Mesick also has an earlier arrest in Burlington for aggravated assault for cutting open a man, organs hanging out, in 2013
Second-degree murder suspect Mesick back in jail
Ellis: Grit and inspiration
In the past few weeks, a conversation kicked my ass. It’s about commitment, hard work, focus, and sacrifice.
CLG: Russia: Kiev using Taurus missiles against Russia would mean Berlin enters conflict
Klaus Schwab, architect of WEF’s dystopian ‘Great Reset,’ abruptly resigns following allegations of financial and ethical misconduct; Trump accuses Zelensky of harming peace talks
Allbee: Immigrants essential to American food production
According to Food Connects, 11.3% of farm work in Vermont is performed by H-2A seasonal workers.
Border czar Tom Homan asks angry media, ‘where were you?’
“Maybe we gotta hold off on some of the deportation operation we’re doing. But it’s not gonna stop us from seeking these people now, arresting them and take them off the street to United States while we’re waiting for the courts to decide.”
Food Stamp fights
Should SNAP food benefits be used to buy restaurant meals?
Farm workers mistaken for border crossers prompted call to Border Patrol
Border Patrol was called after people with backpacks emerged from the woodline. In fact, they were farm workers.
VT Headlines: Police ID victim in Rutland shooting
Vermont School Board Asso. supports H.454 ed plan; Rural Schools Alliance wants voice in education reform; Rutland affordable housing project earns state award for energy excellence
Homelessness up by 212% in VT since 2020 – tops in nation
The report, by the free-enterprise Common Sense Institute, also called into question most of the state’s “housing first” approach, saying it “may not be the best approach to addressing this challenge.”
Lamprey controlled, lake trout stocking to end
The effort has been greatly helped be targeting sea lamprey which were attacking the trout.
Bomb Squad called for “grenade in a container” in Woodford
At about 3:25 in the afternoon, State Police were contacted by the property management of the Prospect Mountain Ski Area in Woodford. Police say that the resort crew “reported finding a suspected hand grenade in a container while conducting cleanup near the parking lot.”
Burlington man accused of repeated sexual abuse of minors over several years
Detective Joanna Morse of CUSI, along with a DCF Family Services Worker, led the investigation, which revealed probable cause that McCoy engaged in repeated sexual acts with multiple young victims over several years.
Soulia: Aid on autopilot
Vermont grows programs without data or limits
Bill on AI political ads passes into House, awakens First Amendment concerns
Most witnesses have supported the bill, but a few concerns have come up about free speech and news media’s liabilities.
BREAKING: Feds raid biggest dairy farm in Vermont, arrest migrant workers
Border Patrol saw three migrant workers walking down the driveway on the premises of the farm. The agents then pursued the migrants through the milking parlor.
Former lawmaker/Navy Officer challenges Scott admin claim of lawful cooperation with feds
Tate is a former Republican two-term representative from Killington in the Vermont House from 2015 to 2017. During his second term, he resigned his seat to serve overseas in the Navy.
Roper: Could Federal spending cuts end VT vote-by-mail?
Or will the policy expand to cover school board elections and more?
VT Headlines: Police investigate possible shooting in Rutland, ask public to avoid Summer St.
Environmental advocates rally outside of Montpelier State House lawn for Earth Day; Underhill Central School wins battery recycling contest
Jury finds fake doctor guilty in Vermont murder-for-hire case
An internationally known scientist based in Los Angeles was found guilty Friday in federal court in Burlington on all 3 counts in a “Murder for Hire” and wire fraud case that showed he was the mastermind in the killing seven years ago in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.
UVM achieves Carnegie R1 designation, joining highest level of U.S. research institutions
“Attaining R1 status will extend UVM’s ability to attract the best talent, secure groundbreaking grants, and contribute to solving global challenges.”
Local food program seeks state money amid funding worries
Farmers say it helps secure their bottom line, and officials in and outside the Legislature say it’s vital to curbing hunger.
Debate surfaces over Vermont’s for-profit prison contracts
Lawmakers and officials agree it isn’t ideal to imprison Vermonters out of state, but they say bringing them back would put in-state prisons dangerously over capacity.
Keelan: The deaths of FDR and Nazi Germany
The 80th anniversary of two significant events, this Spring.
More about Mohsen Mahdawi – and two corrections
Mohsen Mahdawi was a member, but not co-president, of CSJP, and was an early, active leader in pro-Palestine, anti-Israeli military activities at Columbia.
VT Headlines: Burlington Diocese responds to Pope’s death
Dead body found floating in Lake Champlain, police say; Marijuana hospital visits linked to dementia diagnosis within 5 years, study finds
Private donors save DOGE’d Vermont history program
Multiple private donors, including Marilyn Blackwell and George Burrill, stepped forward with generous contributions to underwrite the program through October.
Vermont’s homeless are “nearly 50% with mental health” issues, senators learn
“So we’re looking at nearly 50% with mental health [needs]… Large numbers, one in five with a developmental disability, nearly one in three with a physical disability. And so that is the type of people that this legislation would impact.”
When will Legislature adjourn?
Legislative leadership reaffirmed their aim to adjourn by the end of May, despite rumors that the session could go into June.
Letters: Pratt on suing doctors/ Mazur on Stacey Abrams/ Kelly on gender-prying/ Smith on Caesar
Kelly on the Red Cross prying into gender; Smith on blind obedience to the State
Woman ordered into federal court when she fails to show for jury selection
Alissa Butkovich of Colchester was among about 80 people across 8 northern Vermont counties directed to report March 14 for possible jury selection in a criminal case.
Soulia: Look both ways: Paint doesn’t stop traffic
How modern pedestrian policy forgot common sense and made walking more dangerous
KVS: $30,000 in equipment stolen from Sutton farm
Numerous stolen vehicles statewide, and an international speeder.
Bossange: The political coup has been completed
With a President seemingly above the law, what’s next?
Pitre: Are Palestine-reactionaries good for Vermont?
Outright Vermont is betraying its own principles as it champions Palestine over Israel
Illegal alien with prior busted on gun charge in Windsor County
Santos, if convicted, faces up to 15 years of imprisonment and deportation. He is detained at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans.
Lawsuit: Columbia student group cooperated with Hamas right after October 7 attack
It is possible, even likely these officials are unaware of SJP’s alleged participation with Hamas of spreading pro-Hamas propaganda immediately following the attack, according to a March, 2025 lawsuit filed by victims of the attack that killed more than 1,000 Israelis and an estimated 45 Americans.
VT Headlines: St. Albans man arrested for bank robberies in Winooski, Essex Jct.
Vermont Sen. Peter Welch, NY Rep. Paul Tonko to hold joint rally in Plattsburgh; Vermonters set to rally in support of Palestinian student detained by ICE
On Good Friday, final vote set for ‘muzzle bill’ shielding abortion, transgender services
“I also speak as a reminder that some cannot speak for themselves and that not all decisions are in our jurisdiction,” Rep. Tom Charlton explained his no vote.
Roper: We are spending a half billion on climate change policies!
And it’s not even working to reduce fossil fuel use.
Gassett: Is VT Attorney General, Charity Clark above the law?
An open letter to Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark.
BREAKING: Closing arguments held in 2018 Murder for Hire case
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Stendig said in his 40-minute rebuttal the criminal case came down to three M words: “Money, manipulation, murder.”
Bills Lumber, the movie, at MHCA DOVER Cinema and Arts 27 April 2025
The 45-minute video follows the Bills brothers and their co-owner niece, Debbie (Bills) Bauer, during the last days of their sawmill, founded in 1936 by their intrepid father, Melbourne Bills.
Killer of transgender man gets no more jail time due to deputy’s error
Both the prosecution and defense decried the deputy’s actions.
BREAKING: Suspect in Danville murder for hire testifies
Prosecution claims he lies and defrauds people
Fort Ticonderoga attack prep re-enactment May 9 in Castleton
“Ethan Allen in Castleton” is a 250th anniversary event that is set to begin with a 6 PM patriotic parade in the village of Castleton on Friday, May 9.
Orgs across Vermont mark Sexual Violence Awareness Month
Here are four groups across the state that are fighting for a safer, more just Vermont.
Trump asked by Italian press if he steps on ants
The president commented on recent report that he had waved off an Israeli strike on Iran, saying it was not his first choice, but he appeared to leave open the possibility of a strike if negotiations did not go well.
$850,000K for syringe services/ Miss VT honored
The next discarded syringe you see in a park or in the street may have been paid for by Vermont taxpayers in the name of infectious disease and overdose protection.
Has Mohsen Mahdawi done anything worthy of arrest and deportation? You decide….
Are we living in a terrifying new age of federal fascist authoritarianism? Or is the federal government appropriately enforcing the law?
Bananas: Take a giant leap
Blue Horizon made herstory this past week by having an all-female crew pierce the atmosphere to become only the third such gynocentric space mission.
Vermont cops can’t enforce federal civil immigration law
The state board that makes and enforces policing policies today emphasized and clarified when Vermont police may and may not cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Bucknam: Vermont lawyers sign anti-Trump manifesto
The Statement is not a lawyerly support of the rule of law; it is a political manifesto.
VT Headlines: Burlington Interim Police Chief Burke lays out priorities
Killington’s $3 billion expansion aims for world-class appeal and economic impact; New England man, US citizen, says VT border agents detained him for hours
One-time recipient works for Make-A-Wish
Now, she makes their wishes come true
Willoughby Steelhead Rainbow Trout will be jumping
Steelhead can be spotted moving up the falls during warmer days in mid-to-late April and sometimes into early May.
Baker: Disruptor Balint tells Town Hall attendees, ‘let’s throw some punches’
We deserve a representative who works for all of us — not just those who agree with her.
Soulia: Instagram isn’t Congress
America isn’t broken because the law was enforced. It’s broken because the people who write the laws won’t do their jobs.
POTUS Press Pool: Mom of murdered Rachel Morin urges press to tell the truth
The murdered woman’s mother told the press: “Please tell the truth. Tell the truth. Tell how violent it really is. It’s more than politics. It’s about national security. It’s about protecting Americans. It’s about protecting the children.”
VT Headlines: Vermont education secretary defends DEI in fed certification
Hinesburg’s Graham Walker is closing in on his NFL dream; Montpelier Singer-Songwriter Mark LeGrand dies; Inside ReSource, where thrifting is a booming business
Cavanaugh & Sweeney: It’s time to cut the Certificate of Need requirement
CON laws limit the supply of healthcare services in roughly two-thirds of the states, limiting patients’ healthcare options and preventing innovation in the industry.
Roper: Some on the Left admit climate change policy is Robin Hood in reverse
Impacts on low-income Vermonters “will be ignored.”
Klar: Supreme Court defers to President Trump’s deportations
Executive power respected above patchwork of liberal lower court judges.
Vermont Senate leader calls federal arrest ‘fascist, authoritarian’
Senate leaders call for governor to stop allowing feds to house detainees in VT prisons
With Vermont sicker than ever, insurers and hospitals struggle to stay afloat
“In 2024, claims were up more than 15% from the previous year as part of an unprecedented and sustained three-year cost surge,” the report states. The report does not speculate as to why there was a sudden uptick starting three years ago.
Letter: Reps explain “No” vote on school bill
Also: Health committee is in violation of the US, Vermont Constitutions, wherein the people have an unbridgeable right to petition the government.
California scientist testifies in Danville hitman murder case
The hitman, Jerry Banks, 37, of Garland, CO, and two others involved in the case, have each testified against Gumrukcu.
UPDATE: One of two arrested in attempted Colchester homicide
Colchester Police have arrested one of two masked men wanted for a near-fatal shooting in old Fort Ethan Allen over the weekend.
CLG: Biden admin. concealed report on earliest suspected American COVID cases
Hungary suggests ‘biological attack’ could be source of foot-and-mouth outbreak; U.S. blocks G7 condemnation of Russia over Sumy strike
Health care advertising ‘muzzle bill’ goes to House floor
Also, the Senate on Friday, April 11 approved a resolution congratulating Kathleen Lynch of Burlington as the 2025 Mother of the Year.
DOGE could cut into VT public radio, TV budget – but not right away
According to a February 2025 article on Vermont Public, losing this 10% could mean cuts to local journalism or educational programs, with rural stations hit hardest.
Palestinian activist arrested by DHS in Colchester vowed revenge on Israel when he was 10 years old
‘ I was ten years old. And I still remember when we put him in the grave, I held him and I shook him,” Mahdawi said of his friend shot by an Israeli soldier. “I said, “Hemida, wake up, wake up.” He didn’t wake up, and I told him, “I promise, I promise, I will revenge.”
Vermont sees three school threat incidents in as many weeks
In recent weeks, multiple Vermont schools have received various threats, none of them followed by physical attacks.
VT Headlines: Jury selected for trial of man accused of killing Fern Feather
No injuries reported after train engine catches fire in Bellows Falls; U.S. Rep. Becca Balint holds town hall in southern Vermont
Trump signals cuts to NPR & PBS
“The NPR, PBS Grift Has Ripped Us Off for Too Long,” said a press release from the Trump administration this morning including a list of news stories as examples of ‘extremely bad reporting’ by public resources.
Galfetti: A Hail Mary pass on education reform
In a bold move, House Republicans, working closely with the Scott administration, gave the green light to advance H. 454, the education reform bill.
Son arrested on murder charge for dad’s death in Bridport
Case sparked DUI against state prosecutor in January 2024
With Republican help, school reform bill advances to Senate
in hopes of a better bill out of the Senate, a handful of Republicans helped the defection-plagued Democrat House leadership pass the controversial educational reform bill.
KVS: Brooklyn man indicted for manufacturing and distributing cocaine and fentanyl
If convicted, Thomas faces a minimum of five years and up to 40 years in federal prison.
POTUS Press Pool: El Salvador president won’t return suspected gang member
Video, quotes from the White House press pool today.
Ignore future at your own peril, Sanders tells young crowd at California music festival
Before music performer Clairo’s performance Saturday evening, he made a surprise appearance at Coachella, urging young festival-goers to stand up against ‘economic inequality, climate change, and threats to women’s rights.’
Friday at Four: Reaction to Lt. Gov. John Rodgers trashing Trump
Paul Bean says Vermont Republican Lt. Gov. John Rodgers speech felt like a betrayal. Guy Page says Rodgers never said he was pro-Trump. More viewers than ever weigh in with their opinions.
CVU students targeted for deportation
95.8% of all otherwise “inadmissible aliens” who scheduled appointments using the app were simply issued a “Notice to Appear” and then released into the country.
Drop tariffs on Canada, solons tell Trump
The resolution was signed by all 30 senators except. Sen. Russ Ingalls (R-Essex) and Rutland County Republican senators Dave Weeks and Terry Williams.
VT Headlines: Two North Troy men charged in municipal building break-in
Vermont Rescue Team returns after 11-day deployment in the South; Vigil held for fair treatment of refugees and migrants
Autopsies confirm murder-suicide in Eden
David Buchanon fatally shot Karol before turning the gun on himself, police say.
Davis: Decreased Dollars From D.C.
The Vermont House Appropriations Committee got more granular on the one-third of the state’s budget that comes from federal funding, which is a source of vulnerability and concern.
BREAKING: Man critically injured in Colchester shooting
Police have names of possible suspects and are looking for an orange colored car with Vermont plates, possibly a Ford Flex, that fled the scene.
Young wildlife belong in the wild
Picking up young wildlife can do more harm than good, according to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, and it is also against the law.
Harrison: Moving Day
At the State House, you might refer to last Friday as “Moving Day” when the session’s big issue of education reform passed the House and is now moving to the Senate.
Statehouse talks center on landowner concerns with stormwater regs
Around 100 of the 700 3-acre sites in Vermont are subdivisions, but the state doesn’t know exactly how many people live on those parcels.
Magician leaves his mark at Bradford restaurant
Marko the Magician is still performing at Colatina Exit, 30 years after starting there.
Roper: Democrats’ education finance proposal is a betrayal
Voters want tax relief, but Dem plan spends MORE.
“Reckoning” coming for Covid lockdowns and mandates, CHD prez predicts
“I don’t think that those people [legislators and concerned Vermonters] know the vaccines that they got as children or maybe as adolescents, or covid shots that they got in the last few years, never tested for impact on fertility, never tested for mutagenicity, never tested for carcinogenicity, I don’t think those people know that and I think they need to know that,” Holland said.
Infertility doctor wins disability firing lawsuit, owed $1.1 million
When she was terminated, Porter was on long-term disability, but had returned to part-time work, the lawsuit said.
Cabot recalls cases of butter due to fecal contamination
The butter comes in cardboard packages containing two 4-ounce sticks.
Klar: Can schools force-jab children with COVID-19 shots?
The Vermont Supreme Court’s determination in Hogan v. Lincoln Medical Partners says legally, they can.
Gervais: Vermont’s AG Charity Clark gaslights election integrity
Vermont voters pay the price
VT Headlines: Advocates push for fertility insurance law in Vermont
Vermont orgs, AG react to new executive order around greenhouse gas emissions; CVSD letter says international students targeted for deportation
Maverick Republican John McClaughry’s unexpected path: A review of “The Anarchist and the Republican”
The Anarchist and the Republican both championed the decentralization of power.
Despathy: Advanced Clean Car and Truck Regulations mean devastation for businesses
Part II of an open letter to Vermont legislators
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