Religious freedom an excuse to oppress transgender people, state policy analyst says.
Freedom of religion frozen out of proposed constitutional amendment
Timothy Page
VT Headlines: Federal investment in GlobalFoundries will see major upgrades at Essex plant
Ex-captain in Caledonia County Sheriff’s Department banned from police work in Vermont; Artificial intelligence used in Vt. dental practices
Pro-Life lobby day today
Pro-lifers will be coming to the State House to advocate for passage of: An act relating to crimes against an unborn child. (H.779 & S. 276)
Roper: Plastic bag ban backfires on environment
“The road to this plastic misfire was paved with green intentions—untempered by any serious cost-benefit analysis.”
Keelan: The media’s two Vermonts
The Vermont scenes, as depicted in Vermont Magazine and other tourist outlets, are being usurped, and our Legislative leaders need to stop their denial until the scourge is eradicated.
Sibilia: The Consolidated Communications transition and the future of rural landlines in Vermont
Let’s work together to make sure all Vermonters, especially those in rural areas, have their voices heard in this process, ensuring a smooth transition for our communication services.
Klar: More cows needed to reverse climate change, experts say
Scientists are speaking up for beef.
VT Headlines: Road shut down for hours as crews put out Putney house fire
Feds Steer $1.5 Billion to GlobalFoundries’ Plants in Vermont, New York; Federal funding opportunities for Vermont library upgrades; Ranked-choice voting resurrected for mayoral race
Farmers’ Night Concert Series returns for the legislative session
This year’s circuit spotlights the diversity of performances as the Statehouse opens its doors to underrepresented cultures and groups in Vermont.
LaMarche: Lavish spending, lackluster results
Vermont’s K-12 system is broken.
Scott defends top health official over ‘safe injection’ sites
Gov. Phil Scott is disputing a civil liberties group’s claims that the state’s top health official illegally altered a report detailing how the state should spend opioid settlement money.
Bufka: Washington’s 1796 farewell address
There is much more wisdom to be found here. It is a powerful tonic just to follow his words, to drink in the clarity of his thought and vision.
VT Headlines: Lawmakers ponder the future of medical-use dispensaries
RRMC earns first Blue Distinction Center for maternity care in Vermont; Renowned VT skier dies in avalanche; Milton Police acquire two new drones
CLG: Billionaire and former Epstein supporter has Vermont connection
Trump barred from operating business, ordered to pay over $350 million in NY civil fraud case; Biden appears to confuse NATO with Ukraine in calling for Congress members to pass funding bill
A teenager’s desperate search for a kidney donor
“It’s urgent, she needs a kidney now,” said family friend Jen Soderberg Straub. “They told her there was around four months [to find a kidney] back in October.”
Gorsline: In support of S.258
Contrary to what biologists at Vermont Fish & Wildlife, and some hunters may say, coyotes and other predators don’t explode in population if they’re not aggressively removed.
Armed illegal immigrant gets 10 months for scuffle with U.S. Border Patrol
In addition to a shotgun, law enforcement said they also found methamphetamine, brass knuckles, a knife and ammunition, including a 30-round AR-15 magazine and 103 rounds for the shotgun. Open beer cans also were found in the Jeep.
Government-supported Front Porch Forum accused of more censorship
A woman who says she was banned from the local social media website Front Porch Forum is voicing her concerns over alleged censorship and political bias.
Balsamic: A menace unburied
A subterranean community of homeless addicts is causing sinkholes in Burlington
VT Headlines: Jenna’s Promise remembers and honors the inspiration behind their organization
Summit focuses on outside solutions to Burlington crime; North Hero Great Ice Fest kicks off’ What you need to know about the 2024 presidential primaries in VT
Feds plan to reduce nicotine in cigarettes
With smoking still the largest preventable cause of death in the U.S., the feds want to limit the amount of nicotine in cigarettes. UVM researchers are enlisting Vermonters to help study low-nic smoking.
Roper: Pay no attention to that billion dollar price tag!
House Ways & Means Chair admonishes committee not to consider massive cost of Renewable Energy bill to ratepayers.
Bill states Vermonters should make every effort to abandon “personal vehicle ownership”
On Wednesday lawmakers in the House Transportation Committee discussed a bill that is meant to further nudge Vermonters into electric vehicles…or give up on driving altogether.
Bill aims to simplify workers’ comp process for prison, psych employees with PTSD
H.297 expands presumption of work-related PTSD.
Kenyon: Creating a crisis
The MO of Democrats’ governing
VT Headlines: Local school leaders see ‘immense challenges’ in proposed state funding changes
Police say tip from brother averted CVPH mass shooting; Proposal for reining in Vermont’s motel housing costs creates uncertainty, anxiety; Addison County prosecutor takes medical leave while facing DUI charge
Galfetti: Legislation moves at warp speed
Voices of reason are being ignored as individual agendas are being pushed forward. The money from the Fed has dried up and we are facing huge shortfalls.
Windsor County embezzler convicted
A towing company was taken for a ride by its former bookkeeper. She’s escaped prison because the owner just wants his money back.
VT Headlines: SUV bursts into flames at Brandon gas station
Pop-up dental clinics offer free care to those who might go without; Drug Users and Homeless People Have Overrun a Burlington Low-Income High-Rise
Roper: Already the State can’t afford the clean heat standard
No funding to pay people to design the program, let alone run it!
In Vermont, gardening and foraging helped prevent hunger during COVID
Home and wild food production is not a silver bullet, but it is a potential solution that has been largely overlooked.
Letters: Today’s Progressivism is eerily similar to Nazism
Today’s State House: Indoctrination, convoluted budgets, and blamethrowers
VT Headlines: Students push to have Bear’s Head Tooth designated state mushroom
Vermont’s Elle Purrier St. Pierre sets new US track and field record; Legislators confront Barre’s slow flood recovery face-to-face; Addison County prosecutor faces judge in DUI case
Mimicking bills in neighbor states, Vermont House proposal would ban dog and cat sales
The bill aims to prevent Vermont from becoming a place for puppy farms or mills — commercial dog breeding operations that raise animals in poor conditions.
Bill depriving parents of vax consent breaks federal law, Senate Health & Welfare told
A proposed state law allowing child vaccination without parental consent violates Federal law, a Washington, D.C. law firm has notified a Vermont Senate committee.
Keelan: A rare species, the Primary Care Doctor
Searching for a primary care doctor in SW VT has taken on the same level of anxiety as finding a plumber, electrician, carpenter, or car mechanic.
A melancholic legacy
The malaise of Abraham Lincoln, Part Two
CLG: Biden administration admits surveilling Americans’ private financial transactions for words like ‘MAGA’ and ‘Trump
Doctors call for Biden to take mental competency test after scathing classified docs report; GOP Rep. Tenney calls to invoke 25th Amendment to remove Biden
The Malaise of Abraham Lincoln
Long before he ambled out of the backwoods, depression haunted the gangling 6’4” yokel.
Bill eliminating smart devices in Vermont schools hopes to improve student health — but education leaders aren’t so sure
The bill would dramatically limit the use of electronic devices, digital platforms and more in all Vermont schools.
When a fire displaced 400 cows in Sheldon, farmers and friends stepped up to help
About 75 cows died after a fire broke Jan. 20 and turned a 400-foot-long barn into a pile of rubble and ash.
VT Headlines: Health Dept. report shows above-average depression rates in VT
Bellows Falls project envisions a riverfront oasis; Rutland fluoridation vote pits naysayers against dentists; Anglers flock to Lake Elmore for free ice fishing
Malloy: It is an exciting time to be a Republican!
So we are moving in the right direction, but we absolutely cannot let up. Vermont and Vermonters, literally, cannot afford another two years of the Democrat/Progressive supermajority.
MacDonald: UK Daily Mail can’t find anyone who knows why Vermont is such a mess
They should have asked us.
One Day In July opens office on Main Street in Vergennes
Vermont-based investment firm One Day In July is a fiduciary financial advisory firm offering investment solutions for individuals, families, and institutions.
VT Headlines: Lyndonville’s Millers Run Covered Bridge hit yet again
Northeast Kingdom is one step closer to walk-in mental health urgent care; North Country corrections officers punched by inmates in separate attacks
Roper: Bad information leads to bad policy
But Vermont lawmakers routinely seek out bad information if it confirms their bias.
LaMarche: Our city’s “Big Lie”
Will the truth be accepted? Or will there be a total, visceral rejection of it?
VT Headlines: Lawmakers propose delay in school budget votes
Bernie Sanders, Peter Welch split over border reform, foreign aid deal; Vermont’s biggest municipalities set March votes on nearly $60 million in capital projects
Despathy: BTW Vermonters -You are all a bunch of NIMBYs
Renewable Energy Vermont, Sen. White, and industry lawyers like Wilschek are determined to clear the path for their profit-driven renewable energy projects, including removing us “NIMBY” Vermonters.
CLG: Arrest Tucker Carlson? No way, Elon Musk says
U.S. ‘involved’ in deadly Ukrainian attack on Russian bakery; U.S. and UK bomb 36 targets in Yemen; Federal agencies refuse to cooperate with Florida grand jury investigating COVID-19 vaccines
Petition to remove State’s Attorney Sarah George passes 1,100 signatures
VDC reached out to George for a comment in response to this petition. There has not yet been a response.
Smith: Renewable power industry exploits poorest towns
Sen. White has turned this situation upside down. Aesthetics has nothing to do with it. Poor towns have been targeted because they are vulnerable to monetary promises.
Governor Scott addresses housing crisis, issues warning
Governor Phil Scott Wednesday reiterated the need to make it easier, less expensive, and faster to build the housing we desperately need; warns against some proposals under consideration
Gervais: Arlington selectboard needs a fresh voice
In Arlington, there has been much blame cast about following the issuing of property tax bills with a staggering increase in the town tax rate this past September.
Gun serialization bill won’t cut crime, will lead to confiscation: expert tells Legislature
Lott noted the stricter gun laws are not the reason for Canada’s lower crime rates, contrary to the assumption of Sen. Tanya Vyhovsky.
Loggers are backing a Vermont bill to crack down on timber thieves
If a business is culpable, H.614 allows police to seize any equipment it used for illegal activity.
Northern border continues to outpace southwest border on terrorist-connected apprehensions
They represent the greatest number recorded in U.S. history.
Baker: Someday this will be funny, hopefully
Biden administration deems its detractors, Conservatives “vulnerable to disinformation methods”.
Parents’ group promotes Essex-Westford parental rights petition
SPEAKVT believes EWSD must be reminded that parents do not abandon or relinquish their rights at the schoolhouse door.
Vermont-born TV series “Potwins” hits X platform
Buckle up as Kevin Sorbo, Barry Bostwick, Jon Lovitz and Emmanuelle Vaugier star in new comedy ‘Potwins’ TV Show on X Platform
VT Headlines: Jay Peak Resort fires five employees after antisemitic image posted on Instagram
Judge Rules Parish Can Demolish Burlington Cathedral; Opening date remains uncertain for long-awaited methadone clinic in Bennington; Essex Junction cannabis farmer visits the Statehouse
State Trooper Michelle Archer selected as finalist for prestigious national award
Trooper Michelle Archer has been selected as a finalist for the International Association of Chiefs of Police / Motorola Solutions Trooper of the Year Award.
Roper: “Solution” to high property taxes is… more higher taxes!
Dems looking at higher sales taxes, sweetened beverage tax, food & clothing tax, cloud tax…
LaMarche: On housing, Shannon fails
Plugging your nose to avoid a bad stench doesn’t work.
Rare bird died of natural causes
Rare bird that sparked excitement and concern died of natural causes according to new lab results.
VT Headlines: How to participate in 2024 primary elections
Jericho native picks up a Grammy; Vermont Kids Code pushes for internet safety; 117 lawmakers decry recent acts of homophobia in Vermont, cite ‘disturbing pattern’ nationwide
Man busted after falsely claiming to be Federal Agent, Marine
Brandon Anderson, 34, falsely claimed he was both a federal agent and former Marine was ordered jailed Monday after appearing in federal court on fraudulent impersonation charges, authorities say.
Bill creates more protection for endangered species
Bill would require more updates to endangered species list, restrict taking species from habitats.
Vermont judges don’t say much in financial disclosures
Of those who do, some report thousands in rental income streams.
One new fish record established in Vermont in 2023
New record set for Longnose Gar.
Bill in committee allows vax without parental notice or consent
Legislators that work for The People must be transparent. Any legislation on the oversight of minors must be presented as its own bill, not hidden within another bill.
VT Headlines: The legislative moment for data privacy
Woman found in Westmore search and rescue; Vermont’s Noah Kahan nominated for Best New Artist Grammy; Act 127’s 5% Tax Cap Being Scrapped
Avocadoes: New bill decriminalizes shoplifting
Even the term “shoplifting” or “shoplifter” will be illegal to use because it’s considered a derogatory term of social profiling.
Fireovid: Act 250 reform bill gaslighting?
This bill—just like the emperor—has no clothes. It won’t do much to solve the housing problem, or to help the homeless or even most Vermonters. It’s corporate cronyism.
Keelan: Will Vermont continue to be a going concern?
Presently, significant matters must be dealt with within the State government simultaneously; each carries financial implications.
Roper: Legislature logic: Ban flavored tobacco, but not flavored pot, and legalize meth
Seriously, are these people high themselves?
Huff: Lipstick on a bloated pig
Vermont is rapidly becoming unaffordable for even the middle class. More spending and more subsidies is not the answer. If you find yourself trapped in the bottom of a deep hole, STOP DIGGING!
Klar: New ‘study’ extolling greenie redistribution unwittingly exposes toxic climate cult
The ugly head of eco-Marxism.
Hartford, CT woman jailed for dealing drugs in Lamoille County
Hassanah “Ma” Delia, 37, pleaded not guilty in federal court on Monday to a felony charge of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and fentanyl in Vermont and elsewhere in July and August 2023.
Letters: Rethinking ‘Safe Injection Sites’/ Phil Scott’s weak stand on Texas
Drug addicts need real help, not enabling. And with our country under invasion, why won’t Phil Scott protest?
VT Headlines: FCC warns rural VT households could lose affordable internet
Jericho structure fire leads to Rt. 15 closure; Report shows firefighter cancers underreported in Vermont; Windham Southeast closes sexual abuse investigation; Burlington Police swear-in new hires
‘Geoengineering Resistance’ group gathers
Following a number of unusual weather events here in Vermont in the past year, more and more people are questioning the “natural” causes of these disasters.
Bill promotes state loan forgiveness for Vermont Law School
A new bill would provide loan forgiveness to Vermont Law School graduates who pledge their services to the State.
CLG: Israel accepts ceasefire deal
U.S. set to strike Iraq and Syria over multiple days in response; U.S. has built up military stash for potential Taiwan war; Oregon Supreme Court stops 10 GOP lawmakers from running for re-election
Fired Woodstock Coach settles federal lawsuit
Terms will be announced later; doesn’t get job back
Klar: Shockwaves coming from the commercial real estate crisis
Taxes, inflation, vacancies, and shoplifting becoming too hard to bear.
VT Headlines: Catamount Ski Trail celebrates 40 years of cross-country skiing across Vermont
Sen. Peter Welch calls on tech CEOs to protect children online; Mass. driver dies in crash with train in Royalton, 1st Breeze Airways flight lands at Burlington airport
Bossange: The high cost of not developing low-income housing
We need to accept the reality that 71,500 Vermonters live in poverty, with too many now homelessness. All Vermonters need a place to call home. Either we pay now or we pay more later.
MacDonald: Democrats drove the Putney Paper Mill out of business
Every industry in the state except for the government is at risk; according to USA Facts, the government is the biggest business in Vermont and is only likely to get bigger.
McGuinness: Proposition 4 is reparations, Oprah-style
Victim mentality running amok.
Roper: The Mafia-style corruption in the Clean Heat Standard
Lawmakers to give cronies literal license to steal.
VT Headlines: VT maple producers told to look out for invasive beetle
City workers clear out Battery Street Encampment; Life without a post office leaves Montpelier area residents scrambling; Rutland Regional Medical Center expands mental health services
Get your Vermont Strong-Darn Tough bundle while it lasts
Get your Vermont Strong license plate and Darn Tough sock bundle to help support flood victims before the Legislature puts a stop to it
Vermont habitat stamp raises $656,000 for conservation in 2023
Matching funds for habitat projects sponsored by the stamp have come from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program.
Wilson: Chicken slaughter bill a bright spot
Not every bill in the Legislature is a bad idea…..
Fireovid: Legislature considers Defend the Guard Act
The Vermont Defend the Guard Act is part of a nationwide effort to return control of state militias to the states and to the U.S. Congress as specified in the U.S. Constitution
VT Headlines: Uncovered email of former Newport mayor raises ethical, legal concerns
VTSU announces 3.5% tuition hike; Anglers celebrate annual ice fishing festival; Forestry experts meet to discuss industry issues; Drone flying tournament takes place in Springfield
McCormick: Weatherization crews deserve our respect
The General Assembly (G.A.) cannot enforce us to abandon our cars or oil heaters.
Harrison: Budget and barb
In his Budget address, Gov. Scott called for cooperation and urged the Legislature to recognize the budget pressures in a year after record spending and with pandemic aid drying up.
