The State of Vermont will hold public hearings on big game management later this month.
Power outage releases half-million gallons from St. Albans wastewater plant
A split power line led to the release of partially-treated wastewater.
Metz: CPCs preserve choice for all
It is mean-spirited and unnecessary to try to silence PRCs and open them up to investigations by abortion ideologues.
Transgender shield bill goes to Senate vote this week
Despite the radical reassessment of ‘transitioning’ taking place in Europe, a Vermont law would shield service providers from legal consequences and require Vermonters to pay for ‘gender-affirming services’ via Medicaid and other health insurers.
Watch Senate Appropriations discuss S.5 at 1:30 pm today
Lively online discussion between pro-S.5 senators and Vermonters who oppose the ‘Affordable Heating Act.’
Gun control bill, citing suicide concerns, goes to House Judiciary
A bill requiring gun lockup is unconstitutional and education on the firearms/suicide nexus is more effective than regulation, Second Amendment rights advocates told a House committee last week – to no avail.
16-17 marriage ban, universal meals, license suspension for non-payment go to House floor
Love and marriage won’t go together like a horse and carriage for Vermont teenagers. But at the school meals will be free (for them) and DMV won’t suspend anyone’s driver’s license for not paying a speeding ticket.
Vacant equity job to remain unfilled in Vermont’s most diverse city
Winooski officials say they need more antiracism and diversity training before putting someone new in the position.
WCAX: Mom, bystanders free 2-year-old from kidnapper on bus
A woman later evaluated for mental problems grabbed a two-year-old from a mom on a GMT bus, police say. Bystanders helped the mother recover the child.
Keelan: Bernie, let’s bring an end to polarization
Today in Vermont, polarization, lack of civility, and disagreement are as present as maple trees.
McClaughry: FAQ on misnamed ‘Affordable Heating Act’
The more you learn about the misnamed Affordable Heating Act, the less you like it.
BREAKING: Amtrak train, tractor-trailer collide
Authorities are on the scene of an 11:45 AM collision between an Amtrak train and a tractor trailer on Quarry Road near Vermont Route 14 in Sharon.
Two state troopers placed on paid leave
Two state troopers are on paid leave – with no official reason given. Their suspension follows reports of off-duty state troopers engaging in inappropriate speech while playing a video game.
Senators – none from Vermont – demand Senate vote on global pandemic treaty
Neither Sen. Bernie Sanders nor then-Sen. Patrick Leahy supported a Senate bill requiring a vote on a WHO pandemic treaty critics say threatens U.S. national sovereignty.
Roper: Vermont’s public schools are a hot mess
It’s official: the public school system is broken – costs are rising, scores are falling, violence is on the rise, and “teachers are literally scared and administrators are at a loss.”
Woman falls into open manhole in St. Albans
A manhole covered knocked askew by a snowplow resulted in a 15 foot plunge at midnight by a St. Albans woman.
Covered bridge struck again / attempted murder-kidnapping / four-day barricade in home / more human smuggling
Crime update – everything from a damaged covered bridge to a harrowing kidnapping and attempted murder in the Northeast Kingdom to (another) human smuggling bust at the Canadian border.
Vermont girls’ hoop team stand against transgender sports goes viral on Twitter
Culture commentator Jordan Peterson saw the news about a Quechee girls team forfeiting against a team with a 6’4″ trans center, and tweeted “it’s about time” to his 3.7 million followers.
Higley: Why I introduced H.74, repealing the GWSA
I’m realistic enough to know H.74 will not be considered in today’s political majority in Montpelier. However, I will not stop in advocating for a balance in what Vermonters can achieve and afford in efforts to reduce our green house gas emissions.
Despathy: S.5 isn’t sticking it to Big Oil
Most of the time when I speak with a legislator in favor of S.5, I hear buzzwords. Enough buzzwords to fall drunk to the floor.
Bird flu human spillover could signal next big pandemic, vet says
Bird flu spillover to people has already happened. The only question is: will an avian pandemic become a human one?
Randy Brock – Vietnam vet, Vermont auditor, first black candidate for governor
He served in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of captain and earned the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal for his service in Vietnam.
Wilson: Legislative agenda unaffordable, creates fear
An aggressive Legislature is pushing fear and unaffordable climate, housing and school meals policies.
Three oil facilities see explosions in 24 hours
Why would three separate oil facilities owned by a Mexican company have explosions in a 24-hour period?
Warner: CDC says girls suffering and schools are not the solution
Nearly one in three girls seriously considered attempting suicide – up nearly 60% from a decade ago.
Thank you, dear readers, for writing
Every weekday I go to my post office box in Montpelier, slip the big, industrial strength key into #1547, and hope to see a letter from a reader.
Video: Prostitution law repeal bill
Long-expected repeal of criminal prostitution introduced into Vermont House.
Roper: Senator says ‘Don’t slop lies’ about Clean Heat Standard
My mother told me when you point a finger be careful because you have four fingers pointing back at you. And there has been no bigger purveyor of malarkey throughout this process than Bray.
Your letters: Abortion issue can never be over / View from Montpeculiar
Anna Gagne of Swanton says no matter what Montpelier does, the fight to end abortion will never be over. And MM from Montpeculiar wonders about those speeding, cell-phone talking lawmaker/motorists he views around the Capitol City.
Senators quiz AHA architect on low-income cost concerns
Senators spar over the costs, straightforwardness, and even the name of the controversial Affordable Heating Act (AHA).
Prostitution repeal introduced
Bills to repeal state law prohibiting prostitution and disorderly conduct and mushroom hallucinogen have been introduced into the Vermont House.
Indictment: FTX $1 million contribution to gay congressional candidate “a lot of woke – – – – ”
Samuel Bankman-Fried and others agreed that he and his co-conspirators should contribute at least a million dollars to a super PAC that was supporting a candidate running for a United States Congressional seat and appeared to be affiliated with pro-LGBTQ issues, a new federal indictment says.
Shooting update: Burlington victim recovering, trans suspect held at women’s jail
The victim of a Feb. 5 shooting is recovering, and the alleged shooter is being held in the women’s prison.
No injuries in 14-car Friday morning I-89 pile-up
No-one was injured in a big weather-related commuter pileup in Franklin County this morning. However, a single-car crash in Hartford yesterday killed the driver and a passenger.
Koch: ‘Affordable Heating Act’ is anything but
It’s probably easier to explain how crypto currency works than to explain how this bill will work. Or what it will cost.
Scott urges Legislature budget $150 million for matching funds for critical roads, bridges, water projects
“Crumbling infrastructure will not heal itself,” a municipal leader echoed Gov. Phil Scott’s call for budgeting $150 million in matching funds for federal $$ to repair state highways and bridges.
Burlington woman in wheelchair attacked by barefoot man (see video)
WCAX has footage of a young man looking and acting out of his mind attacked a Burlington woman in a wheelchair at night as she was going to the drugstore.
Ecuadorian woman charged with transporting illegals at border
A woman from Ecuador driving a car with Connecticut license plates was charged in court for attempting to transport three illegal aliens.
Francois Clemmons won Grammy, was regular on Mr. Rogers
Francois Clemmons won a Grammy, played a lead supporting role on Mr. Rogers, and returned to Addison County to teach and perform at Middlebury College.
David vs. Goliath, dressed as a girl
“We withdrew from the tournament because we believe playing against an opponent with a biological male jeopardizes the fairness of the game and the safety of our players,” a Vermont school headmistress said.
S.5, Affordable Heating Act, goes to Senate money committee this afternoon
S.5, the Affordable Heating Act, goes to the ‘how much will it cost the taxpayer’ committee this afternoon.
Easy to get added to Vermont’s child abuse registry, but very hard to get off
A very low standard of proof combined with bureaucratic timidity makes it very easy to be added to the registry.
It’s an outrage! Bernie crashes TikTok dance video
Peter Welch wants home energy report accessibility (yawn). Becca Balint joins gun safety task force (no surprise). HEY – what’s Bernie doing in a TikTok dance video?!
Banzhaf: child obesity one more thing lawyers may sue doctors for
Thanks to new American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, child obesity may join the already long list for which lawyers bring malpractice suits against doctors.
Murder of Hartland woman’s sister finally solved after 50 years
A Hartland woman finally knows who murdered her sister in Burlington in 1971.
Evslin: The Peak People Problem
Will America soon be begging for immigrants to come? And by the way – all the climate doomsday scenarios are bogus because they ignore Peak People.
Median price new VT home: $554,000, up 21%
In the age of ‘equity,’ wealth-creating home equity becomes less and less attainable for young and lower income Vermonters.
Pathologist, biochemist Jackson Clemmons
He was only the second African-American on the medical school faculty. With his wife Lydia, he bought, restored, and worked a farm in Charlotte – now the non-profit Clemmons Family Farm.
Randolph lawmaker intros bill to ban hunting bears with dogs
Two anti-hunting and trapping bills introduced by a former Colorado wildlife worker would leave Vermonters defenseless against problem bears, coyotes, and problem furbearers such as beavers which cause flooding and raccoons which carry rabies, the Sportsmen’s Alliance says.
Senate bill would pay $1000/month to youth exiting foster care
Youth leaving foster care often struggle on their own. A Windsor County senator wants the State to provide them with a monthly stipend.
News video: HomeShare Vermont matches people needing housing with people needing housemates
A well-known radio personality visits the State House to inform lawmakers, media and visitors about an alternative housing option.
Smith: Legislature taken over by Climate Cult
The State House is populated by a climate claque whose only villain is carbon emissions. Nothing else matters to these true believers.
VIOLENCE IN THE ER: staff suffer threats, assault
After hitting a woman staff member with a urinal, an ER patient taunted, “this is Vermont. What are they going to do?”
Epiphany in Vermont Climate Council: The Climate Action Plan isn’t realistic
Two epihanies, actually. A senator admits the Senate doesn’t do things to help poor people, but must save the world instead. And, there just aren’t enough workers to weatherize, etc. enough to meet self-imposed carbon reduction mandates.
Mexican dies at northern border / Windsor school bus collision / Two more cops banned from working in Vermont
A bus full of basketball players escaped serious injury last night when icy roads caused a collision.
Stefanik blames Biden for northern border crisis
President Biden’s porous border policies are to blame for the alarming spike in illegal crossings of the northern border, the congresswoman for Plattsburgh and much of northern New York says.
Rescued by crisis pregnancy center, human trafficking survivor urges Senate to value CPCs
“When we left the motel about 5 to 10 mins later, she gave birth to her baby on the sidewalk, cut the umbilical cord, and continued to walk in hopes of making money. She knew not making money meant her receiving bruises.”
Vermont AG joins group defending CVS, Walgreens for planning to dispense abortion pills
The FDA will now allow retail pharmacies to dispense mifepristone to people who obtain a prescription for it. As a result, Walgreens and CVS are seeking FDA approval to dispense the drug.
Study: Vermont could tweak telehealth laws
Recent laws have improved telehealth, but improvements could be made, a recent study says.
Senate bill offers free abortions for all
A Senate bill would deliver what the holy grail to Vermont abortion providers: free abortions to all, required to be paid for by Medicaid and private health insurance.
Louvenia Bright: first black woman lawmaker in Vermont
Not until the close of the 20th century did a black woman sit in the Vermont Legislature.
Juvenile semi-auto ban removed from Senate bill
An appeal to recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions has led to striking a controversial proposed Senate ban on under-21 possession of semi-auto firearms.
House bill would protect 16-17 year olds from ‘child abuse’ of legal marriage
Supporters of a bill banning 16-17 year old marriage with parental consent raised the spectre of child abuse, excess child-bearing, coercion, and human trafficking.
Krauss: Dick McCormack owes Rube Goldberg an apology
Mr. Goldberg’s complex contraptions were easily understood by everyone who looked at them and could in fact be recreated proving that they actually worked.
Bufka: the simple truth about the Energy Transition Delusion
the world’s mining can not and will not be able to supply us with the required quantities of the two dozen or so minerals needed to make the machines of our world’s “Energy Transition”.
Ehlers: Why I have changed my mind about S.5
It’s time to stick it to that redneck Republican who has been hauling the #2 fuel-oil hose up your posted, habitat-fragmenting driveway to ensure all 4,000 square feet (and three-car garage) stays at 70 degrees when the heat pump succumbs to the laws of physics.
Marshfield teen arrested for Montpelier bus station stabbing
An 18-year-old stabbed his victim several times at the Montpelier bus station last night, police say.
Paid medical leave with 100% wage replacement OK’d by committee
Administering mandated insurance would double size of Treasurer’s office The House Committee on General and Housing passed out H.66 Thursday February 16, which would create the most generous paid family and medical […]
Wilton: the Affordable Heating Act That Isn’t (affordable)
The proponents of the bill themselves can’t or won’t tell Vermonters what it will cost and how much fuel will increase to pay for it, as no financial analysis has been requested or developed by the committee.
Bananas: Dear Alien Overlords
On behalf of my fellow Earthlings, we would like to offer the people at the World Government Summit as a lovely parting gift for taking so much of your time to come all this way. Seriously, feel free to take as many as you’d like.
The Ballad of Buckshot Willy
A dog rescued from starvation and a heavy chain found his way to a loving couple in Addison County. They call him Buckshot Willy – and in this video, he tells you why.
S.5 shows Democrats are the weak link in democracy
For many seniors, their home is their last large asset. They can’t make expensive renovations on fixed incomes.
Highway death / DUI #6 / 101 MPH
State police were busy this weekend enforcing traffic laws and investigating another highway fatality.
Conflict of interest an issue in Vermont’s expensive, high-tech transformation
Often, Vermont’s elected leaders respond to conflict of interest concerns with four words: “we’re a small state.”
Senator, army vet says he, his son and grandson could have been victims of paramilitary training ban bill
When two U.S. Army vets took their son/grandson out into the woods to prepare him for his upcoming military training, a nosy neighbor could have reported them as a ‘paramilitary training camp.’
Fighting for black adoption pushed Phil Hoff into public spotlight
The fascinating, unlikely story is told in “The Man of the House,” a 2022 memoir by Robert Wallace Bennett, a former Vermont journalist, public relations and marketing executive, Brooklyn Dodgers hero Johnny Podres biographer, internationally-recognized expert rabbit breeder – and diligent, committed husband and father.
DCF gets new boss / more than half of moose calves dying / Congress protests slow mail service / Prison warden demoted
The new boss at DCF is an old hand in state government. More moose calves are dying in the Northeast Kingdom, thanks to a tick infestation, and the proposed solution is a moose hunt. And mail delivery in Hinesburg (and elsewhere) is sllloowww.
CDC changes vinyl chloride toxicity guidelines 2 weeks before crash / transformer fire blacks out Oakland
Is it a coincidence that the CDC drastically reduced the official toxicity of vinyl chloride two weeks before the Ohio train wreck? And was there really a push for locals to sign up for biometric tracking in the event of a major disaster?
Cannabis board whacks non-compliant weed producers / without drivers, school bus routes cancelled
On some days, Vermont public schools don’t have enough school bus drivers and cafeteria workers to transport and feed students.
Stella: vax data bill needed
Vermonters already expect vaccine outcome data are being compiled and monitored – but incredibly they are not.
Director of Racial Equity says Clean Heat Act ‘doesn’t meet the mark’
Xusana Davis: “It’s now my third or fourth session in the state and one of the things I often hear from legislators is, oh yeah, sorry, the equity piece isn’t quite there but we’ll fix it in January. We’ll fix it later. And what that says to me is there is something that motivates us to do this that is more important to us than justice. So the justice will have to wait.”
Benning quotes Jefferson: “I cannot live without books”
No technology can replace the quiet solitude and person-to-person educational learning experiences found in a library environment.
State college vice-chair and digital tech exec conflict of interest re: library plan?
The unprecedented move of making the Northern Vermont University library almost all-digital has raised conflict of interest questions about Vermont State College Board Vice-Chair Megan Cluver, who is also a senior manager of Deloitte, a digital technology firm.
Opinion: Denying tuition to religious schools ‘petty, close-minded’ / Unshoveled churches / Tax money helping China build manufacturing in U.S.A
If Rice and others forfeit tuition vouchers for including religion in their curriculum, why can the public schools teach woke?
Wilson: When Vermont fails, where will we go?
The tide has turned to what is now a social welfare state, implementing similar programs that have been a failure in California, and closer to home, in Burlington.
40 Days for Life spreads to three Vermont cities
The 40 Days for Life prayer vigil begins this coming week in Barre, Rutland and Burlington.
News Video: S.5 passes Senate committee
Despite testimony about how the ‘Affordable Heating Act’ would actually raise energy prices for poor and middle income Vermonters, a Senate committee unanimously approved S.5.
‘Affordable Heating Act’ passes 5-0 in Senate Committee
A bill that could add up to $4 to the cost of heating fuel passed the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee this morning.
Roper: Conflicts of interest that lead to bad laws like the “Unaffordable Heating Act”
Lawmakers’ ears appear to be stuffed with cotton.
Burlington cold murder case solved
Longtime news reporter Mike Donoghue broke one of the biggest crime stories in Vermont history on Thursday when he reported that the rape, beating and strangulation death of a Milton teacher more than 51 years ago in Burlington has been solved.
In Burlington, bike lanes replace parking spaces
The Queen City continues its new look: less parking, more biking.
Homeless hotel resident arrested in car thefts
Several days after two car thefts in which police say he was connected, Foy was apprehended walking down Rte. 302 shortly after 5 pm with a shopping cart that carried a computer stolen from WalMart.
Medical freedom bills introduced
A series of bills seeking a balance between public health policy goals and individual rights have been introduced into the Vermont Legislature.
Hospital wants $130 million outpatient surgery center in South Burlington
More surgical capacity is needed because by 2030 Vermont’s 65-plus population will grow by 30 to 60 percent, UVMMC officials said.
‘Democracy vouchers’ put free campaign cash in voters’ hands
Every February of municipal election years, Seattle voters receive four $25 “democracy vouchers” — blue slips of paper totaling $100 on which voters can write in candidates and direct public funds to those campaigns.
In 1945, segregation kept black legislator out of Montpelier hotels
Elected to the Legislature in 1945, many Montpelier institutions like the Pavilion Hotel and the Montpelier Tavern were closed to him due to segregation.
Federal prosecutor starts safe gun storage campaign
The U.S. attorney for Vermont is giving out free gun locks as part of a new gun safety campaign.
Empty positions strain mental health services in VT
Hundreds of Vermonters are seeking mental health support that just isn’t there.
Lawmakers take offensive against abortion alternatives
Vermont lawmakers are seeking to outlaw efforts to counter the pro-abortion agenda.
Kauffman: H89 answers the ‘what-if’ questions about Article 22
Too late for voters considering Article 22, expert/lawmaker discussion of new legislation answers some then-unanswered questions about the controversial amendment to the Vermont Constitution.
