Forcing legislators to work at the Statehouse in this age of remote work makes little sense, a Morrisville lawmaker says.
Yacovone: Let lawmakers work from home
Deer poaching ring in court
Five Windsor County men are charged with poaching 14 deer.
Top Scott official Pieciak leaving job
Dept. of Financial Regulation Commissioner Mike Pieciak, who updated Vermonters on the status of Covid-19 at weekly press conferences, is leaving state government.
Scott signs bill removing safeguard in end-of-life lethal drug law
Bills extending social services to at-risk non-citizen youth and waiving safeguards to dispensing end-of-life drugs were signed yesterday by Gov. Phil Scott.
Senate removes THC limits and jail time for heroin possession, creates Youth Council and $1000 child tax credit
Bills passed in the Senate this week remove legal barriers to getting high and create an advisory Youth Council.
Vermont Daily Water Cooler for Wed, Apr 27
Peter Welch DOES have a primary opponent – an activist from Brattleboro.
First GOP debate May 14
GOP candidates for the party nomination for Congress and the U.S. Senate will debate in Milton May 14.
Driven by rising oil prices, Vermonters burn more wood
With heating oil prices up 25% between February and March, Vermonters with wood heat backup systems are stocking up now.
Evslin: Neither high energy costs nor dependence on Russia are acceptable
A few smart moves here in the U.S. will reduce CO2 emissions, energy costs, and reliance on oil from Russia and other bad actors.
German shepherd shot, game warden investigating
A German shepherd was shot in Tunbridge, and a distracted driver dies from injuries resulting from a crash on I-89.
Prices soar as avian flu hits 1-in-10 egg-laying hens nationwide
Avian flu is driving up the cost of eggs nationwide. Vermont poultry production has yet to be hit with the disease.
Angry birds in a time of twits
Thunk – thunk – thunk – it’s the sound of an angry bird world.
Burlington prostitution bill to get House committee vote Thursday
A House committee is scheduled to vote Thursday on Burlington’s proposed legalization of prostitution.
Shorts: traveler nurses 3X as costly / Bernie bashes Bezos, the Pandemic Profiteer / Green light for Southern Connector
One-paragraph news items – Bernie on the pandemic profiteers, the high cost of ‘traveler’ nurses, Burlington City Attorney leaves after less than a year, and more.
Letter: Progressives obfuscate over flag, Fern Feather
Progressives are all about storytelling, and the story isn’t true, a Burlington man says.
Guard praises expanded list of ‘burn pit’ cancers
A Vermont National Guard general and an enlisted man died of cancer believed to be related to exposure to toxic ‘burn pits’ overseas.
U.S. Senator: Give nations billions for climate change “or we’ll look like jerks”
John McClaughry reports that a ‘climate hawk’ U.S. senator from New England says that unless we give billions to foreign countries for climate change adaption, “we’ll look like jerks.”
VT Water Cooler: Walmart evacuated / Greenup Day / senator won’t run
Is ANYONE running for governor?!
No more Pledge of Allegiance for Planning Commission
No more honoring Old Glory for the Springfield Planning Commission – with one member dissenting.
Conspiracy to kidnap / Selling unauthorized flea powder / Waterboarding / Drug possession
Hazing by waterboarding by Norwich rugby players conspiracy to kidnap a Danville man found dead a day later, drug possession, and selling unauthorized British flea powder.
‘Race Marxism’ critic James Lindsay to speak in Vermont May 13-14
A nationally-known opponent of Race Marxism will speak in Vermont May 13-14, a week after the film “Whose Children Are They?’ airs in Williston.
Woman jailed after disrupting school board meeting, police say
A woman known for her anti-Covid 19 policy yard signs was arrested and jailed after she (police and local press say) disrupted a Townshend school board meeting.
Biden undercuts Ukrainian refugees, VT aid group finds
In typical Biden reverse-Midas touch fashion, a new federal program to streamline Ukrainian refugee immigration is having the opposite effect.
Musk buys Twitter
Elon Musk buying Twitter is the biggest national and global headline of the day – but not the only eye-opener: see stories on Ebola and Durham subpoenas.
House-approved ‘rental registry’ will reduce available housing, Lefebvre warns
A House-approved bill requiring state registry of rental units won’t expand housing, as promised – quite the opposite, Rep. Samantha Lefebvre says.
Water Cooler: Walk for eating disorders / Vermonter locked down in Shanghai / shelter pod pushback / who should own Burlington airport?
Those proposed homeless shelter pods are getting pushback in Burlington.
Most Dem Congress hopefuls don’t own gun, Balint has never fired one
Only one of the Democratic candidates for Congress admits to owning a gun.
Knife-wielding shoplifter highlights need for legal reform, police chief says
A bold shoplifter last week threatened Burlington store employees with a knife.
A third of VT school superintendent jobs turning over
The rapid turnover of Vermont school superintendents continues.
Long weekend of gunfire, shooting, threats
Dangerous gun incidents struck Grand Isle, Springfield, White River Junction, and Burlington this weekend.
U.S. lab, Wuihan agree to destroy secret files
A lab in Galveston and the Wuihan biolab have agreed they can destroy all data arising from their collaborative work.
Patrissi: Doctor, ex-cop Meyers unwelcome at Dem debate
“Deafening silence” describes how the four invited candidates in the VT Digger April 13 Congressional debate reacted when asked to advocate for the inclusion of fellow candidate Louis Meyers.
Looks like vetoes for budget, pension bill
Gov. Phil Scott did not use the word “veto”, but the implication was clear – he will veto both the budget and the pension bill if his concerns are not addressed before they reach his desk.
Redic for Congress marches in Maple Festival parade Sunday
Ericka Redic, candidate for Congress, and supporters will be marching in the St. Albans Maple Festival parade Sunday.
VT Water Cooler: Treating eating disorders / aggressive shoplifting in Burlington
WCAX continues its series on the treatment – or lack of it – for eating disorders in Vermont, and NBC5 describes a more aggressive form of shoplifting in Burlington.
McClaughry: Un-elected officials would set heating fuel ‘tax’ rate
Since when do appointees set tax rates?
Digger won’t print pastor’s letter protesting Prop 5 freebie ad, cites ‘misunderstanding’
VTDigger says a Sheldon letter writer critical of their providing free advertising to a pro-Prop 5 group “may have a misunderstanding of this matter.”
States launch ‘border strike force’ to challenge Biden on lack of enforcement
New Hampshire, but not Vermont, has joined a 26-state initiative to slow illegal immigration.
Malloy pro-life, pro-2A, pro Constitution
GOP Senate candidate Gerald Malloy of Perkinsville has been telling Vermonters about his pro-life, pro-Second Amendment campaign platform since throwing his hat into the ring in March.
Despite warchest, Welch voting record leaves him vulnerable to centrist Nolan
Senate candidate Rep. Peter Welch has millions more campaign cash than any of his challengers, but his voting record could prove problematic against a strong centrist candidate.
James O’Keefe tells the Veritas at Dartmouth
Mainstream media reporting on Project Veritas is the journalistic equivalent of the fox telling you its thoughts on the farmer’s dog.
Keelan: Legislature seems out of touch
What Vermonters DON’T need from the Legislature is added stress on our police shortage and energy costs.
Holy Cow! History: Hinesburg and the Great Hiney Wine Hoax
Hiney Wine started as a gimmick for a Dallas, Texas DJ in 1981. Pretty soon some folks were positive it was named after a certain Chittenden County town.
Gov signs Burlington, Essex charter changes, Abenaki tax exemption
Burlington, Essex charter changes and Abenaki property tax exemption among bills signed into law by Gov. Phil Scott this week.
Scott, Balint at odds over budget priorities
The Senate and Gov. Scott disagree on the proposed budget, and the governor isn’t afraid to veto the budget if necessary.
Vax exemption bill dead this year
H148 would eliminate the religious exemption for required immunizations prior to enrollment in a school or child-care facility.
Bill targets police interrogation tactics
Another cop control bill sponsored by a Chittenden County senator will be reviewed in the House today.
VT Watercooler: School administrators fleeing VT / Sanders may run for prez in 2024
From Burlington City Hall to the White House in Washington, D.C.?
Has VTDigger been paid for Prop 5 freebie? Anti Prop 5 group wants to know
Has VTDigger kept its promise to seek payment for a freebie ad it gave to a pro-Prop 5 group?
Roper: Senators admit Clean Heat Standard is a carbon tax
Just before approving the Clean Heat Standard bill, two key Vermont senators agree: John McClaughry got it right, it really is a carbon tax.
Bought gun, swapped it for drugs / tractor theft / police cruiser collision
Bought the gun in Vermont, traded it for drugs with a Massachusetts drug dealer.
EB-5 fraudster Kelly sentenced to 18 months
Like fellow EB-5 fraudster Bill Stenger, William Kelly has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.
Correction: GOP critic NOT mayor of Montpelier
The mayor of Montpelier is NOT the author of an op-ed criticizing the VT GOP over H659.
Bucknam: H659 supporter wrong about GOP ‘pure hatred’
It’s not ‘hatred’ to oppose a bill that allows children to make serious, lifelong changes to their bodies without parental permission.
Vermont Daily Water Cooler for Wed, Apr 20
Vermont actor busted on the Big Island, and a Milton dad left a four-year-old in a car for six hours – these headlines and others from VT media.
Levine addresses vax injury concerns
Vermonters who suspect they’ve suffered vaccine injury should tell the CDC and keep seeking medical opinions, Health Commissioner Mark Levine said Tuesday.
Thayer: Public school parents, claim your right to know
Parents of school children need to know and claim their right to know what the8r children are learning.
Burning bush updated
Moses and the Burning Bush, as imagined for the Woke Age by Dan Jeffries.
Transgender murder victim had similar violent encounter in 2021
Fern Feather was either the aggressor or the defender in a violent altercation over a year ago in Morristown, according to local police reports.
BHS varsity bass fishing team going to nationals
A squad of bass fishermen from Burlington High School will head to the nationals in Alabama this June.
Imprimus: The Continuing Importance of Thomas Sowell
Today’s public charter schools, which often have predominantly low-income black and Hispanic student bodies, are successors to the high-achieving black schools that Sowell researched more than 40 years ago.
Kayakers drown / ATV fatal / truck hits ambulance
Two Massachusetts men died after their kayak capsized on cold, choppy Lake Seymour.
Gunfire in Burlington park / Sex offender released
Burlington’s third ‘gunfire incident’ of the year took place Good Friday morning in City Hall Park.
State police admit mistaking identity of alleged shoplifter
An April 15 Vermont State Police press release misidentified an alleged Rutland shoplifter.
State trooper punched his dog, committed perjury, police say
A state police detective punched his family dog and then lied about it under oath, state police say.
The Winooski Dome: How this mill-town was almost sealed in a bubble
In the midst of a global energy crisis, Winooski’s ingenious city planners applied for a $55,000 federal grant to study the possibility of constructing a dome over the city.
BHS parents not notified about gay rights walkout
Burlington High School administrators still haven’t told parents the Gay Student Union walkout on March 11, or their role in it, a concerned parent says.
Covid cases climbing among UVMMC employees
Last week, 140 employees tested positive, about nine times the 15 cases of two months ago.
Dame: H715, the Upcoming Mystery Tax
The Clean Heat Standard would intentionally make every kind of home heating fuel more expensive – but we just don’t know how to calculate the increase, or what the total amount will be.
VT Watercooler: Montpelier mayor says GOP sells hatred / sex offender released
An iconic South Burlington diner reopens under new management.
Assault follows teenagers’ car chase through Putney / Fatal crash in Benson / Road rage in St. Albans
Bad driving and bad behavior lead to tragedy and charges stemming from incidents on Vermont highways.
23 on terror list stopped at southern border
Headlines and news you won’t see in most of the national media.
Coming Events: Roper to speak in Manchester / public school expose film / Symposium / GOP work meeting
Rob Roper of the Ethan Allen Institute will speak on Vermont’s climate agenda at the Manchester Library.
Letters: Biden’s inflation / downside of ‘green’ agenda / Prog lawmaker reminded of campaign carbon tax promise
Biden policies created runaway inflation, the green agenda is crippled our energy independence, and a Vergennes Progressive promised he would not support a Vermont-only carbon tax.
Senate learns of Clean Heat Standard snafu: who gets the ‘credit’?
If the Senate doesn’t fix a big snafu in the Clean Heat Standard bill passed by the House, both electrical utilities and heating fuel dealers will be claiming clean heat credits for the same heat pump.
Vote explained on criminal threatening, qualified immunity, Burlington evictions, end-of-life drug changes
About S265, criminal threatening bill, an Orange County lawmaker says, “I do not believe that someone who asks to be in the position that they are in should be treated any differently than our neighbors, friends, and relatives.”
VT Watercooler: antiviral update / Shumlin sought to protect EB-5 investors / Religious school tuition bill uncertain / Easter Sunday church services return to pre-pandemic numbers
Vermont’s Christian faithful enjoyed the first fully in-person Easter Sunday since the pandemic began.
Burlington gender ID education investigation continues
The Vermont-educated psychologist who outed Burlington’s school gender ID ed program to Fox News host Laura Ingraham will continue to investigate “the most woke school district in America.”
St. J man injured by Covid vax gets bureaucratic run-around, censored on local social media
After informing health officials, doctors, and local social media of his vaccine injuries, Greg Robbins of St. Johnsbury got censored by Front Porch Forum, no answers from his doctors, and no help from state and federal government ‘health’ agencies.
Do we really want to change the Vermont Constitution? Part 2
Prop 5 will open a constitutional can of worms on women’s health, mothers’ rights, and fathers’ rights.
Stenger gets prison for green card EB-5 fraud
Bill Stenger, the Vermont-based partner in a plan to defraud 220 immigrant investors seeking green cards, was sentenced last week to 18 months in federal prison.
Guv hands pension reform a ‘poison pill,’ union says
At the 11th hour Gov. Scott is either trying to make a good pension deal better, or give it a poison pill.
10 grand of remote control cars, parts stolen / child porn in Charleston / downtown Essex Jct. fire
Police are looking for thieves who stole remote control cars and equipment in Fairfax.
Court-martial for refusing vax
As first U.S. service member faces court-martial for refusing vax, Gates publishes book on next pandemic.
Senators agree with McClaughry: Clean Heat Standard is carbon tax
“When John McClaughry says we’ve got a fuel tax, a carbon tax, I think John’s correct,” Sen. Mark MacDonald says.
Contractor fraud registry already exists – but link is dead
If the State of Vermont really wants to fight contractor fraud, it might start with reactivating the link to a registry of fraudulent contractors.
VT Water Cooler: ‘White power’ bomber charged / Homeschooling grows / Newport scam sentencing
A man charged with making a bomb in Wilder is a white power advocate, police say.
House modifies end-of-life drug law, expands legal protections to non-citizen children, public servants
The Vermont House expanded legal protections for non-citizen children and public officials this week, while also opening the door for a bill next year allowing civil lawsuits of Vermont police.
No Zuckerbucks for VT local elections in 2022
112 Vermont communities received Zuckerbucks for local elections in 2020.
Mazur: ‘Voting mules’ cast 5 million ballots
A film by Dinesh D’Souza claims ‘voting mules’ were paid for harvesting and delivering millions of ballots in the 2020 election in key battleground states.
School bus hits car / Teen dies after gym class collapse / 70-year-old faces child sex charges
Why did a 14-year-old girl collapse in gym class and die shortly thereafter?
Health educator asks Legislature to weigh cost/benefit of VT pandemic response
A health educator from Cabot wants the Legislature’s government accountability committee to weigh the pros and cons of Vermont’s pandemic response.
Bernie Sanders On BLM Founder: ‘No One Should Get Rich Enough Off Politics To Buy Multiple Homes’
Buying a $6 million mansion is an “outrage,” said the junior senator from Vermont from one of his three homes.
Luebke: there’s a Fox in Vermont’s Election Hen House
The Vermont Secretary of State’s office “found no problem” with a Progressive House Caucus leader opening sealed ballot bags on Election Night, a Pawlet Republican says.
The Case for Easter
History and logic are on the side of the most otherwise fantastic event in human history.
Prisons re-opened to in-person visits
Visitors and volunteers will once again be allowed to make in-person visitors to incarcerated Vermonters.
$15 minimum wage, sports betting, film marketing in economic development bill
A grab bag of economic development ideas has been tossed by the Vermont House to solons of the Vermont Senate.
Former firefighter and ‘agroforestry’ student named UVM Truman Scholar
A young former firefighter from Franklin is one of 58 Truman Scholars nationwide.
VT Water Cooler: Beansie’s reopens / musical chairs in Burlington schools / homeless hotel stressing police / lower net metering for solar?
Constant calls to Berlin’s homeless hotel is stretching police resources – that headline and others from VT media.
Fury over transgender killing
Following a murder Tuesday in Morristown, transgender advocates are angry at the “exterminationist narrative” they say is employed by by some media, political candidates and legislators.
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