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.
Back the Blue rally scheduled for Saturday in Rutland
Guy Page
Guy Page is the editor and publisher of the Vermont Daily Chronicle.
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.
Condos to hold 2020 general election audit April 28
The post-election audit of 2020 Vermont General Election results will occur Wednesday, April 28 at the Pavilion Auditorium in Montpelier, starting at 9am.
School choice, service tax petitions gather steam
by Guy Page A pair of Vermont petitions in support of two popular ‘conservative’ themes – school choice and low taxes – are gathering support. The push for a ‘Cloud Tax’ by […]
Journal-Opinion wins press award
The Journal Opinion, the community newspaper for Bradford and surrounding towns in a bi-state, quad-county readership area, won three awards, including 1st place in Spot News Photography, at the 2020 New England Newspaper and Press Association Better Newspaper Competition.
Voter fraud in three easy steps
Vermont is not one of the 34 states that require some form of identification to vote. Vermont does not have voter signature verification. While officials boast no fraud has been proven, this fact is just as likely to be the result of a near total inability to detect fraud as the absence of it. S.15 would put Vermont in the unenviable position of having the least secure election process in the country.
LaClair/Savage: why won’t Legislature support military retirees?
The Democratic majority in the Legislature is trying to sweeten a big ‘tax the Cloud’ bill with a tiny tax exemption for military retirement. Instead the Legislature should tax neither.
Condos, Gray ask Big Business to oppose election ‘restrictions’
Joining with 49 other current and former state-level officials across the country, Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos and Lt. Gov. Molly Gray publicly asked corporate leaders to oppose electoral integrity laws “sweeping the country.”
Sanders, Leahy bill: free college for all
Legislation introduced today by Sen. Bernie Sanders would guarantee tuition-free community college for all students, and allow students from families earning under $125,000 a year to attend public and/or minority-serving colleges and universities tuition-free and debt-free. The bill also allocates $10 billion annually to cover student support programs at minority-serving schools.
‘Free’ fed money grinds rock-solid dollar into powder
To the editor: Re: $2.7 billion in federal money for Vermont – this is not free money. This is a very heavy mortgage on our grandchildren, it is a slash at the […]
Speeding 103 MPH with baby on board
On April 20 at about 4:10 pm, Vermont State Police stopped a gray 2020 Honda Accord on Interstate 89 (southbound) in the town of Royalton. The Trooper stopped the Honda for traveling at 103 MPH in a 65 MPH speed zone.
Vermont Daily Water Cooler for Tue, Apr 20
Don’t miss breaking news! Vermont Daily Water Cooler is a roundup of important headlines from around the state.
Vaccinated Vermonters get Covid at 10 times national average
“Vaccine breakthrough” is the term used by public health experts to describe a vaccinated person getting Covid-19, anyway. Vermont ‘vaccine breakthrough’ rate is small – but still 10 times higher than the national average, according to statistics shared today by Health Commissioner Mark Levine.
Puerto Rico statehood, service animal stipend introduced
A joint resolution urging Congress to support statehood for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, sponsored by Rep. Sarah Copeland-Hanzas (D-Bradford), was introduced into the Vermont House today.
Davis: Legislature ignores gun owners
We fought hard against both bills in their original committees to almost no avail and will continue to do so with what will likely amount to the same results. The unfortunate reality is, that these bills are seen by most legislators as favorable measures of public protection, regardless of any and all reason, logic, or emotional argument to the contrary.
Senate GOP says House stingy with military retirement tax relief
“Vermont Senate Republicans are extremely disappointed that the House of Representatives has failed to fully repeal the tax on military retirement income,” said Senate Minority Leader Randy Brock (R-Franklin).
Putnam: Is American business sparking a new ‘Great Awakening?’
I agree with Professor Sonnenfeld that the social justice movement in our world today can be characterized as a Great Awakening. Matthew Yglesias called it The Great Awokening (Vox, 4/1/2019). In my town there is a prominent sign saying “Believe” (see photo above). That is consistent with a religious movement.
Bank robbed at gunpoint
Police responded to the North Country Federal Credit Union on Main Street at around 3:00 p.m. A man dressed in dark clothing was reported to have robbed the credit union, during which time he displayed a firearm.
Judd: complaint filed about voting machine malfunction
On March 2, I cast my ballot and the machine rejected it. I was outside campaigning for 12 hours. Over 30 people who voted for me told me they had their ballots rejected one to three times. Polls closed and candidates were allowed inside the auditorium where voting took place.
Licata: Bills increase government revenue, take from taxpayers
The Bottle Bill (H.175), the modernization and recalibration of Vermont’s Tax System (S.53), the bill requiring registration of construction contractors (H.157) and the COVID Recovery Bill (H.315) all increase revenues to the government while adding greater burdens on business and individuals. In addition, the roughly six billion dollars in unfunded liabilities was, once again, deferred and not resolved.
Two found dead in Lewis Creek
The Vermont State Police is investigating the deaths of two individuals whose bodies were found in Lewis Creek in Charlotte on Monday afternoon, April 19. The victims are identified as 70-year-old Martha Illick and her husband 71-year-old Terrence Dinnan, both of whom resided on Lewis Creek Road in Charlotte.
Vermont Daily Water Cooler for Mon, Apr 19
Don’t miss breaking news! Vermont Daily Water Cooler is a roundup of important headlines from around the state.
Guv, Lt. Guv: end tax on military retirement pay
Vermont is one of just seven states that taxes military pensions. Veterans and their families have dedicated their lives to service, and it’s imperative that we ensure Vermont is a place where they can live, work and raise a family in retirement.
Unions face pension Cancel Council
Frustrated by heavy union opposition to its plan to reduce the multi-billion state pension deficit, House leadership instead wants to create a problem-solving task force, with just a minority of labor voices at the table.
Hospital vax role limited
“Hospitals are getting some allocation of vaccine right now,” Health Commissioner Levine explained at last Friday’s press conference. “The goal of that is mainly for their emergency room setting where they may see somebody who is vulnerable and may not actually have any other contact with the health care system and this provides a great opportunity to begin their vaccine process.”
McClaughry: how government expands and liberty contracts
A bill to register building contactors is just the first step toward eventual licensing even for local handymen, and enforced compliance with energy conservation building standards to defeat climate change, no matter what the cost.
Billado: School choice is winning
One of the remarkable things about Cady’s school board win, was that not only did she get a seat on the board of a public school when her own kids go to private school – but she actually campaigned on a school choice platform – and she won! On the “School Choice” tab of her website she argues that the competition that school choice creates can actually have the effect of improving our public schools as well.
Frank Mazur: ‘Climate change’ about top-down control
China, Russia and radical Muslims are national security threats yet President Biden and Senator Sanders says global warming is our greatest existential threat. Biden’s priorities are refocused now on mitigating climate change.
Biden revokes Medicaid work requirement in two more states
The Biden administration has rescinded permissions for Michigan and Wisconsin to require Medicaid beneficiaries to either work or attend school or job training in order to enroll in the public health program for lower-income Americans. The Trump administration embraced the idea of requiring Medicaid beneficiaries to work, prompting a number of Republican-leaning states to apply for permission to impose such requirements in their Medicaid programs.
Silverstein: On the Matter of Which Lives Matter
If All Lives do not Matter equally then our species will never forsake the barbarism that has been an all too common component of its evolution.
Former Bernie, Planned Parenthood worker to lead VT Democratic Party
A former official for the 2020 Bernie Sanders campaign and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund has been hired as the Vermont Democratic Party’s next Executive Director.
McClaughry: health care costs rise with government ‘reform’
Paul Jarris MD, one of the best Commissioners of Public Health (2003-2006) that Vermont has ever had, often said forthrightly that “about forty percent of what Vermont spends on health care is simply wasted.”
Expanded Bottle Bill gets OK in VT House – most containers still 5 cents
H175, the updated Bottle Bill, received initial approval in the Vermont House Thursday. The vote was 99-46. It’s up for final approval today.
Page: the Return of the Covid Creemee
Sure, a creemee – especially the maple creemee, that sexy marriage of our two hometown sweethearts, milk and maple syrup – is yummy. But is it “sure, I’ll let them inject an emergency-approved anti-viral into my body if they’ll give me a creemee” yummy?
Truck drives through store window in Newport
A 58-year-old man from Coventry will face charges after driving his truck through a window at Maplefields in Newport.
Vermont Daily Water Cooler for Thu, Apr 15
Don’t miss breaking news! Vermont Daily Water Cooler is a roundup of important headlines from around the state.
FEMA grants $104 mil for VT vax program
Vermont will receive $ 104,438,131 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support the State with emergency protective measures to store, handle, transport, distribute, and administer the COVID-19 vaccine.
School choice backer, BLM critic wins Essex school board seat
Tuesday, April 13, School choice supporter and BLM organization critic Liz Cady won a three-year seat, beating six-year incumbent and self-described racial and climate justice activist Liz Subin.
Sanders, Omar bill ends fossil fuel subsidies
Ahead of today’s Senate Budget Committee hearing on “The Cost of Inaction on Climate Change,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) introduced the End Polluter Welfare Act to close tax loopholes and eliminate federal subsidies for the oil, gas, and coal industries.
Duct Tape Derby sets attendance record
ST. ALBANS — The annual Duct Tape Derby sledding competition saw record attendance this year, with 30 sledders racing in makeshift sleds on Feb. 20.
Fishing way up during pandemic
“We saw fishing participation increase substantially in Vermont last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as people found themselves with more free time,” said state fisheries biologist Shawn Good.
Roper: Netflix tax hiding in Tampax bill
A proposed ‘cloud’ tax on Netflix, Hulu, Pandora and other online services has been tacked on to S.53, exempting feminine hygiene products from the Vermont Sales and Use Tax.
Thirsty fugitive Breer surrenders
Fugitive Harley Breer, 51, of Marshfield surrendered Wednesday following a manhunt that began Friday evening, Vermont State Police say.
DUI suspect had heroin
Suspected heroin was found on Kirk’s person at the time of the arrest along with other unknown controlled substances.
Police ‘immunity’ misunderstood, S. Burlington chief says
South Burlington police chief Shawn Burke said his department supports many of the measures in a new federal police reform bill working its way through Congress, though the proposed elimination of “qualified immunity” is misunderstood, he said.
Christian TV growing in Middle East, Middlebury College prof says
A Middlebury College professor says satellite Christian television programming is growing in popularity in the traditionally Islamic Middle East.
St. Albans cop in court for taser assault
The Attorney General’s Office yesterday announced Mark Schwartz, 32, of Cambridge was arraigned in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in St. Albans on one count of Simple Assault. Mark Schwartz, a former officer with the St. Albans City Police Department, is accused of simple assault arising from an on-duty incident that occurred in 2019 involving use of a taser.
Martin: Act 250 stifles Vermont economy
While recent news of the cancellation of Montpelier’s hotel project is troubling, those familiar with Act 250 are not surprised. The decision to terminate the project is yet another example of how truly broken our state’s principal land use law is.
Turner: Legislature’s irresponsible with pensions
The last thing you do in the middle of a crisis is kick the can down the road. Yet, that’s exactly what the Legislature just did on Vermont’s mounting pension liabilities.
“Not good science,” Howard Dean says about vax pause
A virtual emergency meeting of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will be held today 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., to discuss how to proceed in light of the ‘pause’ on distributing the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine due to reported blood clotting problems.
Electric fencing protects against chicken predation
Keeping a small flock of chickens at home to provide eggs and meat has become increasingly popular, but many first-time small-scale poultry farmers are discovering that several species of wildlife like the taste of chicken as much as we do. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department urges poultry owners to use electric fencing and follow other precautions to protect their birds from predation.
Uncle arrested for helping fugitive, police say
During continued investigation and search efforts for Harley Breer on Tuesday, April 13, members of the Vermont State Police arrested an uncle of Breer’s on suspicion of helping the fugitive evade capture, state police say.
Rutland, Essex/Orleans senators oppose abortion amendment
April 9, four state senators voted against Proposal 5, the pro-abortion constitutional amendment “to ensure that every Vermonter is afforded personal productive liberty.”
Vermont Daily Water Cooler for Tue, Apr 13
Don’t miss breaking news! Vermont Daily Water Cooler is a roundup of important headlines from around the state.
Committee takes testimony on BIPOC land bill
House General, Housing, & Military Affairs today will take testimony on H. 273, “promoting racial and social equity in land access and property ownership.”
Tayt Brooks named ACCD deputy secretary
Tayt Brooks is a loyal Vermonter. The only time he ever left Vermont was to attend St. Lawrence University in 1997 to get a history degree. Twenty years ago, he said he never would’ve thought that he was going to be the deputy secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD), a role he recently accepted.
Secretary of State’s office evasive about mailed vote vulnerability
Eric Covey, spokesperson for the office, has been adamant that there is no voter fraud in Vermont, but evasive regarding specific questions about specific vulnerabilities in the system.
Conservative tweeter calls out Kesha ‘defund the police’ Ram
Conservative Twitter commentator Brad Broyles this morning called out Sen. Kesha Ram (D-Chittenden) for stoking the fire of anti-police sentiment after the deadly shooting of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. And Ram didn’t like it.
Keelan: except for a few, we are all Flatlanders
Using today’s “standards,” the original builder would be described as a “flatlander” or a non-native Vermonter: he was not born here, nor did his family have roots that went back six or eight generations. The flatlander migrated from Avon, Connecticut, in the year 1763, and his name was Remember Baker. He was better known as a first cousin to Ethan and Ira Allen.
Skylark: YouTube deletes ‘dislikes’ on Biden channel
YouTube is erasing reader dislikes or “downvotes” from the White House YouTube page. Even pro-Big Tech ‘fact-checker’ Politifact admits it – but with a big ‘so what’ shrug. They say it’s to cut out “spam” and provide better ‘context.’ Nevertheless, thousands of downvotes miraculously disappear.
Plan to sink ferry worries lake activist
Due to reduced trans-lake commuter traffic, Lake Champlain Transport (LCT) plans to sink the 67-year-old ferry Adirondack outside Burlington Harbor – a move bitterly criticized by longtime lake water quality advocate James Ehlers.
Merrill: Unraveling Gram column, a thread at a time
I don’t usually see the need to defend Vermont Daily, but seeing a thread loose in Seven Days’ “Fair Game” column April 7 prompts a tugging that unravels writer Dave Gram’s whole garment.
Vermont saloon queen died a millionaire
The fight against alcohol in the United States didn’t begin with the passage of Prohibition’s Volstead Act in 1919. It started long before with religious reformers mostly leading the way to ban liquor nationwide.
Sierra Club asks Biden EPA to cut dairy farm methane emissions
The Vermont chapter of the Sierra Club is standing with the national Sierra Club petition to the Biden administration to regulate dairy farms of 500 or more cows under the Clean Air Act, due to air pollution and climate concerns. If approved, the regulations would affect about 30 Vermont farms.
Litigation, pandemic sideline Montpelier hotel/parking garage project
The proposed 80-room Hampton Inn and 345-space parking garage located mostly on Capitol Plaza property has been sidelined primarily because of litigation delays as well as COVID-related economic concerns.
Klar: imminent peril of fiscal collapse
Since 2007-2008, ear-tickling arguments that the old rules can be cast away, and money printed freely, have proliferated.
Kidnapper at large
Search efforts for Harley Breer, 51, of Marshfield continued throughout the day Sunday, with members of the Vermont State Police checking numerous locations and conducting interviews. Breer was not located and remains at large. State police will continue the investigation throughout the night.
