Donahue, following a long career in public life in Rutland, notably gained an endorsement from Governor Phil Scott.
Rutland voters rise above write-in chaos, pick Donahue as mayor
Roper: What’s the cost of VT joining NY’s (still non-existent) Cap & Invest carbon tax scheme?
A newly leaked memo says over $4000 per household, $2.23/gal “tax” on gasoline.
Cohen: Bernie socialists accused of spreading lies about maple syrup to win a political contest
Politics in Vermont’s largest city not so sweet
VT Headlines: Winooski elects Thomas Renner as “Vermont’s first black Mayor”
Towns take the temperature on support for universal health care; Vermont voters say they can barely take another property tax hike
Town Meeting: School budget votes mixed, first VT black mayor elected
Meanwhile, residents in Waterbury overwhelmingly approved spending more than $4.3 million on a flood mitigation project aimed at protecting homes, businesses and infrastructure from future disasters.
Readers: I need YOUR help with Town Meeting issue this morning
If you know if your local school budget passed or failed, email results and (if you have them) totals RIGHT NOW to news@vermontdailychronicle.com.
Why a new juvenile safety bill doesn’t address the cost of empty beds
Vermont spends 72% of its child welfare budget on out-of-home placements, the third-highest in the US. It’s spending is fourth-lowest on preventive services at 2% and second-lowest on child protection
Letters: Fernandez on Behind Operation Epic Fury
Also, Mazur on Arab cooperation against Iran. McCormick on needing 3 more Republican Senators.
Vermont’s restoration of wild turkeys to be celebrated April 18 in Pawlet
The restoration of wild turkeys in Vermont is one of the Fish and Wildlife Department’s most notable wildlife restoration efforts. It began on February 28, 1969, when wild turkeys were live-trapped by the department’s former turkey biologist William Drake in southwestern New York and stocked in Pawlet, Vermont.
Woman run over by dump truck dies of abdominal trauma
The woman had been brought to Copley Hospital by a friend after suffering significant abdominal trauma.
Warner: Mid-Vermont Girls Basketball falls to #1 Richford but still wins big
The Barre Auditorium was heating up despite punishingly cold winter conditions outside. The number four seed Mid-Vermont Christian School (MVCS) Eagles took on the number one Richford Falcons in a battle of high soaring offenses and tight clawing defenses.
Maine Senate candidate and veteran Graham Platner holds momentum with Bernie backing
The contest to pick a challenger to five-term Republican incumbent Susan Collins has become a proxy war for the future of the Democratic Party, and Vermont’s own Bernie Sanders is at the center of it.
VT Headlines: Judge considers competency for accused shooter of three Palestinian students
Wrongful death lawsuit filed by family of man who died following injury in Vermont prison; One person taken to helicopter after rescue from Saxtons River; Vermont fighter pilots deployed to Iran, officials confirm
Town with closed school seeks no-confidence vote in state’s school funding system
Windham Elementary School has been closed since 2023, when financial, staffing and legal troubles led the Town to shutter the school and tuition children to nearby Townsend. Town Meeting voters in 2024 opted to sell the asbestos-ridden building to the Town for $1 for possible use as a community center. According to the Commons, the community newspaper for Windham County, school voters will be asked to approve a two percent funding increase.
Winooski ballot item proposes a $950,000 renovation for Police Department and City Hall
The bulk of the $950,000 would be spent on the police department to address the lingering asbestos and black mold issue
Towns across Vermont will hold town meetings today, but Vershire is not among them.
Vershire officials postponed town meeting to Saturday, April 11 after the town failed to comply with state law that requires town reports to be distributed to the voters of the town at least 10 days before town meeting.
U.S. Supreme Court delivers victory for parental rights
Supreme Court rules that California cannot hide children’s gender transitions from parents; landmark decision protects parental rights nationwide
Galfetti property tax freeze gets cold shoulder in tax committee
With an estimated 12 percent increase to property tax rates looming and school budget votes knocking on our doors, a Vermont House committee briefly discussed a bill to freeze property taxes.
CLG: More money to fund war with Iran? Speaker Mike Johnson hints at vote
Trump promises swift retaliation for drone attack on U.S. embassy and deaths of service members as Americans told to flee 15 countries amid ‘major uptick’ in strikes; Israel strikes Lebanon following Hezbollah attacks, widening Iran conflict; Oil tanker attacked off coast of U.S. ally; Moscow condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran
UVM Home Health & Hospice volunteers help redefine end of life care
Among the longest‑serving hospice volunteers in the nation, Charlotte Kenney, Jan Watt and Lil Venner have each devoted more than 45 years to UVM Health – Home Health & Hospice because, they say, helping patients and their families make the most of the time they have left of this earth is a privilege, rooted in grace and connection.
Chief Swanson demotion hearing shrouded in secrecy
Ground rules are out for hearing; Trustees plan to keep decision a secret
Vermont group says no to fed fluoride changes
The Vermont Environmental Justice Network is among more than 140 organizations supporting comments filed by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry opposing a proposed fluoride assessment by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Letters: Mazur on Iran attack, Thayer on Rutland mayor race
Petraeus had one caution: leadership succession. Unless one emerges that is counter to current leadership, Iran will remain a threat.
Mid-Vermont Christian girls Reach hoop semis
Shut out of tourney play because they wouldn’t play against a team with a male player, Mid-Vermont Christian was reinstated after a court settlement and is now vying for the state championship.
Fatal crashes down nationwide, up in Vermont
Eight states bucked the national trend. Vermont recorded a 5% increase in traffic fatalities, joining Hawaii (+25%), Wyoming (+12%), Kansas (+10%), New Mexico (+8%), Idaho (+7%), Louisiana (+5%) and Colorado (+3%).
BREAKING: Gen. ‘Raisin’ Cain praises Green Mountain Boys role in attack on Iran
In the case of the Vermont Air National Guard and the 15th fighter wing, they were mobilized for Operation Absolute Resolve, and then were tasked to take their F-35As across the Atlantic, instead of going home, in order to be prepared for this operation,” Cain said.
VT Headlines: Woodstock Village Trustees to hold second hearing on police chief’s demotion
Protest in BTV over Iran strike/ Faith leaders rally in South Burlington for immigrant support/ Vermonters rally outside ICE facility in Williston as part of nationwide protest
Why drug dealers keep coming back to Vermont — and why nobody’s solution is working
Vermont’s drug trafficking problem is getting worse. The two-sided debate over what to do about it shows that both parties are right — and both ignoring the pieces that don’t fit their argument.
Sales tax on services would net $497 million, state report says
If the Legislature seizes on the JFO report to enact a broadbased sales tax on services, the state’s next budget could hit $10,000,000,000 – its first-ever 11 figure budget.
Immigrant students could get more protections under new bill
Increased ICE presence has caused a ripple effect across the entire state, according to Winooski Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria.
Post-pandemic, more Vermonters are voting by Australian ballot for Town Meeting
Paper ballots make voting easier but take away the ability to “change each other’s minds,” expert says.
$18,000 to translate a 12-page Vermont policing policy
During a recent budget hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Vermont officials cited a specific example of what multilingual access can cost: approximately $18,000 to translate one statewide policy into 13 languages and produce an American Sign Language (ASL) video version.
BREAKING: Drescher and Nolan hear first Vermont Supreme Court cases
Vermont’s two newest Supreme Court justices hit the ground running Wednesday — their first day for hearing appeals since they were confirmed by the Vermont Senate this month.
Campus group founded by activist Mahdawi urges “Death to America” following attack on Iran
CUAD wrote on X: ‘Marg bar Amrika.’ In Persian, the statement means ‘Death to America.’
Vote to close school in Windham County
Small town faces small school closure at Town Meeting.
Delinquent taxes spike town tax rate despite budget cuts
The Town of Cambridge cut municipal spending, but paying taxpayers are still looking at a big tax hike.
Rutland Mayor Election Focus: Tom Donahue, Robert Reynolds talk growth, taxes
Donahue: longtime alderman, endorsed by Gov. Phil Scott. Reynolds: electrician and entrepreneur. Just two of the candidates in the all-write-in election for Rutland mayor.
Gov. Scott will vote no on Town Meeting school budget
“At this point I will be voting no,” Scott said, citing a projected increase of $250/$100,000 of home values.
Suspected drug trafficker, child abuser sought in theft of 20 firearms
Emerson is already wanted on a $25,000 warrant for failure to appear in court on outstanding fentanyl trafficking and child abuse charges.
Mid Vermont Christian girls back in VPA hoop tournament
Three years after being banned from all extracurricular activities, including sports by the Vermont Principals’ Association, the Mid Vermont Christian School is headed back to the post season girls basketball tournament.
Mother: Addict son needs treatment, not prison
When you have self-worth and purpose, you build self-respect. You learn respect for others. You become a productive member of society. That is what most people struggling with substance use disorder truly want.
Wrong-way driver charged with murder
Wooster had been traveling north in the southbound lanes for about 1.5 miles before colliding head-on with a southbound vehicle.
VT Headlines: Sarah George refuses to press charges against protesters arrested in Williston
Dredging project along Burlington’s waterfront continues to keep marinas safe and functional; CVU families to vote on $13 million improvement project; Montpelier mayor’s race uncontested, but questions about infrastructure, housing loom
Douglass: Seven Days? How about Seven Hours?
I am seeking corrections or the removal of the story and I have filed an ethics complaint with the management of Seven Days. Errors are common and mistakes happen, but not in these amounts. But I’ll leave you with one last thought, would Alison have reported about me if I had gotten a job at McDonalds or a gas station or really anywhere else than at her competition?
Bill offers pre-k mental health
During recent House Health Care Committee discussion on H.817, a bill that proposes to provide optional mental health literacy and peer-to-peer mental health clubs in public schools.
Anti-Israel Town Meeting referendum wants F-35’s recalled from possible Iran strike
The Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation (VCPL) announced it will hold a post-election press conference March 4 at the steps of the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier to highlight the results of its “Apartheid-Free Community” campaigns across the state.
Priced out of the Green Mountain State
While a recent Wall Street Journal report highlights that Americans are leaving the country in record numbers, many Vermonters are beginning to view the international border as a financial lifeline.
Roper: The Vermont Public School system is destroying our state
Stop giving it more money!
Bill making homeless teens more independent moves through committee
This week, the House Committee on Human Services has heard testimony on H.657, a bill that changes or establishes multiple practices within the Department of Children and Families (DCF), including overseeing a qualified minor’s social security income, defining the proper use of restraints and transportation for minors, restricting the use of solitary confinement on minors, the use of pregnancy calendars or tracking pregnant individuals, and reforming unaccompanied homelessness for minors.
Woman leaves children alone in motel at 1 AM, police say
Troopers determined the children were able to leave the room on their own and were later found in what authorities described as a dangerous situation.
Vermonter (likely!) sought for New Hampshire Girl Scout cookie swipe
LPD did not identify the state where the suspect resides, but Vermont is a non-New Hampshire state in the vicinity of the Walmart in West Lebanon.
Stone: When faith meets global power
SDGs, dogma, and the shrinking space for debate
Hero chopper pilot is Norwich grad
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover, a U.S. Army helicopter pilot and graduate of Norwich University’s College of Graduate and Continuing Studies, was awarded the Medal of Honor during Tuesday’s State of the Union address by President Donald Trump.
VT Headlines: Governor Scott endorses Rutland mayoral candidate Tom Donahue ahead of write-in election
Vermont National Guard to train Ukrainian soldiers in Germany; This Town Meeting Day, Vermont towns consider calling for universal health care; Landowners could restrict hunters with purple paint under bill in Vermont house
Committee to vote on fossil fuel sales reporting bill
Vermonters are “stuck using fossil fuels, the polluting fuels of the past,” committee chair says.
Saturday night shooting Ziz connection? Feds checking it out
U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan said authorities are reviewing Daly’s possible ideology and any links to the Zizians, two of whose alleged members face charges in a fatal Vermont highway shooting last year.
Herron: Declaration of Independence ‘greatest breakup letter of all time”
Considering Thomas Jefferson was an experienced lawyer, the Declaration of Independence reads more like poetry than a legal document. In what many believe is the greatest breakup letter of all time, Jefferson clearly explained, to the entire world, that the problem was not the colonists in America, the problem was the king.
Castleton WWII veteran braved Japanese machine guns at Battle of Luzon, Trump tells SOTU audience
It took a speech made by the Commander in Chief to an estimated 40 million people for VDC to learn how George “Buddy” Taggert earned his Purple Heart – and Bronze Star.
VT Headlines: Elementary school principal faces DUI charges
Rutland mayor race widens, as new candidates announce write-in campaigns; Vermont school budgets appear to be totaling lower than predicted; Vermont House advances data protections for people who use genetic testing sites; Addison County BIPOC+ will celebrate a ‘Golden’ Lunar New Year
Lawmakers create emergency pathway for Section 8 vouchers, but no immediate cash infusion
Understanding what actually happened requires looking beyond headlines to examine the mechanisms, money, and competing pressures shaping this decision.
Transgender inmates rights bill discussed in House committee
A group of Vermont state representatives has introduced H.550, a bill designed to establish comprehensive standards for the intake, classification, and housing of transgender, nonbinary, and intersex individuals within the Department of Corrections (DOC).
Klar: Biden sabotaged efforts to stanch flood of illegal immigration
Now Democrats copy his misleading accusations that Republicans were the root of the problem.
Travel the Vermont African American Heritage Trail
The Vermont African American Heritage Trail was created by the Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing. Explore museums, cultural sites, exhibits, films, and tours that illuminate African American history in Vermont.
Dunlap: Husband has Alzheimer’s, Act 181 is stealing the value of our land
The following testimony from Retta Dunlap, Woodbury, VT was submitted to Senate Natural Resources Committee.
Soulia: ICE arrests dangerous criminals in VT
Documented arrests in Vermont show that ICE operations here have involved individuals with serious criminal histories.
Ryan: Act 181 is erasing rural Vermonters
Working families are priced out of existence
Holt: Are we getting our money’s worth from Bernie Sanders?
Vermonters expect their elected officials to represent them diligently, especially when Congress is in session. Yet too often, it appears our senior senator, Bernie Sanders, is focused elsewhere.
Teacher used spray bottle to discipline child, mom says
School apologizes, says practice has been stopped
Video: road rager forces car off I-89 ramp
A vehicle, believed to be a dark-colored Audi SUV with a roof rack, sideswiped another vehicle and forced it off the roadway.
Vermonter busted for kiddie sex abuse materials
Suspected online sexual exploitation of a minor connected to the MeetMe app.
Man charged with domestic terror after mass casualty threat
Authorities said that after being taken into custody, Millett allegedly continued making statements similar in nature to those reported by the crisis line, including references to a potential mass casualty event.
How to build a career in integrative mental health in Vermont
Vermont’s wellness lifestyle provides a really unique opportunity for mental health professionals to build a career in integrative mental health. Building a career in integrative mental health in Vermont requires a mental health skill set that can be integrated into the community’s wellness lifestyle.
VT Headlines: FEMA responds to winter storm but pauses recovery work during partial shutdown
Vermont to deploy resources to Massachusetts after 2026 blizzard; Raj Bhakta says he’s walking away from Poultney, Green Mountain College; Lamoille County parent says teacher used spray bottle to discipline students
Fire chiefs need more volunteers
To help recruit and retain members, many volunteer departments now provide a minimum-wage stipend for time spent responding to calls.
10-year-old catches record fish, nets $26K
In June, 10-year-old Grayson Carey of Colchester landed the record-setting fish while competing in the Lake Champlain International Father’s Day Derby with his father and grandfather. The Freshwater Drum, also known as “sheepshead,” weighed 28.5 pounds and measured 37 ½ inches long with a 29-inch girth. It beat the previous state record set in 2016 by three pounds.
Castleton WWII veteran to be honored guest at Trump State of the Union
Taggart, a resident of Castleton, is part of what remains of the rapidly shrinking generation of Americans who served during World War II. He will celebrate his 100th birthday on July 4.
Filmmaker: Vermont Public wrong to pick sides on Abenaki question
Abenaki people who happen to live in Vermont are not fakes, not liars, and not deserving of this public hate campaign.
EdWatch warns Act 73 reduces choice, won’t improve outcomes
A Vermont education advocacy group is raising concerns about the state’s school governance reform law, saying it increases consolidation, reduces school choice, and fails to address high costs and stagnant student performance.
Hansen: Realpolitik priorities in foreign affairs
A great power like the United States has two enduring imperatives:
• Maintain dominance in its own hemisphere (“Monroe Doctrine”).
• Prevent any peer competitor from achieving regional hegemony elsewhere.
Thurston: Breaking down added cost of renewables on my energy bill
How much of my $150 month electric bill is going toward fighting global warming?
VT abandons gender-ideology mandate in care for foster children
ADF clients dismiss appeal after state officials rescind decision to revoke their licenses
Roper: Voter ID is critical, especially now in Vermont
Our elections system is currently designed to maximize cheating.
Man arrested for sex assault on 9-year-old
Sheldon has been charged with aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, and lewd and lascivious conduct with a child.
VT Headlines: Athletes with Vermont ties account for one-fifth of total US medals at 2026 Winter Games
Balint urges Vermonters in Mexico to heed State Dept. guidance; Castleton police rescue missing hiker; Hundreds show out for Winter Jam at Champlain College; Local business owners hit hard by tariffs forcing change in their operations
Bongartz pitches school merger ‘soft landing’
In the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, Committee Chair Senator Seth Bongartz (D-Bennington) introduced a new plan to revise Vermont’s education system. The main goal of the system, said Bongartz, is to increase governance efficiency and enable a higher quality educational delivery, in a way that moderates the growth rate of state spending on education.
Homegrown groups call on Canada to safeguard security, combat transnational crime
The ICAIE also notes that the greatest number of illegal border crossers coming from Canada to the U.S. were apprehended by U.S. immigration officials in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Swanton Sector in Vermont and upstate New York, which The Center Square has reported for years. It also notes that the majority of illicit drugs seized at the U.S.-Canada border were by U.S. authorities in the CBP Buffalo, Detroit and Swanton sectors coming from Canada, The Center Square has also reported for years.
Colchester drug dealer gets 20 years for Swanton drug shooting
A federal court jury convicted Dominique “Wop” Troupe, 39, of Bay Road on four felony drug, gun and robbery charges following a six-day trial in Rutland in May 2024. Troupe helped plan the robbery in Swanton four years ago and reportedly had told the two gunmen he recruited for the case that nobody was supposed to be injured, prosecutors have said. The armed robbery for the drugs went sideways. Elijah Oliver, 22, of Haverhill, Mass. died from two gunshots inside the residence at 45 First St. in Swanton about 4:35 a.m. Feb. 2, 2022, Vermont State Police said.
Draft Act 181 maps raise questions about landowner rights
At Friday’s meeting of the Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee, lawmakers received an update on the ongoing development of Act 181 “Tier 3” areas under Vermont’s evolving land-use framework — a category that could shape where and how Act 250 applies in certain parts of the state.
Domestic assault, DUI arrests around VT
Vermont State Police reported multiple domestic assault and DUI arrests across the state in recent days.
CLG: Armed man is shot and killed by Secret Service after entering Mar-a-Lago in middle of the night
Driver armed with a flamethrower rams LADWP substation in possible ‘terrorism-related event’; U.S. drones take to the skies as Trump’s fleet descends on the Middle East; Muslim states condemn U.S. envoy over remarks on Israel’s ‘biblical rights’; Israel’s Gaza ‘ceasefire’ death toll tops 600; American tourists left stranded in beautiful Mexico hotspot as cartels torch cars and wreak havoc in ‘code red’ attack
Barre battles State over secret fishing tourneys on its reservoir
When the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife issued permits for fishing tournaments on the reservoir for the 2026 season—without notifying the city that relies on it for drinking water—Barre officials were caught off guard. When they protested, state officials reportedly offered a creative solution: tournament participants could technically “parachute in” to avoid trespassing on city land.
Be bold, stand for truth, TPUSA audience urged
The question on everyone’s mind: what happens next? Currently unable to procure a sponsorship necessary from any of their teachers at Spaulding High School to create an official Club America chapter, Fewer and Kastner will continue to operate the club as a TPUSA Activism Hub, and plan to hold future club meetings of a smaller scale.
Keelan: It is time for Efficiency Vermont to declare victory
Efficiency Vermont, the wholly owned division of the 40-year-old Winooski, Vermont nonprofit, Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, has done a remarkable job over the past 25 years. Let us accept this and repurpose its funding from Vermont’s electric rate-payers.
First VT TPUSA high school club kicks off Friday night
Undeterred, the two freshmen worked with TPUSA to start a club outside of the high school. It met for the first time Friday night in Barre at the Canadian Club – or as Seth calls it, “the 51st State Club.”
Soulia: Vermont’s $2B retiree health gap
Vermont’s long-term obligations for retiree health care benefits remain a major financial burden, even as the state has begun setting aside more money to address them.
Medwid: Fish & Wildlife practices ‘domination’ of nature
It would be easy to label these debates as hunters and trappers versus those who oppose hunting and trapping. But that false assessment would trivialize and misdirect the debate as well as ignore the findings of a major values survey that shines a bright light as to just why these controversial wildlife practices are so protected by FWD.
Letters: Casey on Balint’s robocall, platform
Also, Watson on VT’s self-serving bureaucracy and Baker on making VTNG require war declaration to deploy
Baruth won’t seek re-election
Known for gun-control legislation.
Vermont couple regains foster license after dispute over transgender training requirement
The couple objected to participating in certain aspects of the training, citing their personal beliefs. Their license was subsequently revoked, prompting legal action.
Klar: Event TONIGHT supports new Vermont chapter of Turning Point USA
Join us on February 20 (if you can)!
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