An invasive insect that harms maple trees has been discovered in Rutland.
Invasive Lanternfly found in Rutland
Billings: Principal Di Giulio must go!
A Northeast Kingdom parent says the high school principal who yesterday seemed to recognize burning the American flag as a form of protest should resign or be fired.
Water Cooler: Covid closes three schools, help for Maquam muck
There’s help for homeowners upset about Maquam Bay muck.
‘Celebrate America’ flag and sign wave in Rutland
A flag and sign wave to ‘celebrate America’ will be held Saturdya, September 4 in Rutland.
Vaxxed, unvaxxed cases rise sharply
During the last two weeks, positive Covid tests rose 30% among vaccinated Vermonters, 40% among the unvaccinated.
Father and son charged with attempted murder
A father and son from Hartford, Connecticut involved in a 2020 Newport shooting now also face charges in the attempted murder of a Derby man.
Prison in lockdown
The Newport state prison is in Covid-19 lockdown.
Roper: Vermont’s fiscal diaper about to explode
Ronald Reagan observed, “Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.” Here in Vermont, the diaper is about to explode.
Hardwick principal backs ‘choice’ of burning American flag
Hardwick’s new high school principal yesterday compared burning the American flag with other forms of protest. Offended parents and students want an apology.
Chang: Biden must deter possible China bio-war against non-Chinese
It’s not sci-fi. The Chinese are working on biowarfare “specific ethnic genetic attacks.” President Biden should stop its development and deployment – if he can.
Response: Recycling is NOT delusional
Vermont recyclables aren’t sent to China.
Daisy Turner ‘non-fiction comic’ published
The life of Daisy Tuner of Grafton, daughter of a freed slave, has been told in a graphic “comic book.”
Update: Brooklyn woman believed found dead
A woman from Brooklyn is missing. She was last seen walking her dog near her Vermont vacation home.
Shot fired from Burlington downtown hits school
A shot fired from Main and South Winooski broke a window in a Burlington elementary school.
Water Cooler: airport director won’t go, State House may not open in January, and masks required in prisons (again)
Afghan refugees will be welcome at Goddard College. Masks are now required in Vermont prisons. And the Burlington airport director tells Mayor Miro Weinberger to take a flying leap after being asked to resign.
Gordon Chang: U.S. failure in Afghanistan poses threat to Taiwan
Gordon Chang says Chinese propaganda is telling Taiwan to not trust America following U.S. collapse in Afghanistan. It’s also openly threatening the lives of U.S. servicemen stationed on Taiwan.
High school debater turned lawmaker challenged on worker shortage, police defunding
Rep. Becca White began public speaking career as a champion debater while a freshman at Hartford High School. Now she’s talking about the employment crisis (not enough meaningful work) and the Pledge of Allegiance (doesn’t like “under God”). One thing she won’t discuss: defending local police against their critics.
New attack submarine USS Vermont celebrated Saturday
A Vermonter from a family of U.S. Navy submarine officers spoke at the celebration of the commissioning of the attack submarine USS Vermont.
TPUSA conservative convention tonight
Conservatives from across Vermont are welcome to come network tonight in Williston, courtesy of TPUSA.
Your opinion sought on one-seat legislative districts
The board charged with recommending a new election district map to the Legislature is asking for YOUR opinion.
Parents against mandates free to home school, ‘find another school,’ Scott says
“I think there is personal liberty,” Scott said at this week’s press conference. “The parents don’t have to send their kids to school. There’s home schooling. They can find another school.”
A view from NH: VT not a ‘bipartisan model’
Can Vermont be a template for healing America? Only if more Republicans lay down or act like Democrats, but that’s not bipartisan; it’s surrender.
Evslin: It will be a great day when all Covid cases are vaccinated people….
Tom Evslin: “Vaccinated people are saving the lives of the unvaccinated by reducing the overall spread rate. If everyone were vaccinated, cases would quickly become rare and far between and then almost non-existent in the vaccinated population – fingers crossed on mutations and booster shots.”
11-year-old mask resister faces down Burlington school leaders
Felix Hume says students don’t bully him about not wearing a mask – just the grown-ups.
Adult day centers get $5 mil
The State of Vermont is distributing $5 million in a second round of federal pandemic funds to adult day centers to provide financial stability after an extended shut down due to COVID-19.
VT National Guard troops at Kabul airport
Troops from the Vermont National Guard’s 86th Mountain are supporting security at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Water Cooler: VT National Guard in Kabul, Scott observes Irene 10-year mark
It’s been 10 years since Irene devastated Vermont.
Rutland cop, man he killed ID’d
Police shot and killed a 33-year-old man in a Rte. 7, Rutland McDonald’s yesterday.
OSHA turns blind eye to workplace vax adverse reactions
The federal office responsible for workplace safety has told employers they no longer must record or report adverse reactions to Covid-19 vaccination.
Public schools paying religious school tuition
An estimated 20-25 students enrolled in Vermont Catholic religious schools are having their tuition paid by their local “tuitioning town” school districts.
Freedom Rally reporter came with questions, left with answers
Organic, practical, communal and united, Saturday’s Patriot Rally is what America still represents to many.
Black sheriff elected in 1879 kept the peace for 25 years
Vergennes elected a black man sheriff for 26 years, beginning in 1879.
Donovan deplores ban on ‘dismemberment’ abortions
TJ Donovan doesn’t use the word ‘dismemberment’ in his Tweet criticizing a court decision upholding a Texas ban on this form of second-trimester abortion.
Water Cooler: parents shout down pediatrician, Scott fires back at lawmakers, Rutland hospital vax mandate
Parents get testy with a pediatrician over school mask policy. Gov. Scott says VT is already doing plenty to control the virus. In Coventry, mold has closed a school.
Turner: Housing crisis started as developers’ nightmare
The growing nightmare of homelessness and rent serfdom began with the Kafkaesque nightmare familiar to Vermont developers – the state’s building permit “approval” process.
I-89 fatal, cause unknown
Scott Campbell of Swanton died yesterday evening after his pickup truck left I-89 in Georgia. A passenger thrown from the truck survived.
Extra back-to-school cash dispensed to needy families
Federal pandemic $$ goes for back-to-school cash for needy families.
Leahy’s debt limit confusion
More debt, more debt, more debt. That’s all Pat Leahy has learned after 47 years in office.
Vax rate at UVMMC slightly below state average
The vaccination rate among UVM Medical Center workers is slightly lower than the statewide 85.7% vaccination rate.
Former cop sought sex for money
A former Caledonia County Sheriff’s captain has been charged with seeking sex from women in the criminal justice system.
Bananas: How I learned to stop worrying and love the Mandates
Mask mandates are returning – welcome back to junior high!
CORRECTION: TPUSA conservative convention FRIDAY
Conservatives from across Vermont are welcome to come network Friday evening in Williston, courtesy of TPUSA.
House Speaker wants indoor mask mandate
House Speaker Jill Krowinski wonders when Gov. Phil Scott will require everyone – vaccinated or not – to wear masks indoors.
Water Cooler: Burlington closing city streets, VT Health Dept. hires more contact tracers
Lower College Street in Burlington will be closed to traffic while Union Station repairs are underway.
Scott: fed OK for vaccine ages 2-11 expected by mid-September
Covid-19 vaccination of children ages 2 -11 should receive federal emergency use authorization by mid-September, Gov. Phil Scott said today.
VTDigger spikes commentary about GMO vaccine
A major Vermont news outlet drops a commentary questioning the safety of the mRNA Covid-19 vaccine.
Thurston: Feminists & the Taliban
Unlike Madeline Kunin, many Democratic and Progressive feminists are silent about the Taliban’s harsh treatment of women, says an Addison County doctor who has worked and traveled extensively in the Muslim world.
Billado: American embarrassment
If you attack our cities, if you prohibit your own citizens from owning a satellite dish, if you condone throwing vats of acid in the faces of unveiled women, then you have lost all right to call yourself a government.
McClaughry: Afghanistan collapse, Vermont opportunity
Loyal friends of America are being butchered waiting for State Department approval for special immigration visas.
Roper: “Hangry’ tourists have government to thank
The ongoing taxpayer-paid vacation is leading to ‘hangry’ tourists and cancelled bus tours.
Disabled homeless to benefit from settlement
A legal settlement expands emergency housing services for disabled Vermonters.
Water Cooler: Jurors in bathrobes? / classrooms reopening / SNAP benefits to increase / preparing for Henri
Vermont civil court may allow some jurors to work from home. A sex offender is charged with extortion re: photos. And schools are reopening classrooms for returning children.
Fatal crash in Hartland / armed robbery / tractor stolen
Vermont State Police report a fatal car crash, a Shoreham armed robbery, and a stolen tractor – and their hiring of a new victim services officer.
Armed robbery in milking parlor
A dairy farm milking parlor was the scene of an assault and robbery August 9 in Shoreham.
Williamstown bar sex assault suspect nabbed
The man police say sexually assaulted a woman outside a Williamstown bar is in custody of New Hampshire police.
Desautels: Drug dealers get fair trials – why not me, mask-free store owner asks
“Our system has failed us. It has failed us big time. I am turning to you, the people, to get my story out so that in some small way it may help Vermonters keep our freedom. So that my story was not in vain.” – Newport store owner Michael Desautels
Archery deer season starts Oct. 1
Archery deer season starts in just five weeks.
State employee union wants more childcare benefits
Some state employees already receive $300/week reimbursement for child-care. Now their union wants more.
Update on Jummai Nache: pain and prayer
“The pain my wife is going through is 10 times the pain of the leg and hand amputations combined! Someone in the room said, “This is torture!” Humanly speaking it is heartbreaking and discouraging, but in the midst of both of us crying I heard a voice saying ‘Dear, stop crying, the Lord is healing me!’ That was the voice of Jummai.”
Vermonters earned less but spent more in July, thanks to fed $$
Vermonters’ overall personal income was down in July. One-time federal money stimulated personal spending and sales tax receipts.
Vermont Daily Water Cooler for Fri, Aug 20
A VT nursing home worries vax mandate will make staffing even harder. Montpelier revives municipal building mask mandate. Long Trail Day is next week.
Pressured to ‘take the jab,’ employees ask tough questions first
Pressured with ‘get the jab or lose your job,’ some Vermonters are demanding their boss first answer some tough questions.
Vax, masks, cop defunding, Prop 5, gun rights, CRT all on ‘Patriot Rally’ agenda
Experts on issues of concern to patriotic Vermonters will speak at a Patriot Rally at the State House this Saturday.
Johnny Bananas: My Interview with Evil
Rather than having the work done for you by Mr. Goody Two-Sandals, wokeness appeals to people’s desire to work when they don’t have to.
Two-tour Afghanistan vet worries about Taliban heroin
A retired Vermont National Guard officer worries that prime Afghan heroin laced with Chinese fentanyl will be easily smuggled across the southern border past Customs and Border Patrol workers preoccupied with the immigration crisis.
Health Dept. offers booster shots
The Vermont Health Dept. now offers booster shots at community-based pop-up clinics.
Virginia cops bust VT man who cut tracking bracelet
After cutting his tracking bracelet in Randolph, a Coventry man charged with domestic assault was arrested Thursday in Virginia, state police say.
Have you seen man who threatened victims with semi-auto at Maplefields?
Turns out the ‘customers’ the man was trying to sell a camera to in a Georgia convenience store parking lot were the lawful owners.
Water Cooler: Vax mandates legal, expert says / New tech jobs in H2Obury
Good news – 250 new tech jobs are scheduled to come to Waterbury. But where will they live? And what if they don’t want to be vaccinated?
Abortion at 17 – and still regretting it
My abortion represents the 99% of abortions performed. Even so, for me, It was an indescribable horror. That is MY experience.
Annette Smith: Climate Council oblivious to flood plain solar problems
The Vermont Climate Council needs a more nuanced approach to solar power development.
New chair sought for Act 250 oversight board
Gov. Scott is looking for a new chair for the Natural Resources Board, which oversees Act 250.
St. J fall festival cancelled due to ‘surging pandemic’
‘Surging pandemic concerns’ and lack of volunteers has led to the abrupt cancellation of next month’s Colors of the Kingdom Festival.
Scott welcomes Afghanistan refugees
Gov. Phil Scott has asked the State Department to send Afghan refugees to Vermont.
Chronicle Editorial: Cars = freedom
Road trips are the equivalent of human wings.
Cartoon: Play the Clottery!
Granitegrok.com cartoon: Play the Clottery
Water Cooler: TSA, Brattleboro reimpose mask mandate, schools lack paraeducators, booster shots coming
Mask mandates are coming back on some federal and local levels. And schools prep for another pandemic return to the school year.
Man who ‘keys’ cars fears FBI, Burlington police chief and prosecutor say
A man accused of keying more than 100 cars across Vermont fears FBI torture and needs mental help, the Burlington police chief and county prosecutor say.
Working for menstrual equity, teen donates 15,000 period products
What started as a teenager giving a tampon to friends in need has become a large-scale distribution project.
McClaughry: federal court ruling threatens VT age-21 gun purchase law
A federal court just ruled a 19-year-old woman has a right to own a gun. If upheld, the ruling could invalidate Vermont’s gun law setting the firearms purchase age at 21.
Stenger pleads guilty to EB-5 fraud
Businessman Bill Stenger has pleaded guilty to a felony in connection with the Northeast Kingdom EB-5 scandal.
Prog coasts to victory in Burlington’s Ward 3
In the end, Burlington’s crime epidemic and rent serfdom weren’t enough to move Ward 3 voters from their loyalty to the Progressive Party.
Friends of Craig Bensen to gather Saturday
Family and friends of Rev. Craig Bensen are invited to celebrate his life, legacy and consider how to continue his work at 2 PM, Saturday, August 21 at Hunger Mountain Christian Assembly on Rte. 100 in Waterbury Center.
BBQ with the Badge in Newport
A free family event August 26 in Newport will feature food, K-9 demonstrations, police cruiser tours, and a meet and greet with representatives of many law enforcement agencies.
Doctor/nurse conscience rights sacrificed to abortion lobby
The decision to drop the UVMMC lawsuit shows the Biden administration is bowing to the abortion lobby and abandoning Vermont health care workers’ conscience rights.
Juvenile detention center hearing August 25
A privately-run youth detention center in Newbury would replace the closed Woodside facility in Essex Junction.
Water Cooler – food stamps benefit hike permanent / controversial Covid-19 theories published / Cops seize guns after raiding home
A White River Junction publisher is ‘pushing Covid-19 conspiracy theories,” according to a VT news source. And cops took a man and his guns into custody after raiding his home.
The Oppression Olympics
Commentator Johnny Bananas imagines the Oppression Olympics.
Police seek Williamstown sex attack suspect
Police are seeking a 5′ 7″, short-haired man they suspect of aggravated sexual assault outside of a Williamstown bar.
Drones, dogs find missing boy
First responders used drones and dogs to find a missing 11-year-old boy last night in South Pomfret.
Don’t let crime epidemic spread from Burlington
One pandemic is bad enough. Burlington’s self-induced crime epidemic needs some tough medicine.
38% of new VT cases are ‘breakthrough’ vaccinated
It’s not just a ‘pandemic of the unvaccinated’ anymore. But their disease rates are still much higher.
Water Cooler: EB-5 fraud guilty plea / Nightclub to require vax / Jenna’s House opens in Johnson / Class of 2020 gets diplomas / Whiffleball tourney goes bridge
A third man has pleaded guilty in the NEK EB-5 case. Politicians scurry from the spotlight. Meanwhile a popular South Burlington nightclub will require a vaccine passport.
‘Patriot Rally’ Saturday at State House
Experts on issues of concern to patriotic Vermonters will speak at a Patriot Rally at the State House this Saturday.
Video: Vax-skeptic journalists not welcome at guv’s press conference
Two vax-skeptic Vermont journalists have been refused a place at Gov. Phil Scott’s weekly press conferences.
Fatal Harley – UTV crash
A Harley-Davidson driver died after a UTV cut in front of him on Rte. 7 in Pownal Saturday night.
Former lawmaker makes emergency landing of bi-plane along I-89
A bi-plane co-piloted by a former Vermont lawmaker made an emergency landing near I-89 in Richmond Sunday afternoon.
Suspicious fire in Richmond
A Sunday morning fire that destroyed a Richmond garage and its contents is considered suspicious.
Billado: Burlington’s crime disaster
The Progressive-led defunding of the Burlington Police Department is a public safety disaster.
Opinion: Recycling delusional?
Since China got out of the recycling import business in 2018, is our recycling just going in the trash? A Florida mayor says yes.
