A longtime opponent of climate change restrictions is running for the lone Caledonia County senate seat.
Dodge runs for Caledonia County Senate seat
VT Water Cooler: New invasive fish on Lake Champlain / land use regs impact housing crisis / Health network wants 10% rate hike / Condos denies voting irregularities
There’s a new invasive fish in Lake Champlain. That headline and others from Vermont media.
Legislature considers Burlington prostitution decrim today
Burlington’s prostitution charter change comes before the House Government Operations Committee at 1 pm today.
VT Underground: What is a woman?
This used to be an easy question….
Letters: Pro-Prop 5 GOP lawmakers must go
For these two letter writers, abortion should be a non-starter in the Legislature and in the ‘clinics.’
Gender ID birth certificate bill signed by Scott, Abenaki tax relief, City of Essex Junction approved by Legislature
Gov. Scott yesterday signed into law changes in legislative districts and gender changes on Vermont birth certificates.
Woman remains missing, police issue new photo
Missing since March 25, Mary Reid was last seen at her home in Searsburg.
Burlington educators ‘eager to share’ gender identity experiences with students, Ingraham reports
News coverage of Burlington’s gender ID education program has gone national.
Hansen: facilitate, don’t force energy transition
Who benefits from the forced transition to electric vehicles? Who loses?
Honeymooners rescued from snowy Mt. Mansfield
Scary start for a couple of young newlyweds.
Kesick Swamp protected forever
Scenic land in the family since Revolutionary War days will stay conserved and protected from development.
McLinden: Qualified immunity protects you and me
Qualified Immunity is not intended to give police a free pass in violating the rights of others. It is intended to protect officers from a flood of frivolous lawsuits that would make it difficult and potentially financially ruinous to perform their jobs.
Nolan, Malloy differ over Supreme Court nominee
The two Republicans seeking the nomination for U.S. Senate take different approaches to Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown-Jackson.
VT Water Cooler: Brattleboro next home of juvy hall? / Don’t look now, Covid increasing / 2021 opioid deaths top 200 for first time ever / Challenge to Sarah George?
Sarah George, the state’s attorney law and order conservatives love to hate, may face a challenge in Chittenden County elections this year.
Pfizer hires 600 to process vax injury reports
Will Pfizer come clean on the number and details of vax injury reports? Will the CDC insist they do? Also….in war, the truth is always the first casualty. Which side is telling the truth? Are either?
Asked ‘What is a woman,’ Gov. Scott takes the 5th
“I just don’t know, I haven’t contemplated that,” Gov. Phil Scott replied.
Keelan: a second home in the mountains
It’s not for sale, and the $10 million annual upkeep of this summer home doesn’t include the security service. But that three-hole golf course is really something.
School changes records to reflect student’s gender identity
An Essex school changed its registrar records to reflect a student’s chosen gender identity, according to the school district’s annual report.
Cops investigate Springfield gunfire
Shots fired in Springfield. Helicopter searching for missing man in St. J. Westminster burglar shot AND arrested. Alleged sex criminal commits suicide.
VT Underground
Just so I understand….
Thayer: Budget growth of $1 billion in just one year unsustainable
The Democratic leadership’s priorities need major adjustment. Stop trying to be all things to all people.
Exit sign theft epidemic hits UVM
UVM students are stealing residence hall exit signs this year. They can be returned, no questions asked, tomorrow. But after that….
Dogs on trails: leashed or unleashed?
High energy dogs hate to be leashed. That’s great for those dogs….not always so great for other dogs, or their owners.
VT Watercooler: ERs flood, surgeries postponed / Drugged driver hits schoolbus / college hazing
Hot headlines from around the Vermont media.
107 MPH in Berkshire / inmate suicide
Excessive speeding and an apparent death by suicide in a St. Johnsbury prison lead the police news today.
Suing police, threatening public officials, prostitution, and end-of-life drug bills in House committees this week
Suing a cop, engaging in prostitution, and ending one’s own life legally will become less difficult from a legal perspective if Senate-approved bills now in the House become law.
Dame: Dems in Legislature wants to control flagpole in Barre
The Donut Democrats continue to prove they have lost the middle by putting ideology ahead of constituents and true freedom and unity.
Former nurse gets 27 years for sick torture video of enslaved child
A Burlington man and former nurse ordered a custom-made torture video of an enslaved child.
Fernandez: Bernie at large and considered dangerous
Bernie’s idol was the early 20th century demagogue who said, ‘patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.’
McClaughry: Legislature pushes big changes in last six weeks of biennium
The Legislature is moving fast on big items with longterm consequences for Vermont property owners and taxpayers.
Bernie, you still alive? New owner of Twitter keeps forgetting
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Elon Musk have a history of tangling on Twitter. Now the Tesla owner is the biggest stockholder in the social media platform.
Legislature seeks universal school meals money
The feds started paying for universal school meals during the pandemic. That money is going away, and some in the Vermont Legislature want to keep the programs going. Who pays?
Water Cooler: Rest area schedules cut, truck crashes into laundromat
With all the federal $$ flowing, apparently there’s not enough to keep popular highway rest areas open as often.
Burlington schools ‘grooming’ young children to change gender identity, columnist says
A Substack columnist, with help from a small army of volunteers, is publishing information about the Burlington School District’s gender identity education program.
Barre BLM flag war continues in Legislature
The battle for the Black LIves Matter movement – or at least its flag – continues in the Vermont Legislature.
Dodge: Why change the Vermont Constitution?
Prop 5 is an open door for ideologies about multi-gender marriage, surrogacy, gender changes, insurance coverage, education, sex trafficking, competitive sports, and healthcare to name a few.
Klar: ‘Environmental justice’ bill creates More Imperfect Union
A Senate bill redistributes the cost of environmental pollution from the city mice to the country mice. Because, Vermont’s systemic racism.
Ryan: pot store burglaries may be cartel power play
If/when Vermont legal pot stores are hit by robbers, Vermont law enforcement should take note of lessons learned in Northern California: the thieves might be Sinaloa cartel operatives trying to rub out the competition.
Dad who police say assaulted infant daughter charged with Murder #2
A Derby man who police say assaulted his month-old daughter has been charged with second degree murder because her death 15 years later was due to injuries received.
Snowmobile racer, inmate die over weekend
A snowmobile race at Suicide Six turned deadly for one of its racers. And another inmate found dead in a State of Vermont prison cell.
Robot dog barks Covid warning in China / Food rationing in Spain / Goodbye Psaki, hello again Sarah Palin
Food rationing in Europe begins.
VT Watercooler: Digger gone to the dogs / Navy names ship after Ruth Bader Ginsburg / ‘Every Queer Eats’ / Prison supervisor busted for child porn
Some headlines are April Fools, and some aren’t. Hard to tell in Vermont!
Teenage voting veto upheld
Teenagers aren’t allowed by law to sign contracts – a fact that surfaced after the Senate yesterday upheld Gov. Scott’s veto of 16-17 year old voting in Brattleboro.
Klar: In Vermont, can’t say ‘let’s kill all the lawyers’ anymore
If S265 passes, best be careful what you say about politicians – you could be sent to jail, John Klar says.
Frenier: there’s a solution to religious/woke school dilemma
Vermont officials seem surprised to learn that many Vermont taxpayers, myself included, do not want their tax dollars used for woke indoctrination.
Editorial: Balint and Ram talk big about housing – but have no right to
Two Democratic senators who want to go to Congress say a bill they passed shows they care about creating affordable housing. The bill, and their voting records, say otherwise.
Mud season and mole salamanders
The fact that you think you have it tough traveling the back roads of Vermont now just shows you’ve never been a mole salamander.
Roper: VT short 4300 weatherization workers needed to make ‘clean heat credits’
There needs to be a measure of reality for “clean heat credits.”
Bananas: Help Wanted – GRASS for my dog
Save Rynancy!
Brandon man invented first electric motor, printing press, railway
A Brandon blacksmith patented the first electric motor. Who knew?
Pension reform clears Senate
The Senate on Thursday passed a long-time-in-coming pension reform bill protecting current retirees and asking more of those still working.
Biden gave teachers’ union greenlight to shape Covid guidelines
The Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis released a report that depicts the “cozy relationship with the Biden administration’s political leadership at the CDC positioned the union to impose line-by-line edits.”
VT Watercooler: religious schools in VT ed system? / what’s the fuss about Beta project / Miro wants to electrify Burlington / Sunflowers for Ukraine
A big building project is on hold in South Burlington. It’s just Vermont’s economic future hanging in the balance.
Data shows Vermont deaths 12% higher than expected
Why are more Vermonters dying? Some of it’s actual Covid deaths. Pandemic restrictions also have contributed, experts say.
Sexton: no fake Republicans
Fight the abortion and anti-gun culture and everyone who supports it – including the fake Republicans.
Alleged parking garage shooter gets lawyer, surrenders to cops
A 22-year-old South Burlington man has surrendered to police in connection with the weekend shooting in a Burlington parking garage. But first, he got a lawyer.
Zero hunting-related shooting injuries in Vermont last year
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department reported zero hunting related shooting injuries (HRSIs) in 2021, continuing a multi-year trend of declining HRSIs in Vermont.
Roper: Scott admin pushes Senate for follow-up Clean Heat Standard vote
Will Phil Scott drop the veto hammer on the Clean Heat Standard if it lacks a follow-up report? Time will tell.
97% of Vermonters have health insurance
Although only three % of Vermonters lack health insurance, there’s room for improvement in affordability and preventative care, state officials say.
Record transportation $$ buys more paving, electric cars, bike paths, free bus fare
Vermont transportation spending has increased $225 million in two years. Aggressive use of federal paving money and a climate-change driven commitment to EVs and bike paths comprise the lion’s share.
Americanism & Marxism April 9
An Americanism & Marxism symposium will be held Saturday, April 9 in St. Albans.
Water Cooler: Molly Gray’s second-hand fundraising / Toney Woodstock nixes cannabis / mRNA lab in Colchester
They’re harvesting mRNA in Colchester.
With just one dissenter, Senate OKs ‘environmental justice’ bill
The Vermont Senate sees environmental justice and responds with another new advisory board with a mandate to create change.
Roll Call! Act 250 permit revision passes House
A bill that passed the House 92-49 will – supporters say – streamline the Act 250 permit process. Critics aren’t so sure about that.
Babylon Bee: Psaki Reminds Reporters That Biden Doesn’t Speak For The President Of The United States
Fake news site Babylon Bee reports on the growing chaos in Ukraine – and in Joe Biden’s statements about it.
From VT Underground:
Jim Jeffords was a Republican when he was elected, but not when it counted when the US Senate chose the next majority leader. Since then, Vermont conservatives have been gunshy of liberal Senate candidates. Will 2022 be different?
Rutland hospital drops vax, mask mandates / State House mostly mask-free
Rutland’s hospital no longer has a mandatory masking and vax policy for most employees and visitors.
Senate OKs coyote bill
An amended coyote hunting bill appears poised to clear the Vermont Senate.
Searsburg woman missing / Heineberg Bridge crash / truck jackknife on 22A
Police are seeking a 53-year-old woman missing from her Searsburg home.
MA men busted for holding man against his will / armed heroin dealer gets 3 yrs
Two Massachusetts men are in jail after holding a Williamstown man in a room for two hours.
Bill would enshrine Abenaki use of state lands
H618 would grant Abenaki-specific rights to state-owned lands.
Newport prison superintendent on leave, won’t return
The superintendent of Vermont’s northernmost prison has been placed on leave and won’t return, state officials said today.
‘Government consultant’ seeks $48 billion in late-night calls to Vermont legislators
A Missouri man is being sued by VT AG TJ Donovan for persistent late-night calls seeking exorbitant sums from Vermont legislators.
Dame: Laws should make government affordable, accountable, flexible
There are three things that fundamentally separate Vermont Republicans from the Progressive Democrat alliance that currently controls the legislature; affordability, accountability and flexibility.
‘Z’ now verboten in Germany
Residents in at least two German states have been threatened with criminal prosecution if they use the letter “Z” as a sign.
Water Cooler: storm pic takes on Mt. Washington / fireworks bill fizzles / high school robot team in world championship
Ranked choice voting and fireworks bills stall.
Cyberattack stops Hood, Booth Brothers milk production
Amid concerns about avian flu and global hunger, a cyberattack shut down Hood and Booth Brothers milk processing plants this month. They’re back on line – mostly.
Man dies in Lyndonville fire / Burglar bagged / Fugitive found
A Lyndonville man’s was found dead in his burning apartment this morning.
Nolan backs Brown-Jackson for Supreme Court
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Christina Nolan publicly backs a Democratic president’s nominee for the Supreme Court – “politics should play no role in the confirmation process,” she explains.
Washington County GOP work meeting, Thursday March 31
The Washington County GOP Committee is inviting Republicans to roll up their sleeves for a work meeting this Thursday evening in Berlin.
Evslin: Fracking saved our freedom
Without fracking, we’d be at Putin’s mercy. And Iran’s.
House passes record budget, Transportation bills
Its coffers swollen with federal funding and higher-than-expected tax revenue, the Vermont House last week passed record high state budget and transportation bills.
Vermont #1 in vacant homes
Despite an unprecedented shortage of available housing, Vermont has a higher vacant home rate than any other state in the nation. What’s going on here?
Disagreement looms over Act 250 reform passed by House, Senate
Last week, both the Vermont House and Senate passed widely differing versions of Act 250 (property regulation and development) reform. Reconciliation may prove difficult.
Cops seek Burlington shooting suspect, Alburgh ATM robber
A police garage shooting, an Alburgh store break-in, and a DUI rolling into a police cruiser were among the criminal incidents investigated by Vermont police this weekend.
Bottled mixed drinks coming to your grocery store?
Ready-to-drink cocktails will be sold in grocery stores next to beer and wine, if a bill approved by the House last week becomes law.
GOP statewide primary candidates meet Rutland faithful
Four GOP candidates took to the stage at the Pasta and Politics dinner to discuss their platforms.
Letter: Elect accountable School Board
A positive paradigm shift starts with electing school board members who will mandate the administration focus on math, science, literacy, and teach students to be critical thinkers.
Colburns: Climate Action Plan will put VT farmers out of business
Shame on the 96 House legislators for voting against waiting for a year for a report on the impact of the Clean Heat Standard.
Fauci mocked six-foot rule, military doctor sees post-vax cancer spike
The feds didn’t have data on students’ learning loss when the CDC issued its COVID-19 school reopening guidance, internal emails show.
Water Cooler: Wildlife bills advance / School PCB testing delayed / Dog survives bobcat attack
Not every day a dog gets attacked by a bobcat.
How did YOUR legislator vote on guns, Prop 5, illegal speech, etc.?
Vermont’s free market think-tank has assembled voting profiles on every Vermont lawmaker. In a few clicks you can find out how they voted on bills that matter to you – and then share that information with others.
Despathy: discrimination and segregation during the “pandemic of the unvaccinated”
The unvaccinated in Vermont have endured massive verbal and emotional abuse from state leaders, experts, neighbors and community members.
VT eating disorders up 700% since March 2020, State can’t cope
Vermont teenage eating disorders are way up over the last two years. So far, the State of Vermont can’t meet their treatment needs.
More boring photos that tell a story
What photo could be even more boring than empty parking spaces reserved for legislative carpooling? Satellite photos of the homes of lawmakers generally opposed to land development.
Enough of San Francisco! Traveler to 100 countries calls Williston home
A native Texan who has traveled to 100 countries forsook San Francisco for the good schools and quiet life of Williston.
Roll Call! House makes town withdrawal from school districts more difficult
Vermont public school mergers: easy to get into, hard to get out of. And harder still if a bill passed by the House March 17 becomes law.
Leadership training for teens to engage in politics, culture
Christian youth will learn about engaging in Vermont politics and culture May 2-6 at TeenPact in Montpelier.
Hunter Biden linked to Ukrainian biolabs
An investment firm connected to Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, has been involved in the financing of the Pentagon’s military biological program in Ukraine.
Biden solution to clogged immigration courts: let bureaucrats decide
The rule authorizes asylum officers to offer asylum to individuals who assert a fear of persecution or torture and pass the required credible fear screening. Currently, such cases are decided only by immigration judges.
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