With governmental violence what it is, arming up is the very wisest thing the people can do.
Corrected updates – Peyton: Until political violence from the left and the right ends, we’ll keep our guns
Watercooler: VT Left opposes Molly Gray
Vermont’s political left has chosen sides in the race for Congress – against front-runner Molly Gray.
Not-yet-final list of primary candidates shows challenger for Scott
Just one Republican has declared for one of the newly redistricted Chittenden County Senate seats: Rep. Leland Morgan, a Milton/Grand Isle representative seeking the newly created Chittenden North seat.
Finance expert runs for State Treasurer
Divney has managed investment funds with assets over $12 billion, which is roughly 50% larger than the entire budget for the State of Vermont.
CVU, Montpelier not only high schools to ditch school cops
School resource officers aren’t welcome on the premises of several Vermont high schools, but many others see the value in an on-duty police officer.
Ben & Jerry’s supports bill denying parental veto of child’s transgender therapy
Ben & Jerry’s took out a full page ad in the May 25 Seven Days to criticize “social media attacks on legislators over a transgender rights bill.”
Klar: ‘Progressive’ Montpelier taxes the poor, rewards the rich
Vermont’s EV car program is supported regressively by diverting tax dollars from low-income Vermonters to finance fancy “planet-saving” cars that no regular Vermonter could afford until it is ready for the junk yard.
Jim Douglas skips Middlebury College 50th reunion over cancel culture
If Middlebury College ever bragged on alum and former Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas in the past, it may not have that right anymore: Douglas is sort of disowning his alma mater.
Students demand action after shooting
The ACLU says the Legislature dropped the ball on police reform, and students are demanding action following the Texas shootings.
Two Vermont high schools that kicked school cops off campus now facing shooter threats
Two schools now facing shooter threats stopped having school resource officers during the last two years.
Another State House incumbent not running; petition deadline today
Another incumbent has joined the ranks of lawmakers not seeking re-election.
South Burlington man threatened death, rape to state judge, prosecutor, feds say
Puma reportedly has been in and out of the state criminal justice system for years. In 2019 he punched his defense attorney in the face in court, and required five officers to restrain him, the news report said.
Two more charges in Danville murder-for-hire
Serhat Gumrukcu, 39, of Los Angeles, California, and Berk Eratay, 35, of Las Vegas, Nevada, were arrested yesterday for conspiring to use interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire of Gregory Davis of Danville.
Don’t let lawmakers earning more $$ from energy companies vote on energy bills, Gray says
Molly Gray wants to prevent federal lawmakers from voting on energy legislation if their energy earnings exceed their legislative salary.
Balint: march for federal gun laws
The Senate must end the filibuster, then expand background checks and waiting periods for people who do not pass a background check.
Davis: banning semi-autos won’t work – here’s why
The ‘gun violence epidemic’ parallels the obesity epidemic, the drug abuse epidemic, and is a direct reflection of the entitled, cynical, and nihilistic view held by a large chunk of Americans.
Sexton: it takes a good person with a gun to stop a bad person with a gun
We are rolling the dice every day the schools are not protected.
Warner: why I bought a gun after moving to Vermont
Unlike the West Coast city I grew up in, I learned gunshots in Vermont meant someone was either practicing or putting food on the table.
GOP candidates file for statewide office
GOP candidates Gerald Malloy and Greg Thayer visit the Secretary of State’s office to file their petitions.
Water Cooler: VT illegal immigrants want to be cops
Addison County law enforcement is considering the idea of hiring ‘undocumented migrants.’
Bradley: 1994 assault weapons ban ‘had no discernible impact on gun crime’
The leading study on the effectiveness of the 1994 ban stated: “In general we found, really, very, very little evidence, almost none, that gun violence was becoming less lethal and less injurious during this time frame. So on the balance, we concluded that the ban had not had a discernible impact on gun crime during the years it was in effect.”
With chutzpah and no capital, Galloway made Digger a success
Thirteen years after starting her entrepreneurial tour de force, VTDigger founder Anne Galloway is stepping back from the daily grind and stepping more often into her garden.
State’s top cop resigns, takes similar job at UVM
A Burlington native, former Burlington police chief, and UVM alumnus will become the Burlington-based university’s chief law enforcement officer.
Dangerous crime up 14% in Burlington
Despite an 89% decrease in overall traffic stops, black people account for a higher percentage of Burlington Police Dept. arrests and are more than twice as likely to be arrested for a violent felony.
Drives 100 MPH, waves loaded gun at state trooper
Before you wave a pistol at someone while driving 100 MPH, make sure it’s not a state trooper in an unmarked police car.
Convicted heroin dealer shot in Springfield
Two more shooting incidents in Springfield, including an injury to a man who once bragged about being the biggest heroin dealer in Newport.
WHO holds Monkeypox emergency meeting
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday held an emergency meeting to discuss the outbreak of monkeypox after more than 100 cases were reported across 12 countries.
Truth & Reconciliation Commission signed into law
H96 creates a task force to develop “legislation to create one or more truth and reconciliation commissions to examine and begin the process of dismantling institutional, structural, and systemic discrimination in Vermont, both past and present.”
Gunshot victim charged as fugitive
On Jan. 6, 2022, Bennett was charged in Rhode Island criminal court with Felony Assault and/or Battery, Reckless Driving and Other Offenses Against Public Safety, and Resisting Legal or Illegal Arrest.
Cold, fast water leads to Bolton drowning
First responders say that in springtime the water runs fast and cold in Vermont streams and rivers. Swimmers beware.
Leahy promises no global pandemic treaty without OK by Congress
No global pandemic treaty can bind the U.S. without Congressional approval, Vermont’s retiring senior senator said. However, critics say the Biden administration’s controversial proposed treaty language can be adopted because a treaty is already in place.
Dodge: don’t tax the poor to change their behavior
The Clean Heat Standard is like raising taxes on sugary beverages: taxing the poor to change purchasing behaviors.
Remember Baker rescue of 250 years ago dramatized
Awakened in the night and dressed in only his nightshirt, Green Mountain Boy Remember Baker attempted to defend his family from the mob of Yorkers with an ax.
Three hunters join Fish & Wildlife Board / watch out for turtles!
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.
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.”
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