The statement by a member of the regulatory board charged with writing rules for implementing Act 181 comes a week after Chair Amy Sheldon and every other member of the House Environment Committee, as well as House Speaker Jill Krowinski, announced plans to repeal the rural development restrictions passed in 2024 over Gov. Phil Scott’s veto and slated to take effect this summer.
If you were having trouble putting your finger on that one thing that bugs you about the Whiz Kids on the Winooski (aka the Vermont legislature) you only have to read the recent apologia of House Speaker Jill Krowinski concerning the ill-considered Act 181.
America’s energy-dependent food supply is highly vulnerable to a global spike in oil prices and to many other potential disruptions.
Act 181 revealed a fundamental inequity in policy from Montpelier—wealthy, urban communities get a choice. Rural or poor communities don’t. Montpelier must fix it.
Barre City Manager Nicolas Storellicastro confirmed to The Bridge that the ordinance was prompted by an inquiry from “Tara,” who operates a taxi while naked in St. Albans. He said Tara called the clerk’s office and the police department in March asking about applications and permits.
An Oxford professor’s take on the transhumanist agenda
Vermont man charged with aggravated assault, unlawful restraint; Burlington man faces child sex crime charges; No suspicious package found after HAZMAT team called to Williston ICE facility; Hundreds of students gather on UVM campus for 4/20 celebration
David McGuire, 39, of Maine, died at the scene from injuries sustained when a six-passenger utility terrain vehicle left the roadway, went down an embankment and struck multiple trees at about 8:25 p.m. April 18.
“We are far from repealed. We haven’t seen any updated legislation,” North told VDC in the State House cafeteria this AM. “I asked that question and did not get a definite answer. Which is concerning.”
U.S. seizes Iranian cargo ship, Tehran vows to retaliate
A national education watchdog group says dozens of Vermont school districts have policies that may allow student gender transitions to be kept from parents, according to a report released April 20.
Supporters frame it as strengthening “protective factors” for youth and increasing mental health awareness. However, we see it as shifting decision-making away from families toward schools and government entities, undermining parental authority in sensitive health and identity matters.
The federal and state income taxes that exist today are progressive by statute. The more one earns, the greater the tax. It has been such since 1913, when an income tax was allowed under the 16th Amendment to the Constitution. It has been reported that about 80% off all income taxes are paid by the top 10% of filers. They are also the major contributors to the non-profit community. So why is it that they are allowed to be ostracized by the Bernie crowd without any support at all from the non-profit world?
Vermont is at a tipping point. Vibrant little towns like my beloved Wallingford—where one still sees mothers pushing strollers, school kids trooping home with their backpacks, and deer hunters hanging out in driveways to show off their trophies—could become frigid, exquisitely-maintained mausoleums inhabited only by one or two affluent summer people whose children have long since left.
They have not really changed their minds, only their tactics.
Driver crashes on Norwich University campus, police say; Some sugarmakers break records, though a range of results reported across Vermont; Vermont Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired celebrates 100 years; Charlotte FD battles bedroom fire
The girl was also afraid because Hutchins insisted that if he got arrested he would be bailed out in an hour and he would find her.
Vermont refers children to child welfare services at three times the national rate. It’s also first in the nation in placing foster children with relatives. However, the state’s mandatory reporting system needs updating, and the state’s provision of services to child abuse victims is twice as low as the national average.
Alden’s son, actually, has been actively involved in Burton Snowboards, a Vermont firm named for Jake Burton, one of the inventors of modern snowboards.
A multi-year project by Vermont concert pianist David Feurzeig comes to Waterbury on Sunday, April 26, for what will be the 98th concert in his Play Every Town series to perform in every community in the state.
Paraquat, one of the most widely used herbicides in the U.S., would be phased out over five years
Vermont’s S.205, at four years, proposes the longest moratorium period of any state bill filed this cycle. The PUC study and report are due January 2027 — leaving more than three years between the report’s delivery and the moratorium’s expiration.
Fixing our education system is hard, but we must do the hard thing, because it is the right thing to do.
In 1950, President Harry Truman launched a campaign to sell US bonds to fund the rebuilding of our military after WWII. As part of the Treasury Department initiative tied to the bond drives, more than fifty Liberty Bell replicas were cast in France and distributed across the country – one for each state and territory.
“The local district committee did their job, meeting and putting forward three qualified members of the community in a timely manner. The Governor chose to ignore them..”
NWS surveying thunderstorm damage in Williamstown; Bristol man reported missing Thursday; Burlington School District lawsuit against Monsanto moves forward
Nicknamed Big Sugar for the most famous product made in Vermont, USS Vermont is the 19th Virginia-class sub.
Five years later, state records show a more complicated outcome: Vermont’s office footprint grew, vacancy increased, and the state ultimately signed new leases to support a return to in-person work.
While I’ll buy Richards is likely to put up a better show than Esther Charlestin or Brenda Siegel based purely on fundraising capabilities and a political network, Democrats might think twice about hitching their wagon to what, when examined under the brighter scrutiny of a campaign, is a dumpster fire of a record that any sane politician would run away from.
Brother died in gang-related homicide in Burlington in 2022
A new UVM study documents a dramatic shift in what’s killing northeastern trees. The debate over how Vermont should respond reveals a deep divide between science, policy, and philosophy.
Georgia furnace fire; Thousands of salmon stocked in Winooski River as part of study; Former Bove’s restaurant site in Burlington could become affordable housing units
If House Democrats were hoping the governor would appoint a young, progressive Burlingtonian to fill the North End Burlington seat long held by Rep. Bob Hooper, they are likely disappointed.
The incident shows the need for a bill, now in Senate Judiciary, that would streamline eviction of dangerous tenants.
While Vermont’s visible challenges with drug trafficking maybe happening on streets and in parks, what’s happening inside residential apartment buildings is also putting citizens and their neighbors at risk, largely out of sight. These illegal enterprises are surprisingly often operating under tacit protections from State law and the resulting risks are exacerbated by a lengthy court process that takes months to resolve. And this is putting vulnerable Vermonters in harm’s way.
Two separate bills that together ban the state lottery and impose criminal penalties on offering sports betting were presented to lawmakers on Tuesday.
Guy, the House is set to vote on the next phase of Vermont’s education reform effort today. The bill they are putting forward is a grab bag of policies that House members managed to agree on.
“Following extensive feedback from communities across Vermont, it is clear that the ‘Road Rule’ and ‘Tier 3’ need to be repealed,” Krowinski said.
Vermont House Ethics Panel dismisses complaints against legislators who took paid trip to Israel; Vermont’s Champlain Valley poised to become a federally recognized wine region
The fuel dealers registry bill and the Miles Based User Fee are both moving through the Vermont Senate. Also: Anti-ICE bill passes Senate.
The Green Mountain State is a textbook case of how progressives employ social justice causes to drain the wallets and dreams of citizens.
The emergency was over. The remote work was not.
We have crossed the line.
The Northeast Kingdom Collaborative, alongside RuralEdge, Vermont State Housing Authority, and the State of Vermont, invites community members, prospective homebuyers, employers, municipalities, service providers, developers, and funders to attend free in-person home tours and information sessions on Wednesday, May 6.
$100 million childcare tax the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Car crashes into a building in Montpelier; Defense seeks to dismiss aggravated murder charge in deadly Vt. cruiser crash; Vermont State University labor leaders criticize administrators, citing staff attrition and stagnating wage
An effort to repeal the Act 181 Road Rule will be attempted in committee this week, Republican House members say.
The award recognizes a healthcare leader who has built a practice environment that prioritizes the patient-provider relationship, according to the organization. Malik was selected from hundreds of practices nationwide for what the conference described as his “Care Over Codes” philosophy.
The result is a decentralized system in which a vendor operating in multiple communities may need to navigate multiple sets of rules.
Vermont’s ranking is being carried by a handful of counties that don’t represent most of the state’s geography, or most of its working-age population.
Says judges do little when disrespected by defendants
The Vermont Police Academy will host the Voices of St. Joseph’s Orphanage Exhibition Display from May 7 through May 21, offering the public an opportunity to engage with the stories of former residents of St. Joseph’s Orphanage and the decades-long effort to bring their experiences to light.
Six suspects charged in Vermont kidnapping case remain in custody; Vermont History Day gives students a chance to present their own research; New Vermont soccer club makes home debut in the Green Mountain State
Legislators are debating how to reformat a law that would exempt farmers from municipal regulation
Vermont Republican Party Chair Paul Dame is criticizing Democratic gubernatorial candidate Aly Richards following her campaign launch, framing her candidacy as emblematic of broader Democratic policy priorities.
H.537 passed the House on March 20 and is now in the Senate Committee on Economic Development.
Three bodies were recovered from three separate fires in Barre, Hinesburg and Bristol over the weekend, according to WCAX reports and local and state officials.
A typical family with two children in Vermont can expect to see higher take-home pay of about $7,400 to $10,600 with the Working Family Tax Cuts, the Small Business Administration claims.
Also, Lanese on Liberal Logic 101
When the people rise up in unity over an issue and are not driven by deep-pocketed activist organizations, but by their own recognition that their rights are being trampled, the legislature had best take notice. We’re in such a time.
U.S., Iran fail to reach peace agreement after marathon talks in Pakistan; ‘Attempted assassination’: Tucker Carlson on Israeli attack on RT correspondent; ‘This is the last warning:’ Iran radioes U.S. during Strait of Hormuz de-mining effort
Vermont’s search and rescue teams are caught in a cost squeeze. The winning idea at UVM’s annual entrepreneurship event is designed to solve exactly that problem — and the timing couldn’t be better.
Lawmakers on the Senate Health & Welfare Committee received an update Thursday from AHS on the status of the funding and how the state plans to use it. Director Jill Mazza Olson and Sarah Rosenblum, said Vermont will receive $195 million in 2026 for its first year of funding and has put out notices for six opportunities to bid with plans for ten more. According to the newly created public webpage, the submission periods for the first six proposals end starting April 10.
On February 18, the Vermont Bowhunters Association petitioned the state Fish and Wildlife Board to lift the ban on hunting bears over garbage. A decision is expected April 22. Bear baiting is a dying, discredited practice. Only 12 states still permit it.
VT Democrats will apparently never learn.
The 2026 Vermont Changemakers Summit, organized by the Vermont Natural Resources Council and co-sponsored by more than two dozen of the state’s most active advocacy organizations, comes to Harwood Union Middle and High School on April 11 — a free, full-day convening billed as a gathering for “community activists, organizers and advocates passionate about people and the planet.” For Vermonters who have watched property tax bills climb, heating costs rise, and land use regulations tighten, it is a rare opportunity to meet the coalition responsible in person.
Lyndon man cited after pulling pants down at passing cars; Man detained in South Burlington ICE raid recounts experience at Burlington City Council meeting; Lyndon man cited after pulling pants down at passing cars
Pearl on Guy Page’s alleged incompetence.
Complaints include: “Lockdown” status was in place at the facility for approximately a month and a half. Also, the initial “full lockdown” for 2 weeks; single movement (which means 1 child out of their sleeping quarters at a time), no off-unit time, all muscle movement on the units (which was very minimal), shackled to walk around off unit if needed/approved, and no education.
The 1935 East Middlebury mystery
Under the 13-page signed plea agreement filed Thursday, Bland admits to causing the deaths of both Solomon and White during a drug trafficking crime on Oct. 12, 2023. Both criminal charges carry life sentences. He also has admitted to carrying and using a gun on Oct. 14, 2023 during a drug trafficking crime, which calls for a consecutive life sentence, the plea agreement notes.
George Ellis Phelps, 43, was convicted April 1, in Caledonia Superior Court after entering a guilty plea to cocaine sale or delivery of 2.5 grams or more and fentanyl trafficking.
The university with the lowest in-state enrollment percentages of any large public school in the country is asking the legislature to let it take $15 million from a $66 million state scholarship fund.
The Senate Education Committee wants to raise the formula’s starting price before it even begins.: By FY27 the base would be $16,575 under the Senate concept versus $15,936 under the law as written.
Barre man arrested for climbing on roof, waving gun at neighbor, police say; Burlington man sentenced to at least 17½ years in prison for deadly stabbing in restaurant; Unpaid taxes are stressing local budgets in pockets of Vermont; Green Mountain Transit to hold public meeting on proposed route cuts
But Illinois technocrats and Democrats keep throwing more money at it.
H.541 would create new penalties as clerks report disruptions during elections
That pattern raises a simple question: when does the real policymaking actually happen—and who is involved before anyone else sees it?
Former Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger joined lawmakers last Friday to present for Let’s Build Homes, a nonprofit where he now serves as executive chair. He criticized Vermont’s regulatory environment for housing, pointing in particular to a subjective permitting process and to burdensome aspects of Act 181 and Act 250. Ultimately, his message was clear, Vermont is not building enough housing, and reform is needed.
Achieving scale through larger districts isn’t controversial because it won’t work — it’s controversial because it’s hard work. The proposal that passed the House Education Committee last week takes the easy way out.
A bill increasing current fiscal year capital construction budget spending from $112 million to $123 million passed the House yesterday and now moves on to the Senate.
Police searching for missing Vermont woman; Winooski woman charged with credit card fraud; Lamoille County towns get funding for flood warning system; Williston will hold new vote on $13.8m library bond
Vermont may lack the energy, regulatory, and workforce advantages of many states, but if given an edge like the proposed R&D tax credit, the Green Mountain State could become an innovation hub.
The state has set vital housing targets while lawmakers built a regulatory framework that may make those targets unreachable. The math has never been reconciled — and half the maps don’t yet exist.
The people who work the land and those who care for animals are not the type of people the Legislature wants here anymore.
“This decision was not made lightly, but with a clear understanding of the demands and challenges of public service in Vermont, as well as the timing for the next chapter of my life,” Grismore said in a news release Monday.
DNA Doe Project identifies remains found in Vermont in 2011
On 10 April 1963 the USS Thresher (SSN 593) was lost with all hands; two of those individuals were Vermont Submariners, James P. Ritchie, 22 from Burlington, VT and Edward A. Johnson, 34 from Hardwick, VT.
Burlington police arrest man accused of voyeurism; Brattleboro Police Department welcomes new police chief; Vermont fifth-grade students in Fairfield launch rocket as part of STEM program; Morrisville woman drowns while kayaking in Lamoille River; Brattleboro Memorial Hospital support staff union may issue strike notice
Supporters of the bill are hoping that H.432 will help eliminate the barriers many amputees face
A student is considered chronically absent when they miss 20 or more unexcused days of school within the last school year, or 175 school days
The Senate version of act 181 reform, now under House Environment Committee review, kicks the can down the road: four years for the Road Rule, two years for Tier 3.
Also, security checks on visitors every day through the rest of the session, and mental health agencies seek Medicaid increase.
In January 2026, Vermont border crossings were 10.8% fewer than in January 2025 the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development reports.
Vermont lawmakers are advancing a major restructuring of how primary care is paid for, but the proposal is raising fundamental questions about cost, access, and how much of the system it can realistically change.
How a non-vote exposed the Democrats’ true attitudes regarding the housing crisis.
On Guy Crosby’s beef farm in Hartland, farming runs in cycles. Nutrients move through soil, grass, and animals and return to the land. Plastic disrupts that cycle.
When mapped to its statutory language and agency behavior, Vermont’s Act 181 emerges as far more than a conservation law. It is a comprehensive land allocation system that integrates biodiversity protection, housing distribution, agricultural land preservation, and redistributionist and reparation (aka equity) considerations into a unified framework.
A policy change that would modify the Burlington City charter to ban firearms in bars has been revived in the Senate Judiciary Committee—but this time, the policy extends statewide.
Vermont lawmakers have advanced S.193, a bill that would establish a secure forensic facility for individuals caught at the intersection of the criminal justice and mental health systems—a population that has increasingly strained courts, hospitals, and correctional facilities.
