Don’t miss breaking news! Vermont Daily Water Cooler is a roundup of important headlines from around the state.
Guy Page
Guy Page is the editor and publisher of the Vermont Daily Chronicle.
Senator protests Corrections ban on ‘thin gray line’ flag
A Vermont state senator objects to a recent Vermont Dept. of Corrections ban on the ‘thin gray line’ flag meant to show support for corrections officers.
Scott admin would spend $200 mil on carbon reduction
Vermont will receive $1 billion through the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). This funding presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to immediately accelerate “no regrets” climate action work. Governor Scott’s proposed ARPA budget calls for $200 millionover three years to facilitate direct, strategic, and measurable emissions reductions.
Why turtles cross the road
Vermont’s turtles will be on the move this spring, and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is asking for the public’s help in keeping them safe. Female turtles will be looking for places to deposit their eggs, sometimes choosing to lay them along the shoulders of roads, which can bring them into the path of motor vehicles.
Gassetts: Non-citizen, 16-year-old voting bills violate Constitution
Some of our present Vermont lawmakers have proposed and voted on two bills that will change the Vermont State Constitution. Rather than following the lawful process laid out to amend the State Constitution, they are flagrantly usurping The people of Vermont, those they are elected to represent.
802 Freedom to hold picnic May 15
Saturday, May. 15 at 2:30 pm 802 Freedom will be hosting an event at the Vermont State House in Montpelier.
Fireovid: Petition opposes 16-year-old vote
You likely know that the Vermont House passed a bill (H.361) to allow 16-year-olds in Brattleboro to vote in municipal elections and to serve on town boards. Crazy?
Riley Allen named to energy court
Governor Phil Scott has appointed Riley Allen of Montpelier to serve as a member of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC).
Frenier: Pandemic exposes need for school choice
The forced remote learning fiasco imposed on Vermont public school students this past year highlighted the lack of common benefits available from the state’s education system.
House Committee relieves employers of heavy UI burden
Removing 2020 from calculation of the Unemployment Insurance fund will help to hold employers harmless from certain costs related to the pandemic and government-mandated shutdowns, while also ensuring the unemployment trust fund remains solvent and UI claimants are not negatively impacted.
Mother was not perfect
This is the first year in my adult life that I won’t be faced with a difficult, heartbreaking choice: picking out the perfect Mother’s Day card for my not-so-perfect mother.
Mazur: do BLM supporters know?
Liberals and Progressives herald Black Lives Matter (BLM) with signature flags and lawn signs. How many really know their ideology and how it’s deluding a whole generation?
Drive-through diplomas again this year in Charlotte
Not everyone’s happy with Charlotte Central School holding drive-through graduation ceremonies – again.
Vermont Daily Water Cooler for Fri, May 07
Don’t miss breaking news! Vermont Daily Water Cooler is a roundup of important headlines from around the state.
China biggest exporter of fentanyl, killer of 130 Vermonters in 2020
China – once the victim of foreign powers exporting opium – is now the biggest exporter of fentanyl, the synthetic opiate that killed about 130 Vermonters in 2020.
Vax discrimination suit goes to court May 10
On March 2, Jim Hogue of Calais, Emily Peyton of Putney, Karen Eddings, Morningstar Porta, Kathleen Tarrant, and Deborah Dailey filed for an immediate emergency injunction in US Federal Court against Gov. Phil Scott, Attorney General TJ Donovan, and Health Commissioner Mark Levine “to halt orders, rules and enforcement regarding the lifting of quarantine solely for those who vaccinate” and other measures.
2021 lawmakers claim $653,184 in at-home expenses
A $75/day home expense benefit created for the 2021 Zoom Legislature has resulted in $653,184 of claims through May 4, state officials say.
Shepard: RINOs for Biden – are you happy now?
I think it is time to check in with a few of those RINOs. We need to ask folks like Mitt Romney, Governors and former Governors Charlie Baker, Larry Hogan, Phil Scott, John Kasich, Rick Snyder and others, like John Bolton, Jeb and George W. Bush, Carly Fiorina, Jeff Flake, Colin Powell and Cindy McCain if President Biden has been their kind of Republican.
Legislature OKS minority student suspension task force, migrant child Medicaid
The Vermont House yesterday passed S16, creation of the Task Force on School Exclusionary Discipline Reform. The goal of the task force is to reduce minority suspensions and expulsions from Vermont schools.
Police still seek cause of Williamstown church fire
State police now know where it started, but they still don’t know what started the fire that destroyed a 250-year-old Williamstown church.
Richford man charged with hate crime after truck attack
A Richford man is facing charges including attempted murder with a hate-crime enhancement following an incident that occurred Wednesday morning, May 5, outside a private residence in town.
State protection of sex orientation/identity must continue, Scott says
“There is still more work to do to ensure all Vermonters, regardless of identity, feel safe and protected in our state,” Gov. Phil Scott said after signing the ‘gay panic defense’ bill.
Three Vermonters play for Lake Monsters
As the Vermont Lake Monsters inaugural Futures Collegiate Baseball League season quickly approaches, the former Minor League New York–Penn League team’s roster is beginning to take shape and the team posted its first three players all with Vermont connections: pitchers Leif Bigelow of Guilford, Owen Kellington of Plainsfield, and Middlebury’s Evan Stewart.
Vermont Daily Water Cooler for Wed, May 05
Don’t miss breaking news! Vermont Daily Water Cooler is a roundup of important headlines from around the state.
Election Integrity Forum May 18
The Chittenden County GOP will hold an Election Integrity Forum Tuesday, May 18 at 7 pm.
Bill would let candidates draw campaign salary
H363, a bill introduced into the Vermont House on Feb. 26, would “permit a candidate for statewide office to receive a salary from the candidate’s campaign funds.”
Police: father murders daughter
State Police say James Perry Jr., age 70, of Newbury, shot and killed his daughter Karina Rheaume, 38, of Newbury Monday afternoon, May 3.
Spearing and shooting fish a South Hero spring ritual
Islanders have been catching fish with spears and guns since those tools have been around. And while that may sound unorthodox to some, learning about these fishing techniques and the techniques used around them is quite intriguing.
Man falls 150 feet down mine shaft
CORINTH–A man who fell approximately 150 feet down a mine shaft on Saturday night was injured and taken to the hospital after emergency responders performed a technical nighttime rescue.
Would-be kidnappers of 13-year-old girl sought
At about 4:15 p.m. May 1, near the intersection of West Main Street and Canal Street in Vergennes, two unidentified males in a vehicle tried to abduct a 13-year-old girl as she was walking home.
Vermont Daily Water Cooler for Tue, May 04
Don’t miss breaking news! Vermont Daily Water Cooler is a roundup of important headlines from around the state.
How did YOUR representative vote on 16-year-old voting in Brattleboro?
H.361 would the Brattleboro charter to allow 16-17 years olds (and 15 years olds if they will turn 16 by election day) to vote in municipal elections and serve on town boards, such as the select board, according to an Ethan Allen Institute analysis.
Page: Uppity women speak out!
None of this cliquey high school drama stuff mattered to Lefebvre, who saw Vermont electoral integrity at stake and realized that she was elected for such as time as this. Worn out by her insistence, and desperately seeking a unanimous vote, Hanzas blinked first.
Explanation of “no significant abnormalities” in VT election audit
Secretary of State’s Office: “This audit, like those before it, shows clearly that there is no underlying manipulation of the programming or systemic inaccuracy in the tabulators. They were, again, shown to be extremely accurate when the ballot is properly marked by the voters.”
Lawmakers don’t trust towns with TIF
Last week, the Vermont House killed the project-based “Tax Incremental Funding” (TIF), a funding source for small towns.
Worker shortage due to pandemic, pot, depopulation
Everyone thought Vermonters would flock to these relatively high-paying, benefits-producing jobs. Compared to the long, irregular hours and low pay of farm labor and the service industry, these jobs were gold. But now, some employers who invested millions in Franklin County operations are looking elsewhere. There just aren’t enough workers.
Border Patrol reported forest fire approaching Franklin County
U.S. Border Patrol agents in mid-April reported a large forest fire in Canada rapidly moving towards the town of Franklin, VT.
Teen Challenge gives back on Green Up Day
On a cold, cloudy Saturday May 1, a group of women spread out across Hardwick’s Main Street picking up trash and exchanging banter. All members of Teen Challenge Vermont, an addiction treatment center in Johnson, they were more than excited to be outside helping the community.
Universal mailed ballot bill to get House vote
The House Government Operations Committee approved S15, the universal mailed ballot bill, by an 11-0 margin Friday after making changes meant to reduce potential for election fraud.
Rallyers seek change in VT education, government
Event co-organizer Greg Thayer spoke on how America is a “Constitutional Republic, not a democracy.” Thayer equated his premises to the principle of equality and that our Constitution is a representative form of government and not by a king or mob rule. Thayer continued “that the government gets its authority from the People, who can take it away too.”
McClaughry: Vermonter deep-sixed Roosevelt plan to pack Supreme Court
President Biden is under pressure to find a way to control a Supreme Court whose present majority may find constitutional limits to what the Democratic party’s left wing is urging him to do. He has created a 36-member Commission to cope with the explosive question of packing the Supreme Court with additional Justices in order to create a compliant 7-6 liberal majority to support his proposals.
Heroin, meth dealer busted
The arrest of Poole was the conclusion of a Vermont Drug Task Force investigation that began in July 2020 in cooperation with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department and South Burlington Police Department. The investigation revealed that Poole sold methamphetamine and heroin.
Ex-boyfriend torched car
Upon arrival troopers met with the Fairfax Fire Department and observed a vehicle in the driveway that had sustained fire damage from what appeared to be a plastic bottle containing gasoline that had been poured on the windshield and hood before being ignited.
Kinsley: Pandemic legislation reactionary
If you look at the list of bills the legislature has passed so far, you might be tempted to think they are focused on the pandemic. However, if you look a little closer, you can see that these bills are actually reactionary. They would direct federal funding to emergency housing, food banks, and childcare assistance; all worthy programs, but they serve the immediate need, not the future need six months to a year from now.
Covid & Constitution events Saturday
Received fom Vermont Liberty.net During COVID, well-recognized Constitutional rights have been repeatedly compromised, without adequate justification. Four events planned in May are designed to educate and encourage Vermonters to defend our Constitution […]
Former Obama advisor, partner of Marlboro College buyers arrested for $218,000 theft
A Vermont man who is a former Obama White House advisor and a partner in the group that purchased Marlboro College this year has been charged with wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements to a financial institution.
Vermont Daily Water Cooler for Fri, Apr 30
Don’t miss breaking news! Vermont Daily Water Cooler is a roundup of important headlines from around the state.
House approves 16-year-old voting in Brattleboro
The Vermont House of Representatives Thursday voted 102-42 along party lines to give initial approval to amending the Brattleboro Town Charter to allow youth voters ages 16-18 to vote in local town elections.
Condos says ‘no significant abnormalities or discrepancies’ in 2020 general election
Yesterday Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos announced the completion of the 2020 Vermont General Election Audit, which was conducted on April 28 at the Pavilion Auditorium located in Montpelier. No significant abnormalities or discrepancies were found between the audit results and the Official Returns of Vote.
Ross: It must be now. Silence is defeat
Too many Americans have allowed themselves to be defined as the enemy. This attack on our values starts with the majority party in Congress and includes our President. Their attacks are relentless as well as mindless. They lie shamelessly, they ignore the Constitution, they are re-writing American history to fit their false narrative, and they pursue an agenda that will end the society that has made our country the envy of the world.
Trailblazer cop Jonas to retire
Her list of superlatives is considerable: Jonas was the first commander of the Office of Fair & Impartial Policing and Community Affairs when it was established in 2016. She was the first woman in the Vermont State Police to lead the Internal Investigations Unit. And she was the first woman in the agency to attain the ranks of captain and major.
Green groups appeal sinking of ferry
The Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) and the Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) have appealed a permit issued by the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) to allow the sinking of a 152-foot-long ferry near the Burlington waterfront.
Roper: least-secure voting in the nation
Proponents argue that they are trying to “create a balance” between making it easy to vote and maintaining ballot security. That’s the rhetoric, but the truth is that should S.15 become law Vermont would have no effective security mechanisms to verify the validity of an absentee ballot, and the objective is to have everyone vote absentee (though that is not required). There is no balance, nor any attempt to create any.
Gov Ops may pass vote-by-mail bill without vital Oregon testimony
The Oregon Secretary of State wants to tell Vermont legislators her state’s hard-won knowledge about vote integrity challenges in a universal vote-by-mail system. But that exchange of information won’t happen if Rep. Sarah Copeland-Hanzas, Chair of the House Government Operations Committee, holds a vote this afternoon on S15, Vermont’s universal, vote-by-mail bill.
Change to child sex abuse bill opens door to legal prostitution
An amendment added this week by the Vermont Senate to H18, a bill clarifying legal language about child sex abuse, would give immunity against prosecution for the crime of prostitution – a potential first step towards the legalization of prostitution in Vermont.
Green Up Day Saturday, May 1
Green Up Day Vermont (GUV) invites Vermonters to participate in the annual pickup of trash alongside Vermont’s highways this Saturday, May 1. Click here for details about your town.
Vermont Daily Water Cooler for Thu, Apr 29
Don’t miss breaking news! Vermont Daily Water Cooler is a roundup of important headlines from around the state.
Time to look for work, State tells unemployment collectors
The Vermont Department of Labor announced today that the work search requirement for unemployment claimants will be reinstated beginning Sunday, May 9 for all claimants in regular UI and specific claimants in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program.
Shepard: Catholics Biden, Pelosi devout – but to what?
Catholic Democrat politicians are certainly devout, but I am not talking about their religion. Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Xavier Becerra, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Andrew Cuomo and others talk often about their Catholic faith. The supportive media regularly refers to them as Devout Catholics. But are they?
Moore: spend one-time fed $$ on wastewater treatment
More than 150 Vermont downtowns and village centers are without a public wastewater system, which limits economic growth. Failed septic systems prevent the redevelopment of buildings; wastewater system limitations stop a general store from adding a market café; and a lack of public water and sewer is often a key limiting factor to a community’s ability to add new housing or businesses.
McClaughry: Sierra Club war on methane-emitting cows
The climate craze has targeted Vermont dairy farms, as if getting rid of their methane emitting cows will make any detectable difference in the planet’s climate, while wrecking Vermont’s dairy industry.
Black Republican questions racism as root of public health disparities
Racism is a problem, it exists everywhere,” Kumulia “Case” Long told the House Human Services Committee Wednesday. “We are looking to tackle an issue that will never go away. The human race will always have something to fight over….however, If we can address economic inequality, we can help a much bigger group,” Long said. “We can help lift each other up.”
Vermont Daily Water Cooler for Wed, Apr 28
Don’t miss breaking news! Vermont Daily Water Cooler is a roundup of important headlines from around the state. Publication Headline Published NBC 5 Still on the fence about getting a COVID-19 vaccine? […]
House to vote on Brattleboro 16-year-old voting
The Vermont House of Representatives today is scheduled to consider H361, amending the Brattleboro Town Charter to allow youth voters ages 16-18 to vote in local town elections.
Vermont one of two states needing Special Ed intervention
The US Department of Education (USDE) recently found that Vermont is one of only two states which “needs intervention in implementing the requirements of Part B Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).” This shatters the myth that Vermont offers disabled students a superior education.
Back the Blue rally scheduled for Saturday in Rutland
A BACK THE BLUE Rally in support of local police will be held in Rutland on Saturday, MAY 1, beginning at 10:30 am along Rt 7 in front of the Rutland Main St Park.
Barre Police “continue to exhaust all investigative avenues” to find Jean-Marie
Yesterday, Vermont Daily published a news story about the Burlington Police Commission urging the Barre Police Department to involve the FBI in the investigation of the year-long disappearance of a black man. The proposed resolution was couched in terms of doing more to provide justice for Vermont’s BIPOC community. Today, Barre Police Chief Tim Bombardier provided the following press release (issued April 13), in which he says “the Barre City Police have continued to exhaust all investigative avenues in our attempts to locate Ralph and to identify the individual(s) responsible for his disappearance.” He is considering a response to the Burlington Police Commission.
Game warden slain by poacher remembered
Game Warden Supervisor Arnold Magoon was killed by a poacher 43 Years ago today. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is asking Vermonters to take a moment to honor the memory of State Game Warden Arnold Magoon of Brandon and all of Vermont’s fallen officers.
Rediscovered St. Albans fossil excites scientists
A recent rediscovery of a classic, 19th-century fossil site in northwestern Vermont is giving paleontologists a better understanding of Earth’s earliest lifeforms.
Stuyt: Marijuana and suicide linked?
Research data linking marijuana use to people with suicidal ideation, attempts, and completed suicides are steadily increasing.
Vermont Daily Water Cooler for Tue, Apr 27
Don’t miss breaking news! Vermont Daily Water Cooler is a roundup of important headlines from around the state.
McLeod: Medical freedom the issue of our time
We often hear that the ethical principle of informed consent is the bedrock of modern medicine, but it is not commonly understood why. The Jacobson decision provided a precedent for other decisions, particularly the 1927 decision of Buck vs Bell, which upheld the primary tool of the worldwide eugenics movement: involuntary sterilization.
Burlington Police Commission wants Barre to ask FBI help finding missing black man
The Burlington Police Commission tonight will consider a resolution asking the Barre Police Department to seek Federal Bureau of Investigation assistance on finding Ralph Jean-Marie, a black man from Brockton, MA who has been missing since April 13, 2020.
Keelan: Scores of bulldozers, but no operators
Vermont does not have the building trade labor force to meet today’s demand for new construction, home repairs, and residential and commercial remodeling. If the ARPA comes to fruition, many of the projects Vermont needs to accomplish will, at best, be wishful thinking. The labor force is not here.
Falling Overboard
The minimal efforts towards repeal of old boards take on an even greater importance in light of the dozens and dozens of new boards proposed for creation this year. Vermont Daily has reviewed hundreds of pending bills in the Vermont Legislature and identified countless new boards that have been proposed.
Vermonters turn in record 3.5 tons of unwanted drugs
t takes 1,680 average oxycontin pills (.269 grams) to make a pound. Some pills are heavier, some are lighter. Using the oxycontin pill standard, Vermonters turned in an estimated 12,037,200 pills.
Brock: Baking a broadband cake
Imagine if you were baking a birthday cake and you had the benefit of having the Vermont Senate Finance Committee helping you. That’s what it’s like as we debate how to extend broadband throughout Vermont.
Taxing electric bikes different than motorcycles
Exempting electric bikes from the vehicular ‘purchase and use’ tax, expanding the sale of unpasteurized milk, creating another state commission, and requiring an economic impact study of closing the Ryegate biomass power plant are among the bills to be taken up Tuesday by the Vermont House of Representatives.
Senate seeks lost loan $$
$5 million allocated in 2010 by the Vermont Legislature for economic development loans hasn’t been recouped as planned. The Senate Economic Development Committee wants to know why, according to a report from the Campaign for Vermont (CFV).
VTLiberty debuts the Tick Belly T-Shirt
“It’s time for Vermonters to pull out the whole tick out of State Government,” T-shirt creator and model John Klar says on this VTLiberty.net video. Klar and the organization he founded have planned a series of events around the state during May.
Demolition Derbies set to return
After a year’s hiatus due to COVID-19 restrictions, demo derbies are set to return to the Orleans County Fairgrounds this year.
Surprise state tax on 2021 Paycheck Protection Program baffles businesses
Act 9, a new state law, would collect state income taxes from Paycheck Protection Program loan funding provided to Vermont businesses in 2021. This unexpected taxation of an emergency benefit has the Vermont business community in an uproar.
Randolph groups work for temporary housing
After someone spent almost three weeks at the Randolph Village laundromat during the winter of 2019-2020, Charlie McMeekin knew there was a bigger issue at hand.
National Day of Prayer today
Vermont’s observation of the National Day of Prayer will take place in person and virtually May 6.
Guv outlines longterm homeless housing plan
About $125 million of federal recovery funding will help the State acquire longterm housing for Vermont’s homeless, Gov. Phil Scott said at a press conference today.
Donovan: Record expungement ‘act of fairness’
by Attorney General TJ Donovan As Vermont and our nation continue to work toward a more fair and equitable criminal justice system, the Vermont Legislature is considering an important bill that can […]
McClaughry: the costly Montpelier hotel fiasco
Everybody in Montpelier is already well aware of the decades long and now abandoned Capital Plaza hotel and parking garage project, but for the benefit of others let me quote Charles Martin, of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.
Homeland Security extends surveillance tower comment period
The Department of Homeland Security has agreed to reopen the public comment period related to the proposed construction of massive surveillance towers in Derby Line and North Troy.
Lawmaker looking for other young women to attend TPUSA summit in Dallas
A rising star Vermont woman lawmaker will attend the Turning Point USA Young Women’s Leadership Summit June 10-13 in Dallas, Texas and is looking for other young Vermont women who want to come along.
Gates farm in Franklin wins blue ribbon for best milk
The Vermont Dairy Industry Association (VDIA) recently presented 2020 Vermont Milk Quality Awards to three Vermont dairy farms.
Vermont Liberty to discuss Covid and the Constitution
Four events planned in May are designed to educate and encourage Vermonters to defend the Constitution in the face of government over-reach during the Covid State of Emergency
Late snowfall closes Notch, causes accidents
Unseasonably late snowfall has led to a series of accidents – including a rollover of an Agency of Transportation snowplow on I-91 in Barnet.
Vermont Daily Water Cooler for Thu, Apr 22
Don’t miss breaking news! Vermont Daily Water Cooler is a roundup of important headlines from around the state.
An everyday life they loved
Terry Dinnan, 71, and Marty Illick, 70, were a different kind of power couple. Their power came from enthusiasm, passion, artistic pursuits, environmentalism, and volunteerism. They both died on Monday, April 19 after a boating accident in Lewis Creek just outside of their Charlotte home.
Vermont F-35 does Fenway Park flyover
An F-35A Lightning II assigned to the Vermont Air National Guard joins a KC-46 Pegasus assigned to Pease Air National Guard and an F-15 Eagle assigned to Barnes Air National Guard for a flyover tribute during the Boston Red Sox 2021 season home opener at Fenway Park, Boston, MA, April 2, 2021.
VP Kamala’s husband visits Burlington
The Vermont Democratic Party (VDP) faithful welcomed Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, to Vermont April 21 in Burlington, where he was greeted by a group including VDP Chair Bruce Olsson.
Sexton: stand for freedom, and not alone
Now doctors, dentists and other businesses are invading our personal lives by demanding we be vaccinated before visits or going into shops or offices – all in violation of Federal HIPPA law.
Peyton: Concern about vaccines
The vaccines are already causing death and harms. The vaccinated are getting fatal cases of Covid. This is not theory. Here are some studies from our Government in proof.
As teacher, biologist, archaeologist, St. Albans native broke new ground
If Indiana Jones had been a woman, she’d be someone like archaeologist and educator Lucy Langdon Williams Wilson – a St. Albans native and Castleton grad.
School districts must pay religious school tuition
The Vermont State Board of Education yesterday ordered four Vermont school districts to pay the tuition of four students attending religious schools.






