The three new appointees to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board are Nicholas Burnham of Hartland, Neal Hogan of Bennington, and Robert Patterson of Lincoln.
Three hunters join Fish & Wildlife Board / watch out for turtles!
More school spending doesn’t guarantee better outcomes, Scott warns Legislature
S287 does not require investment of additional funding directly in students, Gov. Phil Scott said. Nor does new spending capacity mean there will be better outcomes.
In the Upper Valley, no Build Back Better
From small businesses to larger franchises, there seems to have been a disappearance of willing workers. Employers and customers on both sides of the Connecticut River are wondering, “Where is everybody?”
State police computer/cell/cyber crime unit gets new commander
Lt. Tara Thomas will lead the ‘tech police’ of the Vermont State Police. The unit deals with computer, cellphone and cyber-crime, conducts polygraphs, and provides protection for the governor and other dignitaries.
Broadband buildout begins in Bolton, NEK towns
The long-promised buildout of internet connection to rural Vermont towns has begun in Bolton and small Northeast Kingdom communities.
Clark, Thibault vie for Democratic nomination for Attorney General
It’s likely that a flurry of petitions will be submitted Thursday, as candidates either procrastinating or holding their cards close to the vest or both deluge the Secretary of State’s Office at the last minute.
California couple bought cute country store in Woodstock, then “things went awry”
A well-heeled couple from California visit Vermont and “just fall in love” with the state, buy an abandoned country store in Woodstock, and then demand major local zoning changes. What could go wrong?
Clinton campaign manager testifying about HRC role in Trump-Russia report born, raised in VT
The 2016 campaign manager who critics say threw Hillary Clinton under the bus in testimony Friday was born and raised in Vermont.
Evslin: Good News for Democracy
The good news is that state courts this year have reversed some egregious gerrymanders.
Gun rights losses, bright spots in ’22 Legislature
Persistence paid off for a pair of pro-2A Vermont lawmakers this year, the NRA reports.
UVM Medical Center follows United Nations lead on climate goals
UVM Medical Center has joined the Race to Zero, the United Nations-backed global climate action campaign.
Weaponized pipe bomb found in Valley Street, Springfield home
A Springfield man living on Vermont’s most dangerous street plraded innocent in federal court last week for possession of a deadly pipe bomb.
Bigamy charge, school threat, swatting, car arson
An Arlington man charged with bigamy and a threat to a Northeast Kingdom school are among weekend crime reports.
Is ‘Let’s Go Brandon!’ fair game at school sporting events?
Schools can prohibit foul language, but any child can see that this language is simply not foul.
94 violent gun incidents so far this year
There have been 94 violent gun incidents in Vermont thus far in 2022, and state leaders say many are connected with the growing fentanyl crisis.
Police: Chester teacher made videos of nude girls in bathroom
Voyeuristic videos taken in a bathroom at Merrill’s home depicted nude girls, police say.
Watercooler: 300 refugees headed to Rutland
Over the next three years, refugees from Afghanistan and other nations will be arriving in Rutland.
Weak drug laws make Vermont ‘a destination for drug trafficking,’ Scott says
Weak drug laws and strong demand make Vermont a destination state for drug-traffickers, Gov. Phil Scott stated in his veto letter of a hard drug decrim bill.
Sexton: won’t join Dems and liberals
Jim Sexton: “More people who self-identify as Republican, then vote for and support the left/far left agenda has nothing to do with more Republicans in the Statehouse.”
Redic calls out Balint, Ram-Hinsdale for voting for ‘Clean Heat Carbon Tax’
“Voting for a carbon tax in order to purposefully drive up Vermonters’ home heating bills in a state as cold as ours is reprehensible,” Redic said in a campaign statement. “To do this at a time of already record high prices and rampant inflation is beyond irresponsible.”
U.S. buys monkeypox vax after MA man infected
The U.S. government has ordered millions of doses of a vaccine that protects against monkeypox. The news follows the first confirmed case in the states — a man in Massachusetts — following an outbreak in the U.K.
SHORTS: Librarian quits after Drag Queen Story Hour pushback
The Chester town librarian has resigned over pushback from the library board about her plans to hold a Drag Queen Story Hour on June 4, the Chester Telegraph reports.
Bathhouse, boutique bowling alley planned for Burlington ‘brownfield’
453 Pine Street, Burlington is next to the Pine Street Canal Superfund Site, the location of a coal gasification plant that closed in 1966.
Avian flu spreads across Vermont
Avian flu is spreading among Vermont’s wild fowl population, Fish & Wildlife reports.
Death penalty commuted for St. Albans dog
Moose the animal-attacking dog won’t be euthanized but instead is in the supervised custody of a dog-lover in Highgate.
We asked legislators about the high turnover. Here’s what they said
Covid, too many Zoom hearings, the desire to retire, looming fiscal challenges, and just feeling like ‘it’s time’ are among the reasons why lawmakers are leaving in record numbers this year.
Roper: Don’t let Gavin Newsom decide what kind of car Vermonters can buy
California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, via executive order is dictating what Vermont vehicle consumers can and cannot buy, if we go along, but we don’t have to.
“Old forest” bill awaits governor’s decision
The bill claims that leaving forests unmanaged would benefit wildlife habitat and slow climate change – but forest science shows the opposite is true.
$4.23 million grant works towards universal afterschool, summer programs
A federally-funded grant will move Vermont closer to universal afterschool and summer programs.
Police nab alleged catalytic converter thief
The seventh theft of a catalytic converter was unlucky for an alleged Newport thief.
McClaughry: Heating fuel tax dead – for now
On May 11 the short life of the Clean Heat Standard (CHS), promising “clean heat for a cooler planet,” came to sudden but probably not final end.
Jim Douglas to chair Nolan for Senate campaign
“Vermonters expect Democrats and Republicans to work together to make life better for everyone,” former Governor Jim Douglas said yesterday, explaining his decision to support Christina Nolan for U.S. Senator.
Don’t Be A Boob: The Bananas Formula For Babies
Fake news reporter Johnny Bananas says the story of the demise of formulating babies is greatly exaggerated.
Boaters, clean your bottoms!
Boaters, it is up to you to protect Vermont waters from invasions of exotic plants and animals.
Evslin: Pandemic Lesson #2 – Experts are too narrow to make policy
There is no simple “the science” according to which a leader can govern.
Unrestrained four-year-old girl ejected from truck in I-89 rollover
A young child was hospitalized following an I-89 rollover accident that ejected her and three other people from a pickup truck.
Eldest child of Maria von Trapp dies at 93
The oldest daughter of Georg and Maria Von Trapp was a missionary in the Pacific and resident of a kibbutz in Israel.
McClaughry: Biden’s Ministry of Truth
This is a partisan government office created to pass judgment on any speech that might diminish support for the Biden Administration’s program and performance.
Next big labor Vermont shortage: lawyers
In a sure sign of the Apocalypse, Vermont is running out of lawyers.
Boycott urged on ‘Defund The Police’ Ben & Jerry’s
A Vermont conservative activist upset with Ben & Jerry’s call to defund the police is urging others to ‘never buy another tub.’
Eshelman: Let’s Go, Superintendent Millington
Tyranny is tyranny, and the only solution to stopping or escaping it is universal school choice.
Who’s running for re-election, and who’s not?
42 Vermont legislators, including 9 House committee chairs, won’t be seeking re-election to their current seats.
Vermont highway fatalities up 33% this year
As of May 16, there have been 24 crash fatalities on Vermont’s roads in 2022 – a 33% increase over last year.
Rabid bobcat invades home, bites man
The bobcat that entered a downtown Windsor home last Friday the 13th and bit the homeowner has tested positive for rabies.
VT Watercooler: eating disorders get Legislature’s attention
Eating disorder study, and a teen walks tightrope in heels – these headlines and others from VT media today.
Administrators discipline students for chanting Let’s Go Brandon
Randolph students disciplined for profanity-by-association chant, “Let’s Go Brandon.”
Buffalo shooter says he’s leftist
Buffalo shooter describes himself as leftist.
Your letters: lawmakers support Clean Heat Standard veto / nothing feminist about prostitution
In the Northeast Kingdom we have seen hasty green energy policy push subsidies for industrial wind turbines, and it has given us much pause before enacting further policies that are unclear and undefined.
Kauffman: Prop 5 goes far beyond the claims of Governor Scott
Governor Phil Scott promulgates a perception of Prop 5/Article 22 that is not based in reality.
Woke goosestepping growing stronger, Lindsay warns
Lindsay scares the left – a confessed liberal Democrat, college educator, and atheist warning Americans against the new secular religion.
Gov. Phil Scott seeks fourth term
Phil Scott is seeking his fourth checkered flag in this November’s race for Vermont governor.
Keelan: Where are all the young men and women?
In Vermont, we have many young people, perhaps upwards of 20,000 or more, who are disengaged from a workforce that reportedly has over 26,000 open positions.
Thursday, May 26 filing deadline for August primaries
May 26 is the petition filing deadline for petitions to run in the August 9 primary for the Legislature and statewide and county offices.
Bobcat trapped in bathroom
An even dozen state senators have announced their retirement. What’s going on?
2022 session overview: big spending, lots of retirements
Spending and Senate/House retirements – both unprecedented – are the hallmarks of the 2022 session of the Vermont Legislature.
Man dies fighting fire / cops assaulted / 113 MPH in Manchester / Starving dog abandoned
The following Vermont State Police reports were edited and published by the Newport Dispatch. A man died after trying to fight a wildland fire in Rochester Thursday May 12. Authorities were notified […]
Alleged drug dealer on lam after SWAT team raid
Jailed last May for allegedly selling heroin out of a Barre apartment, a Springfield MA man was selling fentanyl out of a home in nearby Washington before a SWAT team raid last Friday.
Vermont allows inmates to vote – but they don’t
“It was kind of a pain the way they do it. They just had our case worker give us an absentee ballot and we had to fill it out and mail it,” an inmate said.
Your letters: Biden, not MAGA, dangerous extremist / state senator condemned for military pension statement
The MAGA crowd believes inflation is a tax increase that deflates the value of their income, while Biden’s fiscal and energy policies have fueled the inflation spiral.
Peter Welch behaves like Joe McCarthy, former student says
Last month, Welch put out a statement on his official congressional website stating “It’s long past time we created a dedicated government agency to regulate and address the wide range of issues raised by social media platforms…That’s why I am working on legislation to create a federal agency to do just that.”
Page: Mr. Mayor, what about the stabbing and two weekend shootings in your city?
Elected officials issue press releases about mass shootings in other states as Vermont’s drug violence grows and our police leave.
Silverstein: when breast cancer becomes ‘chest cancer’
Thoughts on powerhouse Patricia Posner commentary on the erasure of the feminine lexicon.
State budget heavy on housing $$
The final bill to pass the 2022 session of the Vermont Legislature was the $8.3 billion budget, which provides the funding for general government spending and the major policy bills this session.
Evslin: StarLink stress tested in Ukraine
Whether you’re fighting Russians in an Eastern European country devoid of working power lines or just RV’ing in low-cell country, Tom Evslin says his favorite LEO satellite system might be just the thing.
Tax relief approved on final day of session
A child tax credit and income tax relief for retirees were approved on the last day of the Legislature.
St. Albans to euthanize killer dog
St. Albans plans to kill a dog that has attacked people and killed other animals – that headline and others from VT media.
Emergency food security plan, diversity $$ for towns, low-income localvore in state budget passed yesterday
Among the interesting one-time expenses in the state budget passed yesterday is $115,000 for a State Food Security Action Plan for “times of disruption to the national food distribution chain caused by emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Cops seek suspect in Jeffersonville road rage shooting
State police are looking for a Jeffersonville road rage & shooting suspect; Clark pleads innocent to attempted Murder 2; SWAT teams hit drug dens in Town of Washington.
State police use of force declines every year since 2018
Of the 169 use-of-force incidents recorded by VSP in 2021, 10 involved black people – seven of whom were men.
Strong: Senatorial ignorance about abortion amendment speaks volumes about Pandemic Legislature
If a serving state senator doesn’t know what Article 22/Proposal 5 is – not even its name and general intent let alone its potential impact – how well informed do you think the average voter is?
Leave newborn fawns alone, F&W warns
Hey humans – leave those cute, sleeping fawns alone.
Hansen: After CHS veto, repeal climate catastrophe law
Humility will be required to admit that the Global Warming Solutions Act is a failure; courage will be required to repeal it.
Lindsay symposium, GOP debates, election integrity events this weekend
This weekend is a busy one for conservative-minded inquirers and activists: an election integrity event in Rutland, the first GOP debate for statewide candidates, and a symposium featuring Marxism opponent Dr. James Lindsay.
Rutland delays school mascot issue
The Rutland School Board will delay action on the controversial school mascot issue until August.
Son of Elie Wiesel, speaking at UVM, praises defeat of B/D/S in Burlington
The son of the world’s most famous chronicler of the Holocaust speaks out against the Burlington Boycott/Divest/Sanction movement.
National Guard, Austria now partners
The Vermont National Guard is partnering with another European ally – the Republic of Austria.
SHORTS: Pearson won’t run
Sen. Chris Pearson (D/P – Chittenden) will not seek re-election, he announced on Twitter yesterday. “Today I have started to let people know I will not be seeking re-election. It’s been an […]
Roll call! House transfers local school mascot decisions to state
How did YOUR representative vote on giving the State of Vermont authority over naming local school mascots?
Act 250 revision foundering
The updating of Act 250 will need to wait another year, if this year’s effort remains stalled.
CORRECTION – House: make president share nuclear football
The House voted today to urge the prevention of nuclear weapons on Vermont soil and taking the decision for nuclear war out of the hands of the president alone.
Police: man hit by truck, abandoned in ravine
Police say Parker Clark was doing ‘donuts’ with his truck, struck a man standing nearby, and then tried to abandon him in a creek in a remote ravine.
Sanders: Forget filibuster, pass abortion law
Sen. Bernie Sanders wants a national law supporting legal abortion and he’s willing to waive the filbuster to get it.
Burlington prostitution bill passes Senate
H746, the Burlington charter change legalizing prostitution, has passed the Senate and now goes to Gov. Phil Scott.
House passes coyote hunting bill with noise suppressor amendment
Two controversial hunting and trapping bills passed the House yesterday, as did a police data collection bill that critics say will discourage police officers from staying in Vermont.
Vernon man charged with murdering mother on the high seas
A Vernon man is charged with killing his mother in 2016 – as well as his grandfather in 2013 – to obtain money from their estates.
Father shoots son in turkey hunting accident
A father shot his son in a turkey hunting accident in Hartford Sunday.
VT Water Cooler: courts continue Covid emergency through August
Vermont’s court system will remain in a Covid ’emergency’ through August.
Despite pressure, Democrat won’t change vote supporting Clean Heat Standard veto
A Springfield Democrat won’t change his vote supporting the Clean Heat Standard veto, despite pressure from House leadership.
Vermont vaxxed hospitalized at greater rate than unvaxxed
Since late March, vaxxed Vermonters have been hospitalized for Covid-19 at a greater rate than non-vaxxed, investigate reporter Alex Berensen reports.
Sarah George to face primary challenge in state’s attorney race
A county prosecutor criticized her over-lenient treatment of suspects of violent crime will face a primary challenge from a trial lawyer who promises more protection for the public.
Strifert: I gave Howard Dean a ride in an F-4
When a former Vermont Air National Guard pilot gave then Lt. Gov. Howard Dean a ride in an F-4, the aftermath wasn’t pretty.
Zelensky worth $850 million, Dutch pols say
Dutch politicians wonder why the president of Ukraine is (like Putin) uber-wealthy.
The pandemic shut down Vermont’s courts. Now, some question whether the case backlog should even be heard
More than 3000 criminal cases have been pending for more than two years.
Peterson: Mascot bill laughable, if it weren’t so sad
The school mascot bill is all about cowering to ‘woke’ parents.
Likely AG candidate a fan of Sarah George
Alexander Twilight, Japanese hand grenade, and low-flying helicopters in St. Johnsbury.
VT Water Cooler: Northern Lights, midnight arson
A rare sighting of the Northern Lights from nearby Mt. Washington.
VETO VICTORIES: House sustains veto of Clean Heat Standard, ‘just cause’ evictions
Burlington’s ‘just cause’ eviction charter change won’t become law, and the Clean Heat Standard veto has yet to be challenged in its second day on the House calendar.
Fernandez: Howard Dean can’t prove Elon Musk ‘full of hate’
Howard Dean doesn’t trust Elon Musk to handle Twitter fairly because he’s full of craziness and hate.
Despathy: Vermonters care for the earth, don’t need Clean Heat Standard
In the garden today, I was thinking about the many amazing Vermonters who are committed to the land and to each other.
Republican U.S. Senate/House candidate forum this Saturday morning
The Chittenden County Republican Committee is sponsoring a Republican Congressional Candidate Forum at the Milton Grange on Saturday, May 14 at 8:30 am.
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