Another gun rights supporter will testify against a bill making it a crime to carry a gun at a hospital.
Gun Owners of VT set to testify against hospital gun ban bill
It’s Bananas: The Mascot Dilemma
Rather than excel at sports and academia, our schools now strive to excel at grievances. First in line, mascots!
Flemming: ‘Cap and invest’ is another gas tax
The Climate Council is considering ‘cap and invest,’ capping total gasoline-related emissions and making gas dealers – and their customers – pay for going over.
…..Pants On Fire!
As the old saying goes…..another original political cartoon from Vermont Daily Chronicle’s growing roster of artists
Mazur: Fighting inflation and solving debt
Discipline now, or disaster later.
Keelan: a country doctor turns in his stethoscope
An ode to Arlington’s retiring family physician, Dr. Michael Welther.
Doctor opposing vax mandate ordered to get psych evaluation
The State of Maine has ordered an outspoken anti-vax mandate doctor with Vermont connections to get a psych eval or risk losing her license.
Hardwick woman dies in 3-car crash
A Hardwick woman died after her car turned left into the path of another car on slick, icy Rte. 15 in Walden.
Wholesale milk price tops $20
The current high cost of milk – a result of low production – is a tough on consumers but a blessing to Vermont dairy farmers, who had the third-highest production costs in the U.S. in 2020.
“All lives matter,” MLK niece told Vermont radio audience
At the height of the national agony following the George Floyd killing, the niece of Martin Luther King Jr. told an Essex Junction radio station audience why all lives matter.
Pension deal cuts $2 billion from $4.5 billion shortfall
There’s finally a deal to cut billions from the State of Vermont unfunded pension liability. Now just $2.5 billion to go.
Facebook censors VT fuel dealer post about Climate Council
Facebook won’t let a Vermont fuel business inform readers about the Vermont Climate Council. The owner of Proctor Gas is not happy.
Raising marriage age to 18 proposed
Vermont lawmakers want to raise the legal age of marriage to 18. Good idea – or not?
Prostitution legalization bill introduced
A new bill proposing decriminalization of prostitution has been introduced into the Vermont House.
Bill would change gender identity on birth certificate
A new bill would allow gender identity changes to be listed on Vermont birth certificates.
Vax mandate back at UVMMC
The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday cleared the way for Vermont’s biggest hospital to re-impose its all-worker vaccine mandate, with no exceptions for natural immunity or testing.
Free Press to print just six days a week / Vandal wrecks beehives / Afghans to Brattleboro / Trump, Stefanik raise $3 mil
Vermont’s venerable daily newspaper will no longer print every day. How the mighty have fallen.
Watercooler National: Supreme Court halts vaccine rule for businesses/ US sending $308 million in aid to Taliban/ Pelosi’s stock trading in question
The Supreme Court ruled on January 13 to stop the Biden administration from enforcing its vaccine mandate on private businesses.
Gaffney: Kunin wrong on abortion and filibuster
Men can’t get pregnant, even if former Governor Kunin writes it to be true.
$1 million grant subsidizes charging stations at apartment houses
Governor Phil Scott launched a new subsidy for electric vehicle charging stations at rental properties.
Gun rights advocates say hospital carry ban not needed
State laws against criminal trespass already allow hospitals to keep guns off the premises, House Judiciary was told Thursday.
Thayer ponders run for lt. governor
A Rutland grassroots activist may run for lieutenant governor.
Bill targets ‘renewable’ status of Big Hydro
Hydro-Quebec – Vermont’s largest source of carbon-free electricity – shouldn’t be considered renewable power, say sponsors of a bill introduced this week.
Senate bill requires insurance coverage for transgender fertility treatment
A new Senate bill would require all Vermont health care insurers – including Medicaid – to cover extensive fertility treatments for both transgender and non-transgender insureds.
Calendar of Events
Vermont Daily Chronicle debuts a new feature – a reader-sourced Calendar of Events.
Within hours, Vermonters claim 350,000 at home Covid tests
Vermonters flocked online to order the free rapid tests in the State of Vermont’s collaboration with the NIH and Amazon.
Evslin: Out with the cows, in with the trees
Reforesting Vermont’s declining, phosphorus-producing dairy farms would be a cheap, effective way to meet the state’s carbon reduction goals.
McKibben to Biden: decree things Congress won’t pass
Liberals worried about real threats to democracy should look first at Bill McKibben.
Transportation bill punishes low MPG with ‘feebates’
A bill co-sponsored by 61 Vermont House members (but no Republicans) would levy steep fees on vehicles with poor miles-per-gallon performance.
Water Cooler: / Quebec to fine unvaxxed / Burlesque festival on hold / tentative pension deal struck, teachers unhappy / Matthew Lyon owned slaves
Our neighbors to the north will impose financial penalties on the unvaccinated.
How the Vermont Legislature killed the Barre flag ordinance
Barre voters thought they’d decided which flags could be flown in City Hall Park. But the Legislature had other ideas.
Memo: Omicron causes “emergency staffing situation” among UVMMC nurses
The state’s largest hospital is going into emergency staffing mode as Omicron depletes workers and adds patients, an internal memo shows.
Herron: ‘Bullet Point Becca’ long on rhetoric
Becca Balint will throw out bullet points on issues but will give no substantive details on how her policy spending will fix them.
Act Now To Save Democrats!
Meanwhile in Vermont, the Democrats running the Vermont State House have disregarded a non-partisan, good-government plan to break up two-member House districts. Good in principle, bad for Democratic outcomes in the next election.
The next worry: UVM says flooding over the next 100 years will be costly
Improving riverbanks, floodplains and vegetation will help prevent an estimated $5.2 billion in Vermont flood damage in the next 100 years.
BS cries BS on $56K pricetag for new Alzheimer’s drug
Sanders says the feds shouldn’t let Biogen get away with charging $56K for a new Alzheimer’s drug.
Condos starts ‘myth vs. fact’ website page to ‘inoculate’ voters
Trying to staunch “misinformation”, the Vermont Secretary of State’s office has launched a webpage dedicated to election facts vs. myths.
Scott appoints diversity, equity, and inclusion activist to fill House vacancy
Governor Scott appoints member of Essex-Westford Equity Committee to fill House vacancy.
Scott, Levine can’t give unvaxxed death info
Neither Gov. Phil Scott, Finance Commissioner Mike Pieciak, nor Health Commissioner Mark Levine could tell how many unvaxxed Vermonters died in December, the second-most deadly month in the “pandemic of the unvaccinated.”
Cows dying from eating broadband debris
Cows are dying from eating broadband wire. The Artificial Intelligence Commissioner founder is trying to give it new life. And racial equity in landownership will get another look in House committees this week.
Evslin: when Zoom freezes over, free way to find out whose fault it is
Computer nerd Tom Evslin has written a program to determine why your Zoom is freezing.
Dame: trying to stop the Democratic Gerrymander
Why did House Democrats ask a tri-partisan Reapportionment Board its opinion if they were going to ignore it and take the party line?
Derby Line shooting suspect charged with attempted homicide
Alfred Charest has an active extraditable warrant for his arrest from the state of New Hampshire and will face a charge in Vermont of being a fugitive from justice.
A 30% tax attack in Charlotte
Charlotte town residents could see a 30% increase in taxes.
Another farm-raised unknown runs for lieutenant governor
A young woman and UVM graduate raised on a Vermont dairy farm is running for lieutenant governor. And her name isn’t Molly Gray.
Barre City legislators deny voters’ will on City Hall Park flag charter change
Little did Barre City voters know, when they voted almost 2-1 on a City Hall Park flag-flying ordinance, that their own legislators would quietly eliminate it months later.
Letter: Old-fashioned treatments the best
The old-fashioned cold remedies have worked well for Jacqueline Brook of Putney.
The Peril of the Federal Billions
No-one – except John McClaughry – is asking what we will do when the flood of federal money ends.
Covid summit meets Friday, Saturday
National leaders in the field of law, ethics, and medicine will meet this weekend for the Vermont Covid Summit.
Water Cooler: Monday, Jan. 10
A worker shortage means fuel truck drivers will need to work longer hours.
‘Environmental justice’ bill would create another unelected board
Congress Candidate Ram pushes ‘environmental justice’ bill at noon today.
Housing challenge facing Legislature: $300K home now costs $400K
Vermont officials are ready to spend big on creating new housing. Problem: a house that once cost $300K now costs about $400K, thanks to labor, supplies, land, etc.
Vermont Covid-19 hospitalizations up slightly in past week
Almost a third of Vermont’s ICU beds are empty today.
School contact tracing, PCR testing out; at-home testing in
Omicron is too quick for contact tracing and PCR tests. So the Agency of Ed is moving to at-home antigen testing instead. But will there be enough tests?
Hansen: Learning from the pandemic
Meg Hansen discusses with Bill Sayre how Covid-19 should be treated early.
Watercooler National: Canadian provinces could make vaccination mandatory/ Judge gives FDA 8 months to produce Pfizer data
Canadian provinces are likely to introduce mandatory vaccination policies in the coming months.
Letter: Condos’ defense of election integrity at odds with facts
Secretary of State Condos says voter integrity measures are meant to reduce the vote. Rather, they are prudent and fair efforts to ensure free and fair elections.
Merrill Lynch to pay $4.5 mil in Jay Peak settlement
Merrill Lynch will pay $4 million to settle claims brought on behalf of the receivership estate for Jay Peak, and $500,000 in lieu of penalty.
Hey Bernie – top 1% pays 40% of all fed taxes!
When Bernie Sanders says the rich don’t pay their fair share, you’ve got to wonder if he’s actually looked at the data.
Water Cooler: running in Antarctica / vigils & poli-speech on Jan. 6 / high school goes remote
If you think it’s cold in Burlington in January……just try running in Antarctica.
GOP bill: no ‘safe spaces’ discrimination at government meetings
A Senate bill would end the practice of excluding participation at government meetings on the basis of race.
Teens and legal cannabis – what to expect, how to plan
How can parents and other adults help at-risk youth deal with the added pressures of legal marijauna? Online event next Thursday.
Letter: Progressives/Socialists in legislature introduce child tax credit for parents earning $400K
The VT tax code is being changed to include non-taxable welfare payments to taxpayers with children.
Condos decries ‘insurrection,’ says 2020 was most secure election ever
Condos decries the Jan. 6 ‘insurrection’ and bemoans the fact that in many states, candidates doubting the legitimacy of the 2020 election are running for Secretary of State.
Governor Scott partnering with NIH to deliver rapid tests to Vermont households
500,000 rapid tests will be delivered to Vermont homes.
Bills introduced this year, last year eliminate vax religious exemption for minors
A bill striking the religious exemption from school vaccinations was introduced last January and is still pending review by the House Judiciary Committee.
Vax hesitant Vermonters most concerned about side-effects
Concern about side effects, vaccine safety, and distrust of both the vaccines and the government are among the reasons why Vermonters won’t take the jab.
Vermont at high risk of gerrymandering: national report
It will come as no surprise to people following the Democrat-controlled House Gov’t Ops dismantling of Legislative Apportionment Board recommendations that Vermont is at high risk for electoral district gerrymandering.
Vermont Daily Water Cooler for Thu, Jan 06
No Vermonters were arrested in the Jan. 6 incident at the Capitol building. Police seeking missing teen. State looking, again, for options for housing troubled youth. These headlines and others from Vermont’s media.
Ignoring popular recommendation, House committee rushing two-person House districts
Using the distraction of Covid, Vermont Democrats are ignoring a popular plan to eliminate two-seat House districts in favor of the partisan-favoring status quo.
Donahue: Proposal 5 threatens health care provider conscience protection
Proposal 5 would protect any abortion, for any reason, until the moment of birth. Doctors and nurses whose consciences forbid them from taking the life of the unborn would have no protection.
Krowinski priorities: spend fed $$, fight climate change, enshrine abortion in Constitution, dismantle systemic racism “in every policy area”
Krowinski believes VT needs to focus on climate change, racism, and Covid recovery.
Statewide mask mandate bill proposed
A group of lawmakers who last year wanted Gov. Scott to impose a mask mandate in high transmission areas now have introduced a bill to accomplish the same goal.
Naked man punches Burlington cop in face
Charlie Root, 43, was naked from the waist down Tuesday afternoon when he punched a Burlington police officer twice in the face.
Rutland man indicted for drug trafficking, unlawful gun possession
A Rutland man has been using drugs to coerce women to perform commercial sex acts, and has ‘pistol-whipped’ multiple people, police say.
Balint promises big spending of federal $$, suing cops, unlimited abortion, Town Meeting changes
Sueing police and getting unlimited abortion into the state Constitution are part of Senate leader Becca Balint’s 2022 legislative agenda.
Right to Life informs about Prop 5 in Morrisville Jan. 12
The proposed amendment to the Vermont Constitution would enshrine unlimited access to all abortions.
Watercooler National: Biden and China are partners in new Wuhan Lab/ YouTube removes viral Joe Rogan interview with Dr. Robert Malone
The Chinese government and Joe Biden’s US Agency for International Development are funders and supporters of new research on coronaviruses.
Water Cooler: field hospital for unvaxxed suggested
Vax ‘resisters’ seeking treatments should have to go to a field hospital, a Mountain Times letter writer says.
Less than 7% of VT inpatient beds in use for Covid
No Omicron tsunami has swamped Vermont’s 17 hospitals yet. A third of the state’s inpatient and ICU beds are unoccupied. Covid-19 accounts for 7% of inpatient beds, 14% of ICU beds.
Medellin, 34, charged with heroin dealing
Kassandra Medellin, 34, of Newport has been charged with selling heroin.
Pathetic start to the 2022 session
The decision to go remote for “just” two weeks puts the Vermont Legislature off to a pathetic start.
‘A Living Angel’
Tinsley the German Shepherd is the first bone-a-fido hero of the New Year.
Water Cooler: Homeless huddle in hotels, pods proposed / Kimball of Woodstock running for LG / Bust in fatal bike crash
There’s a new candidate for Vermont lieutenant governor – a centrist Democrat little known outside the State House but well-regarded inside it.
Keelan: Don’t be a cop in Vermont
Just what Vermont’s critical police shortage needs: a new law that would make it much easier for crooks to sue the cops who apprehend them.
House, Senate agree to Zoom for next two weeks
A majority of Vermont House members decided today to Zoom through the first two weeks of the Omicron Legislature.
New bills would make hard drug possession a misdemeanor, establish Health Care Freedom of Conscience Act
The Chair of the House Judiciary Committee wants a misdemeanor ‘personal use’ defense for people caught with hard drugs.
‘Sustainable logging’ in Braintree
The localvore ethic is being practiced in the forestry industry by a former environmental studies teacher.
Inmate dies after returning from medical appointment – autopsy planned
An inmate at a state prison in Newport died of unknown causes Jan. 1. Police say the cause of death was apparently not suspicious, but autopsy and toxicology tests are pending.
School masking not so black and white
While there is some evidence to suggest that masking in schools is an effective mitigation measure, it is not backed by the most rigorous research.
Climate Council would double electricity usage – rolling blackouts feared
A cold snap could result in rolling blackouts if the Vermont Climate Council gets its way.
Family shooting suspect turns himself in
In the last hour of 2021, the suspect’s brother asked what a gun was doing in his bathroom. A fight broke out. Shots were fired.
Mask Mandate Scoreboard: Shelburne flips to “yes”
92 towns and cities are saying no to a public places mask mandate. 20 have said yes. At least another 11 reportedly have taken no action at all.
Jeffries: the next Covid casualty?
We’ve already lost so much. Could loss of more gun rights be next?
Burlington Y requires vax AND masks
The YMCA of Burlington now requires everyone who enters to wear a mask and show proof of vaccination.
Legislature opens in person tomorrow, will meet remotely for two weeks
The Legislature – including Rep. Vicki Strong, she hopes – will meet in person tomorrow, then go to remote meeting for two weeks.
VT teacher shortage eases
Those vacant Vermont teaching positions are slowly but steadily getting filled.
Water Cooler: if hit the covered bridge, it’ll cost you / Scott: no return to 2020 lockdown / Minimum wage up / Nursing crisis discussed
Lyndon’s tired of drivers crashing into its covered bridges.
National marijuana legalization founders pushing legal prostitution in VT
The founders of the influential legal-pot Marijuana Policy Project are directing the political and IT efforts of a national prostitution legalization group funding Vermont organizations.
Watercooler National: Deaths up 40% among people ages 18-64; Twitter bans Dr. Robert Malone, Marjorie Taylor-Greene
Indiana life insurance CEO says deaths are up 40% among people ages 18-64, and most of the claims for deaths being filed are not classified as Covid-19 deaths.
