Understanding Vermont’s overdose crisis: what the 2025 social autopsy reveals
Fentanyl lurks in 62% of Vermont overdoses
Timothy Page
The wild turkey’s contribution to Thanksgiving
More than 140,000 servings of Vermont wild turkeys are harvested each year – that’s 140,000 servings of free-ranging, wild and sustainably harvested protein.
Letters: Peyton on climate collapse from cell towers
Mazur on national leadership
Fraud expert and software developer find 13,000 voted ballots from undeliverable addresses in VT 2024 election
This is among several concerns in their new report titled the Vermont Voter Roll Integrity Analysis, prompting a response from the Secretary of State’s Office, sent to VDC by its chief of staff Bryan Mills on Friday, November 14.
BREAKING: Teen under home curfew charged with Burlington assault
Court releases again; Business owner blasts Burlington
VT Headlines: Vermont’s Chester Arthur is an unlikely star in a new Netflix series
VSP investigating alleged homicide in West Pawlet; It’s deer season, when Vermonters don orange, unplug and head to camp; In Morristown, floods end an era at Cadys Falls Nursery
Despite new law, Vermont police get more DHS cash than ever for patrols along border
The funding flows from the federal government to Vermont’s Department of Public Safety, which then distributes it to local agencies, who then conducts patrols coordinated with the U.S. Border Patrol.
Soulia: What IS a “fair share”?
Searching for truth behind the buzzword.
Martin: On the restoration of liberty in education
What was once a proud and local endeavor to cultivate the minds of our youth has become a labyrinth of policy, regulation, and bureaucratic entanglement—so dense and disjointed that even the most earnest reformers find themselves ensnared.
Convicted felon charged with brandishing a loaded handgun with a partially defaced serial number
David A. Zapata, 32, who is wanted in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, was later linked to more than 5 ounces of fentanyl found in a bag in an apartment at 33 Ethan Allen Ave. that he had been using recently, officials said.
BREAKING: SBPD officer fired after Sarah George refuses to take cases
“Wilson made a patently false statement in a probable cause affidavit and neglected to include exculpatory evidence which was in the possession at the time of writing the affidavit,” George maintained in her letter.
Benjamin: Freedom from trauma
Healing hearts in Vermont
VT Headlines: Blue Cross Blue Shield VT postpones controversial change to therapy billing
New Vermont scam targeting 3SquaresVT recipients; Hundreds show up for UVM’s first Rail Jam of the season; Burlington students honor civil rights icon on National Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day
Babylon Bee: Heartwarming: Group of senile senior citizens finally finds employment
In a bit of uplifting news, a group of senile senior citizens in the D.C. area will finally be able to say that they have jobs. The federal government is set to hire just over five hundred elderly, mentally incapacitated individuals.
Town Hall on Energy
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
How skeptics and no-voters filled Vermont’s task force to bury Education Reform Act 73
The task force’s 10-to-1 split meant the legislature controlled nearly all the seats, while the Governor—a primary advocate for mandatory consolidation—had minimal influence.
VT Headlines: Vermont may appeal federal decision on disaster aid
Burlington man injures officer after crashing car into pole downtown; Country star Jordan Davis to play 2026 Champlain Valley Fair; Rutland’s library hoped to close the book on a building saga. Instead, it’s opening a new one; Grammy-nominated pianist Adam Tendler returns home to Barre Opera House
Bossange: Our aging Presidents
America deserves better
Deal: Housing-first plan CHIPing away at school funding?
Because CHIP draws its repayment funds from the education portion of the property tax, it also touches the broader statewide education fund.
Green Mountain Power’s home battery lease program isn’t for everyone: Here are the details
The program matches the pricing of GMP’s existing Tesla Powerwall lease program, which charges the same $55 monthly rate, but installation can be costly.
Letters: Rep. Cina claims ‘Read my lips, new taxes’ statement taken out of context
“I ask that if you are going to quote me, that you quote me correctly and not take words out of context. For the record, I do not support new taxes for everyone.”
VT Headlines: Deer rifle season set to begin in Vermont
The government shutdown is officially over after President Trump signs funding bill; Wary of Northfield’s ‘murky’ politics, Berlin police chief seeks compensation to cover policing gap; Burlington baker uses sweet skills to help feed the community
Shorts: Part of new Task Force plan could save millions, CFV says
Vermont grads earn loan aid for staying in-state; Nuclear panel to hear from California expert; Scott to attend New England–Canada summit; Rutland GOP plans veterans celebration
Town manager resigns after embezzlement charge
A Vershire woman arrested last week for embezzling $186,000 from the Tunbridge Volunteer Fire Department over the last decade has been forced out as town manager in Williamstown.
Roper: Courts say NY MUST implement unaffordable climate law
What does this portend for Vermont?
Feds detain accused dangerous drug dealer
Franklin County man denies six felony charges.
Man denies shooting at Border Patrol Agents with ghost-made machine gun
A wanted Rhode Island fugitive, who assaulted five U.S. Border Patrol Agents in the Northeast Kingdom with an unregistered machine gun last year, pleaded not guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Burlington to four felony gun charges.
VT Headlines: Veterans Day celebrated throughout Vermont
Seven cited in Windsor on narcotics charges; South Burlington residents brace for blasting at Wheeler Nature Park as opposition efforts falter; Hinesburg fire truck sale turns into a win for firefighters and taxpayers
CLG: Former Capitol Police officer a forensic match for Jan. 6 pipe bomber, sources say
House J6 subcommittee chair requests interviews with Kamala Harris’s security detail on DNC pipe bomb; BBC head Tim Davie resigns over doctored footage of Trump’s Jan. 6 speech in documentary; Senate reaches temporary truce to end record shutdown, but January battle looms
Letters: Veterans Day is not a political weapon
Politicizing Veterans Day dishonors the sacrifice of those who fought under the same flag for the same country. It turns a day of unity into one of division.
Vermont named second-best state in nation for entry-level job seekers
The findings come at a time when entry-level opportunities are increasingly scarce. A 2025 Randstad report found that entry-level postings nationwide have dropped 29 percent since January 2024.
Sanders, Welch, Balint rejects shutdown-ending deal
About 30,000 residents of Vermont get their health insurance via the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace. The Public Assets Institute reports that Vermonters would experience the most substantial premium hikes if the federal healthcare premium tax credits are not extended, given that Vermont already has the highest premiums nationwide.
VT Headlines: Multiple crashes reported on Interstate 89 in St. Albans due to snow
Task force charged with Vermont education reform narrows proposal; Veterans Day events adjust plans due to serious weather conditions; Veterans Day documentary ‘The Green Box’ explores one family’s search for answers; Newport man pleads guilty to child cruelty after grandson nearly drowns in pool
Privately-financed astroturf school field faces blowback about chemicals
Imprecise data muddles turf field debate at Champlain Valley Union
Burlington eyes shifting property tax burden to business, wealthy
Charter Committee hits pause on tax fairness measures, ponders advisory vote
Soulia: Vermont traditions: Regulatory collectivism and administrative creep
Vermont’s forests are not dying; they are being managed into bureaucracy. The danger is not fragmentation of trees but fragmentation of responsibility—where the authority to decide is collective, but the obligation to pay is individual. The landscape that once symbolized independence is now the backdrop for rulemaking by committee.
Small farmers turning to new tech tools
A new wave of agritech tools — from maple monitors to virtual fences — is revolutionizing how small farms manage labor, costs, and climate challenges.
Vermont’s “The Spark” program expands, offering new path for domestic violence intervention
The stated aim of The Spark is to “curb domestic violence.” As the program expands, a critical question for policymakers and the public will be how to measure its effectiveness.
Roper: Cut taxes and spending, or increase taxes and spending?
That is the question.
VT Headlines: 8-year-old turns little library into free food pantry for neighbors
New phone line in Vermont aims to curb domestic violence by offering resources to potential abusers; Jeffrey Epstein lost an address book. One man’s quest brought it to rural Vermont.
UVM Hockey family rallies around Roger Grillo: Former Catamounts coach fighting cancer
Grillo served as an assistant coach under head coach Mike Gilligan at the University of Vermont from 1993 to 1997, a period that coincided with Martin St. Louis’s playing career as a Catamount.
Veterans Day observed Tuesday all over Vermont
Veterans and citizens will be observing Veterans Day Tuesday, November 11 in parades and other gatherings across Vermont. Check out one near you.
Soulia: How “New Math” broke America’s grip on numbers
Beginning in the 1990s and accelerating with the Common Core State Standards in the 2010s, American education policymakers sought to “modernize” math instruction. The stated goal was reasonable: help students understand why math works, not just how. But the result has been a system so abstract and bureaucratic that many parents — and even teachers — struggle to follow it. Vermont remains part of that experiment, still aligning its math curriculum with Common Core as of 2024 despite years of flat test scores and growing classroom frustration.
End of the easy money: Vermont braces for its hardest budget in 10 years
The central challenge is not that state revenues are collapsing. Instead, the state’s fixed costs are growing faster than its baseline revenue.
VT Headlines: Vermont parent-child centers receive $900,000 grant to continue family resource program
At Vets Town Hall, some share what many still can’t; Republican Rep Elise Stefanik to announce run for New York governor; Remains of Charlotte barn rekindle following massive fire
Letters: Mamdani vs. Reagan/ 3 GOP party candidates
Reagan and Mamdani: too wildly divergent perspectives on the role of government.
Jimmy Carter’s visit to Brattleboro
So, Jimmy Carter did indeed set foot in the Green Mountains in 1976, but Republican incumbent Gerald Ford won Vermont with 54.34% of the vote. Carter garnered the remaining 43.14%.
Shorts: SNAP benefits hit EBT accounts in Vermont today
North Country Hospital presents first BEE Award to Amy Ferland; organ restored in Wells River.
Rutland drug suspect reportedly sought “hit” on possible informant
She and colleague named in murder warrants in Los Angeles
Vaillancourt: State education standards replete with leftist jargon
Vermont’s EQS is failing miserably at its goal of enabling each student to achieve or exceed the performance standards approved by the State Board of Education. Vermont students are struggling with basic educational concepts, and there is no evidence that EQS is improving academic outcomes. It is unconscionable to continue to promote and spend taxpayers’ money on these programs.
CLG: West planning major sabotage at Zaporozhye nuclear plant – Moscow
NATO chief urges West to prepare for long-term confrontation with Russia; U.S. seeking to expand military presence in Syria – Reuters; Neighboring states invite disaffected NY, NJ, VA voters to move after Dems’ election sweep; Alex Soros, the Leftist Billionaire, Hails Mamdani’s Victory
Dame criticizes anonymous mailer ahead of GOP election; Ingalls condemns Dame ‘coward’ statement
Russ Ingalls criticizes Dame for calling his backers ‘cowards.’
VT Headlines: No joke: Comedy club in Burlington offers free breakfast, lunch until SNAP funded
Vermont company Concept2 gains national spotlight with Oprah’s Favorite Things list; Vermont-based business part of tariff lawsuit heard before Supreme Court; Veterans’ Place: Supporting Unhoused Veterans in Northfield; School board votes to close Sunderland and Danby schools; No one hurt in hours-long Charlotte barn fire
Act 73 Education Reform faces legal challenge for excluding religious schools
New eligibility requirements for the state’s town tuitioning program under Act 73, which went into effect on July 1, blocks all religious schools from receiving public funds. Mid Vermont Christian school (MVCS) and families affected by the requirements are challenging the new law.
Rodgers: A year of balance, progress, and putting Vermonters first
Here’s the good news: this year, we proved that when Montpelier is balanced — when no one party can simply bulldoze the other — we can actually roll up our sleeves and get things done. For the first time in a while, there was real collaboration.
Roper: Orange man bad (for down ticket Republicans)
You can mock the No Kings rallies, but the Left’s base is fired up to strike a blow against Trump. Vermont Republicans need an agenda that fires up their base every bit as much if not more if they want to hold their gains from 2024 and add to them in 2026.
Vermont’s “appalling” housing costs rooted in excessive regulation
“The problem when you talk about housing affordability is an immediate assumption is that the state’s got to spend more money to create affordable housing and low-income housing,” the now-retired economist said. “That’s not the answer because the middle-income people you want to attract to the state aren’t going to be eligible for it.”
Man faces Federal charges for deadly drug sales near South Burlington schools
A Chittenden County man has pleaded not guilty to four federal charges, including selling fentanyl within 1,000 feet of two South Burlington schools and with providing the drugs that killed one person and seriously injured another. Aldrain “Corleone” Ashby, 40, formerly of Waterbury, was ordered held Monday afternoon as a danger to the community and a risk to flee.
VT Headlines: Vermont hosts first annual American Dairy Expo
Vermont state officials say SNAP contingency plan to continue despite federal confusion; Vermont’s electric plane maker takes off in $1 billion initial stock offering; Vermont expands parent support services to incarcerated fathers
Voting yesterday: Yes in Barre, no in Berlin, career center results unknown
In off-year voting yesterday, Washington County voters said no to a Berlin Rec Center, yes to housing and public works garage in Barre. Results on the Central Vermont Career Center won’t be available until Thursday.
Press restricted at state-funded ‘truth-telling’ session in St. Johnsbury
A state-funded “Public Truth-Telling Session” scheduled for Nov. 15 in St. Johnsbury will bar reporters from recording, photographing, or interviewing participants inside the event, according to guidelines released by organizers.
Vermont Circus Festival kicks off in Brattleboro
The inaugural Vermont Circus Festival is happening in Brattleboro this week. It’s eight days of circus performances, workshops and community events hosted by the New England Center for Circus Arts.
Postcard about Dame fundraising, salary mailed ahead of Saturday election for GOP state chair
An anonymous postcard critical of incumbent GOP chair Paul Dame’s fundraising record was mailed from Hartford, Connecticut this week and received by Republicans who will be voting in the Saturday, November 8 election.
Shorts: Smugglers Notch Road closes, moose harvest results announced
Also, the Voting Accessibility Task Force convenes.
Polls: Despite union pushback, majority of Vermonters back State workers’ office return
The UNH poll reveals a different perspective from the general public. Just over half of Vermont residents—51%—support requiring state employees to work in-person at least three days per week.
Swenson: Vermont’s crisis isn’t compassion — it’s capacity
Phil Scott’s 14-point Burlington plan repeats the same mistake Vermont has made for years: mistaking compassion for policy.
Moore: Mississippi students now outperform Vermont students
Education agency admits a years-long failure as student performance nosedives
Green: The closing of the Copley Hospital Birthing Center is a local tragedy
Such center can be saved if the money given to Planned Parenthood and abortions is rededicated to promote life.
VT Headlines: Man allegedly assaulted St. Johnsbury town employee, crashed truck
Barre shoe repair store closing after 75 years; Central Vermont communities to vote on $149 million bond towards new career center; Burlington plans to dredge Perkins Pier and community boathouse marinas for next spring; Preparation work underway at Burlington-Winooski bridge
Fatal overdose suspected at South Burlington City Hall
Emergency responders were called to 180 Market Street, home of the South Burlington City Hall, around 6:05 a.m. on November 4 after someone discovered an unresponsive adult male in a first-floor restroom. Emergency medical personnel pronounced the man dead at the scene.
UVM senior accused of year-long phone hack and stalking campaign
A drug possession charge was added at arraignment when the police search uncovered more than 13 grams, including packaging of crack cocaine in his bedroom, records show.
Fish & Wildlife asks deer hunters to report wildlife sightings
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is asking hunters to participate in its annual deer hunter effort and sighting survey.
Illegal immigrant from Brazil gets 9 months for illegal gun possession
Wanted for rape in Brazil, he said he didn’t want the guns for drug crime, but for target shooting with his brother-in-law.
Heat pump sales cool, DMV offices close two days this week
Inflation, rising equipment costs, and the 2025 phaseout of legacy refrigerants are driving up the price of heat pump projects, while workforce shortages continue to pose challenges.
Daylight Saving Time change brings far greater odds of hitting a deer — here’s why
The risk of a deer-vehicle collision is 14 times higher in the two hours after sunset than in the two hours before sunset, due to the dramatic reduction in driver visibility in darkness.
Keelan: Small towns down on leaf-peeping, housing
Vermont needs to stay off the front page of the WSJ unless, of course, it is a positive story.
Vermont Food Banks brace for impact
The lapse in federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known locally as 3SquaresVT, has triggered delays in November benefits for more than 64,000 residents, exacerbating pressures on the state’s food banks.
VT Headlines: Vermont food banks fill gap as SNAP benefits delayed during government shutdown
Trump administration faces a deadline to tell judges whether it will use contingency funds for SNAP; Middlebury College chapel debate taken to state Supreme Court; BPD: Burlington man arrested for Battery Park assault with firearm
Scholarship helps women veterans help others with PTSD
The family of an Essex Junction Army veteran who took her life due to combat PTSD has started a scholarship to help women veterans receive advanced training in PTSD treatment.
From Boise to Burlington: UVM’s new leadership team and the controversies that followed them
A federal lawsuit, a First Amendment violation, and sworn allegations of evading public records laws defined the tenure of UVM’s new president and her top aides at Boise State.
Democrats want open borders; most Americans don’t
Who said this? “If you don’t have any borders, you don’t have a nation.” The speaker went on, “Trump did a better job. I don’t like Trump, but we should have a secure border. It ain’t that hard to do. Biden didn’t do it.” It was Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, in characteristic candor. If, as Milton Friedman argued, you can’t have open borders and a generous welfare state, Sanders, as a self-described socialist, prefers the welfare state.
Soulia: Those nickels & dimes add up
The high cost of living in Vermont isn’t driven by any one law or policy. Instead, it’s the cumulative weight of countless costs—fees, surcharges, and mandates—that drive up prices for goods and services while shrinking Vermonters’ paychecks.
Halloween in the Rotary lights up downtown Winooski with 1,000 jack-o’-lanterns
Families, students and local businesses came together for a festive evening to kick off Halloween.
Vermont Veterans Home’s celebration commemorating the U.S.M.C.’s 250th Anniversary
The seven Marine residents at the Home will be the honored guests and former Governor of Vermont, Jim Douglas, will be the event’s keynote speaker. Fr. Jeremy Means-Koss, of Bennington and Arlington’s St. Peter’s and St. James Episcopal Church will provide the invocation and benediction.
Watson: Tailgating: the chase is on!
Road rage is for fools.
Roper: Gates cops to climate change hoax
Will Vermont legislators continue with the lies, or heed the call to pivot?
Vermont’s $118 million dollar “buy down” of FY26 property tax bills: a whopper of a Nothing Burger?
Adopting the words of former Gov. Peter Shumlin, the buy down was a big Nothing Burger! Some might even call it a whopper of a Nothing Burger!
H.P. Lovecraft’s Green Mountain sojourn
A landscape of inspiration and dread
Letters: Obamacare, and a call to No Kings action
Obamacare, and yes to No Kings
VT Headlines: Brattleboro residents charged after police seize guns, drugs from home
Migrant advocates request state funds to provide SNAP benefits to refugees; Champlain Valley Head Start program set to lose federal funding on Nov. 1; Rutland County Habitat for Humanity receives $50,000 grant for affordable housing projects
VTF&W reports acorns abundant in some areas
Beechnut production excellent in most of Vermont
Holt: When Public Service becomes a lifetime throne
In the United States today, political office too often resembles a throne more than a term of service. But it was not always this way.
Study praises Canadian organ harvesting from MAiD/assisted suicide corpses
MAiD now fourth leading cause of death in Canada – Quebec leads all provinces.
Bland faces the death penalty for alleged shooting of out-of-state drug dealers
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has given federal prosecutors in Vermont the green light to seek the death penalty for a Burlington man, who authorities say fatally shot two out-of-state drug dealers in the Northeast Kingdom two years ago.
VT Headlines: Rutland Regional Medical Center will no longer offer pediatric beds
Former state senator and wife resign from Vermont Young Republicans following leaked group chat; Grocery buddies’ supplement SNAP benefits amid government shutdown; Man accused of stealing hundreds of dollars in steaks from Georgia Market appears before judge; Police seek to identify male in Vershire trespassing
Moore and Johnson: Vermont’s housing needs require decisive action – step up or step away
Governor Scott has taken action. We stand ready to implement solutions. The question now is whether environmental interest groups who claim to care about Vermont’s future will contribute to solving this crisis or perpetuate the status quo.
Hot Off The Press today interview lawyer for citizens’ voting rights
One of the lawyers arguing for citizens’ voting rights in the Vermont Supreme Court will be interviewed today on Hot Off The Press, VDC’s news and call-in opinion program at 11:05 AM on WDEV AM 550, FM 96.1, and livestreamed at wdevradio.com.
Flash-flooded towns left hanging after Feds refuse disaster payments
Towns hit hardest by the July 10 flash floods are facing steep repair bills with no federal help after President Donald Trump denied Vermont’s request for a disaster declaration.
Soulia: Strike-alls: How a bill metastasized into your backyard
A single sentence added to Vermont’s planning code in 2016 has redrawn how the state thinks about its forests — and about the rights of Vermonters to use their property.
Why did Montpelier pay a broker up to $50,000 for a $1 land sale?
On October 8, 2025, in a late-night meeting, the City Council voted to approve a one-year, sole-source brokerage contract with White + Burke to manage the recruitment of a developer for the property.
