Late one night, a tired writer falls asleep at his desk while faint organ music drifts in from somewhere distant. In his dream, an old man named Word appears on a high cliff and tells him to seek the House of Bread—then the writer wakes up, packs his things, and sets off with his companion to find it.
Watch your language: Trump admin questioned Vermont Head Start provider’s funding request over DEI terms; Storm to bring heavy rain, record warmth and wind; Mad River Glen inks final purchase and sale agreement for 1,100 acre
Second-warmest year on record, climate scientist James Hansen says, with record heat expeccted in 2026
What Vermont cannot do is continue pretending it can sustain prohibitive regulation, minimal growth, lavish spending, high-cost labor structures, small schools everywhere, expansive public programs, and low taxes at the same time.
Part 2 picks up where that conversation left off, continuing through the remaining structural challenges affecting Vermont’s economy, cost of living, and long-term fiscal stability.
Vermont Public reporter Peter Hirschfeld joined Hot Off The Press call-in radio show Thursday.
Hulsen filed an equal pay violation lawsuit in U.S. District Court in November 2020 claiming she was cut loose from her high school job when the position was redefined and a younger man was hired at a substantially higher pay rate for the new post in August 2020.
Vermont is among the 35 states to reach agreements with the Kia and Hyundai automakers to retrofit existing models with anti-theft technology, the Journal-Opinion reports today.
The proposal addresses an estimated $200 million increase in the education fund, which could result in an average property tax increase of about 12%.
Shouldn’t the qualifications for a referee be based on merit and his or her ability to do the job with skill, excellence, and integrity, instead of an artificially imposed quota of arbitrary external characteristics?
Many non-biblical historians and objective, skeptical scholars insist that he was a historical figure.
The pedestrian has been identified as Mauricio M. Martinez, 52, of Schenectady, New York.
We are already paying more than our fair share.
Four people charged in alleged human smuggling operation in Vermont; Governor pitches Vermont lawmakers on plan to avert 11.9% property tax hike; Wilmer Chavarria sues U.S. government for violating Fourth Amendment rights; White out: Vermont’s tallest peak buried under record-breaking powder
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a coalition of 17 other Democratic attorneys general are urging the U.S. Department of Education to withdraw a proposed expansion of federal data collection on college admissions, arguing it would violate student privacy and distort civil rights law.
It saddens me us that on a private not government community social media page an invitation to share in the true meaning of Christmas is prohibited.
Vermont ice cream company’s governance restructuring eliminates activist leaders, raises questions about brand independence
A convoy of kindness will roll into the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital on December 18, carrying far more than boxes and bags. It will bring smiles, comfort, and a powerful reminder that the community stands shoulder to shoulder with its youngest patients.
State relaxes truck driver hour restrictions through mid-January as Northeast faces propane and heating oil supply crisis
Charitable giving should be more public
A two-year old driving while intoxicated court case against besieged Addison County State’s Attorney Eva P. Vekos appeared to come to a close Tuesday when she pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge.
I’m very grateful for Jarrod Vaillaincourt’s excellent commentary in the Dec 10th issue of the Vermont Daily Chronicle. He exposes efforts by elementary school staff to market a new school-sanctioned “sexuality” club – to elementary school students! Although such conduct by public school educators is beyond revolting, it’s unfortunately not surprising.
Vermont family says nephew is ok following mass shooting at Brown University; Man dies by suicide following police investigation in Essex; Three arrested in Bennington following drug trafficking investigation
The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote as early as Tuesday on H.R. 3492, titled the Protect Children’s Innocence Act, legislation that would prohibit gender-related medical interventions for minors.
Listen at 11:05 AM today on WDEV AM 550, FM 96.1, and on wdevradio.com. Call in at 802-244-1777. You can also email your comment or question to news@vermontdailychronicle.com.
Bondi Beach mass shooting despite even tighter restrictions throws doubt on this idea.
What Vermonters are experiencing now is the predictable result of multiple systems breaking down at the same time: education finance, demographic decline, housing scarcity, regulatory overreach, healthcare inflation, workforce deterioration, and a tax base that continues to shrink while public obligations grow.
Juan Hernandez-Santos has a criminal history of multiple DUIs, possession of a controlled substance, and two prior removals from the U.S.
Safeguarding liberties in a new nation
Anthony T. Seagroves, 34, was ordered to serve a 26-month prison term on Friday for having a loaded privately made firearm — also known as a “ghost gun” — in downtown Burlington on Oct. 14, 2024.
The medical journal The Lancet has just released three companion studies that vindicate this MAHA message.
Major dairy processors and manufacturers accumulated hundreds of permit violations in 2024 while state regulators emphasize “partnership” over enforcement.
The couple’s 32-year-old son and screenwriter Nick Reiner is the prime person of interest in the deadly stabbing, sources told the New York Post.
An illegal alien from Mexico, who authorities say used counterfeit immigration documents to get hired at a Chittenden County business, has been sentenced to five months in federal prison for unlawful reentry into the United States after being deported multiple times.
One person dead following US Route 7 collision; Burlington City Council to discuss sidewalk obstructions, grant for drug recovery shelter; Brattleboro hospital’s chief financial officer exits amid projected $14.5M shortfall
Some intellectuals claim that they are
Brown U. gunman shouted something before opening fire; 2 killed, multiple injured in mass shooting at Brown University as Ivy League campus is plunged into lockdown; Trump’s Israeli-born pick for U.S. anti-Semitism czar plans to work with social media to suppress ‘hatred,’ label it ‘misinformation’; Gunmen kill 16 at Australia’s Bondi Beach Jewish holiday event; Elections impossible under Zelensky’s ‘terrorist regime’ – Ukrainian MP
What the research actually says
A former maintenance supervisor at North Country Hospital allegedly embezzled more than $163,000 through fraudulent expense claims, inflated on-call pay requests, and reimbursements for cancelled or returned purchases, according to police.
Police say the burglary occurred on November 28, at about 12:57 a.m. at the Cambridge Village Market on South Main Street in Cambridge. Following an investigation, troopers developed probable cause that Ian Gardner, 39, of Burlington committed the offenses of burglary, grand larceny, unlawful mischief and possession of stolen property.
A former Stowe resident has pleaded not guilty in federal court to a series of felony charges, including a possible death penalty case for reportedly killing two out-of-state drug dealers in the Northeast Kingdom in 2023.
Short answer: Nope.
Burlington faces up to $12M budget gap for fiscal year 2027; Vermont regulation could lower number of THC products you can buy at one time; Student plans to show Gazan protest documentary delayed due to pushback
The pressures shaping Vermont’s future are very real.
The 2024 national men’s soccer champion Catamounts face an uncertain future as their architect departs for the Big Ten.
Trump gives Zelensky ‘days’ to respond to peace plan; U.S. lawmaker pushes for withdrawal from NATO; U.S. deploys fighter jets to Gulf of Venezuela in closest known approach yet; How Covid vaccines can cause heart damage
Richard Heinberg, a senior fellow at the Post Carbon Institute and a prominent voice on global energy trends, will give a public presentation on December 16 examining what he describes as mounting pressures on both the world’s—and Vermont’s—energy systems.
The F-35s from the Vermont Air National Guard will join the growing U.S. force massed in the Caribbean aimed largely at the Maduro regime.
Today, artificial intelligence (AI), a technology that is more profound in its capacity to change and improve lives than electricity, holds the promise of transforming America. Indeed, it can take us to the golden age President Trump envisions.
At stake is more than bureaucratic transparency. Vermont is appealing the Trump administration’s denial of disaster relief for a July 2025 storm that caused $1.8 million in verified damage to roads and infrastructure in the Northeast Kingdom—damage that exceeded federal thresholds but was nonetheless rejected in November.
What is the legal standing of Puerto Rico?
Two central Vermont elementary schools could face closure; Gov. Scott, Vermont party leaders call for Addison County State’s Attorney Eva Vekos to resign; Vermont directs flood recovery funds to housing on higher ground
A wary eye on the food supply
Revelation 3:21 reminds us that grace is not inherited, but chosen: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Amen.
VT Senate leader vows to fight Trump rather than solve Vermont issues.
Parents have the right to know what is going on with their child at school. That right is not surrendered at the schoolhouse door.
Winooski Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria to testify in Washington, D.C.; Man sentenced in Vermont 1986 cold case murder of Sarah Hunter; Vermont officials push early action as health coverage deadlines near
Vermont’s Use Value Appraisal Program—commonly known as the Current Use Program—has been a central part of the state’s land management approach for more than four decades.
The interior of Waterbury’s Brookside Primary School gym is usually reserved for basketball games and physical education classes. But for a handful of days last month, it served a different purpose: a workspace for the River of Light — Waterbury’s upcoming annual community lantern parade, happening this past Saturday, Dec. 6.
The legislation seeks to establish a standardized system where airlines must pay passengers for delays and cancellations that are deemed within the airline’s control.
Thirteen community and infrastructure projects across Vermont will receive a combined $8.9 million in federal funding through the Northern Border Regional Commission’s Fall 2025 Catalyst Program, state and federal officials announced Tuesday.
Federal orders arrive with little warning
Vermont Democratic Party head calls for resignation of Addison County State’s Attorney Eva Vekos; As bitter cold hits Vermont, new shelters open for the first time this season; State waterways could lose federal protection under new rule
Today’s Hot Off The Press show will be a little city and a little country. In the first half hour, we’ll be talking with Kolby LaMarche, editor of the Burlington Daily News, about downtown Burlington amid the desperate holiday shopping season, and in the second half of the show with pig farmer, inventor, and FYIVT publisher Dave Soulia and climate change activists making noise about taking away your woodstove.
Also, Vermonter dies in Ukraine war.
How a 24-unit project reveals a statewide crisis in cost, regulation, and taxpayer inefficiency
Congress has begun an investigation into a large-scale fraud scheme that led to hundreds of millions of dollars being stolen from Minnesota’s social welfare programs under Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.
This world-shaking miracle has been pushed to the margins of relevance within the cultural bubble that much of secular America, and even many believers, now inhabit.
Colchester is a haven for manufactured housing in pricey Chittenden County
Two assistant coaches have deep Vermont ties.
In a recent NBC News interview covering topics from his personal life to potential 2028 ambitions and rising antisemitism, Vice President JD Vance shared his respect for three progressive political figures: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D).
Swanton Police arrested Mustafa M. Muhammed and Anthon R. Avery and seized crack cocaine, fentanyl, cash and a defaced gun.
Humble Revelry in Milton closes after car crashes into building; Rutland Regional Medical Center grilled by Green Mountain Care Board over proposed unit closure; Montpelier Finance Director Resigns; Swanton family decorates home with 25,000 Christmas lights for toy drive; In Winooski, 3 arrests upend a family’s quiet life
Homeland Security reports other fatal/serious accident TT crashes with Indian drivers
Alkaline hydrolysis — a cremation process that dissolves body tissue in water and chemicals — has been introduced to Vermont as a greener afterlife alternative.
Vermont is facing an estimated 12% increase in education property taxes next year unless lawmakers again step in with a General Fund subsidy.
Learn more about the new alternative media, Vermont Back Porch, when Hot Off The Press interviews founder Amy Hornblas today at 11:40 AM on WDEV. Call ins welcome at 802-244-1777.
While Vermont property owners who permit recreational use of their land are legally protected, they receive no compensation or tax relief for their generosity.
While House Republicans will drop the text of a health care policy bill as soon as Monday, individual Republican senators have introduced a hodge-podge of ideas via separate bills.
Brook on new conspiracies
Vermont likes to call itself a leader in combating climate change, but leadership implies setting an example others want to follow. Instead, Vermont is becoming a cautionary tale of what happens when ideology trumps practicality. The result? A state struggling under the weight of policies that deliver the opposite of what they promise.
With respect, the evidence does not support that conclusion, nor does the characterization of the thousands of Vermonters who participated in the process as merely “organized activism.” That phrase is a dysphemism—substituting a negative label for something legitimate in order to undermine it.
A seven-year project to modernize critical freight infrastructure faced delays and cost overruns—but may have saved Western Vermont’s rail economy.
A Vermont judge has reversed an April ruling by the Woodstock Village Trustees upholding the demotion of Police Chief Joe Swanson, and the case will now go back to the village board.
The illegal possession of fraudulent documents, including a bogus social security card, is the reason a Winooski mother and her 7-year-old son were detained at the International border over the Thanksgiving holiday, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Friday.
Morley grew up in, and resides in, Orleans County with his wife, Jodi. He has worked for the Village of Orleans for 33 years, managing an electric department, street department, water and wastewater department, fire department, and library. Morley is an active member of the community, serving on many boards, in addition to having served in the Vermont House of Representatives for six years from 2004 until 2010.
11th annual ‘Troy’s Toy Drive’ accepting new, unwrapped toys this Saturday; New protections for seniors at risk of scams; Registration for ‘Scat & Tracks’ educational program open
Whether or not you respect President Trump’s approach, the fact remains America has never had a president who has had so many documented incidents of using racist, antisemitic, and misogynistic language.
When the Civil War erupted, Willie’s father answered the call to defend his adopted country, enlisting in the 3rd Vermont Infantry in June 1861. The boy, desperate not to be separated from his father, begged to accompany him to war.
Neurologist Dr. Jessica Lowe brings medical expertise and 230,000 followers to national telemedicine company
Public aid vs. private generosity
University of Delaware student arrested with car full of guns, plans to carry out mass shooting – and chilling note about ‘martyrdom’; 11 U.S. warships and 15,000 troops now in Caribbean as Venezuela tensions escalate; Stricter guidelines demanded for flu shots by FDA regulator after memo links Covid jabs to deaths of ten kids
Student Government Association approves club after initial denial and pressure from a club member’s parent.
Montpelier Council Selects Three Finalists for City Manager; USDA’s threat to withhold SNAP funding won’t directly impact recipients; Vermont Legislature’s top economist slams Trump’s trade war
And EVERYBODY is paying the price.
State Police arrested a Massachusetts man early Sunday after he allegedly threatened troopers with an axe and chainsaw.
For the seventeenth year in a row, The Vermont Veterans’ Home received its Christmas Tree from Marine Veteran Don Keelan’s property in Arlington. The tree, a 15-foot balsam, was delivered along with the traditional honorary escort from several Troopers with the Vermont State Police.
Joshua Turka of 5th Quarter Butcher and Provisions offers guidance as beef prices hit record highs
Vermont’s consent laws for minors allow adolescents to seek medical care for STIs, mental health, and gender-affirming services without parental consent or notification. Supporters highlight the seeming public health benefits, but others highlight the dangers posed.
Governor Phil Scott defended Afghanistan refugees in Vermont on Facebook Tuesday in response to the recent high-profile shooting in Washington, D.C., involving an Afghan refugee suspect.
Also, Governor Scott on the need for “education transformation” this legislative session.
