A Brandon blacksmith patented the first electric motor. Who knew?
Brandon man invented first electric motor, printing press, railway
Pension reform clears Senate
The Senate on Thursday passed a long-time-in-coming pension reform bill protecting current retirees and asking more of those still working.
Biden gave teachers’ union greenlight to shape Covid guidelines
The Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis released a report that depicts the “cozy relationship with the Biden administration’s political leadership at the CDC positioned the union to impose line-by-line edits.”
VT Watercooler: religious schools in VT ed system? / what’s the fuss about Beta project / Miro wants to electrify Burlington / Sunflowers for Ukraine
A big building project is on hold in South Burlington. It’s just Vermont’s economic future hanging in the balance.
Data shows Vermont deaths 12% higher than expected
Why are more Vermonters dying? Some of it’s actual Covid deaths. Pandemic restrictions also have contributed, experts say.
Sexton: no fake Republicans
Fight the abortion and anti-gun culture and everyone who supports it – including the fake Republicans.
Alleged parking garage shooter gets lawyer, surrenders to cops
A 22-year-old South Burlington man has surrendered to police in connection with the weekend shooting in a Burlington parking garage. But first, he got a lawyer.
Zero hunting-related shooting injuries in Vermont last year
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department reported zero hunting related shooting injuries (HRSIs) in 2021, continuing a multi-year trend of declining HRSIs in Vermont.
Roper: Scott admin pushes Senate for follow-up Clean Heat Standard vote
Will Phil Scott drop the veto hammer on the Clean Heat Standard if it lacks a follow-up report? Time will tell.
97% of Vermonters have health insurance
Although only three % of Vermonters lack health insurance, there’s room for improvement in affordability and preventative care, state officials say.
Record transportation $$ buys more paving, electric cars, bike paths, free bus fare
Vermont transportation spending has increased $225 million in two years. Aggressive use of federal paving money and a climate-change driven commitment to EVs and bike paths comprise the lion’s share.
Americanism & Marxism April 9
An Americanism & Marxism symposium will be held Saturday, April 9 in St. Albans.
Water Cooler: Molly Gray’s second-hand fundraising / Toney Woodstock nixes cannabis / mRNA lab in Colchester
They’re harvesting mRNA in Colchester.
With just one dissenter, Senate OKs ‘environmental justice’ bill
The Vermont Senate sees environmental justice and responds with another new advisory board with a mandate to create change.
Roll Call! Act 250 permit revision passes House
A bill that passed the House 92-49 will – supporters say – streamline the Act 250 permit process. Critics aren’t so sure about that.
Babylon Bee: Psaki Reminds Reporters That Biden Doesn’t Speak For The President Of The United States
Fake news site Babylon Bee reports on the growing chaos in Ukraine – and in Joe Biden’s statements about it.
From VT Underground:
Jim Jeffords was a Republican when he was elected, but not when it counted when the US Senate chose the next majority leader. Since then, Vermont conservatives have been gunshy of liberal Senate candidates. Will 2022 be different?
Rutland hospital drops vax, mask mandates / State House mostly mask-free
Rutland’s hospital no longer has a mandatory masking and vax policy for most employees and visitors.
Senate OKs coyote bill
An amended coyote hunting bill appears poised to clear the Vermont Senate.
Searsburg woman missing / Heineberg Bridge crash / truck jackknife on 22A
Police are seeking a 53-year-old woman missing from her Searsburg home.
MA men busted for holding man against his will / armed heroin dealer gets 3 yrs
Two Massachusetts men are in jail after holding a Williamstown man in a room for two hours.
Bill would enshrine Abenaki use of state lands
H618 would grant Abenaki-specific rights to state-owned lands.
Newport prison superintendent on leave, won’t return
The superintendent of Vermont’s northernmost prison has been placed on leave and won’t return, state officials said today.
‘Government consultant’ seeks $48 billion in late-night calls to Vermont legislators
A Missouri man is being sued by VT AG TJ Donovan for persistent late-night calls seeking exorbitant sums from Vermont legislators.
Dame: Laws should make government affordable, accountable, flexible
There are three things that fundamentally separate Vermont Republicans from the Progressive Democrat alliance that currently controls the legislature; affordability, accountability and flexibility.
‘Z’ now verboten in Germany
Residents in at least two German states have been threatened with criminal prosecution if they use the letter “Z” as a sign.
Water Cooler: storm pic takes on Mt. Washington / fireworks bill fizzles / high school robot team in world championship
Ranked choice voting and fireworks bills stall.
Cyberattack stops Hood, Booth Brothers milk production
Amid concerns about avian flu and global hunger, a cyberattack shut down Hood and Booth Brothers milk processing plants this month. They’re back on line – mostly.
Man dies in Lyndonville fire / Burglar bagged / Fugitive found
A Lyndonville man’s was found dead in his burning apartment this morning.
Nolan backs Brown-Jackson for Supreme Court
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Christina Nolan publicly backs a Democratic president’s nominee for the Supreme Court – “politics should play no role in the confirmation process,” she explains.
Washington County GOP work meeting, Thursday March 31
The Washington County GOP Committee is inviting Republicans to roll up their sleeves for a work meeting this Thursday evening in Berlin.
Evslin: Fracking saved our freedom
Without fracking, we’d be at Putin’s mercy. And Iran’s.
House passes record budget, Transportation bills
Its coffers swollen with federal funding and higher-than-expected tax revenue, the Vermont House last week passed record high state budget and transportation bills.
Vermont #1 in vacant homes
Despite an unprecedented shortage of available housing, Vermont has a higher vacant home rate than any other state in the nation. What’s going on here?
Disagreement looms over Act 250 reform passed by House, Senate
Last week, both the Vermont House and Senate passed widely differing versions of Act 250 (property regulation and development) reform. Reconciliation may prove difficult.
Cops seek Burlington shooting suspect, Alburgh ATM robber
A police garage shooting, an Alburgh store break-in, and a DUI rolling into a police cruiser were among the criminal incidents investigated by Vermont police this weekend.
Bottled mixed drinks coming to your grocery store?
Ready-to-drink cocktails will be sold in grocery stores next to beer and wine, if a bill approved by the House last week becomes law.
GOP statewide primary candidates meet Rutland faithful
Four GOP candidates took to the stage at the Pasta and Politics dinner to discuss their platforms.
Letter: Elect accountable School Board
A positive paradigm shift starts with electing school board members who will mandate the administration focus on math, science, literacy, and teach students to be critical thinkers.
Colburns: Climate Action Plan will put VT farmers out of business
Shame on the 96 House legislators for voting against waiting for a year for a report on the impact of the Clean Heat Standard.
Fauci mocked six-foot rule, military doctor sees post-vax cancer spike
The feds didn’t have data on students’ learning loss when the CDC issued its COVID-19 school reopening guidance, internal emails show.
Water Cooler: Wildlife bills advance / School PCB testing delayed / Dog survives bobcat attack
Not every day a dog gets attacked by a bobcat.
How did YOUR legislator vote on guns, Prop 5, illegal speech, etc.?
Vermont’s free market think-tank has assembled voting profiles on every Vermont lawmaker. In a few clicks you can find out how they voted on bills that matter to you – and then share that information with others.
Despathy: discrimination and segregation during the “pandemic of the unvaccinated”
The unvaccinated in Vermont have endured massive verbal and emotional abuse from state leaders, experts, neighbors and community members.
VT eating disorders up 700% since March 2020, State can’t cope
Vermont teenage eating disorders are way up over the last two years. So far, the State of Vermont can’t meet their treatment needs.
More boring photos that tell a story
What photo could be even more boring than empty parking spaces reserved for legislative carpooling? Satellite photos of the homes of lawmakers generally opposed to land development.
Enough of San Francisco! Traveler to 100 countries calls Williston home
A native Texan who has traveled to 100 countries forsook San Francisco for the good schools and quiet life of Williston.
Roll Call! House makes town withdrawal from school districts more difficult
Vermont public school mergers: easy to get into, hard to get out of. And harder still if a bill passed by the House March 17 becomes law.
Leadership training for teens to engage in politics, culture
Christian youth will learn about engaging in Vermont politics and culture May 2-6 at TeenPact in Montpelier.
Hunter Biden linked to Ukrainian biolabs
An investment firm connected to Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, has been involved in the financing of the Pentagon’s military biological program in Ukraine.
Biden solution to clogged immigration courts: let bureaucrats decide
The rule authorizes asylum officers to offer asylum to individuals who assert a fear of persecution or torture and pass the required credible fear screening. Currently, such cases are decided only by immigration judges.
King: Famine looms. Why won’t political elites say so?
There is a rough road ahead for the world. Our political class isn’t leveling with us.
State Police collect 3 tons of body armor for Ukraine
Law enforcement agencies and members of the public have donated about 1,000 body-armor vests and 45 helmets for the defense of Ukraine.
Water Cooler: racism, eugenics bill passes House / Senate leery of $$ for religious schools / getting to school in mud season
Two sisters will tell their families what it was like to get to school during a rural Vermont Mud Season. That story and others from Vermont news media yesterday and today.
Senate passed 16 bills yesterday
Bills about leg hold traps, non-unanimous jury trial decisions, collecting data on police and 13 other topics all passed the Senate yesterday.
The Registry Legislature
Farmers, cops, landlords, and home improvement contractors all are targeted for inclusion in statewide registries by a Legislature determined to combat systemic racism and climate change.
Martineau: My View from Montpeculiar
Reaganism: “Either You control your government, or it will control You.” Hear that, Burlington?
Act H 466: Climate-resilient protection for surface water
In the face of increased droughts due to climate change, this bill will ensure equitable access to surface water for users, while protecting the ecosystems of our streams and rivers.
Thayer: What it means to be Republican
Since the inception of the GOP in 1854, Republicans have supported “We the People,” not “We the Government.”
Landlords cited for trespass / Suckerpunched outside bar / DUI causes power outage
It’s not just storms and cyberattacks that cause blackouts. Sometimes it’s just a drunk teenager.
On Mt. Philo, winter a time for restoration
The quiet winter months are a perfect time for restoration of trails and steps at popular Mt. Philo in Charlotte.
Letter: Senators, veto 16-17 year old voting
Supporters of 16-17 year old voting should follow the science, a Ph.D. says.
Fernandez: No media coverage, but the Israel-Palestine conflict still rages
While Russia is portrayed as the vicious predator over a smaller state, the liberal media consistently portrays the small Jewish state of Israel as the unjust regime.
Evslin: We cannot afford for Ukraine to lose
Evslin on how to defeat Putin.
Vermont officials highlight White House warning on Russian cyberattack
The White is warning state governments and industry against a possible Russian cyberattack. The State of Vermont’s chief information officer wants people to take it seriously.
Veto Update: Gun control no, 50% land conservation maybe, contractor & rental registries yes
Don’t expect a veto on S4, the gun control bill. But that bill turning half of Vermont into an ecological preserve? Gov. Scott has his eye on that one.
Water Cooler: Housing stalemate, chip shortage
Vermont media headlines show Gov. Scott squared off against legislative leadership over solutions to Vermont’s worsening housing shortage.
The Babylon Bee’s Man of the Year is Rachel Levine
Read the ‘Man of the Year’ post that (finally) got fake news satire website Babylon Bee kicked off of Twitter.
Is the Electric Vehicle for you?
EVs require nickel produced in a Siberian slave labor camp and lithium mined from polluting Tibetan mines. Still feeling virtuous about buying one?
Sanders names names on corporate greed
While the world complains about Russian oligarchs, Bernie Sanders is crying ‘outrage’ on their American brethren.
10,000 VT households get extra $350 for fuel
Given high oil and kerosene prices, a one-time $350 benefit will be paid Vermonters already receiving fuel assistance.
Libertoff: Montpelier’s March madness
“You are crazy,” said my partner with an emphasis on “crazy.” It probably never occurred to her that we were scheduled to play Julio’s Restaurant, the team that shared first place in league play.
Former UVM ER doc sentenced for child porn
Eike Blohm’s federal sentence of 100 months will run concurrently with the 80-to-82-month sentence of imprisonment Blohm received in Vermont state court as a result of his guilty pleas to lewd and lascivious conduct and voyeurism.
VT Digger admits mistake in $1000 advertising donation to pro-abortion group
VT Digger donated $1000 in pro-Prop 5 advertising the day before the Vermont House approved the constitutional amendment protecting unrestricted access to abortion.
Water Cooler: No free lunch in Brattleboro, NH birds euthanized due to avian flu
It will be pot luck or no luck at all for hungry Brattleboro town meeting representatives.
Senate skips Brattleboro teen voting veto
Gov. Phil Scott may have the Senate votes to make his veto of teenage voting stick – at least for today.
Teenage girls missing / suicide in Bradford
Two Manchester girls have been missing since Saturday.
Parents’ rights key issue in Essex school board race
Two serving military men with different views on parents’ rights and school choice are running for one open seat on the Essex-Westford school board.
Dame: Pretending crime doesn’t exist
Over the past two years Democrats in Montpelier and Washington have tried to ‘reduce crime’ by making fewer things a crime!
Klar: Agricultural reset begins with food, famine, and fear
Food security will be the future battleground in America. Gun owners will surrender their weapons with a food buy-back plan.
Burlington leaders agree on short term rentals, create homeless pod ‘community’
The Homeless Pods are coming to Burlington – up to 30 climate-controlled shelters, on Elmwood Avenue.
Online crime against Vermont kids jumps 20% in 2021
During 2021, the first full year of the pandemic, reported online crime against kids increased 20%.
Leahy: Supreme Court nominee “writing a new page in the history of America”
KBJ isn’t ‘soft on crime,’ former Chittenden County prosecutor Patrick Leahy scoffs.
Bill expands role of State House art committee
Legislation approved by the Senate and now in the House would expand the role of a State House artwork advisory committee.
Scott, Senate in veto knife fight
Gov. Phil Scott and Senate President Becca Balint are both determined to win upcoming veto battles in the Vermont Senate. Vermonters who want to be more than spectators are calling their senators.
Water Cooler: U.S. alcohol deaths up 25% during lockdowns / gas inflation challenges VT businesses
What happens when you shut down AA? When you force alcoholics to stay at home but ensure that the liquor stores stay open?
‘Big tent’ philosophy rules in GOP platform vote Saturday
Despite a spirited challenge by Jim Sexton and many supporters, a rule change to require candidate conformity to the party platform failed by a 2-1 vote.
House votes to conserve 1/2 of VT land, raise heating costs, reduce criminal sentences
The Democratic majority in the Vermont House last week passed bills making heating fuel more expensive, crime less punishable, and property rights and development more difficult.
‘Doctor-Prescribed Death’ safeguard elimination to get House review
Patient safeguards included in the original ‘Doctor-Prescribed Death’ law in 2013 are no longer deemed necessary.
Klar: ‘Climate salvation fantasy’ H606 would make 50% of VT an ecological reserve
A recent Vermont legislative initiative purports to save the planet…. by “conserving” fifty percent of all Vermont territory for wildlife by 2050!
Justice Clarence Thomas hospitalized with flu symptoms
Justice Thomas was diagnosed with an infection. He is recovering and is expected to be released in a day or two.
Evslin: Legislature’s zeal for higher energy prices ignores inflation, war
Tom Evslin thinks the Legislature should look $4.81/gallon home heating oil and declare ‘mission accomplished’ on their strenuous efforts to make fossil fuels more expensive.
Fatal fire victim ID’ed
The body found in a Cambridge fire last week has been identified.
Essex woman cited for shooting / Molotov cocktails found / sexual assault in Newbury
A months-long simmering disagreement erupted into gunfire in Essex.
Water Cooler: “Squad” staffer runs for U.S. House / Woman punches with brass knuckles
Hot headlines from the Vermont media include a former staffer for Ayana Pressley running for Congress in Vermont, and a Rutland woman allegedly committing assault with brass knuckles.
DNA source identified in Brianna Maitland case
DNA at the Brianna Maitland car site matches one of 11 ‘persons of interest.’
Replacement gun control bill passes House without veto-proof majority
In less than a week, the Vermont Legislature passed a gun control bill to replace S30. Will it too face a veto?
Desperate times…..
Orange Hair Intimidating?
Smokies stop 19 drivers for cellphone use
‘Hey honey, I’ll be home in 10 minutes….uh-oh….make that 20 minutes.’
Human remains found in Cambridge fire rubble
A body was found in the aftermath of a fire yesterday in Cambridge. Identity as yet unknown, police say.
