Rooster lawn ornaments aren’t passing muster in pricey Maine beach town
Vermont couple caught up in Maine zoning fight
Timothy Page
Legislators say Act 181 repeal online group ‘threatening,’ bot-driven
Four Washington County legislators are being taken to task on the Rural Vermont Rising Facebook group for what a poster says is their negative characterization of the grassroots organization’s successful efforts this year to repeal Act 181 and promote legislation protecting property rights.
VT Headlines: Mosquitoes in Charlotte test positive for Jamestown Canyon Virus
Committee moves to bring $500M parish assets into Burlington Diocese bankruptcy case; Vermont man tried to use axe to break into ATM in Middlebury, police say; Williamstown teenager charged with threatening homeless person
Newport yet to gain control of EB-5 ‘pit,’ must deal with contamination
“I prefer to call it the development opportunity block,” the Newport mayor said. “But we all hate it, and we all want to know what’s going to happen to it.”
Balloon, strawberry festivals draw crowds this weekend
Summer is finally hitting its stride, and the calendar shows it — balloons over Stowe, a Renaissance faire in Essex Junction, a small-town strawberry festival in the Kingdom, and the kind of street parties and porch-music Sundays that make late June in Vermont worth sticking around for.
How a Vermont fishing death from 2001 became the case for a new DNA law
A drowning at Sumner Falls went unsolved for 24 years. The technology that finally identified Brian Canfield is now at the center of a bill Sen. Peter Welch is moving through Congress.
Beck: 50/50 votes and vetoes
Bills that will impact Vermonters are difficult by nature, and part of the serious business of a legislature. But votes shouldn’t be difficult because we don’t know how they will impact Vermonters or whether they will at all. None of these three bills should have made it to the Governor’s desk.
Batchelder: A fed bear is a dead bear
If the past few years are any indication, by the end of summer we will have had to put down or provide similar authorizations for dozens more bears to end acute conflicts that threaten human safety.
Green: The Great Awakening that built the Constitution
The rugged Christian faith of the heroic founders was vitally interwoven with their patriotism and is inextricably linked by a sacred thread of purpose to the Great Awakening.
VT Headlines: Alburgh Fire Dept. stops water deliveries, residents panicking
Lippa’s Estate and Fine Jewelry moving from Burlington to Colchester after 93 years downtown; Vermont bans paraquat, weed killer linked to Parkinson’s; Person caught driving 106 miles per hour in Williamstown; Michelle Zajko charged in the killings of her parents in Pennsylvania
Across Lake Champlain, MAGA candidate wins primary, punishes press
What a difference a lake makes!
States that won’t obey Trump order will have their mail ballots halted, postmaster says
Postmaster General David Steiner defended the rule at a Senate hearing and dismissed accusations that the Postal Service was acting politically after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March restricting voting by mail.
New gothic horror novel plays with sonnet structure
Cindy Ellen Hill’s new novel, “Leeds Point,” will be released on June 26.
Man arrested for third time at same property in Lyndonville
Officers entered the building and found Gilman hiding in a small closet or crawl space off an upstairs bedroom.
After video of daytime City Hall Park OD, skepticism about mayor’s ‘Burlington is back” statements
A day after the mayor of Vermont’s largest city proclaimed “the city is back,” a local videographer featured footage of an apparent drug overdose in the park behind City Hall.
Is Vermont’s Sharp Cheddar going soft? We asked a cheese chemist
The hunch that the sharpest cheddars don’t bite the way they used to is everywhere in Vermont. The science says the answer is more complicated than “they ruined it” — and partly about you.
White supremacist denies biting U.S. deputy marshal in Vermont
Court records show Palermo attempted to flee and resist arrest when confronted by the U.S. Marshals Service and Vermont State Police as they executed two extraditable warrants from New Hampshire on April 24 in Groton. State and federal investigators had tracked Palermo to a house at 100 Tinkham Road when they confronted him on the front porch, state police said.
Cop shooting of mentally ill man justified, AG says
Also, the Attorney General’s Office also announced charges in two separate Medicaid fraud cases as part of a nationwide health care fraud crackdown.
Klar: Welcome to the Revolution!
The MAHA movement is going strong…
VT Headlines: $2.9 million will help expand college education in Vermont prisons
Vermont attorney general says trooper justified in fatal shooting during standoff; Anti-Bullying Rally Overshadowed by Criticism of Organizer’s Past Conduct; Vermont State Police release photo of suspected hit-and-run driver in Swanton; City of Burlington forms hiring committee to help choose next police chief
Crisis hotline cutback, broadband signup changes coming
Help count Vermont’s wild turkeys
Steidler: Data centers start to drive residential electricity bills down
Several major electric utilities have recently announced that their residential customers will have lower electric bills because of major investments in new power plants and the electric grid, enabled by data centers.
CLG: U.S. lifts sanctions on Iranian oil
Iran to set up Hormuz hotline with U.S.; Trump says Iran will be allowed to have missiles as part of peace deal: ‘They don’t blow up the planet’; Trump on Israeli military action in Lebanon: ‘You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody’
Scott signed the Forensic Facility Bill. Now Vermont has to build it.
The five-year fight over who runs it is settled. The fight over whether it gets built just started.
Only 1 in 5 high school seniors Is proficient in math. Where does Vermont land?
A fresh national snapshot puts U.S. math proficiency in plain numbers — and Vermont right around the middle of the pack. There’s also a quiz. See how you’d do.
Chelsea fire fatalities ID’ed
Both victims were residents of the home.
VT Headlines: Two pedestrians injured in reported Barre vehicle collision
Driver charged with driving 111 miles per hour in Brattleboro; ‘Vermont that still feels wild’: Three waterways proposed for the ‘National Park System for rivers’
High courts backs fur trappers, coyote hunters over POW
In a decision issued June 12, the high court affirmed a lower court ruling rejecting challenges brought by several animal-rights organizations to rules adopted following legislation passed in 2022.
Vermont Chamber: Vermont is in trouble
Staying the course is not a viable option. It only gets worse from here if nothing changes. We are aging, shrinking, and pricing out our own children, workers, and entrepreneurs. Schools face consolidation, taxes are climbing, and employers struggle to fill jobs. We’re too dependent on federal funding to support state spending. A housing shortage is driving up prices, slowing economic growth, and leaves young people feeling forced out.
High E. coli levels close Lake Willoughby North Beach to swimmers
The beach will remain closed until further notice. Town officials noted that even after skies clear, runoff creates conditions favorable for E. coli bacteria and harmful cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae.
Green Mountain Books celebrates 50 years in Lyndonville
Once a commercial auto stop, the bookstore has been a staple of the Lyndonville community.
Letter: Crosby on ground solar and the unelected NGO running our towns
Also: Fernandez on Islam’s troubling ayat (verses)
Worsening tick activity may be new normal, state officials say
Experts attribute the growth of tick-related illnesses to climate change and more frequent tick-human contact.
Chronicle Conversations radio program debuts at noon today
Today’s scheduled guests for the inaugural episode are Dave Soulia of FYIVT.com to discuss concerning developments in Vermont’s wetlands map, and former Rep. Bob Frenier to discuss a pending school choice lawsuit and the disparity between school districts.
VT Headlines: Busy and successful Vermont soccer weekend
How Vermont’s new pharmacy law could change rural healthcare; Vermont State Police searching for Fairfax trespass suspect; Burlington celebrates Juneteenth with music, art and community gathering
Republican Javen Sears joins Democrats and Independent at the Candidates of Color Forum
Featuring candidates seeking office in the 2026 election cycle, the forum will showcase individuals whose combined experience spans education, healthcare, family and children’s services, community advocacy, business, youth leadership, and public office. Together, these candidates bring decades of professional, civic, and political experience to conversations about Vermont’s future.
White: Vermont dairy industry reaches critical turning point
How we got here: farms, industry, policy
Vermont’s greatest golfer ever big fail in U.S. Open
The Woodstock native, who is otherwise the best golfer ever to come out of Vermont, tied for 32nd place Sunday in the U.S. Open.
Soulia: Got wetlands? Act 121 puts Vermont landowners on notice
The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation is inviting the public to review the latest round of updates to the state’s wetland maps, a process that could carry real consequences for property owners whose land is newly mapped, remapped, or placed closer to regulated wetland areas.
Feds arrest Milton drug suspect on “crack house” charge
Released earlier on conditions from state drug charges
Frenier: The inequality of “equality” in education
Almost 40 years after the VT Supreme Court rendered its Brigham decision, supposedly ensuring equal educational opportunities for all Vermont kids, the opportunities to be academically proficient in Vermont schools remain decidedly UNequal.
Judge sets Ex-Chief Swanson’s demotion appeal for June 30
Embattled former Woodstock Village Police Chief Joe Swanson’s appeal of his latest demotion by Municipal Manager Eric Duffy will be heard in Vermont Superior Court at the end of this month. The Village Trustees voted 5-0 earlier this year to support Duffy’s decision, but Swanson has appealed the demotion as groundless. He wants to be reinstated as chief of a department where he has worked for two decades. Duffy has said he wants Swanson gone.
Morrison: Vermont’s healthcare crisis is real – S.190 wasn’t the solution
Vermonters have every reason to be frustrated with the state’s healthcare system. Costs continue to climb, insurance premiums consume a growing share of household budgets, and access to care remains uncertain for many families. That frustration helped fuel support for S.190. But good intentions do not always produce good policy. Breaking down the problem with S.190 will help Vermonters understand the Governor’s veto and why this legislation was not a real solution.
Green: Pilgrims and Providence
Some reading this might be familiar with stories which may have, over time, taken on an almost mythical quality regarding George Washington’s apparently indestructible nature. But for those who aren’t, we will look at a few of these instances which, when seen amidst the whole tapestry of divine orchestration in the weaving together of our republic, must certainly be regarded as one of the most spectacular threads.
VT Headlines: Likely Woodstock tornado causes extensive damage, outages
Catholic diocese to sell its South Burlington headquarters as part of bankruptcy; Thunderstorms hit Vermont, downing powerlines and causing a flash flood warning in Bennington County; A new Women’s Premier Soccer League team competing in Vermont for its inaugural season; Minor flooding expected in parts of northern Vermont
Grateful goodbye to Hot Off The Press
Today is my last day hosting Hot Off the Press 11 AM on WDEV AM 550. On Monday, I debut “Chronicle Conversations” on WVMT AM 620 at noon Monday-Friday. However, Hot Off the Press will continue full force with a dedicated team of hosts. On this coming Monday you’’ll hear Renee McGuinness of the Vermont Family Alliance interviewed anti-Marxist activist Ed Wheeler. The following Monday Mary Hahn Beerworth of Vermont Right to Life will settle in behind the microphone and interview informed, involved guests. Renee and Mary will trade off Mondays.
Scott vetoes third bill this week
Scott vetoed his third bill this week Thursday, denying the Vermont State Employees’ Union exclusive access to solicit corrections officers’ membership in prison parking lots. He also signed into law the state transportation spending bill, the ‘yield’ bill setting a seven percent statewide property tax hike, and the education reform bill encouraging but not requiring school district mergers.
A new Burlington film series pairs silent films with live music
Vermont International Film Festival’s Musical Silents provides a new way of exploring an age-old medium.
Cops seek clues in Vermont hitchhiker murdered nearly half-century ago
Never seen alive after leaving Barre.
Middlebury grad loses Maine governor’s race
Vermont college alum’s second failed race
Black Vermonters celebrated in new South Burlington exhibit
The “Vibrant Lives: Discovering Our Roots of Black Vermont” photography exhibit will be on display at the public library this summer.
Vermont built a way to count the homes it builds. The first count shows it falling further behind.
The state’s signature housing law promised to measure whether Vermont is closing its housing gap. The first report landed in May — and it shows production falling, public money propping up its best recent year, and the one question that matters most still unanswerable in most of the state.
Kayla Wright’s killer gets 13 years in federal drug case, murder sentence still ahead
Jakiy Keith, 26, of Hartford, Connecticut, was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Burlington to 13 years and one month behind bars. Keith had pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine and fentanyl and to carrying a firearm during a drug crime.
Tree cutter recovering after 35-foot tumble in Grand Isle
An arborist, who fell about 35 feet while cutting a dead tree at 301 U.S. 2 in Grand Isle said he was fortunate to have a Guardian Angel protect him from serious injury during his unexpected flight.
Man charged with trying to run over cop released on bail
The man charged with trying to kill a Grand Isle County deputy sheriff by running him over with a car in March has been released on bail.
St. Albans dairy closes after 107 years
Shutdown shock to Franklin County economy
VT Headlines: Vermont law enforcement officers petition for highway dedication in honor of David Chris Maland
Woman injured after stray bullet hits home in Swanton, police say; A timeline for Champlain Parkway opening; Developer floats Amazon warehouse for former Macy’s building in Burlington; 4 Vt. dams targeted for removal
Shorts: Sanders’ AI takeover & the Salvation Army
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today introduced the American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act to give the public a 50% ownership in the largest artificial intelligence (AI) companies in our country.
Blotter: It’s been a busy week for the thin blue line
Vermont State Police are investigating several incidents across the state this week, including a dealership burglary in Clarendon, charges involving a Dorset man accused of offenses against a teenager, and a shooting in Swanton Town that left a woman injured.
VIDEO: Planet Hank video lampoons Bernie, Becca on taxes, climate hypocrisy
Like Biff in a Back to the Future sequel, Becca falls into cow poop, again.
Smith: Gov. Scott’s veto of H.710 is good for the environment and communities
H.710 got very little testimony in the House Energy & Digital Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee, with a brief stop in the Senate Finance Committee. As it passed through the various committees, it was clear that legislators did not understand the bill. There was much confusion about what it meant.
The night a million trees came down in Vermont
How the Hurricane of 1938 devastated Vermont’s forests — and how the government tried to save them. When catastrophe strikes, what does it take to bring things back from the brink?
VT Headlines: Planet Hank satire short about Balint sparks debate over AI political content
Gov. Phil Scott signs bill that will restructure Vermont’s homelessness response; Police investigate fatal crash in Leicester; State police seek information after reported Swanton crash; World Cup races will return to Killington Thanksgiving weekend
Scott vetoes hospital cost control bill
Governor Phil Scott on June 16 signed a slew of bills into law but vetoed a bill meant to impose price controls on hospitals.
Pedestrian, UTV driver die in crashes
The vehicle was traveling east in a single-lane construction zone as the pedestrian was crossing the road.
Soulia: Publish facts. Get attacked. Welcome to journalism in 2026.
Monday morning, FYIVT published an article examining Vermont’s latest “Tax the Rich-ish” campaign and the economic data behind it. By the end of the day, FYIVT had experienced the largest coordinated login attack recorded in the site’s history.
What the record shows: The May 20 Act 181 threats statement
When timelines and details matter
John Benson, engineer and fire Chief, seeks elected seat in Vermont Senate
Benson was tapped by Governor Phil Scott earlier this year to fill a vacancy in the Orange County district.
A Norwich University historian is now streaming on Netflix
Ted Kohn, one of the country’s leading Theodore Roosevelt scholars, appears throughout the History Channel’s “Theodore Roosevelt” — newly added to Netflix ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
This Day in Vermont History: Fairbanks Museum of Natural History completed
On June 17 of 1891, the last stone was placed in the building of the Fairbanks Museum of Natural History in St. Johnsbury.
Border agent charged with child assault faces new charge
During the course of an unrelated investigation, it was revealed Malik Daley, 39, of Barton, had inappropriate conduct with an adult female sometime between the months of March and April 2026 at a residence on Glover Road in Barton, state police said.
Seventy-year-old hiker wisely calls for help on Mansfield summit before running out of light, and energy
A combination of disorientation and exhaustion and the time of day led her to play it safe and call for help. From Stowe Mountain Rescue
Connolly: What’s inside a data center?
Jobs, revenue, and the future Governor Scott just protected
VT Headlines: Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund surpasses its $1 million goal year after founding
Mayor Gwinn Tries Unsuccessfully to Eject Whitaker from Meeting; Vermont man charged in deadly New York stabbing; Chittenden schools can avoid forced mergers if they act fast; Boil-water notice in effect in Richmond after ‘unexpected’ break during water work
Scott signs streamlined cell tower siting, school chemical testing delay into law
Gov. Phil Scott this week signed into law bills continuing state-only authority for renewable power projects, postponing required testing for PCBs in public schools, and giving unaccompanied teens more access to state services.
Goose round-up volunteers needed
Also, Feds say rare wetland plant has recovered, and $32 million in fed funds for ag, timber flood assistance
LaClair campaigns for more home, driving, healthcare choices in full Washington County Senate race
LaClair is among the three Republicans seeking the nomination for the three-seat district. He, Christopher Neddo of Barre Town, and Peter Schmeekle of Stowe will face the winners of the contested Democratic primary: incumbents Ann Cumming, Andrew Perchlik, Anne Watson, and challenger Gabriel LaJeunesse.
Selectboard: Donation to Front Porch Forum was a mistake
Chair Jen Morway and board member Ellen Howrigan said at the meeting last week they had received phone calls from people upset with the town providing taxpayer funds to a for-profit business.
Wanted suspect jumps in lake to avoid the law
Tanner Hart, 32, of Burlington was picked up on a state parole warrant after the short swim and also was cited for a charge of resisting arrest, the sheriff’s department said. He is due in Vermont Superior Court on July 23.
MacDonald: Vermont advances Voting Rights Act ‘cuz reasons
Everyone still has the same rights except non-citizens who arrived illegally, but when the US Supreme Court declared that it is unconstitutional and a violation of the Voting Rights Act to use discrimination (race) as a means of drawing congressional districts, Vermont had to act.
Vermont prepares for summer’s extreme weather events
Vermont is more likely to see extreme rainfall and flooding than a drought this summer, based on the current seasonal precipitation outlook.
VT Headlines: Big Beautiful Life event raises $70K to honor Addi Carroll
Vermont state treasurer discusses Trump Accounts and First Steps Forward pilot; Vergennes battery project on hold; Vermont Senior Games return to Burlington
Did Balint say farmers could leave? She voted against their farm bill
The quote was parody. The vote was real.
America’s secret biolabs revealed
U.S. Intelligence confirms dozens of American-funded biolabs in Ukraine, Director of National Intelligence Gabbard releases classified documents
Roper: Another ridiculous attack on rural Vermonters
The pot calls the maple trees black.
Kastner: From Salem to social media: What has really changed?
What a dissident Quaker, the Salem Witch Trials, and today’s disinformation debate have in common
Keelan: Is the economy headed for a crash in 2027?
Father Paolo Benanti, a Franciscan Friar of the Third Order and a well-respected author and teacher of moral philosophy recently noted in his article, appearing in the Wall Street Journal, “What we cannot predict becomes what we must fear.”
Paddock Paradise promotes food, forage and freedom for horses
Close to 50 attendees drove to Becky Kinkead’s barn to see this Paddock Paradise example on Thursday, June 4. The workshop, hosted by University of Vermont Extension Center for Sustainable Agriculture and the Vermont Grass Farmers Association, attracted people of all ages with varying experiences in caring for horses.
Letters: Crying foul over state agency paying Public Radio
Also, why even a life-long Democrat sees the need for a Republican Senate.
Crime by County: ATV theft, arson, ghost gun sale
Vermont’s blotter this week ran heavy on drugs, break-ins and impaired driving. A federal judge handed down a six-year sentence in a Windham County guns-and-drugs case, troopers chased down a wanted man at a Newbury burglary, and a Rutland man was charged with torching a community center.
VT Headlines: Flash flood season opens with washed-out roads — and a heat advisory right behind it
Vermont’s net metering decision just made solar harder; $4 million in FEMA funding coming to Vermont; Kingdom East School District narrowly approves $53.2M revised budget; Vermont State Police investigating ‘road rage’ incident in Middlesex
Mahdawi ordered deported – but staying pending appeal
Neither Mahdawi nor the ACLU mention state police citing his attempt to return from an overseas trip over a decade ago with illegal drugs and a large amount of cash in his possession. Nor do they mention the police report (cited and brushed aside by the federal judge in his decision) about his alleged effort to work for a Vermont gun repair shop, also over a decade ago, citing his expertise acquired in his homeland.
Alleged $500K fraudster of State Treasurer shows up to court high
A Connecticut man, who is charged with defrauding the office of the Vermont State Treasurer out of nearly $475,000, had his federal court hearing postponed Thursday when he tested positive for drugs.
Trump says U.S. will soon sign deal with Iran – Dow surges 900 points, oil falls
Outrage as Netanyahu is caught spying on Trump’s Iran negotiators – as JD Vance reveals a chilling truth about Israel; Trump calls off Iran strikes, tells The Post U.S.-Tehran deal is ‘all wrapped up’; Senate wants to force U.S. to share sensitive intel with Israel
A new door, but cross-border friendship continues at the Haskell
“Even if our two countries are now like an old married couple who sleep in separate rooms and use separate doors, no matter which door we use it is inside that we will as always meet in friendship.”
Stannard: Before his last show, veteran bluesman looks back
Sunny Lowdown is going to open the show with a solo performance. After a quick set with my old bandmates, we’re going to have a Blues Jam where local players can try their hand at wooing the crowd. There are slew of other great players, too numerous to mention, who are playing on supporting the Vermont Blues Society’s event.
Green: A reflection on America’s upcoming 250th
There is so much about our great nation to celebrate, particularly in this 250th year since its birth.
Two Ottermans run for same House seat
Despite political differences, descendants of longtime lawmaker, prosecutor ‘intend to keep the race cordial”
VT Headlines: Feds approve $31.7 million in disaster aid for flood-hit Vermont farmers
Vermont woman sentenced on firearms offense following fatal shooting; Haskell Free Library holds ribbon cutting for new Canadian citizen entrance; Several roads washed out in Vermont after overnight storms Wednesday; Franklin Foods’ Enosburg Falls plant set to close in August
Poll: Public Safety is the question Vermont keeps asking. Chittenden County is where it’s loudest.
An advocacy group’s new poll put the issue at the center of the Chittenden County State’s Attorney race. The August vote turnout will be the real test.
