“If we keep saying no” to these projects and developments, said one leaseholder, “we’re going to become known for that” as a town.
Heated Charlotte selectboard meeting sees Thompson Point camp dispute end, for now
Timothy Page
DEC report highlights distrust, waste and water concerns in three communities
Report also describes a sense of distrust with civil services and plans for a new app to make it easier to see alerts and records and file and follow complaints.
Roper: Conflicts of interest in the Renewable Energy Standard Working Group
These are the most egregious conflicts of interest on the committee, and you can count on them to shape policy in ways that funnel money to their doners through mandates and subsidies.
VT Headlines: 36 FEMA trailers going in on Country Club Road
Vermont State University could consolidate, cut academic programs in ‘optimization’ process; Annual Barre Heritage Festival kicking off this week following postponing from July’s floods
Coke-totin’ kayaker busted, police say
Freddy Rodriguez, of Rhode Island. was found with more than 12 kilograms of cocaine as he prepared a nighttime load for a kayak to head north from Highgate to meet another vessel coming from Canada.
New bear population estimate based on 2022 data available
Since the mid-1990s the population has been relatively stable, fluctuating from 4,000 to 7,500 bears in consistent cycles of growth and decline. The population has seen steady growth since 2019.
Hornblas: Masks in schools…again?
We need to stand by Secretary French, the Vermont Agency of Education, and our local school boards when they decide to protect students, and acknowledge the harms of masking.
Gervais: How centralized management drives election results
How elections are centrally managed to deliver victory to the pre-selected candidates.
After the floods, Vermont farmers worry about hay shortages
40% of farmers said the loss of crops meant for feed was the most significant damage incurred by the flooding, according to a post-flood survey.
Leashed tracking dogs for recovery of game
The leashed tracking dog owners, who provide their services free of charge, must pass an extensive exam in order to be certified and licensed to provide their services.
Gervais: Voter rolls: The election fraud credit line
In Vermont, the voter rolls are growing significantly faster than the underlying population growth of voting age adults, with significant growth before elections and purges immediately after.
Killington reader performance improved during Covid shutdown
The teaching method long in use by Killington and other schools isn’t about how good readers learn to read but, rather, how poor readers try to compensate for not being able to read.
Warner: Hartford D.E.I. training is more than problematic (Part 2)
What you hear is the sound of Franz Kafka rolling over in his grave muttering “I tried to warn you”.
VT Headlines: Killer Gregory FitzGerald hears from Vermont Parole Board: you’re staying put
State Treasurer seeks public opinion on green energy infrastructure; What the carbon-cutting fuel renewable propane means for homes, businesses; Burlington-Winooski Bridge team hold public meeting
Klar: Tennis courts and the war in Ukraine: a climatic comparison
The rippling effects of the Ukraine War are cataclysmic in greenhouse gas terms.
Warner: Town of Hartford DEI training is problematic
Rather than foster a less hostile environment and reduce conflict, this document looks like a recipe for creating hostile, harassing and conflict laden work places.
BREAKING: Profane tirade shows Burlington Council in turmoil
Last night’s lengthy, profane tirade by a Burlington resident and activist could be the tipping point for the city council’s lack of control of their own meetings.
Social justice group gets COVID relief funds, no comments from select board
The Shelburne Equity & Diversity Committee has received a $10,000 grant that was originally intended as COVID response funds according to a shelburnevt.org post shared as a news tip recently with the VDC.
VT Headlines: Police say man threatened people with machete in Burlington park
City of Montpelier and FEMA have temporary housing solution plan for flood victims; Woman killed in deadly Waltham shooting incident; Experts gather in VT for global forum on food systems, agroecology
Most Vermont 3-9th graders read below grade level
Reading scores in Vermont and New Hampshire were decreasing well before the pandemic.
Roper: To be anti-Fascist, support our Constitution
We’ll never be perfect, as the document itself in its wisdom recognizes, but its promise is that we can be a more perfect nation today than we were yesterday, and an even more perfect nation tomorrow.
VT Headlines: Bennington police capture dangerous fugitive
Crowds gather to raise money for Black-centered school in Burlington; Vermont 4-H teams make big showing at Big E; South Burlington gets new deputy police chief; NBC5 Foliage Tracker
LaMarche: America’s little Corporate General
In order for America to sustain a strong and objective-minded military apparatus, it is paramount that we create a clear demarcation between corporate interests and the protection of national security
CLG: Train car carrying toxic perchloric acid explodes in Nebraska rail yard
Evacuation orders issued for four mile radius as huge plume of smoke fills sky above North Platte
Steidler: The FDA’s troubling plans to dispose opioids via the U.S. Mail
At best, this will be an expensive, inefficient way to dispose of these highly addictive substances. It is quite likely a significant amount of opioids will be stolen and sold illegally,.
A mountain cornucopia: wild edible plants found in Vermont
Delving into the fascinating world of wild edible plants found in Vermont, highlighting ten of the most common and delicious options available in the region.
Biden approval rating in VT drops sharply, but still over 50%
In Vermont, Biden’s approval rating stood at 51% in the first quarter of 2023, down from 66% when he first took office in the first quarter of 2021.
VT Headlines: Vermont National Guard celebrates POW/MIA Recognition Day
Colchester School District: Student made threat while playing video game online; New head of state psychiatric hospital oversees medical provider transition; Adirondack shuttle returns for foliage
Klar: Wildfires and climate change: the inconvenient truth
Alarmists cultishly fiddle as Rome burns. Not even arsonists deter them from incinerating sensible science.
Despathy: The need for independent spirit, representation and bravery
Bottom line: We need statesmen, not politicians.
Vermont judge rejects lawsuit over logging on state lands
Critics say the overharvesting of trees has severely impacted Vermont’s wilderness. Allowing the practice on state lands to continue will contribute to climate change and reduce outdoor access.
DeLaBruere: The voice of a Hounds Woman
We are men and women who work hard, putting the time and money into our hounds for outcomes of listening to the dogs sing and sometimes… we put bacon on the smoker.
VT Headlines: Entire Colchester School District closed amid threat to middle school
Regulators cut requested increase of UVM Medical Center charges to a fraction of the hospital’s ask; Lawsuit seeks to prevent Bellows Falls pharmacy from closing
American voters shift independent, anti-Biden
Despite massive support from legacy and social media, the political landscape is moving away from Democrats and Joe Biden, according to recent polls conducted by the Wall Street Journal, Gallup and the Associated Press.
Ertelt: New Mexico guv bans guns that might kill people, not abortions that always do
Grisham has it backwards. She thinks taking guns away is upholding rights but banning abortions takes away rights.
Meet Meryl Nass, the doctor who’s fighting the COVID Oppression Machine
A medical degree is not required to know the vital importance of free thought. Meryl Nass, the mouse that roared, roars for us all.
Suspicious character encountered on UVM campus
The vehicle is described as a dark blue SUV. The person involved is described as a dark-skinned male in his 30’s, between 5’9” and 5’11” tall, with a medium build.
Body of missing Westmore resident found near her home
The body was recovered early in the evening on Tuesday and is set to be examined by the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington.
Despathy: Echo chambers, social engineering and legal plunder
Elected legislators are there to serve the people so why do so many Vermonters feel attacked, ambushed and abused during the legislative session?
Roper: The “Expand the Supreme Court” letter is a call for insurrection.
This is blatant attempt to politicize the Supreme Court, which was and is supposed to be separated from and be a check and balance on the partisan passions that drive the elected branches of government.
Klar: Boycotting dairy products to benefit ‘male cows’ is pure bull
To be against cows is to be against self, and an understanding of the necessary human place in the world. Next thing you know, the similar uninformed arguments will be used to ban trapping or hunting.
Ethnic and Social Equity Standards Working Group seeks even more social justice in VT schools
“Equity… may necessitate an unequal distribution of resources and services based on the needs of each student,” a recent report required by Vermont state law says.
VT Headlines: Judge dismisses environmental group’s lawsuit targeting state’s land management
Man struck and killed by Amtrak train in Brattleboro; Imminent’ Landslide Risk Leaves Five Barre City Residents in Limbo; Vermont AOT employee in serious condition following crash in Hartford
Dame: VTGOP chairman calls for consistency from SOS & AG on ballot access
In the past, both the Secretary of State’s and the Attorney General’s offices emphasized that they do not have the authority to make judgments as to the qualifications of candidates.
Adams’ calls for budget cuts in response to migrant crisis
In a video address, the Democrat took aim at President Joe Biden’s administration and fellow Democrat, Gov. Kathy Hochul, for not providing the city with enough funding and resources to deal with the crisis.
Evslin: Where have all the children gone?
We not only have a shortage of workers but also a shortage of women of child-bearing age to give us more workers even if the fertility rate increases.
Banana’s Events Presents: First Annual Miss Upper Valley Contest
All comers are welcome to enter this ground-breaking festival of pageantry and femininity which has been re-imagined to esteem our modern view of what it means to be Miss Upper Valley.
Keelan: Let’s bury the hatchets
Let’s put those hatchets away and get on with what we must do. Make it possible for young people to afford to live and work in Vermont.
Klar: The extinction of mid-size American farms hurts you
The nation’s agricultural backbone is cracked.
Wilson: Vermont and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Government
Beware of the one-party system as it is in Vermont. Hold fast to God and our Constitution as these are the only protections left that we have.
Banzhaf: Connecticut is 13th state considering Trump ballot ban
Vermont’s not among the 13 states with movement to keep Donald Trump off the ballot. Yet.
VT Headlines: 70 people join effort to find missing Westmore woman
Vermont’s flooded state buildings will take time to reopen; Pride parade marches through Burlington; Vt. Guard opens range for showcase; Federal funds to fix state railroads
Despathy: I’m an outsider inside the State House. Here’s what I see
New Democrat lawmakers join a party tribe while their constituents suffer.
LaMarche: Vermont’s new ‘Social Justice’ commission ignores the poor
Our glorious leaders in Montpelier will take their work as gospel, even as they continue to neglect the Odanak people and bolster divisive notions of ‘justice.
McClaughry: Revive the Council of Censors
The Vermont Constitution established a Council of Censors “that would assure that the freedom of the commonwealth may be preserved inviolate forever”.
Feds hit Edson with armed robbery charge
The 40-time felon who reportedly told a store security officer “Dude, I’ll blow your head off” now finds himself in the federal court system.
Roper: Are $6 per gallon gas prices coming to Vermont?
Washington State sees highest gas prices in country following carbon tax
Prager U: The bitter taste of ‘Defund the Police’
A law-and-order conservative is a liberal who’s been car-jacked.
VT Headlines: Drug use, overdoses becoming more public in Burlington
Hardwick man struck and killed by driver/ Will Fair Haven officer involved in fatal shooting face charges from AG?/ It’s been a wet, hazy summer in Vermont. What does that mean for fall foliage?
At first Truth and Reconciliation Commission, participants identify their race, white privilege
The commission’s executive director was thanked for stating her white privilege.
Daughter denies collecting dead mom’s Social Security check for 28 years
Ella Mae Woods, 75, developed a scheme to defraud the Social Security Administration for 28 years and to have her dead mother’s benefits wired to a joint account at the TD Bank in Brattleboro Vermont from the U.S. Treasury, the two-count indictment said.
Letters: U.S. as we know it is dead/ Obama ‘birthers,’ take note
Expect turmoil and dirty tricks to be standard operating acts during this election cycle..
Warner: Are you ready for Project Blue Beam?
Surely Serge Monast sounded like a crank to most of the people who bothered to entertain his theories back in the 80s and 90s. However, thirty years later are his detractors looking like the foolishly naïve?
Police looking for Eric Edson in Fairfax
Police are seeking the public’s help in locating a man they say was involved in an armed robbery and pursuit in Burlington last week.
VT Headlines: Cyanobacteria booming in Lake Carmi
Absent in Vermont schools this fall: student Covid-19 testing; Rutland County state’s attorney says fatal officer-involved shooting in Fair Haven justified; Norwich stuck in a heating dilemma
Enjoy Dead Creek Wildlife Day on Oct. 7
The festival is hosted by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, Vermont, Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, Delta Waterfowl, and Otter Creek Audubon Society.
New driver training school licensed in the Northeast Kingdom
Are you or someone you know ready to embark on a journey towards becoming a responsible and skilled driver? Look no further.
$10 million in manufactured housing communities funding available
Interested parties are invited to attend a question-and-answer session on Microsoft Teams or call in to 802-828-7667, Phone Conference ID: 503 074 591#, on Wednesday, September 13, 2023 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
DMV warns of private-sale used vehicles with undisclosed flood damage
Consumers should be aware when purchasing used vehicles with titles issued during storm periods that they could be flood vehicles, even if the title is not from a state affected by the storm.
George plea: Mom shot her husband
Mom pulled the trigger on the fusillade of shots that killed her husband, an accused murderer says.
U.S. oil production returns to pre-pandemic levels
The national average for unleaded gas was $3.81 a gallon on Labor Day, according to AAA. The highest recorded average price was $5.02 a gallon on June 14, 2022.
MacDonald: Vermont’s culture – or what’s Left of it
Vermont once had, at least in my Normal Rockwell-esque memory, a sense of independence and a toe-hold on sanity. That place Calvin Coolidge called home. Not anymore.
Vermont youth waterfowl hunting, Sept. 23-24
On September 23 and 24, hunters 17 years of age or younger may hunt ducks and geese in the Lake Champlain and Interior Vermont waterfowl hunting zones. The age requirement is 15 and under in the Connecticut River zone.
VT Headlines: Vermont Truth and Reconciliation Commission holds first public meeting
Sen. Welch to seek public opinion on drug price regulation; Rep. Balint to hold clean energy roundtable; Concerns raised about Vermont hotel being used to house the homeless
Vermont Republicans set dates for town caucus & state convention
Earlier this week Vermont Republican Party Chairman Paul Dame notified Vermont’s Town Clerks and the Republican Party’s local Town Committees that the state party has set a date of Tuesday September 19th as the date for the Republican Caucuses.
USDA designates Vermont a natural disaster area due flooding
This Secretarial disaster designation from USDA makes farm operators across Vermont eligible to be considered for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans, provided eligibility requirements are met.
Klar: The histrionic follies of volcano deniers
For the elites, net-zero emission “standards” are applied to cows, cars, and gas stoves but not to jet travel, ski chalets, and golf courses…or Nature itself.
VT Headlines: Big VT tourist draw ranked among world’s biggest ‘tourist traps’ by USA Today
Man with dementia rescued in upper valley; WCAX reporter among the thousands stranded at Burning Man; Xylazine strips will be added to state’s toolkit for opioid overdose prevention
Fireovid: When American jobs went to China and no-one in charge cared
Many voters are woefully or intentionally blind to what’s going on, or they are happy being just obedient servants. They limit themselves to knowing only what their party’s propagandists tell them.
Frenier: Universal school choice would set free American spirit of innovation
Choice in schools doesn’t create administrative chaos. Vermont’s vocational technical schools. provide a model for how school choice could be managed.
CLG: U.S. to send controversial munitions containing depleted uranium to Ukraine
Moscow warns of direct clash with NATO; Federal Court Rules Against FDA Over Anti-Ivermectin Posts; Marching ‘Blood Tribe’ Nazi Admits He’s a Biden Supporter, Another ID’d as Ukrainian Soldier
Priest, former Burlington councilor named Franklin County State’s Attorney
Veteran prosecutor Bram Kranichfeld has been tapped to take command of the troubled Franklin County State’s Attorney’s office.
Bananas: Guide to diversity, equity and inclusion
Despite its historical reputation as the global melting pot and land of equal opportunity, America has been recently outed by the really-super-smart types in colleges and universities as none of the above.
LaMarche: The only plan forward / Part II
As the UK had resoundingly rejected neoliberal thought in favor of jump-starting the repatriation of national decision-making, so must we.
Frenier: Common American education closes income gap
What made America the world’s education leader? The evidence points to the importance of local, rather than state regulations and to grassroots action rather than top-down campaigns.
Roper: When a school board member actually puts kids first
If the organization has been physically abusing children and defrauding the taxpayers I can see where they might be in fear of someone shining a light on their improprieties.
Despathy: ‘Compassion without comprehension’ = compliance at Newark Street School
It is this mentality of ‘compassion without comprehension’ that results in the abuses of people by those in positions of power who demand full compliance without question.
VT Headlines: Montpelier businesses start to reopen after flood clean up
Narcan vending machine in Johnson is first in the state; BHS students return to Macy’s campus for another school year; After-school programs expand in Vermont with new funding
VT open government advocates recommend changes to court records system
The New England First Amendment Coalition sent the Vermont Judiciary a list of recommendations on how to improve access to state court records.
Maine hospital fired nurses for refusing COVID shots—now it’s begging them to come back
Some of those workers were even slapped with misconduct charges for refusing to comply with the mandate, many were later denied unemployment benefits, and no requests for religious exemptions honored
UVM named among nation’s most LGBTQ-friendly
“It is an honor to again be among the best colleges for queer and trans students,” said Kate Jerman, director of the Prism Center.
New electric school buses lose up to 80% range in winter
New busses fall short on planned benefit to the environment and to the community.
Frenier: our schools widen the income gap
As eminent economist Thomas Sowell points out, if you cannot get beyond elementary school math, you are literally frozen out of the vast majority of jobs in this country.
Essex Westford School District teaching Howard Zinn identity politics to students
The Zinn Education Project is the origin of resources including “Rethinking Ethnic Studies” and “Repair: Students Design a Reparations Bill.”
VT Headlines: Burlington Police involved in standoff with armed robbery suspect
Morristown police discuss crime increase over the past month; FEMA delivers update on temporary housing headed to Vermont; Floodplain restoration underway in Brattleboro
Opinion: Trapping and nuisance animals
There is a small vocal minority of people who want to end trapping all together. If they succeed, the controlled take will be gone, and nuisance trapping will increase with corresponding wanton waste.
Vermont AG joins others seeking to narrow Title IX exemptions
The politicians support students who filed a lawsuit to oppose implementing a religious exemption for parts of the law involving “sex discrimination” by schools.
McClaughry: The bizarre Montana climate case
An outfit called Our Children’s Trust brought a suit from 16 Montana youth who allege they are harmed by climate change and the state’s energy policies.
Lawrence: Major parties organize town committees in September
You don’t want to leave politics up to those who have an agenda.
VT Headlines: Staff shortages as school year begins
Nearly a dozen households in a Rutland neighborhood still have no power after Aug. 4 flooding; Head of Springfield prison retires; Have problems with Burlington’s pod shelter been fixed?
