Similar efforts to buy out student loans at the national level have gotten stalled in federal courts.
Bipartisan bill would allow purchase of medical debts with public funds
Timothy Page
Charlotte keeps traditional Town Meeting, but more towns adopt secret ballot
Rejected proposals would have put budget, town issues to voters by secret ballot
Governor’s office puts out education “transformation proposal” to mixed response
The governor’s office has put forth a comprehensive education overhaul plan that would uproot both the economics and governance of public schools.
Fatal head-on collision in Waterbury under investigation
At approximately 1:32 p.m. on February 28, 2025, troopers from the Berlin Barracks responded to reports of a crash in front of Billings Mobile.
McClaughry: Where Gov. Scott’s education transformation leads
When it came to education financing, however, the governor proposed what he called “incredibly strong measures” that vaulted him well into high-risk territory.
Posley: A plea on behalf of marginalized and underrepresented people
Posley: ‘With each bill I beg you to ask yourself, “How will this impact the lives of underrepresented people?”’
Klar: Rural Vermont attacks Trump policies for federal workers
Helping farmers, or federal bureaucrats?
In one day, Healthcare Committee sees 18 bills on healthcare rights, vaccines, more
Each bill was given about 5-10 minutes per presenter in the marathon committee session. To see all 18 bills, look at their Feb. 21 (Friday) agenda.
CLG: FBI withheld ‘thousands’ of Epstein docs – U.S. Attorney General
USAID spent millions of dollars of taxpayer-funded grants were funneled into Ukrainian confectionery, fashion and pet companies
Roper: Destroying school choice in Vermont
Governor’s education plan “fixes” too many things that don’t need fixing
Soulia: Lawmakers propose 32-hour workweek
The bill does not require businesses to maintain a 40-hour pay structure for a 32-hour schedule, leaving the door open for less hours rather than increased pay.
VT Headlines: Neurodivergent VTers launch fund to assist as Medicaid cuts loom
Vermont’s Fed-qualified health centers are struggling; Long View project’s funding request struck down, will not be moving forward
Middlebury makes noise protesting campus debate on gender-affirming care
Protesters described the event as anti-trans and the speakers as unqualified.
Page: Booker T. Washington’s shining example
Booker T. Washington believed in the ability of blacks to succeed by their own merits, despite the obstacles they faced.
West Rutland to vote on $2.3M wastewater treatment facility upgrades
Officials say that the facility requires replacing control systems, mechanical and electrical components, and making structural repairs and improvements.
Soulia: H.298: Bad-faith bill that shields illegal aliens while pretending to follow the law
H.298 will classify Vermont as a full-fledged sanctuary state, potentially costing it millions in federal law enforcement funding.
ANR: “No significant change” in fuel consumption despite “hundreds of millions” invested in green tech
Sales of gasoline and diesel fuel for transportation may have actually increased, a state report says.
VT Headlines: Fairfax to decide whether to nix town manager position
Vermont Congressional Delegation holds virtual statewide town hall; Vermont lawmakers look to eliminate military pension tax
Waterbury woman accused of fraudulently obtaining $40,000 from local aid organizations
Police say the suspect sought help for overdue rent payments from the Mad River Valley Community Fund, the Mad River Valley Interfaith Council, and the Community Action Service Team.
Iadarola: On the FY26 Slate Valley Unified Union school district budget vote
The current model of education funding is inefficient and unsustainable. There are clear areas for significant saving that will make VT more affordable for all.
VT Headlines: Plane crash in Manchester
No injuries after train hits car in Milton; Green Mountain Transit says ridership increased after fares returned, service reductions still coming
Montpelier’s Post Office is struggling — and residents are feeling it
Montpelier’s post office has been unreliable, and the problem isn’t going away. Postal employees aren’t talking, but frustrated residents missing mail are.
BLOTTER: Two arrested after firearm discharged in domestic dispute in Lyndonville
Driver crashes into pole on Scott Highway in Groton
UVM Libraries announce the availability of the first part of Senator Leahy’s papers
The senator’s travel and campaign materials are the first wave of his vast collection to be available for public research
How ‘Gucci Flip Flops’ and good vibes brought back Harwood Union girls hockey
Staying positive helped this team break a losing streak lasting more than two years.
Roper: GWSA transportation mandates will cost more than $177M per year
Tax on gas & diesel could start at 26 cents per gallon.
Keelan: Let’s stop talking and start building
To develop housing in Vermont, the hurdles have increased and are much higher, making the housing crisis all the more dire.
Klar: HHS cuts CDC ‘disease detectives’
Where were they during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Some cliff tops and overlooks are closed to protect nesting Peregrines
Hikers and climbers can help nesting peregrine falcons by avoiding several Vermont cliff areas this spring and early summer.
VT Headlines: Police: Mom arrested after child brings bag with cocaine residue to day care
Local wastewater issues my put hold on new housing; Vermont teacher pleads not guilty to DUI charge; Essex Westford’s budget proposes closing elementary school
Thayer: Advocating for parents’ rights in Vermont’s public schools
A call for parent-school collaboration and transparency.
Soulia: 10 acres for $1. $12M in debt. And a quiet vote.
A proposal to build a $12.1M Valley Community Center (VCC) is moving forward across multiple towns, with funding to come primarily from taxpayer-backed bonds.
North Country Hospital dialysis services saved by regulatory decision
The regulatory board voted to increase UVM Medical Center’s revenue cap to cover losses from operating dialysis centers in Newport, St. Albans and Rutland.
Ira Allen’s legacy in Winooski explored at recent book talk
“Without him, your picture of the history of Vermont is massively incomplete,” said J. Kevin Graffagnino, author of “Ira Allen: A Biography.”
VT Headlines: $1M Powerball ticket sold in Newport Center, VT Lottery announces
Wagon signs in Charlotte spur billboard scrutiny; Vermonters to hold vigil in Montpelier on three-year anniversary of war in Ukraine
Gunned down Veteran Border Patrol Agent from VT laid to rest with military honors
Besides his federal co-workers from the Green Mountain State, Maland also was honored with a delegation of troopers from the Vermont State Police led by Lt. Andy Jenson, commander at the Derby barracks.
Jesses: DEI is Detrimental to Essex Instruction
DEI is inculcated into the lives of our EWSD students day in and day out, but show little to no academic benefits.
CLG: Trump announces Dan Bongino will be deputy director of the FBI
Elon Musk ‘uncovers’ 20M in Social Security database over age 100; Trump brands Zelensky ‘dictator without elections’; Putin-Trump dialogue ‘promising’
Winooski school tax to drop
“Making some compromises to keep the spending increase in check”
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.
Phil Scott to meet President Trump today
Governor Phil Scott will attend the National Governors Association Winter meeting in Washington, D.C. this week, where he is expected to meet President Trump.
Roper: VT Democrats need to fish or cut bait on climate policies
Either pass laws that will meet GWSA mandates or repeal the mandates.
Soulia: VT’s PILOT Program: What it is and how it affects taxpayers
Vermont’s rural taxpayers are subsidizing PILOT payments that disproportionately go to larger municipalities, despite their own financial challenges.
Bill could ban food dyes linked to unappetizing effects from school meals
The bill is modeled after California’s 2024 School Food Safety Act.
Officials outline Waterbury Dam facelift amid flood fears
Starting in 2027, builders will replace the floodgates with thicker, sturdier ones and swap out the bridge above the spillway.
$40M hotel and apartment complex to transform downtown Rutland
The City has provided incentives, including approx. $4.6M in reduction of future taxes over the first 12 years, and around $750,000 in waived permit fees.
Letter: Mazur on Biden’s folly
Treason is defined as a betrayal of trust. We need to uncover and prosecute those responsible because if the last four years go unpunished, it will happen again.
VT Headlines: To keep tax increases at bay, many school districts will cut staff
Plan afoot to relocate Windsor Diner to alternate Main Street lot; Norwich University criminologist weighs in on impact of social media on cult following
Man arrested for Assault and Robbery on Church Street
A Williston man was arrested Tuesday morning following an alleged assault and robbery on Church Street, according to the Burlington Police Department.
McCann: The dire cost of getting well
Increasing healthcare and hospital costs pose a greater challenge than education
McGuinness: Statewide Healthcare bill introduced
The Senate Committee on Health & Welfare discussed a bill to advance a statewide health care delivery system on February 11
Bill aims to restrict tuition costs for public elementary schools
School tuition has been a hot-button issue for the Green Mountain State. The average public elementary school tuition in Vermont is $19,400.
Crispe: The future of Vermont education reimagined
We can achieve new educational heights without draining our pocketbooks.
Galfetti: Snail’s pace
It would appear that House Democrats and Republicans have gotten off on the wrong foot. The Budget Adjustment Act passed recently was contentious for good reason.
Soulia: The Rutland Forward enigma
A PAC with missing money, unfiled reports, and unanswered questions
New bill seeks “fair standards and fair process” for school closures
A new bill seeks to formalize the always-controversial process of closing a community’s public elementary school.
Klar: Bernie Sanders’s ‘onesies’ rant displayed his animosity for free speech
Demanding Bobby Kennedy cancels others’ messaging is absurd!
Update: Vermonter suspected of providing two guns in Border Patrol Agent slaying arrested in Maryland
The case has so many twists and turns that scorecards are helpful in trying to keep all the players straight.
KVS: Orange man arrested for DUI and assault on law enforcement
Also: Couple pulls up to scene of a crash, leave in cuffs; Two found dead in parked car, no foul play suspected
Gervais: Can the feds save Vermont’s power grid?
Vermont’s legislature continues the race to the precipice.
Bigger districts mean more student opportunity, Ed Secretary says
Education Secretary Zoie Saunders told VDC on Friday that having larger districts would enable more equal distribution of resources.
Town cries foul on road salt exemption for VTrans
A Senate bill to control road salt pollution notably exempts VTrans from the bill’s requirements while asking municipalities and private businesses to comply.
VT Headlines: A second incarcerated man dies at Springfield prison in less than a month
California man, missing for 2 years, ‘left everything behind’ to join ‘Zizian’ group; Sterling Market owners seek FEMA buyout in Johnson
Rep. Zachary Harvey appointed as VTGOP Finance Chair
In this role, Harvey will help lead the Party’s fundraising strategy and donor engagement efforts
Q&A with 104-year-old Kenneth Hart
Kenneth Hart is 104 years old and currently resides in The Pines nursing home in Rutland.
After Covid population influx, too few moving to VT to offset the dying
Thinktank: “Policymakers should proceed with caution” concerning migration trends
Lawrence: What’s wrong with a little “Communism”?
Communism and DEI are identical in philosophy and execution.
State Senate advances health insurance bills, picks the judge pickers
Raising Minimum Wage (S.67) to deal with higher livable wage and inflation also introduced.
Klar: Defending free speech in America
The First Amendment seemed forgotten under the Biden Administration, but it’s back.
Guv’s school reform plan gives “additional consideration to school choice”
The governor’s top education official spoke to lawmakers on Wednesday on their new five-district school governance proposal.
KVS: Coventry man arrested after alleged crime spree
Justin Kirby, 39, was arrested on multiple felony charges in late January after a string of alleged crimes in Coventry, including burglary and car theft.
Woman suspect in fatal Border Patrol shooting moved out-of-state
Teresa Youngblut, 21, is now at the Merrimack County Department of Corrections near Concord, NH, due to bed shortage for Fed. detainees in VT jails.
The VT Saves Program starts July 2025
If you’re an employer or an employee, this will affect your paycheck and business operations starting in July 2025.
Soulia: DOGE constitutional? Legal? And who’s cutting what?
Is DOGE constitutional? Legal? And who’s actually cutting what?
Bossange: Trump’s own MAGA Deep State
After a month in office, it is clear that the President and his MAGA leadership team and a new group of “elites,” are quickly establishing their own Deep State.
CLG: Pentagon, Trump rule out Ukraine joining NATO
Judge orders HHS, CDC, and FDA to restore deleted webpages with ‘health’ information; Kiev plotting series of false flags to drag NATO into war – Moscow
Vermont would take ‘first logical step’ with new AI bill, says Secretary of State
“I don’t think it’s a partisan issue,” Copeland Hanzas said. “It’s really just to make sure that elections are honest and accurate and fair.”
The ancient origins of the Ziz
Providing context for the now-maligned name, and it’s co-option by those who oppose its true meaning.
Krowinski: Education transformation will take all of us
One challenge for Vermont has risen above all others: the state of our public education system.
With just three investigators, Human Rights Commission seeks relief from legislators
“It’s a really gut-wrenching situation for all the parties involved,” said the commission’s executive director.
VT Headlines: “Extremely dangerous” Vermont man wanted, 2 others arrested in Irasburg
Musical Chairs In Hartland: Three Candidates, Two Seats; Feds Pause Killington’s $25m RAISE Grant; Tupper Lake firefighters hit with two fires in 24 hours
Health Commissioner: “Climate change” and “globalization” will lead to new animal-to-human viruses
CDC: “While the current public health risk is low, CDC is watching the situation carefully and working with states to monitor people with animal exposures.”
After unexplained delay, Bauckholt death certificate released
German national’s body cremated, document says.
Keelan: The beginning of the end of Vermont’s rurality
During the last forty years, events have been taking place that have forever changed our rural character.
Page: Mind, mindset, and political identity
Why we literally think differently about politics
Bill limits road salt to curb chloride pollution
The goal is to reduce the environmental impact of road salt while also aiming to save money for municipalities and contractors by optimizing salt usage.
Roper: Pucker up for kissing your sister
Thoughts on Education and Property Tax Reform, Part 1
VT Headlines: Egg prices up due to bird flu
Sandy Baird, Fierce Advocate and Lawyer, Dies at 84; Funeral procession held for Lt. Al Fortin in Hinesburg, VT
CLG: AG Pam Bondi orders DOJ to pause all funding for sanctuary cities
Hospital blocks young girl from life-saving transplant over vaccination status; Nevada confirms state’s first human case of bird flu in a dairy worker
Whitworth: Punching myself in the face
“I’m gonna flap my arms and fly over the Statehouse dome. And if I should fail, I will punch myself in the face.” That is the essence of Vermont’s Global Warming Solutions Act.
Eshelman: A wolf in sheep’s clothing
In response to “Gov. Phil Scott’s education plan would create an optional school choice lottery in every district” (VT Digger, 2/6/25)
McGuinness: Discriminatory indoctrination required course for kindergarteners
If the books in question remain in the curriculum, it will be a violation of ACSD’s policies by excluding religious and traditional Western points-of-view
For Bennington historic site, a monumental funding challenge
Bennington Battle Monument is saturated with water and in urgent need of $40 million restoration.
Trump orders/Vermont ed policies clash over DEI
Vermont state policies and White House executive orders present potential showdowns concerning social justice, climate policies, and more.
Steidler: U.S. is the global AI leader
J.D. Vance must tell EU to not mess with us.
Perlin: Who needs the Electoral College? Vermont.
When Peter Welch, or anyone, calls for abolishing the electoral college, ask them how this would help Vermont.
Two arrested in Bradford on drug and fugitive charges
Following a drug investigation, Bradford Police arrested two individuals on February 3 in the parking lot of Bradford Mini Mart.
Swenson: Bernie Sanders’ Vermont
For Vermont’s most famous politico, the answer is always the same: blame billionaires, blame capitalism, blame everyone except the people actually in charge.
Thayer: A continued call to action
Vermont needs genuine people with real vision; with fight and courage to make Vermont the best place to live, work, and play.
VT Headlines: Black Hawk helicopters to be used to patrol US-Canada border
Police Arrest Suspect in Hoax Stabbing Call; Police Arrest Montpelier Woman for Allegedly Selling Crack
