The number of Vermont cities and towns effectively opting to not impose a mask mandate now outnumber those that do by 3-1.
Mask-free towns outnumber masked 3-1
Kelley: Poor, rural students are being cheated
The Legislature’s school funding formula harms rural, poor students, former Hazen school board chair says.
Largest-ever seizure of Iranian weapons
Embolden by Biden’s lack of leadership, terrorist organizations try to smuggle large caches of weapons.
Respirator expert: the safety hazards of masks
Nuclear power plant respiratory gear expert talks from experience about what real mask protection looks like, and what it doesn’t.
Hansen: The Fine Line Between Making History and Trouble
Vermont women are expected to wait their turn while the men hold the big seats.
State House vax passport for legislators, staff, maybe general public under consideration
Will lawmakers, staff, and even members of the general public need to show proof of vaccination or take a PCR test before entering The People’s House in January?
Water Cooler: Burlington schools launch LGBTQ+ task force / farmers resent enviro regulation push / Franklin County teacher sex charges / NY gets statewide mask mandate
Burlington schools to get LBTTQ+ task force.
Prostitution vote tonight could lead to full decrim
A Burlington City Council vote could pave the way for the Queen City to be a legal sanctuary for prostitution.
Balint invokes Holocaust, gay identity in announcement for Congress run
The race is on! Sen. Becca Balint of Brattleboro has joined Lt. Gov. Molly Gray as a candidate for U.S. House.
Watercooler National: Kids forced to state vaccination status in front of class/ Ivermectin cuts mortality in half/ DeSantis proposes to relocate illegal immigrants
Kids are forced to the front of the classroom in Germany to say vaccination status.
No parental OK required for State of VT kiddie condom giveaway
Parental permission has gone by the wayside in Vermont, as the state ushers in condoms for all.
Response to William Schubart: who gets to decide hate speech?
Just who are the hate speakers?
John Locke reminds us about Consent of the Governed
What would the father of modern liberalism say about today’s delegated government?
CNN producer charged with Ludlow child sex crime
A CNN producer convinced parents to let him sexually “train” their young daughters at his Ludlow ski chalet, the FBI says.
Burlington prostitution ordinance language offensive, subcommittee says
All that talk about “houses of ill fame” and “to punish common prostitutes” has to go from city ordinances, Burlington Progressives say. But what will take its place?
Helping kids handle a parent’s arrest
Cops learn how to limit the trauma suffered by children when their parents are arrested.
Water Cooler: ‘Closed’ Burlington homeless camp grows / Kids wait for mental health help at ER / Pharmacies short-staffed
The numbers of homeless people are growing at the ‘closed’ camp in Burlington.
Rand Paul leading the way to freedom
Sen. Rand Paul is one of the few Republican leaders really challenging the Fauci/Biden vaccine policy.
All dogs go to Heaven
A Montpelier flower shop’s best customer service rep leaves behind a tail-wagging legacy of lessons in love.
Keelan: 254 climate goals for your New Year
Weatherize 90,000 Vermont homes by 2030? The VCC must have never heard of the phrase “situational awareness.”
Cleaning out your pockets with the Clean Heat Standard
Out with the TCI, in with the Clean Heat Standard – the renewable industry’s latest scheme to make Vermonters pay for their products.
Jeffries: real reason behind holiday supply chain woes
Cartoonist Dan Jeffries unravels the complex problems causing the 2021 Christmas holiday supply chain problem.
‘Deep State Marauder’ is keynote at election integrity event Saturday
A lawyer and former Green Beret will be the keynote speaker at Concerned Vermonters’ election integrity gathering Saturday at noon in White River Junction.
Cops on fentanyl-laced pot report: never mind
Turns out it was just pot, Brattleboro PD says.
Water Cooler: California abortion sanctuary if Roe falls / what’s next for Memorial Auditorium? / violent threats in schools / big pay raises in 2022
Hartford will hold a cannabis Town Hall. And what’s next for Memorial Auditorium in Burlington? Headlines from VT media.
“Anti-vaxxer” cartoon in legislative briefing not funny, lawmaker says
The state’s fiscal analyst may have reached too hard for a laugh, one lawmaker says.
Searching for healing, common ground
Fractured Vermonters can find common ground in our common, human rights.
29 people die after receiving lethal prescriptions
Over a two-year period, 29 people in Vermont received prescriptions for legal-but-lethal drugs to end their lives.
Stephanie Gorin leads VAB Hall of Fame inductees
From TV news anchors to camera operators to radio hosts, the VAB has new Hall of Fame members.
Behind closed doors, Proposal 5 leaves Roe v. Wade in the dust
Proposal 5’s dark possibilities: abortion throughout all nine months, underage abortions, gender transformation, sterilizations, and more.
Peer pressure payola: State offers schools $$ incentive to reach 85% student vax
The Agency of Education says student input is required for schools to receive their share of $2 million allocated to boost student vaccination.
Water Cooler: schools seek cash awards for hitting vax goals
Vermont schools – including students – will be pushing hard to get holdout students vaccinated. The motivation is money.
Those weird formations were the sight of freedom, weatherman says
Those strange, twisty-turny cloud formations over Burlington skies Tuesday morning came from the engines of F-35 fighter jets, a weatherman said.
Scott to address world leaders tomorrow at Biden’s ‘Summit for Democracy’
Joe Biden and Maine Gov. Janet Mills will speak for U.S. governors at Joe Biden’s virtual ‘Summit for Democracy’ tomorrow.
Update: Natural immunity no passport for Burlington YMCA
The Burlington YMCA will now require a vaccine passport to anyone seeking to enter. A mom of an unvaccinated boy is furious.
Burlington voters nix street repair bond, OK $20 mil for carbon reduction
Burlington voters embraced spending $20 million to reach ‘net zero’ carbon. But they rejected a bond for twice that amount to repair the city’s streets, bridges and water systems.
McClaughry: CNN blames ‘a car’ for Waukesha mass killing
Just say it, CNN: a BLM supporter murdered six people by hitting them with a car.
‘Dec. 7, 1941, changed our lives’: Scores of WWII vets venture to Pearl Harbor on attack’s 80th anniversary
80 years later, the survivors of the survivors from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor have a story, and a lesson, for younger Americans.
Electrify everything! Place burden of climate change on everyday household, REV speaker says
The Vermont household is the forefront for the fight to reduce emissions, the keynote speaker for a Vermont renewable energy industry conference said.
Thurston: VT ‘leads the way’ in climate war, Russia, China and India don’t follow
Crony capitalism is forcing Vermonters to pay more to produce less carbon emissions. And the world is NOT following.
Youth dies in ATV crash
An ATV crash on a dirt road in Franklin killed a young person Tuesday.
State $$ to help mom ‘n pop landlords rehab old housing
The State of Vermont has ticketed $5 million of federal recovery money to help restore rundown buildings into much-needed housing.
Lawrence: why does Digger author dislike Trumpsters?
Ron Lawrence asks why a VT Digger write demonizes pro-Trump Republicans.
Vermont State Police starts recruiting drive
The short-staffed Vermont State Police is launching an intensive recruiting effort for the month of December.
Watercooler National: Austria threatens prison for unvaccinated/ Report shows over 300 athletes suffer cardiac arrest after jab
Austrian vax refuseniks will be “forcibly brought” to prison.
YMCA imposes vaccine passport, cites Burlington mask ordinance
The Burlington YMCA will now require a vaccine passport to anyone seeking to enter. A mom of an unvaccinated boy is furious.
Rolling blackouts warned as ‘last resort’ during cold snap
Thanks to pandemic supply chain problems and the closure of New England fossil-fuel power plants, the region’s grid operators are warning of rolling blackouts as a ‘last resort’ during severe cold snaps.
Water Cooler: Burlington cops investigate machete threat / Castleton prez leaves / pets lost in Newport Center fire
A machete-wielding assailant is under investigation in Burlington. More turnover at Castleton University.
Monday: Six towns and cities say NO to mask mandate – three say yes
Last night, six Vermont municipalities said no to a mask mandate. Three said yes. Two others required masks in municipal buildings.
Gray running for U.S. House
Molly Gray, first-term lt. governor, will run for the U.S. House next year.
UVMMC suspends Biden vax requirement
The state’s largest private employer and biggest health care network has backed off the Biden plan to vaccinate 100% of its employees. But that could change.
Water Cooler: Former Digger trust chair calls for anti-free speech laws / ventilators ‘bridge to nowhere’ / how George Aiken electrified Vermont
A respected Vermont pundit and former chair of the Vermont Journalism Trust – owner of VT Digger – says hate speech is out of control and must be made illegal.
Six municipal mask mandates on agenda tonight
At least six Vermont towns and cities will discuss a municipal mask mandate tonight. In Burlington, some restaurants are saying ‘no vax, no vittles.’
State’s marijuana warning labels too weak, doctors say
Vermont’s legal pot industry oversight board has disregarded Vermont physicians’ recommendation to limit the harm of retail sales – again.
Johnny Bananas: a merry little Christmas tune brought to you by COVID
The 12 Days of Christmas goes COVID!
McClaughry: Capital gains tax hike would stifle innovation
Democrats are now proposing to sharply raise capital gain taxes, which would kill incentives to invest in new businesses.
Gypsy moth feces fell like rain last year – what can be done?
A town committee wants the State to help it study last year’s gypsy moth outbreak, including how to stop it from happening again.
Evslin: vax freedom has consequences
In Singapore, vax resisters must pay for their Covid-19 treatment. With freedom comes responsibility.
Mazur: Pelosi political pork in Build Back Better
Former legislator Frank Mazur knows political pork when he sees it.
Stowe fentanyl, meth dealer gets 5 years
A Stowe meth and fentanyl dealer pleaded guilty and got five years from a federal judge.
Kidnapper raped 16-year-old, stuffed her in trunk: police
After being abducted and raped, a 16-year-old girl endured a ride in the trunk of a car from Connecticut to Colchester, police say.
Dec. 2 sees daily high in Covid cases – 604
The number of Covid-19 cases reached 604 on Dec. 2 – an all-time record. The number followed the fifth-highest ever day of reported testing on Dec. 1.
Vermont Daily Water Cooler for Fri, Dec 03
Burlington school principals on leave in wake of inappropriate restraint charge. Where’s my unemployment check? And, a surgeon’s worst nightmare – the patient’s, too.
Felker: There is no such thing as collective liberty
“Collective” liberty or individual liberty? Burlington GOP chair urges city council to choose the latter. It doesn’t.
Climate plan will hurt poor, rural VTers, DCF commish says
Let them eat kale! The state welfare office commissioner says the Climate Action plan will hurt poor, rural Vermonters. The Climate Council passed it anyway.
Arrest in August death of Harley rider
A drunken UTV driver turned in front of a Harley Davidson motocycle on Rte. 7 in Pownal August 14. Now he’s been arrested.
Caddy-driving shoplifters hit Enosburg
Two men driving a silver Cadillac entered the Enosburgh Ace Hardware on December 1 and stole several hundred dollars of merchandise.
How far would VT Legislature go to stop Covid-19?
With other democracies imposing lockdowns, compulsory vaccination, and/or forced relocation, we ask the two leaders of the Vermont Legislature how far they will go. They answered.
Water Cooler: UVMMC to put ICU beds in operating rooms / Burlington backs mask mandate / Homeless won’t vacate Burlington camp
Once again, Burlington news dominates the state’s headlines.
Your federal tax dollars paying to teach CRT
Federal grant records show the U.S. Department of Education has awarded millions of taxpayer dollars to fund critical race theory training for future educators at several colleges across the country.
Rutland hospital suspends Biden vax requirement
A Vermont hospital’s 100% employee vax program is on pause after a Trump-appointed federal judge yesterday stopped the Biden administration health care vax program.
LIDAR technology nabs Montpelier speeders
Speeders, beware the LIDAR.
Alburgh child exploiter gets 15 years
Randy Sheltra of Alburgh was sentenced in federal court to serve 15 years for child exploitation.
Roper: Town A residents can vote in Town B election? Say it ain’t so!
What’s worse than non-residents deciding local elections? State election officials who don’t understand Vermont election law or have no interest in enforcing it.
Concerned Essex school parents to gather Friday night
Essex parents concerned about local schools will gather Friday night. All are welcome.
Bananas: beware the Moronic Variant
Delta, Omicron, yadayadayada. The Moronic Variant is among you – you moron!
Krauss: less electoral beauty pageant, more job interview
Elections should be like job interviews – a time to ask politicians the tough, important questions before you decide whether to hire them.
Water Cooler: Montpelier homeless dying / Warren enacts mask mandate
Overdoses have taken the lives of Montpelier homeless people recently.
Hartford, CT drug dealer to face murder charge today
A Hartford, CT drug dealer murdered two Woodbury residents, burned down their homes, and killed three dogs, too, police say. He faces a judge today.
UVM Health Network limits surgery to “most urgent,” commits to more ICU beds
Vermont’s biggest hospital will boost ICU beds and limit non-urgent surgeries.
Cannabis Control Board takes industry side on 60% THC limit
Vermont doctors say THC concentration above 15% causes mental and physical health emergencies that are burdening Vermont emergency rooms. The industry says diluting below 60% is too expensive. Guess whose side the state’s Cannabis ‘Control’ Board is taking?
Charlotte selectboard to consider mask mandate December 6
Charlotte, like other towns and cities statewide, will decide whether to pass a local mask mandate.
Elmore murder-suicide were separating
During the 911 call, dispatchers heard a gunshot.
Watercooler National: CNBC host suggests nationwide vaccine mandate/ Biden vaccine mandates blocked/ FAA discloses over 2,000 Epstein flight records
CNN”s Chris Cuomo suspended indefinitely; Biden’s vaccine mandates suffer more roadblocks.
VT hospitals deploy Covid-19 antibody treatment
Monoclonal antibody treatment works and the Vermont Dept. Health is trying to expand its use, Commissioner Mark Levine said today.
Covid kills more vaxxed Vermonters than unvaxxed for third straight month
For the third month in a row, Covid-19 killed more fully vaccinated Vermont residents than unvaccinated.
Broyles: ‘Gender Queer’ is child porn, has no place in Essex school library
By allowing the pornographic ‘Gender Queer’ graphic novel to remain on its middle school/high school library shelves, the Essex/Westford school board is demonstrating tacit approval.
Burlington burglar brags home easy to infiltrate
As the residents hid upstairs, a burglar with a long history of crime caused $10,000 damage.
Water Cooler: VT emergency worker shortage undermines 911
When we call 911, will there be enough emergency workers to respond? This story and others from Vermont media across the state.
Loons thriving in Vermont
There are more loons in Vermont now than any year since 1978. The State of Vermont is keeping track.
Vax more than doubles likelihood of acute heart disease: AHA journal study
Risk of acute heart disease went from 11% to 25% after patients received the Moderna or Pfizer MRNA vaccination.
Update: Deadly Alburgh hunting dispute
Angry deer hunter David Mohamed and two other men drove up in a pickup truck to Larry Cameron’s house. Moments later shots were fired and both men lay dead.
Keelan: The season of giving with fossil fuel fees
The collapse of the TCI is an early Christmas present. But our joy may be short-lived.
Climate warriors hope ‘Clean Heat Standard’ succeeds where carbon tax, TCI failed
The carbon tax struck out. TCI struck out. Next up at the plate: the Clean Heat Standard.
Shots fired in Winooski road rage
Road rage led to gunfire Sunday.
School board chair: New special ed funding formula shorts poor, rural schools. Defer it now
The state’s new special education spending formula is a disaster for poor, rural schools, a Northeast Kingdom school board chair says.
Water Cooler: more liberal pushback on Rittenhouse / Common Core to blame for bad scores? / Shiffrin wins in Killington / Klar on American Taliban
Former Vermont lawmaker on the left of the political spectrum wonders what the Rittenhouse decision will mean for the future of self-defense.
Domestic violence leads to two dead in Elmore
Two adults are dead in Elmore Monday morning following an incident of domestic violence.
Rutland cocaine ring busted
“A significant source of cocaine in Rutland” is being held without bail, police say.
VT National Guard vaccinating young children
National Guard personnel are administering pediatric vaccinations in clinics statewide.
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