who care for animals are not the type of people the Legislature wants here anymore.
Embattled Franklin County Sheriff Grismore won’t run again
“This decision was not made lightly, but with a clear understanding of the demands and challenges of public service in Vermont, as well as the timing for the next chapter of my life,” Grismore said in a news release Monday.
Skull fragment linked to ashes scattered on Lake Champlain
DNA Doe Project identifies remains found in Vermont in 2011
Trump order would end universal mailed ballots
The executive order requires the United States Postal Service to deliver absentee and mail-in ballots only to voters included on those lists.
Remembering two Vermonters lost aboard sub USS Thresher
On 10 April 1963 the USS Thresher (SSN 593) was lost with all hands; two of those individuals were Vermont Submariners, James P. Ritchie, 22 from Burlington, VT and Edward A. Johnson, 34 from Hardwick, VT.
VT Headlines: Two arrested, one at large after alleged St. Albans robbery at knifepoint
Burlington police arrest man accused of voyeurism; Brattleboro Police Department welcomes new police chief; Vermont fifth-grade students in Fairfield launch rocket as part of STEM program; Morrisville woman drowns while kayaking in Lamoille River; Brattleboro Memorial Hospital support staff union may issue strike notice
Lawmakers weigh increased insurance coverage for prosthetics
Supporters of the bill are hoping that H.432 will help eliminate the barriers many amputees face
New bill designed to stop chronic absenteeism in schools passes the House
A student is considered chronically absent when they miss 20 or more unexcused days of school within the last school year, or 175 school days
Page: Repeal Road Rule, Tier 3 now – don’t delay
The Senate version of act 181 reform, now under House Environment Committee review, kicks the can down the road: four years for the Road Rule, two years for Tier 3.
No ICE in schools, Act 181 reform get hearing in House today
Also, security checks on visitors every day through the rest of the session, and mental health agencies seek Medicaid increase.
Canadian tourists are not coming back
In January 2026, Vermont border crossings were 10.8% fewer than in January 2025 the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development reports.
Pay more up front, save later
Vermont lawmakers are advancing a major restructuring of how primary care is paid for, but the proposal is raising fundamental questions about cost, access, and how much of the system it can realistically change.
Roper: Sometimes the sausage NOT being made is uglier than the sausage
How a non-vote exposed the Democrats’ true attitudes regarding the housing crisis.
Closing the loop: A farmer-led pilot to recycle agricultural plastics
On Guy Crosby’s beef farm in Hartland, farming runs in cycles. Nutrients move through soil, grass, and animals and return to the land. Plastic disrupts that cycle.
Stone: Act 181 is serfdom
When mapped to its statutory language and agency behavior, Vermont’s Act 181 emerges as far more than a conservation law. It is a comprehensive land allocation system that integrates biodiversity protection, housing distribution, agricultural land preservation, and redistributionist and reparation (aka equity) considerations into a unified framework.
Baruth amendment bans guns in bars statewide
A policy change that would modify the Burlington City charter to ban firearms in bars has been revived in the Senate Judiciary Committee—but this time, the policy extends statewide.
Vermont bill reshapes competency restoration system
Vermont lawmakers have advanced S.193, a bill that would establish a secure forensic facility for individuals caught at the intersection of the criminal justice and mental health systems—a population that has increasingly strained courts, hospitals, and correctional facilities.
VT Headlines: Police arrest Williston armed robbery suspect
Blocked from police work in Vermont, ex-Addison County sheriff faces possible new black mark; VTSU Johnson community mourning loss of men’s basketball head coach Alfred Johnson
Scott laughs off Dem criticism that he’s to blame for high taxes, low affordability
In an exchange with Vermont Public reporter Peter Hirchfeld at last Wednesday’s press conference in the Vermont State House, Scott responded with laughter and testy answers to accusations that he, and not the Democrat majority, are responsible for the state’s increasing financial, housing, and affordability problems.
Clark endorsement, Richards campaign launch mark start of key Vermont races
Attorney General Charity Clark has endorsed a candidate in the race for Chittenden County State’s Attorney, offering early backing in what is expected to be a competitive August primary.
Blotter: Man killed in ATV crash; Domestic assault charges Filed; Big Barre drug bust
Ten people were arrested and significant quantities of illegal drugs and cash were seized following coordinated law enforcement operations at two Barre residences on April 4, according to local police. Police reported seizing approximately 13.5 grams of crack cocaine, fentanyl, psilocybin mushrooms, assorted pills, and $1,337 in cash. An additional traffic stop tied to the investigation resulted in the seizure of $6,500.
Letters: Fernandez on Easter, Passover, and Hamas
Also: Lovett on the case against bear baiting in Vermont/ Shields on how favoring hunters limits property rights/ Pearl of GOP betrayal
Keelan: What is reasonable compensation for State officials?
Vermont’s taxes, whether real estate, income, or taxes masked as fees, are at the breaking point. So why be concerned about government employees’ salaries when the real culprit is spending? Because, except for a few nonprofits, we are not keeping up with what it takes to attract skilled folks to move here.
Herron: Act 181 and our natural rights
Here’s the thing, if the thought and spirit of an organization doesn’t align with the body and letter, there is a fundamental and incompatible legal conflict between the purpose of the corporation and their governing actions.
Breaking: Franklin County man killed in Swanton crash
Marlin Morton, formerly of St. Albans, was driving westbound on Vermont 78 when his 2012 Jeep Liberty went off the road about 5:35 p.m., village police said. Sgt. Kyle Gagne said the Jeep struck a tree and landed upright in the Missisquoi River.
At Easter, Vermont Catholic Church welcomes many new converts
In a state with a declining birth rate and an aged population, data from the Diocese of Burlington indicates that conversions among adults are increasing at a rapid rate, and enrollment at Vermont Catholic schools is up.
Roper: House votes to spend another $83,000,000 on homeless
Time for new thinking — and maybe some new lawmakers — not just new money.
Murder victim’s mom lists suspected mentally ill killers, urges secure forensic facility
Elijah Compagna was found not competent and deemed dangerous, yet was placed in a community-based group home in 2025. While there, he was able to lure a young woman into the home and stab her to death — in a setting not designed or staffed to manage that level of risk – just one example of a pattern of inadequate state care for the dangerously mentally ill, Carroll said.
Watch Artemis/Orion flight LIVE
This stream started as Artemis II began its ascent into space and will conclude shortly before Orion splashes down into the Pacific Ocean.
Pro-life prayer gathering’s icon of Virgin Mary defaced in Brattleboro
Parishioners said the group’s image of Our Lady of Guadalupe — a revered figure in Catholic tradition and considered the patroness of the pro-life movement — was vandalized with pink paint during the gathering and is now beyond repair.
VT Headlines: Migrant Justice leader released on bond, but judge calls evidence against him ‘strong’
New bill could ‘cut red tape’ on Advanced Aviation; Tree falls on St. Albans home, dispatch says no injuries reported
House Education advances reform bill, draws criticism from GOP caucus
House Republicans sharply criticized the measure, arguing it falls short of addressing Vermont’s rising education costs and fails to deliver meaningful structural reform.
Two-year pilot program aims to support special education programs
S.233 could provide more resources for students with disabilities and their families
Two indicted on federal drug charges after chase in North Troy
Two Connecticut men have been indicted on federal drug charges after U.S. Border Patrol agents say the pair fled a traffic stop near the Canadian border and tossed a bag containing fentanyl, cocaine and cocaine base from their vehicle.
New drug in Fentanyl that Naloxone won’t reverse
A veterinary sedative synthesized in clandestine labs is showing up in fentanyl at rapidly increasing rates, and it doesn’t respond to naloxone
VT Headlines: Scott’s return-to-office order violated union rules, labor relations board says
International migration to Chittenden County plummeted last year, new data shows; Brattleboro nurses union prepare to give 10-day strike notice; Pilot program could help fill law enforcement need in rural areas
Thompson: No one is coming to save rural Vermont — because the plan is to empty it
Three forces — Vermont’s Act 181, the UN’s 2030 Agenda, and Project 2025’s Mandate for Leadership — are converging on the same outcome: the managed hollowing-out of rural life.
Car crashes into pottery shop/ Accused murderer remains jailed
A Bristol man was cited for driving under the influence Tuesday, March 31 after crashing his vehicle into a Main Street business in Waitsfield late Tuesday afternoon, according to the Vermont State Police.
Testimony is heard in the Senate on psilocybin
Vermont lawmakers heard testimony Wednesday on a proposal that would allow patients to access certain clinically appropriate psilocybin-based therapies in the event of federal approval.
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