Vermonters hold legitimate fears and anxiety about the decisions made by our Democratic supermajority.
Despathy: Tap Trees. Not Vermonters!
Timothy Page
LaMarche: The Progressive pass
Somehow it is OK when their former equity contractor, now mayor, who ran on equity, defunds the very equity initiatives they fought for.
Judge says bye-bye to ‘Bye-Bye!’ pipe bomber
Bye bye to the federal pen for six years for a Valley Street, Springfield heroin dealer convicted of possession of a pipe bomb.
Christopher Rufo peers inside Pritzker transgender empire
by Aaron Warner Christopher Rufo has emerged as one of the most strident opponents to woke culture. Raised by a family who embraced communist ideology, Rufo broke from his family’s way of […]
Gov. Phil Scott appoints Andy Julow to Vermont Senate
Julow replaces Richard T. Mazza, who resigned last month after serving 39 years in the Vermont Senate.
Zito plans ‘Vermont Awakening’ camp meeting week of July 4
Tommie Zito’s American Awakening Tour
Miss Vermont 2015 awarded UVM medical degree
Family, friends, faculty and staff will gather in UVM’s Ira Allen Chapel on Sunday, May 19, at 3:00 p.m. to celebrate the more than 100 students receiving M.D.s
Kansas City Chiefs owner Tavia Hunt supports Harrison Butker
“Defending Motherhood is not bigoted”
Klar: Police forces finally see a post-Floyd rebound
Hiring increases reported for first time since 2020.
Roper: Media Bias at NPR, the New York Times… and Vermont Media?
Will national mea culpas from Uri Berliner and Nellie Bowles be followed by anyone at, say, VTDigger?
On the court or on the mound, VT Miss Basketball Elise Berger does it all
The best player in Vermont girls hoops this year is set to play college baseball — get to know Elise Berger.
Vermont postal woes linger long after pandemic
Staffing shortages in Waterbury are among post office problems across Vermont that have disrupted deliveries and inconvenienced residents.
MEMORIAL MONTH: Seth Warner: Vermont’s oft-neglected hero
In the tumultuous political landscape of late 1770s and early 1780s Vermont, Battle of Bennington hero Seth Warner found himself at odds with the dominant forces shaping the state’s future.
LETTERS: Salat on Zuckerman, Green on pro-Hamas writer
Responses to Marxist victimizing and anti-Semitic statements.
Angwin: The unknowns of offshore wind power
It is clear to me that offshore is not as steady as the pro-wind rhetoric would have you believe.
Suspect in brutal, random beating of elderly man cited, released by court
In what Vermont city did a transient this weekend approach an 82-year-old man at random, knock him unconscious, then get released with a citation by the court hours later?
A letter from poets to the Governor and Vt. Legislature
Recently the State government has chosen to diminish the quality and diversity of Vermont’s educational offerings at our State colleges.
Dawson: Vermont pollen season longer, worse now
By taking steps to improve indoor air quality during these seasons, Vermonters can keep their homes healthy and allergy symptoms at bay.
Tunbridge couple shelters farm animals
The couple formed the sanctuary in 2017, first in the town of Washington, then in 2019 they moved their setup to Tunbridge.
Volatile health trends, Covid drive big health insurance rate hikes
Blue Cross Blue Shield and MVP health insurance companies each are requesting state approval of rate increases for monthly health insurance premiums.
More claims added in Woodstock Foundation lawsuit
The ongoing legal battle has generated considerable interest because the Foundation and Holdings play a major role in the economy of the Woodstock region.
Roper: The Clean Heat Standard public engagement fiasco
No public show up; person hired to explain the program admits he doesn’t understand it; reveals chaos behind the scenes.
Federal trial ends for Moffitt
A Bennington man, who is awaiting a state court trial in a 2019 homicide case, was convicted in Fed. court in Burlington on three gun and drug charges Thursday.
Hucking hatchets: Axe throwing shop opens in Hardwick
Palilonis and Benham have been in Hardwick for 12 years and run their taqueria for eight years. “This is just an extension of the taqueria,” Palilonis said. “We’re trying to draw people here to Hardwick, and it’s not easy.”
Hairstyle hiring law really about racial discrimination
If someone chose not to hire a person due to their hairstyle, it could be construed as an act of racism.
Klar: Vermonters strive to preserve their way of life against false charges of racism
Vermont is a culture of individualism, not government dependency; farming, not commuting; free speech, not stifling autocracy; of seeing all people as equal.
SHORTS: Cops, math whizzes honored/ masked intruder slain
Cops honored for saving lives. Man with drug record shot and killed while invading St. J. home. Postmaster presses pause on WRJ relo plan.
Weight loss drug could bankrupt health care system, Sanders warns
Sanders releases report exposing how weight loss drugs could bankrupt American health care.
Speech therapist launches Stuttering Awareness Week
She began focusing on public awareness of differing speech patterns after a patient who stuttered died by suicide at age 12 in 2020.
Ertelt: Lauren Handy thrown in prison for 57 months for protesting abortion
The Biden administration used the FACE Act to prosecute her for supposedly blocking access to abortion.
Professional licensing “regardless of immigration status” becomes state law
The law lets “individuals who meet the requirements for professional licenses to be granted those licenses regardless of their immigration status or lack thereof.”
Despathy: Digging into the destructive Clean Heat Standard
While still in the design phase at the Public Utilities Commission, the economic devastation of Act 18 is already hitting home for small fuel dealers.
Bill calling for psychedelic mushroom research sent to Scott
Initially, the bill would’ve decriminalized psilocybin, also known as magic mushrooms. But after a variety of doctors questioned whether there was enough research on the hallucinogenic, the Senate took it out.
Keelan: Israel is not the problem; Iran is and has been
Washington, wake up. History should have taught us, particularly the history of the 1930s, the cost of waiting, of vacillating.
MEMORIAL MONTH: Woman witnessed Battle of Bennington, Smugglers’ Riot
Lost her home to a savage British raid and her menfolk to captivity by the British forces.
2024 session highlights: retail theft reform, 13.8% property tax, new taxes
A high-level overview of what the Legislature did on housing, public safety, and affordability.
Woislaw: Snooping listers must follow Constitution
Snooping in the area close to the home, which courts call the “curtilage,” is flatly forbidden by the federal constitution.
Vermont filmmaker seeking funding to wrap up murder mystery
He has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise $5,000 for equipment costs, locations rental, and wages for the cast and crew.
Wildlife management bill dead in the water
Part of the bill aimed to ban hunters from using dogs and bait — without a trappers’ license — to hunt coyotes in the state.
Ex-Marble Valley guard cited for smuggling contraband into jail
It was discovered that Orvis had worked together with at least two inmates to bring illegal items into Marble Valley Correctional.
Harrison: Veto session a safe bet
While I may have lost the adjournment pool, it is a very safe bet there will be gubernatorial vetoes over the next several weeks.
CLG: European hawks readying for war with Russia
Ukraine using British weapons for terror attacks; Germany ‘considers conscripting all 18-year-olds’ amid fears of all-out NATO war with Russia
Bananas: NCAA creates new Interscholastic Protest League
The league will be named the Collegiate Radical Interscholastic Protest League (CRIPL) and will be the first ever truly trans-ed sports endeavor by the NCAA.
Critics question VT’s plan for a new women’s prison
Vermont’s only women’s prison is half a century old and in terrible shape. The state has set aside millions for a new facility, but construction is years away.
Swanton Sector border continues to see all-time record illegal crossings
In one week, from April 28 to May 4, agents apprehended 492 illegal border crossers, more than the total apprehensions for all of fiscal 2021 of 365.
From inside out: The real cost of data breaches in our workplaces
Vermont is no stranger to these kinds of attacks – and how it deals with them going forward will be key to its future success in the private and public sectors.
Roper: Supermajority votes for even higher health insurance costs
H.766 will add estimated 3-7% increase on top of “normal” annual premium increases.
Ann Story: Mother of Vermont
Heroine of Thompson’s Green Mountain Boys
Page: Howard Dean’s betrayal of the Abenaki
How Dean betrayed our first inhabitants, and the Republican who fought for them.
Woodstock adopts short-term rental fees, rules
The ordinance standardizes STR rules and fees across the Village and Town, along with capping the number of units.
Galfetti: A legislature on a dangerous course
Vermonters will continue to pay for a mirage that promises effective climate change legislation but yields no discernible results.
Dame: R in G.E.T. R.E.A.L! stands for Regulatory Reform
Regulatory stagnation is partly to blame for housing prices out of reach for young Vermonters.
Christian athletes from VT universities huddle at Norwich
About college-aged, student-athletes gathered on this Saturday night to worship together.
Federal jury convicts Colchester man on all counts related to fatal drug deal in Swanton
The jury needed just over 3 hours before convicting Dominque “Wop” Troupe, 37, on all four felony charges he faced during the six-day trial.
Biden DOL vs. Bradford restaurant: the other side of the story
According to the harshly worded DOL press release, a server at that restaurant will receive $50,000 in punitive damages and $829 in back pay after the investigation found that the “employer retaliated against them by terminating their employment for refusing to share tips with a manager.”
On King Street, a hope to pair laundry and literacy goes unanswered — for now
The storytimes give parents a chance to do a chore while their kids learn. Organizers hope people will turn out for the next event May 30.
Hunt more moose to save them from winter ticks?
Experts see few other ways to stem the grisly pests.
Data shows hard choices facing Green Mountain Transit
Five years of data shows the state’s largest transit system is approaching an inflection point on the back of haywire trends.
Pew: Minorities suffered under regressive Act 250
Other progressive regions have added more housing, while Vermont’s regressive regulation has done real damage.
SHORTS: State vehicle auction Saturday
Summer Free Fishing Day, opening day of Vermont’s bass fishing season, as well as the Grand Isle Family Fishing Festival, all on June 8.
MEMORIAL MONTH: Brigadier General Lewis A. Grant
The valor of a Vermonter, in peace and war
Klar: Identity crisis at Middlebury
A backfired effort to cancel John Mead.
Harrison: Big Oil bill a big gamble for Vermont
Not only will Vermont need to front its own legal costs and hire various experts to back up its claims, but the State could also be on the hook for the defendants’ legal bills if it loses the case on constitutional grounds.
Rutland woman competes in international beauty pageant
Sunita Dholakia, of Rutland, is one of 114 finalists competing in Haut Monde Mrs. India Worldwide, an annual beauty pageant for married Indian women across the globe.
MacDonald: The ‘dome’ Winooski built
Years later, the town, more woke than ever, has achieved a different kind of dome, one that protects exorbitant public school spending at great expense.
Roper: The climate crusade that’s bankrupting Vermonters
This week Vermont Senate passed the Renewable Energy Standard bill (H.289) by a vote of 18-8.
Klar: Vermont’s virtue signaling Proposal 4
Here’s the rub – no advocate for Proposal 4 has actually furthered a need for the legislative change aside from a feel-good virtue-signal.
Book Review: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything, by Chris Rufo
‘I have seen the hideous face of revolution,” observes journalist Christopher Rufo, and “it radicalized me.”
McGuinness: House committee rejects porn protections for young library users
Rep. Michael Mrowicki, who declined to accept a written copy of VFA’s testimony, stated that public libraries are sacred institutions. VFA told the Committee that families are sacred institutions that no individual, organization, or government entity has a right to undermine.
Warner: Anti-semitism Awareness bill in Congress stifles free speech
The FIrst Amendment reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press…” Does HR 6090 violate that right?
S.310 to mandate language assistance services for emergency info
Amid a hefty bill focused on the state’s natural disaster response is a provision to better inform Vermonters who can’t hear or speak little English.
As medical cannabis services wane, lawmakers look for solutions
Vermont only has five medical cannabis dispensaries as opposed to at least 51 recreational businesses opening within the last two years.
Sanders will seek a fourth term in the U.S. Senate
His time in the Senate, along with his previous 16 years in the House of Representatives, makes him the longest-serving Ind. congressman in American history.
Bruner: CONS of S.258
Hunters have been the primary force for conservation since it’s inception in the US.
CLG: Bomb threat emailed to nearly two dozen Jewish sites in NYC as disturbing text revealed
France sends combat troops to Ukraine battlefront; ‘Damning’ report details Biden regime’s Big Tech censorship push
Jablow: PROS of S.258
Misinformation is a threat to our democracy, both nationally and as a state. At least here, being fact-based and credible is important to the bulk of advocates,
Sibilia: Looking for state accountability on education spending
State leaders aren’t acknowledging their role exacerbating these challenges while also repeatedly making expenditures out of the education fund without paying.
Roper: “Clean” heat mess gets even messier
It was neatly summed up by TAG member Christopher Trombly’s revelation, “We’re taxing the poor so that the rich can benefit.”
Letters: Jewett on The Blob, Iselin on Marxist librarians, Wells on term limits
I am in hopes that library trustees, like many citizens, will strongly question and dismiss the “American Library Association” with its Marxist Socialist agenda.
CLG: Trump doesn’t rule out cutting aid to Israel
House votes to expand definition of antisemitism as anti-Israeli war demonstrations rage across U.S.; Trump to address ‘Libertarian Party concerns’
Klar: White farmers matter!
“Natural disasters don’t discriminate. Neither should USDA.”
Bananas: Governor Scott hires Ted Lasso to save economy
After seeing VT holding down the second worst spot in the US for economic prospects Governor Scott called to Ted Lasso to turn around VT’s bleak future.
Vermont among states least addicted to gambling…so far
With Vermont’s okaying sports betting, the ranking may change.
Missed crossover deadline, but bill banning drone surveillance still viable
Legislators added the original bill’s language to H.878, which deals with “miscellaneous judiciary procedures.”
Counting critters: Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas turns 30
The project has amassed 123,000 entries since its founding in 1994.
Admiral Dewey: The Vermont hero who made naval history
In 1854, Dewey entered the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, embarking on a path that would define his legacy.
Thurston: Taxpayers suffering in cold and silence
Ten years of being priced out of our own state by legislators who want to be “good stewards of the planet.”
Dyer: Today is Law Day, and I’m thinking about William Brewster of the Mayflower
Branded “SS” (stirrer of sedition) on his forehead, William Brewster’s ears were cut off and he was put in prison “until a convenient time.”
Letters: Mazur on Marxist anti-semites, Heaslip on destructive taxation, Moyer on boots in the mud
Cries for sanity in a turbulent time.
Shoplifting felony bill faces Senate scrutiny
A bookstore owner and House Democrat co-sponsored the bill.
Dame: Dean, like Dems, turned unrecognizably radical
There is no better candidate to represent the Democratic Party than Howard Dean. Both have undergone an incredible transformation that leaves them barely recognizable from the 1990s.
Evaluating a new rainbow trout strain for Vermont
State Fisheries Biologist Lee Simard: “We are evaluating the new Eagle Lake strain of rainbow trout against our traditionally stocked Erwin-Arlee strain…”
Roper: The new Klan with a Nazi twist
The antisemitic, pro-Hamas movement looks a lot like the KKK of the 1920s.
Following father and brothers, Bernie Cieplicki Jr. caps family hoops history with hall of fame entry
The honor caps his time as the youngest son in the state’s most-storied basketball family.
CLG: Bipartisan bill would create ‘antisemitism monitors’ at colleges
Soros funding Anti-Israel protesters; Banks spied for Feds on Trump voters without warrants; US dairy supply possibly contaminated with bird flu
Edmunds: Could stormwater regulations put Vermont State Fair underwater?
You can only self govern, if you maintain that structure of governance that allows it!
Evslin: The magical mythical equalized pupil
The Vermont legislature is playing an expensive shell game… and planning worse. The “equalized pupil” is the shell under which the pea is hidden.
Bufka: Conspiracy theories or critical thinking?
I have noticed that the phrase “conspiracy theory” often stops people from thinking and asking questions.
Harrison: River corridor bill creates 15 new state jobs
Settle into a bumpy ride to scheduled May 10 adjournment.
Keelan: Vermont institutions are disappearing
The intangible loss resulting from the closing of institutions is not a vacant building(s) but the loss of a place. Even town meeting attendance is down.
