Also, a St. Albans man sentenced to 6+ years for mail fraud, aggravated identity theft
Feds imprison Venezuelan cocaine dealer for illegal re-entry
Timothy Page
VT Headlines: 2 arrested in Essex during investigation into social media threats
Memorial for St. Joseph’s Orphanage survivors unveiled; Missing girl in Northeast Kingdom found safe; Burlington streets come alive for Pride Parade; Burlington restaurant shuts down after 11 years
Letters: Concerned about school shooters, parent advises shutters at public and private schools
Illegal roundup stifling economic growth? Plus: What do town committees do?
Cult member pleads innocent to murder charge after feds insist on death penalty
Teresa C. Youngblut, 21, of Seattle denied the four charges, including gunning down veteran Border Patrol Agent David “Chris” Maland during a traffic stop in the Northeast Kingdom community of Coventry on Jan. 20.
Emotions run high as towns discuss losing high schools to Act 73
Act 73 formed a statewide redistricting task force, which is holding meetings–one of which could be held at Oxbow next month.
Bossange: How President Trump threatens Vermonters
Dictators love big government. They remain in power through the long arm of the law and big government overreach. For them the government is their tool of control and pathway to creating a police state.
Soulia: Why Peter Welch’s lightning analogy fails on voter fraud
When Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) defended voting access on social media, he leaned on a familiar line: “More Americans are struck by lightning every year than commit voter fraud.” It’s a catchy sound bite. It suggests fraud is so rare that worrying about it is like worrying about unicorns. But what happens if we pull the numbers apart and look not just at perpetrators, but at victims?
Keelan: “Affordable housing is an oxymoron”
This is why affordable housing projects completed or under development in places such as Putney, Bennington, Burlington, and other Vermont cities and towns are costing up to or exceeding $600,000 per unit. In California, the cost is closer to $1 million.
Gov names former ICE public defender as state’s attorney
Claire Burns was recommended to the Governor by the Caledonia County Republican Committee. Burns has worked in public defenders’ offices in Colorado and California, representing individuals at all stages of criminal proceedings, including those facing deportation at the Aurora ICE Processing Center, as well as at a juvenile detention center in Colorado, providing group and individual therapy.
VT Headlines: Youngblut to be arraigned on murder charge in border agent’s death
Crews respond to fire at Rutland nursing home; Construction to begin once again on Colchester Diverging Diamond Interchange project; Central Vermont Career Center hoping to expand
EAI video covers Vermont left’s long history of making change with out-of-state money
There has been widespread protest from many politicians and non-profit organizations about the decision by Americans for Prosperity to support efforts to reduce taxation and over-regulation in Vermont.
Michigan woman charged in Vermont cross-border child smuggling operation
Attorney General Pam Bondi, flanked by federal prosecutors, including Acting U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher of Vermont, outlined on Thursday several recent significant efforts to combat human trafficking and smuggling along the international borders, including an important felony indictment in the Green Mountain State.
Most VT workers dodged data breach at Teamsters’ health union
If you live in Vermont, and your information was compromised in this breach, you should have received a formal letter in the mail from TeamstersCare.
Roper: More climate propaganda and left-wing bias from VT Digger
This time they really jumped the shark.
VT Headlines: Loss of SNAP funding prompts closure of Northeast Kingdom food shelves
Vermonters dream big as Powerball jackpot reaches $1.7 billion; September marks Suicide Prevention Month; Orleans County Fair kicks off
Vermont’s bear population estimate is above goal for fourth consecutive year
New research will explore why.
U.S. Forest Service approves 72-miles for the Velomont Bike Trail in Vermont
Unlike a thru-hiking route, the Velomont is designed as a multi-use system with mountain biking as a central focus, weaving together public and private lands across the spine of the Green Mountains.
Soulia: Act 21, VT’s $1M medical debt jubilee
Act 21 appropriates $1 million for fiscal year 2026. That money goes from the State Treasurer to a nonprofit debt buyer, which purchases old hospital accounts for pennies on the dollar and then cancels them. Patients who qualify — Vermont residents with incomes under 400 percent of the federal poverty line (FPL), or whose debt exceeds five percent of household income (with no income limit) — get letters saying their debt has been forgiven.
Newport Elementary completes green infrastructure project to improve water quality
The project, first identified in the 2016 Memphremagog Stormwater Master Plan managed by the Memphremagog Watershed Association, is now known as the Newport City Elementary School Green Schools Initiative. It supports ongoing efforts to meet Lake Memphremagog’s Total Maximum Daily Load requirements for phosphorus reduction and the Tactical Basin Plan workplan for the watershed.
VT Headlines: Man accused of chasing children with machete in Brattleboro
2 suspects plead not guilty in deadly Church Street assault; A Vermont animal sanctuary proves that roosters can live peacefully after cockfighting; Vermonters share concerns over new COVID-19 vaccine regulations
Vermont a part of labor and industry pushback against proposed home care changes
The rollbacks would undo an Obama-era change, reverting regulations to those drafted in 1975. The impact would include removing overtime protections as well as the $7.25 federal minimum wage requirement for home health workers. The agency says the move would improve costs for home health care providers and stimulate growth in the struggling industry.
Passenger trains to Montreal are in the works — what does it mean for Vermonters?
The biggest hurdle? Clearing passengers who board the train before they cross the border.
Klar: The skinny on whole foods
What they are, and why consumer demand is heating up.
Does Mt. Mansfield look like its namesake, or more like another famous Vermonter?
Regardless of identity, the Mountain endures.
Fireovid: SpeakVT’s checklist for the new school year
Vermont summers pass quickly, and here we are in another school year.
Soulia: Dark money in Vermont: It’s not coming from AFP
The Affordable Heat Act raised costs, the PUC confirmed it, and the real outside cash is already funding Vermont’s media and advocacy landscape: they just don’t like competition.
VT Headlines: Champlain Valley high schooler starts poker club to empower girls
Northfield commemorates Labor Day with annual parade; Labor Day rally in Burlington highlights workers’ rights and political divides
Campaign for Vermont seeks answers to rising housing, school, health care costs
Non-profit seeking to grow VT’s middle class updates its research priority list for 2025.
AG Clark wins in Vermont Supreme Court against Meta’s Facebook and Instagram
It’s likely the battle isn’t over.
Roper: “People experiencing Progressive policies”
Some on the Left call for abandoning “woke” language.
Shelburne Sgt. Kapitanski to close out case
The Shelburne Police officer charged with an on-duty fatal cruiser-bicycle crash last year has apparently struck a deal with the state to resolve his reckless driving case, Vermont Superior Court records show.
VT Headlines: Colchester man arrested following violent road rage assault
Two recovering after late-night rollover crash in Burlington; Canadian tourism falls; Vermont holds out hope for fall season
AG Clark ‘plays no role in immigration enforcement’ while issuing anti-ICE press release
Clark’s latest anti-Trump press release noted the detaining for possible deportation of illegal immigrants living in ‘the Northshire,’ an unofficial name for the Bennington County area. Press reports say that on August 25 ICE detained two Jamaican women working as home health aides and living in Manchester.
Newport man arrested for ‘credible’ bomb threat against high school
Cypher Aiken, listed as age 25 by Newport police, was charged with domestic terrorism and threatening a civilian population with mass destruction and mass killings, according to Chief Travis Bingham.
Charles F. Orvis, Vermont’s angling visionary
Vermonters have always been an innovative breed, and yet most of the Green Mountain State’s iconic manufacturers built their companies elsewhere. Henry Wells, co-founder of both American Express and Wells Fargo, left Thetford for New York, as did Elisha Graves Otis of Halifax, founder of Otis Elevator. John Deere left Rutland for Moline, Illinois. One Vermonter, however, managed to achieve iconic status without leaving his hometown of Manchester.
Vermont hesitant to remove gender ideology from federal education materials
Human Services Secretary Jenney Samuelson: “Just to put some of the facts out there, the PREP program does provide information for adolescents and youth, particularly around STI [sexually transmitted infection] HIV, prevention and prevention of unintended pregnancies. It is not a school-based program, so it is not offered in the schools.
Plans for a municipal septic system are underway in Jericho
Reliance on on-site septic and well water signifies that a place “is frozen in amber, ain’t nothing gonna happen here again, it is what it is, nothing’s gonna change,” said Chris Campany, executive director of the Windham County Regional Planning Commission.
Franklin County drug dealers face the Feds
John “Fluffy” Lapan, 41, of St. Albans appeared in U.S. District Court on Monday afternoon for a federal criminal complaint that he was involved in three controlled drug purchases in February, according to an affidavit from the St. Albans City Police.
Meanwhile, Jonathan J. Letourneau, 36, also of St. Albans is named in a separate criminal complaint for a charge of knowingly and intentionally distributing crack cocaine in Franklin County in January, records show. He is due in federal court later.
Federal funding loss leads to major cuts at Vermont Public – but organization was already in the red
According to the organization’s official announcement, the elimination of 15 positions stem directly from a $2 million shortfall caused by a recent federal rescission bill that eliminated key funding for public broadcasting.
VT Headlines: Lake Champlain water levels are down significantly amid drought
A Manchester family searches for direction after ICE raid takes one of their own; NBC5 gets a sneak peak at brand new Burlington High School campus
Letters: Democrats, act your age/ Make Sex Great Again
For all our modern focus on sex, it seems our increasingly secular world is having less of it—and it’s declining decade after decade. MSGA!
Page: AI hallucinations and digital mirages
Unpacking the hype, limitations, and the dawn of the human comeback.
Warner: A.I. equals artificial integrity and a massive cost to consumers
We are witnessing the build-up of Orwell’s Ministry of Truth in our monthly power bills, replete with hydro-electric memory holes.
VT Headlines: Amidst work stoppage, bus company brings in replacements for start of school in Windham County
Champlain Valley Fair tries for square dancing world record, hundreds dance in the rain; Lyndon Institute students to fix Miller’s Run Bridge barrier after it took a heavy hit; First Robotics Vermont recruiting elementary and middle schoolers at Champlain Valley Fair
Vermont lowest ranked state for gold-diggers
With a total score of just 4.38/10, Vermont ranks as the state least likely to be labeled a ‘gold digging’ hotspot. Despite having a relatively solid average annual income of $66,330, the state’s small population means there are only 16,000 millionaire households and no billionaires.
SHORTS: Gone Guys, Wells River water hauling, and Old Growth Forest conference
Gone Guys exposes disengagement, isolation of Vermont boys; Wells River hauling water from New Hampshire after oil spill; Old Growth Forest conference next month
Victim identified in fatal Church St., Burlington beating
Ten days after his death, Scott Kastner, 42, was identified Tuesday as the man that died following a vicious beating at Burlington City Hall Park, city police said.
Salmon’s success bodes well for Winooski River health, but flooding and federal cuts stir fear
Scientists say the fish are a reliable measure of lake and basin ecological health.
Water finds a way: Ruins of 200-year-old Cabot dam to be cleared
The Clark Sawmill Dam collapsed during the flooding that hit Vermont in 2023, punctuating years of back-and-forths about its future.
Former Chief Supreme Court justice writes true crime thriller about Clarence Darrow murder trial in VT
Nearly a century ago, America’s most famous defense attorney, Clarence Darrow, came to Vermont to fight for the life of a convicted murderer. Now, that forgotten chapter of legal history is the focus of a new book from the Vermont Historical Society.
Keelan: Young Marine saw racial segregation up close
Much progress has been achieved over the past six decades in addressing discrimination, but as a nation, we cannot say it is behind us.
VT Headlines: Haskell Free Library inspires VT play about borders and belonging in the Trump era
Grants available for child nutrition, farming education in Vermont; Old McDonald Farm offers sweet rewards for kids at the Champlain Valley Fair
Regulator reduces proposed health insurance rates
GMCB said it ordered insurers to “lower their assumptions about hospital price increases” as part of its order. The board also is requiring hospitals to reduce their costs.
Pipe bomb suspect detained in Colchester case
Now Feds have him in custody, court says
Soulia: “Don’t get re-arrested” dropped as Condition of Release
Why it was dropped remains unanswered. But the numbers are clear: Vermont courts leaned on Condition 3 the hardest in the very year before it was eliminated, and now the one safeguard Vermonters assumed was non-negotiable is gone.
Roper: Vermonters should help Mainers Pass Voter ID
Requiring ID to vote is one of those commonsense issues everybody (or almost everybody) agrees is a good idea. According to polling over the years, Americans consistently support voter ID laws by 70 to 80 percent or more, with majority support across the political spectrum.
Police chief haircut video raising tempers in Woodstock
Last Woodstock chief demoted in part for his haircuts
Illegal immigrants busted in Alburgh linked to international fraud group
Drove SUV on railroad into Vermont, police say
CLG: Pentagon directs National Guard troops in D.C. to start patrolling with guns
Clinton judge blocks Trump from releasing Epstein files; FBI raids John Bolton’s home, office in probe over sending classified documents to family; EU leaders want to overthrow three European governments – Budapest
Vermont among 20 states suing Feds over Victims of Crime Act grant restrictions
The Justice Department has declared that states will not be able to access Victims of Crime Act funding unless they agree to support the administration’s immigration enforcement.
VT Headlines: 1,181-pound giant pumpkin takes the gold at Champlain Valley Fair
Milton, Vermont, native Robert Gordon takes home Thunder Road Flying Tigers Triple Crown Title; Why a new gas pipeline into New England may (or may not) lower energy bills
A nine-year-old from Ludlow bought the first share in a new ski area 70 years ago—it was named Okemo
The seeds of Okemo were planted during the Great Depression, when State Forester Perry Merrill—often called the “father of Vermont skiing”—pushed to create recreational forests.
Gervais: Why town caucuses in Sept. matter for Vermont Republicans
The caucus is the on-ramp for participating in the Vermont Republican Party. An organized town has delegates to the county committee, and the county committee has delegates to the state committee.
Blotter: Dead body, injured person found after disturbance in Hartford
Police said the case began at about 3:50 a.m., when a 911 caller reported a disturbance at a home on Verna Court, off VA Cutoff Road. Responding Hartford officers found one victim deceased at the scene and a second suffering injuries described as non-life-threatening.
VT Headlines: Burlington Oktoberfest returns in a new venue after being cancelled last year due to EEE virus
Vermont man arrested in CT after reportedly fleeing after domestic dispute; UVM Men’s Soccer opens season as defending champions; students excited for team spirit
State funding helps build permanently affordable homes for refugees, asylum seekers
Downstreet Housing & Community Development and the Central Vermont Refugee Action Network (CVRAN) on Wednesday announced the opening of Randall Apartments, a newly renovated building that now provides four permanently affordable homes for New American families.
Cohen: Against all odds
Dan Cohen remembers celebrating with an unlikely Vermont governor-to-be in 1972.
Roper: If Phil Scott is pro-school choice, here’s his chance to prove it
Will he opt Vermont in to Big Beautiful Bill’s tax credit/scholarship program?
Fraud warning issued by US Marshals in Vermont
The U.S. Marshals in Vermont issued a warning Wednesday to local residents to be aware of several imposter scams involving individuals claiming to be U.S. marshals, court officers, or other law enforcement officials in an effort to try to collect a court fine.
Letter: Pastors believe revival coming
“This Friday and Saturday, Aug 22 & 23, we are stepping into a doorway that we believe will mark the future of our state and region.”
VT Headlines: Phil Scott tells Pam Bondi Vermont is not a ‘sanctuary state’
Vermont hospitals largely plan to break even or lose money to keep prices in check; Memorial to orphanage abuse survivors takes shape
12 states – but not VT – embrace MAHA push to limit junk foods in SNAP program
Despite opposition by some SNAP users claiming that the move discriminates against the marginalized (or against their food liberties), the intention of these efforts is to improve health outcomes.
Bernie a leader in the “loon wing” of Dems, says Sen. Kennedy
The former Democrat says Sanders, AOC, Mamdani are threatening to tear apart or take over the Democratic Party, promoting “neo-Socialism.” “To be a member of their club, you have to have contempt for America.”
Dame: Pieciak spending “task-force” is a charade
When the State budget ballooned from $6 Billion to $9 Billion Republicans said we have to be careful about our over-reliance on federal money, because it will require either higher taxes to keep federal programs in place once the money is gone – or we will have to start cutting these programs. Neither of these ideas are discussed in the report.
Soulia: VT’s climate spending vs. drug interdiction
Vermont has chosen to spend heavily on climate mitigation, with more than a quarter-billion dollars in state funds committed over just a few years. Meanwhile, as the toll of overdoses continues to outpace weather-related deaths by a factor of nearly 100 to 1, a contrast likely to grow harder for policymakers—and taxpayers—to ignore.
VT Headlines: Montpelier plans to remove Pioneer Street Dam to restore nearby floodplain
2 bagpipers from ‘Podunk, Vermont’ win top prizes in Glasgow; New youth service shelter in St. Albans expected to fill quickly; Balint claims about corporate PAC funds in question
VT Headlines: Colchester pedestrian dies in crash with vehicle driven by teen
Storage building burns to ground at family orchard in Windham County; Mount Snow celebrates three decades of Brewers Fest; In Waterbury, historic Goodell House approved for move and rehab
Vermont’s WWII aircraft spotters: watching the skies at home
Springfield and Windsor, Vermont were considered key targets.
Blotter: Dog beaten on parking lot, fatal crash, fugitive arrest at border
Vermont State Police responded to a string of serious incidents across the state this past weekend, ranging from a fugitive arrest at the Canadian border to an animal cruelty case in Royalton and a fatal crash in Lowell.
Addison County woman busted for drug house count
Sara Beth Austin, 48, appeared in U.S. District Court in Burlington on Friday afternoon on a criminal complaint that she operated the drug home on Vermont 22A in the town of Addison during the month of August, according to U.S. Homeland Security Investigations.
City Hall Park shooter pulled rifle out of pants
The investigation determined a large disturbance broke out on College Street near City Hall Park before an individual removed what appeared to be a rifle from his pants, Detective Lt. Mike Beliveau said. The armed individual struck the victim in the head with the rifle and then fired a single round into the air, Beliveau said.
Fireovid: Shunned by Indivisible ‘neighbors’
It’s strange behavior for people who claim to want a society that’s “indivisible” and who constantly profess that they’re all for “community.”
Blaise in trouble again for drugs
Thomas “T.J.” Blaise, 44, was found with nearly one pound of cocaine following a motor vehicle stop by Vergennes City Police on Tuesday night, records show. A digital scale was found under the driver’s seat, along with a large amount of currency loose inside a bag and more concealed in a sock, HSI said.
VT Headlines: Three dogs rescued from cliff in Westmore
A rocky finding at a proposed industrial park raises more eyebrows in Morrisville; A historic property in Montpelier is returning to its original state — a floodplain; Vermont famers say new technology is changing the state’s agriculture industry
Roper: More bad news for “Make Big Oil Pay”
South Carolina Judge latest to dismiss lawsuit similar to Vermont’s.
Death penalty for NEK Border Patrol case
One new count charges Youngblut “with malice aforethought, unlawfully killed” Maland by shooting him while he was engaged in the performance of his duties. The second new charge maintains Youngblut carried a firearm during a crime of violence – the murder alleged in count one of the new indictments. She used a Glock model 23 .40-caliber pistol, the indictment said. One of the previous charges has been amended to say that Youngblut actually shot at two Border Patrol Agents that were with Maland. The new indictment identified them only by the initials “J.M” and “D.W.”
Why Bennington Battle Day matters
Vermont probably wouldn’t exist today if not for the Battle of Bennington.
Norwich students gain mission-ready electromagnetic ops expertise
The camp, led by seasoned experts in EMSO, Cyber Operations, Electromagnetic Warfare (EW), and Information Operations (IO), offered an intensive three-day curriculum.
Soulia: Estimating VT’s real-feel tax burden
On paper, Vermont’s tax burden appears moderate: according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), the combined state and local tax burden ranges from 6.3% for the wealthiest households to 10.6% for the lowest-income earners. But when actual Vermonters break down their paychecks and monthly bills, the numbers often feel much higher—sometimes pushing into the 30–40% range before factoring in basic living costs like housing, fuel, and food.
VT Headlines: Richard Tarrant, philanthropist and Vermont political candidate, dies at 83
Sen. Welch & food experts respond to SNAP cuts; Northeast Kingdom businesses see sharp drop in Canadian tourists; Vermont LGBTQ+ community angered by marriage equality appeal to U.S. Supreme Court
Two water main breaks plague Montpelier — one shot water above the tree line
“It was a straight up geyser,” said Tim Sinnott of Parkside Drive, who was checking out the site with his family. Sinnott said water shot 120 feet into the air.
Bobolink birds are in decline. Vermont’s fields are key to changing that
The Bobolink Project pays owners of fields, often farmers, to conduct bird-friendly practices. The birds get time and habitat to nest while the landowners get some compensation for letting them do so.
A bridge project exposes NH’s battle against Vermont-style overreach
Regional recreation project hits a snag: New Hampshire resists Vermont’s soft stance on homeless encampments while enforcing strict rules that block the fix—new housing.
What that big thing in the sky was Monday night
Given the timing and novelty of the event, two primary explanations quickly gained traction online: a rocket launch and the Perseid meteor shower, which was expected to peak that same night.
VT Headlines: Spotted lanternfly spreads to 21 states
Vermont business owners weigh-in on U.S. imposed tariffs on Canada; Scattered storms Wednesday, heat breaks late week
Vermont tangled in red tape and knotweed
In the Netherlands, a design group called Why Knot turns knotweed into lightweight, formaldehyde-free building panels. Vermont’s regulatory system is too antiquated to see it as a win-win.
Judge says Woodstock can’t name new police chief
Vermont Superior Court Judge H. Dickson Corbett ruled Friday afternoon that the five Woodstock Village Trustees — Chair Seton McIlroy, Vice Chair Jeffrey Kahn, and members Brenda Blakeman, Frank Horneck, and Lisa Lawlor — had failed to properly follow the law.
Former GOP House nominee promises solar energy to anti-Israel strikers
“I am offering some free solar energy to anyone who can more directly withhold their support from Israel,” Madden said.
VT parents demand public schools comply with feds
SPEAK VT President Marie Tiemann added that national developments raise questions for Vermont’s Agency of Education: whether it will respect parents’ right to opt out of controversial classroom material, and whether it will protect female athletes under Title IX.
Schools should share services, not consolidate, advocate says
Since 2010 Vermont has consolidated from 271 school districts down to the current 119. Act 73 contemplates further consolidation down to 10-20 regional school boards. At the same time, spending has accelerated to the point that Vermont now spends 79% more than the national average and outcomes have been declining since this latest consolidation effort. Yet Vermont students now rank below average for performance.
