The People’s Republic of China’s propaganda war paints the U.S. as a declining nation and blames us for starting the global Covid-19 pandemic, China policy expert Gordon Chang reports in the May 5 issue of Strategika, a Hoover Institute publication. Vermont’s elected officials in Washington and Montpelier have done little to fight either claim.
The Vermont Climate Council, the 23-member climate change task force whose numbers have swollen with the incorporation of a multitude of outside subcommittee members, want more money for themselves in their efforts to make your life less affordable.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
The Vermont Republican Party has already collected 780 signatures in an online petition to stop the proposed expansion of the sales tax to services.
Governor Phil Scott and his administration today presented a plan to invest $1 billion in one-time federal money to jumpstart economic recovery and support long-term economic growth.
Former Lieutenant Governor Zuckerman took the nearly $200,000 budget he inherited from then-Lieutenant Governor Scott and increased it by more than 27 percent in a single year. As a result, current Lieutenant Governor Molly Gray inherited a much more favorable budget than was the case just a handful of years ago.
Governor Phil Scott announced yesterday that he has appointed James Pepper of Montpelier, Julie Hulburd of Colchester and Kyle Harris of Montpelier to the Cannabis Control Board (CCB).
Vermont was ranked low, 41 among 50 states, when it comes to taxpayers’ return on investment (ROI). In other words, taxpayers pay in to Montpelier but don’t see much overall for their investment.
Heading into 2020, Vermont had one of the most solvent unemployment insurance (UI) trust funds in the country. Indeed, Vermont’s unemployment rate was the lowest in the nation, and there were far more people paying into the fund drawing down from it. However, that all changed with the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, policymakers are scrambling to determine how to get out of their current predicament.
State Game Warden Sergeant Travis Buttle of Shaftsbury is Vermont’s Game Warden of the Year. A game warden since 1996, Buttle was nominated by his peers and received the award in recognition of his excellent service.
The Vermont Department of Labor (VDOL) has mailed all-new 1099-G forms to 180,000 recipients, with the final batch in the mail today, according to a DOL statement.
Through February 19, Vermont lawmakers have claimed $218,144 in the $75/day per diem permitted for at-home expenses.
Chandler Music Hall owes its existence to private philanthropy on a scale that might be difficult to imagine, according to chandler-arts.org. Chandler was a gift of Colonel Albert B. Chandler, a Randolph native, who kept up visits to his hometown of Randolph across his life. As a young man he served as a telegraph operator to Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.
A cyber-insurance policy taken out by the State of Vermont in 2019 will save almost $7 million in projected losses from the inadvertent disclosure of many 1099-G forms last month, the Scott administration announced today. Thanks to the policy, the State of Vermont will owe only the $250,000 deductible, rather than an expected $7 million expense.
Bills related to prison sentencing and transition have been introduced into the Vermont Legislature.
The feds sent little Vermont $4.8 billion dollars. That comes to $7,729 per person. That sum puts Vermont second among the 50 states, trailing only New York, which got $7,840 per person. Even so, the state budget department is projecting a $180 million General Fund shortfall for next year.
Republicans are committed to doing everything in our power to hold the line that our caucus did last year to make sure that as much money as is legally possible goes into the hands of those Vermonters who have been affected. We will avoid the temptation of some to use COVID funding as a way to channel that money back into existing state programs that have struggled because of prior financial mismanagement, not because of COVID and the response.
Recommendations proposed by State Treasurer Beth Pearce would, if successfully enacted, reduce the pension fund shortfall and maintain defined benefits, she said in a January 15 report.
Vermont’s policing and Act 250 decision-making will fall under more state control than ever, as a result of two executive orders issued by Gov. Phil Scott.
The pension funds are just 66.4% and 52.3% funded, respectively. The clock is ticking toward calamity, including downgrading the state’s credit ratings.
Governor Phil Scott today announced a handful of new appointments and promotions in the Agency of Administration, Agency of Human Services and on his senior staff.
Rep. Mary Hooper (D-Montpelier) has been named chair of the House Appropriations Committee, succeeding retired chair Kitty Toll of Danville. Appropriations prepares the state budget bill, a/k/a the “big bill.” Hooper is a former mayor of Montpelier.
Gov. Phil Scott said today at a press conference he and his legal team “feel we are on very solid ground constitutionally” after the Town of Stamford voted Tuesday night to defy the governor’s emergency pandemic orders.
On Tuesday, January 5, supporters of the U.S. Constitution will gather at the Vermont State House lawn at noon for a “FifthAmendmentFest”, the second in a series of rallies to celebrate our federal and state Constitutions, including the Bill of Rights.
Under Vermont law, governors may issue pardons. Gov. Phil Scott has a page on his website dedicated to applying for pardons. But as yet, Scott has yet to pardon anyone during his four years in office. But, he said at a press conference this Tuesday, he’s thinking about it.
The selectboard of the Town of Stamford voted Dec. 17 to affirm the constitutions of Vermont and the United States, in response to the governor’s restrictions on gathering for worship, work and socializing.
About 50 cold but enthusiastic supporters of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution rallied today in front of the Vermont State House Menorah and Christmas tree Friday. The event was set on the last day of Chanukah to remember the deliverance of a small but determined minority.
All three members of the newly formed Vermont Cannabis Control Board will be appointed by the governor after being vetted by the Cannabis Control Board Nominating Committee. Pay is equal to that of a Vermont state judge.
The State of Vermont took a server offline as a result of being among 18,000 computer users affected by a nationwide cyberattack, Chief Information Officer John Quinn said this morning.
“Laura, you took an oath to uphold the Constitution, I would imagine, and you guys are running over it along with the governor.” – Stamford selectman Dan Potvin
Vermont’s fiscal experts will brief all legislators on the state’s economic and fiscal condition at an all-legislators’ meeting via zoom 9:30 AM, Dec. 3, according to the Vermont Legislature’s website.
Sen. Randy Brock (R/D-Franklin) will be taking the reigns when new members are sworn in on January 6, according to current Minority Leader Sen. Joe Benning (R-Caledonia). Sen. Brian Collamore (R-Rutland) will continue to serve as Assistant Minority Leader.
The State’s General Fund, Transportation Fund, and Education Fund receipts were $18.27 million, or 10.1%, above expectations in October.
ADDISON – Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department staff gathered with conservation partners at the Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area in Addison on Friday to commemorate a century’s worth of wildlife management area […]
Levine, Scott advise small social gatherings – no mandate yet BY GUY PAGE ON NOVEMBER 6, 2020 Montpelier – Governor Phil Scott and Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD, today announced an advisory on social […]
By Guy Page October 22, 2020 – On September 28, software engineer Jon Lynch of Colchester expressed concern to state officials that the voter portal on the Vermont Secretary of State website […]
Embedding mental health workers in police won’t create necessary culture change, survivors and experts tell lawmakers – to no avail This news article was first published in the most recent edition of […]
1931 sterilization law targeted Abenaki, mentally ill, French-Canadians By Guy Page October 12, 2020 – Today, Vermont observes its second annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which replaced Columbus Day as an official state […]
Though closer, Haverhill facility lacks adequate drug treatment program By Guy Page October 9, 2020 – Negotiations to move Vermont inmates from a Mississippi prison to to just across the Connecticut River […]
Members of the Vermont Legislature have announced the formation of a Vermont National Guard Legislative Caucus in advance of an anticipated large-scale deployment of the Vermont Army National Guard in 2021, with […]
Under GWSA, Vermont moves away from representative government By Guy Page September 30, 2020 – Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) could have been talking about Vermont’s Democratic legislature when he declared that today’s […]
But Guv praises Legislature for commercial cannabis cooperation By Guy Page September 18, 2020 – Memo to the Vermont Legislature from Gov. Phil Scott re: H.688, Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) veto […]
Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott and the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) today announced the launch of a new online system for temporary registrations and license plates for private vehicle sales. […]
Meanwhile, Burlington and other cities get away with sewer overflows, critics say By Guy Page September 4, 2020 – Vermont landowners of three or more acres of impervious surfaces must plan and […]
Covid-19 has shown that state workers don’t need their Montpelier-Waterbury office buildings. Why not ‘spread the wealth’ and take advantage of the strengths of Vermont’s regions? by Matt Krauss I worked for […]
It’s safe once again to travel to Wells Beach, Ogunquit, and most other popular Maine coast beaches. But most of southeastern New Hampshire, including the seacoast – long a “safe” area for […]
Remote work for state employees extended through 2020 August 5, 2020 —The Agency of Administration today announced that state employees who can telework should expect to do so at least through December […]
