On Tuesday, June 18, the Vermont State Police, in collaboration with the Vermont Drug Task Force, executed a search warrant at 37 Reed St., resulting in several drug-related arrests.
Police raid Springfield drug den
Timothy Page
Veto override roll calls, 2024
A comprehensive list of the Legislators involved in the final Veto Override votes, and how they voted.
VT Headlines: Missing Vermont woman Pamela Shover found dead
Man arrested after allegedly waving gun, holding up I-89 traffic; Vermont native Ilona Maher to compete in Paris Olympic Games
POLICE BLOTTER: K9 to the rescue/ Barnet man’s body found in NH
Man rescued after jumping off Pittsford bridge/ Blue 2021 Polaris Sportsman ATV reported stolen in Troy
Keelan: Could oil and gas deliveries be cut off?
It is too bad Vermont and New York legislators can’t be honest. Their states need money to address years of neglect of their infrastructure.
CLG: Kansas sues Pfizer over ‘misleading’ Covid-19 vaccine claims
IDF Approves Plans for ‘Offensive in Lebanon’; Senate Armed Services Committee proposes draft registration for Women in FY25 Defense Policy Bill
Banzhaf: DoJ refuses to prosecute AG, but an SC could
GOP should ask Court to appoint a non-statutory Special Counsel
Fires and swimming are prohibited at Fishing Access Areas
VT Fish & Wildlife reminds people that open fires and swimming are prohibited at all Vermont state fishing access areas.
Vermonters best pistol shots in U.S.
The championships are designed to test and enhance the marksmanship skills of National Guard members across the United States.
Vermont’s baby blues
Democratic states lead the U.S. birth dearth.
Worries mount over landfill plans
A special meeting of the Thetford Selectboard was held Monday evening about planning and public health concerns around the now-closed Post Mills landfill.
Modern seeds aren’t ready for changing climate
In a changing climate, smallholder farmers hold the key to feeding the world: adapting our seeds, UVM evolutionary biologist Yolanda Chen says
Klar: Furor over fake-meat bans?
Banning and labeling cell-cultured meats take a political controversy to boiling point.
Bluegrass Green Mountain style at the 23rd Annual Jenny Brook Bluegrass Festival
The Jenny Brook Bluegrass Festival is back for its 23rd year, bringing together bluegrass enthusiasts from across the country.
Gov. Phil Scott announces $1.7 million in Downtown Transportation Fund Grants
Since its inception in 1999, the program has invested more than $16 million in Vermont’s downtowns and villages.
New data shows abortion migration trend
People are travelling to abortion-on-demand states like Vermont to circumvent state abortion bans.
Multiple arrests result from incident in Burlington’s City Hall Park
Multiple individuals impeded what should have been a simple arrest, some with violence towards officers.
Puerto Rico Primary marred by issues with voting machines
Voting machines from Dominion Voting Systems allegedly miscounted hundreds of votes during Puerto Rico’s primary election on Tuesday.
Mayor dodges media interviews
Mulvaney-Stanak and her office has refused to return phone calls to local media members and ignored them when they meet up with her at public events.
Lawmakers call buying down tax rate “fiscally irresponsible” while overriding vetoes on big spending
During Monday’s veto session, lawmakers vetoed six out of seven bills that were rejected at the governor’s desk, likely to substantially drive up cost of living.
Law enforcement to expand targeting of dangerous driving
SHARP is continuing its Route 105 pilot enforcement program and expanding it to include the Chimney Corners area.
House Candidate engaging with law enforcement while campaigning
A candidate for Vermont House Bruce Roy of Williston is running as a Republican for the Chittenden County Southeast District.
Baby born roadside in Fairlee
Last week, one local couple had to improvise when the birth of their second child arrived while they were en route to the hospital.
LCC announces graduates of new leadership development program
The Lake Champlain Chamber is delighted to announce the first graduating class of Advance Champlain, a new skills-focused leadership development offering.
Husock: Can local journalism be saved?
A promising approach uses local philanthropy and know-how to offer trustworthy coverage not driven by fashionable political trends.
SHORTS: Pick-your-own season/ Echo Lake Color Challenge/ Dobbs’ Decision picnic
Dobbs’ Decision 2nd anniversary picnic June 22; Echo Lake Color Challenge, July 7; Idle hands? Time to pick your own
Lawmakers weigh in as Vermont House overrides most of Gov’s vetoes
Vetoes overridden include public education funding, overdose prevention centers, Act 250 modernization, renewable energy legislation.
Fish and Wildlife to conduct Intro to Fishing clinics
Three of the currently scheduled clinics focus on a general introduction to fishing while a fourth will highlight worm drifting for trout in mountain streams.
Bean: Bringing more balance to the Legislature
If Governor Scott really is America’s most popular Governor with an 83% approval rating, why do Vermonters elect a supermajority that negates his veto power?
Being Red in a Blue environment
The free work shop seeks to tackle the challenges of being a conservative in a liberal-dominated environment.
CLG: House passes automatic men-only military draft resolution
Anthony Fauci’s department tried to create mutant monkeypox virus; COVID vax mandates deemed unconstitutional; ICE arrests ISIS-tied illegal migrants
H. Brooke Paige withdraws from treasurer race, will focus on Secretary of state
Mr. Paige’s willingness to withdraw demonstrates the opportunity that young people have in the Republican party.
Letters: GET REAL in Southern VT/ Biden’s house of cards is falling/ Plattergate response
The beginning of the Biden family’s fall.
A single-digit vs. double-digit property tax increase should be a simple choice
“Let me be clear: while the responsibility for rising property taxes rests squarely upon the shoulders of the Democrat supermajority”
POLICE SHORTS: Kidnapping suspects caught, St. J. smokes robber on the loose
According to investigators, Seagroves had forcibly ordered a household member into a vehicle at baseball bat-point, driving off and causing bodily injury while restraining the victim.
Vermont High School Rodeo Association sends nine riders to nationals
This competition in Iowa will allow for thousands of dollars in scholarships to be distributed to students of all different backgrounds.
Roper: Equity Advisory committee members souring on Clean Heat Standard
“A boondoggle that really is designed to support entrenched interests.”
Reddit readers dish it out over Mulvaney-Stanak’s Plattergate
Plattergate? Reddit readers are eating it up, and dishing it out.
Bananas: Welcome to the Jungle
Hi on energy drinks, ambition and the need to save people from seclusion, the princess of fertility kindly donated multiple Starlink setups to the indigenous people of the Marubo tribe, known mostly for living off the land and minding their own business.
Sanders urges global tax on the ultrarich
Globalists want to tax the ultrawealthy.
Winooski market tends to immigrants’ tastes
Immigrant entrepreneur helps New Americans access the foods of their homelands and honor their heritage.
State recognizes local foods incentive grantees
The Local Foods Incentive Grant program established in 2021 to encourage schools’ buying of local products.
CLG: Ukraine regime declares Trump, Ron Paul, and Libertarians “enemies”
Hamas says it accepts UN-backed Gaza truce plan, U.S. cites ‘hopeful sign’; 4 Democratic leaders arrested, charged with ballot fraud in Bridgeport, CT
Newport-linked defense contractor to pay $2.5M to resolve false claims allegations
Galvion, headquartered in Montreal, manufactures protective head systems for use by law enforcement and military personnel, including the U.S. military.
SHORTS: Presidential elections & civil war/ Barre bust/ Prosecutor, policeman promoted/ Rutland rental rehab $$
We are hearing threats of civil war if our current presidential election doesn’t go a certain way. Lest we think this was unique, an Ethan Allen Homestead presentation will analyze the elections of 1800, 1824, and 1876 which threatened similar results – and the 1860 election that did.
MacDonald: Of course, Vermont has an unconstitutional religious test
The religious test is not a fluke. It is evidence that the patients are running the asylum. You can see the results. Higher taxes. Declining services. Dumber students. Increased lawlessness. Drug crimes. Drug deaths. And the only answer the inmates can think of is for you to give them more money and power.
Jury finds Hunter Biden guilty in Delaware gun case
Hunter Biden faces up to 10 years in prison on the first two counts and five years on the third count. President Joe Biden claims he won’t intervene.
Campus food pantries meet hidden needs of VT college students
These types of food pantries exist on college campuses across Vermont. And they’re fairly new — the one here didn’t exist until 2020.
Roper: Who’s banning books now?
Burlington library won’t share women’s rights advocate Riley Gaines’ “Swimming Against the Current”
Dame: VTGOP chair responds to party rule prohibiting support for convicted felons
It’s worth noting that Several Vermont Democrats have committed crimes and Democrat party rules have not prevented them from serving.
Vermont tops nation in fastest-rising home prices
“The average Vermont home value is $392,682, up 4.7% over the past year and goes to pending in around 9 days,” -Zillow
Despathy: Details matter
Plain and simple, the supermajority chose REV and VPIRG, special interest groups, and their high cost, impulsive Renewable Energy Standard.
Burlington Police dealing with “more incidents than at any point in half a decade”
KeepVermontSafe.com tracks the work of law enforcement across Vermont. A recent report focuses on Burlington’s continued struggle to staff the BPD following the 2020 defunding initiative.
Chaotic night stretches Burlington Police resources thin
Lack of staffing led to Burlington PD almost being overwhelmed last night in a flurry of mayhem.
Letters: Brook on global war/ Ericson on pot party/ Mauti on Payne
Global war is worse for the environment than CO2 emissions; Cris Ericson for US Senate running under new VT Marijuana Party; Jan Payne of Andover for State Rep.
Fire breaks out at encampment under Blue Bridge, man injured
Crews from both the Burlington and Winooski Fire Departments worked together to evacuate the area and quickly extinguish the flames before they could spread further.
Hartford High School pushes DEI & failed pseudo-science in school
Hartford HS’s DEI survey uses leading questions to justify school policies, not seek straightforward feedback.
Federal judge sides with Okemo, rejects latest claim for paralyzed skier
The court case stems from a ski accident on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019. Richard Grajeda, then 21, was heading down a beginner’s trail at Okemo about 10 a.m. when he fell.
NY joins VT in its ban on ‘addictive’ social media algorithms for minors
The “New York Child Data Protection Act” was approved by the NY State Legislature on Friday.
School community frazzled after anonymous social media site abused by students
The app Fizz has now been banned from use at the school. The whole scandal caught the attention of national media. “Anonymity and youth, what could go wrong?”
Despathy: Advice from a Vermont environmentalist
The RES Series, Part II: The advice of Annette Smith, Executive Director, Vermonters for a Clean Environment (VCE).
LaMarche: Decency in decay
Mayor Stanak is knowingly eliciting another eventual confrontation and dispersant of at least one if not many, encampments.
BSD and BPD joint statement regarding incident in YES Program
Friday, BPD and representatives met with the students impacted by this situation for a restorative circle.
The Civilian Conservation Corps in Vermont
This week we celebrate the first Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.) in Vermont starting work in Danby, June 5, 1933.
Sentenced in 2010 for coke, Kajuan Woods of Brooklyn busted this month for selling fentanyl
Kajuan Woods, 35, appeared briefly before Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle in federal court late Thursday afternoon
Despathy: Steamrolling Vermonters one law at a time
The RES Series Part I: The interests of renewable energy industrialists versus those of Vermont and the the environment.
Roper: Who wins “Biggest Dunce” award for the Biennium?
To celebrate BTL’s 150th post, cast your vote for who made the biggest ass of themselves in the 2023-4 legislative session.
Steidler: Tech R&D dwarfs tariffs in U.S.-China competition
President Biden and former president Donald Trump have found common ground. Still, they are fiercely competing to see who can hit China harder with tariffs.
Klar: Black Christian Nationalism?
Black voices about Christian America.
Lampreys, loons, and moose hunts
Loons, lampreys, and moose hunting application deadline.
Cops shock high school students with staged armed robbery, gunfire
Second-hand account had teenagers ducking beneath tables in terror following gunfire at Burlington Police Station.
Washington joins Vermont in denying foster parents for their religion
Vermont isn’t the only deep blue state to reject Christian foster parents for not accepting pro-trans guidelines.
Essex School Board gets parents’ rights petition with more than 500 signatures
The organization Speak Vermont presented a petition to the Essex High School Board on Tuesday evening asserting parental rights in education policy.
Hillary-backing California mogul just donated $300k to Trump
There’s a real chance President Trump is convicted of felony charges and sentenced to prison. Bluntly, that’s part of why I’m supporting him. I believe our justice system is being weaponized against him.
PUC increases installed solar power payout, cuts rate for new projects
Net-metering is the costliest of the State’s renewable energy programs, and that the pace of net-metering installations far exceeds the pace of other less costly renewable energy projects.
Vermont sees pet-friendly housing revolution
Pet-friendly activities, lodging, hotels, restaurants, and cafes, -Vermont has all it all.
D-Day: A Vermont soldier’s unforgettable journey
As his plane flew over the English Channel, Spendley pictured his sister, blissfully unaware, perhaps baking a cake or opening her birthday presents, while he was about to leap into the jaws of hell.
Candidate Brown: “So concerned about our state that I could no longer sit on the sidelines”
How is it that our legislature is passing bills that will double your home heating and electric bills when so many Vermonters are struggling to make ends meet?
Roper: How does New Hampshire spend half the money for better results?
Unlike Vermont, their legislators spend taxpayer money wisely.
Guma: Cyber War, largely unnoticed, has already begun
Chinese government-linked hackers have gained access to numerous companies in telecommunications, energy, water and other critical sectors, including dozens of pipelines, a veteran Burlington journalist writes.
Letters: Corbo on military/industrial complex, McGuinness on House run, Hall on school budgets, Bruner on Sanders
If you are not familiar with the often published Thomas Sowell, that is understandable, since he is a conservative black man.
VT’s Summer Free Fishing Day is this Saturday, June 8
Grand Isle Family Fishing Festival, Bass Opener both on Free Fishing Day
SHORTS: Flood relief furniture/ How to be Red in a Blue environment
Workshop: Right living in a Left state.
Warner: Trump verdict crosses the Rubicon
The trans-justice case against Trump.
No Tesla financing at first VT dealership
The much-touted first Tesla dealership in VT opened in March in South Burlington, but some would-be buyers of its popular EVs still can’t get cars there.
Harrison: Back to State House for veto session!
The full legislature will return to Montpelier on June 17 to take up any bills the Governor has vetoed.
Addison, Lamoille, Caledonia ‘Blue’ districts face ‘Red’ challengers for House seats
(Part 1 of 3)
A lengthy list of Republican challengers against Democratic incumbents have filed petitions to run in the August 13 primary election.
Rutland woman denies international sex charge
Nichole Reynolds, 31, is charged in connection with the international trip to have sex with a minor in August 2022.
US Senate candidate Gerald Malloy of VT receives military endorsements
Army Veteran and U.S. Senate Candidate Gerald Malloy has received two endorsements from military leaders.
Scott: Mentor Mazza a listener, not a grandstander
“I’ve been thinking a lot lately about role models and mentors – those who set an example for others to follow.”
State Sen. Dick Sears of Bennington has died
Sears served as chair of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee and was a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Roper: Gemma destroys the Clean Heat Standard
This gem from Gemma: “My electric bill [plus rent increase] could go up ninety dollars a month…. Now I’m willing to pay a little bit more if it means a cleaner environment. But the reality is I don’t want to pay THAT much more.”
Senate vacancies stir lively primary races for both parties
Five longtime incumbent Democrat senators won’t be seeking re-election.
History of the Vermont Green Mountain Boys’ flag
John Stark led troops at the Battle of Bennington in 1777 bearing what is believed to be the first version of the Green Mountain Boy flag.
Smith: Held captive by carbon capture
Forget about birds, bees, bats and bears. All public policy must be laser focused on reducing carbon emissions, no matter the cost.
Drug charges follow Brookfield double-shooting incident / Woman crashes car into church
The arrest on drug charges comes after police previously identified and apprehended a suspect in the May 12, 2023 double shooting that left one man dead and another seriously injured.
Violent fentanyl dealer sentenced to two years in federal prison
Gillespie’s sentencing follows a particularly brutal incident that occurred on September 28, 2022, at a Walgreens parking lot in Burlington.
Volunteers helping older Vermonters care for their pets
About a dozen interns regularly assist about 30 people at three Cathedral Square locations.
Gov. Scott let pro-union ‘Card Check’ bill pass without signature
A ‘card check’ provision in the pro-labor bill could lead to higher state and local taxes, Scott warned.
Page: Selective outrage against guns
Selective outrage towards guns while largely ignoring the risks posed by automobiles highlights a glaring double standard in our society.
