“We can’t get that done in just one session,” Ways & Means Ranking Member Charlie Kimbell (D-Woodstock) said.
House Dems say school reform can’t pass this year
Page: Booker T. Washington’s shining example
Booker T. Washington believed in the ability of blacks to succeed by their own merits, despite the obstacles they faced.
Senate targets loud truck brakes
Senate Transportation heard from people “traumatized” by roadside noise and truckers worried that the new law could reduce road safety.
West Rutland to vote on $2.3M wastewater treatment facility upgrades
Officials say that the facility requires replacing control systems, mechanical and electrical components, and making structural repairs and improvements.
Soulia: H.298: Bad-faith bill that shields illegal aliens while pretending to follow the law
H.298 will classify Vermont as a full-fledged sanctuary state, potentially costing it millions in federal law enforcement funding.
ANR: “No significant change” in fuel consumption despite “hundreds of millions” invested in green tech
Sales of gasoline and diesel fuel for transportation may have actually increased, a state report says.
VT Headlines: Fairfax to decide whether to nix town manager position
Vermont Congressional Delegation holds virtual statewide town hall; Vermont lawmakers look to eliminate military pension tax
Waterbury woman accused of fraudulently obtaining $40,000 from local aid organizations
Police say the suspect sought help for overdue rent payments from the Mad River Valley Community Fund, the Mad River Valley Interfaith Council, and the Community Action Service Team.
In 1920’s, Black leaders opposed open borders
Closed borders racist? Not according to our nation’s greatest civil rights leaders.
Harlem residents beg feds to shut down NYC ‘Safe Injection Site’
Supporters of the Burlington safe injection site pilot program approved by the Legislature last year over Gov. Phil Scott’s veto pointed to the NYC facility as a success story.
Scott admin submits school reform plan to House
The draft bill aims to replace by July 2027 the existing supervisory union structure with five unified school districts governing the entire state. Each district would be managed by a school board and a central office.
Iadarola: On the FY26 Slate Valley Unified Union school district budget vote
The current model of education funding is inefficient and unsustainable. There are clear areas for significant saving that will make VT more affordable for all.
VT Headlines: Plane crash in Manchester
No injuries after train hits car in Milton; Green Mountain Transit says ridership increased after fares returned, service reductions still coming
BREAKING: “New” Richmond Police Chief still not on the job
Cambridge told Vermont News First that he did shred some that were from his desk as he was leaving Hinesburg.
NEK educators accuse guv of ‘finger wagging,’ and worse
“The fact that the Administration and Secretary have largely marshaled the expertise of classified staff at the AOE to support their political agenda – at the expense of performing their core duties to the field – not only calls into question their motives but whether they have engaged in significant waste at the taxpayer’s expense,” Castle said.
Fish & Wildlife Board proposes doe season in November
Hunters who obtain antlerless permits would be allowed to harvest antlerless deer during the regular November season, which is currently limited to antlered (buck) deer.
Legislator who suffered miscarriage praises work of Empty Arms Vermont
Empty Arms is filling a gap in the Vermont system of care for pregnancy and infant loss, said a lawmaker who suffered a miscarriage in a State House bathroom.
Swanton Sector border crossings have dropped since November
India led all October – January border encounters with 1,282.
Montpelier’s Post Office is struggling — and residents are feeling it
Montpelier’s post office has been unreliable, and the problem isn’t going away. Postal employees aren’t talking, but frustrated residents missing mail are.
BLOTTER: Two arrested after firearm discharged in domestic dispute in Lyndonville
Driver crashes into pole on Scott Highway in Groton
UVM Libraries announce the availability of the first part of Senator Leahy’s papers
The senator’s travel and campaign materials are the first wave of his vast collection to be available for public research
Senate nixes Clean Heat Standard repeal bill vote
“The voters told us loudly that they want us to do something,” Sen. Randy Brock (R-Franklin) said.
How ‘Gucci Flip Flops’ and good vibes brought back Harwood Union girls hockey
Staying positive helped this team break a losing streak lasting more than two years.
Roper: GWSA transportation mandates will cost more than $177M per year
Tax on gas & diesel could start at 26 cents per gallon.
Keelan: Let’s stop talking and start building
To develop housing in Vermont, the hurdles have increased and are much higher, making the housing crisis all the more dire.
Klar: HHS cuts CDC ‘disease detectives’
Where were they during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Some cliff tops and overlooks are closed to protect nesting Peregrines
Hikers and climbers can help nesting peregrine falcons by avoiding several Vermont cliff areas this spring and early summer.
VT Headlines: Police: Mom arrested after child brings bag with cocaine residue to day care
Local wastewater issues my put hold on new housing; Vermont teacher pleads not guilty to DUI charge; Essex Westford’s budget proposes closing elementary school
Housing bill raises threshhold on development appeals
Instead of allowing 20 individuals to file an appeal, the new standard would require 20% of a municipality’s residents to participate.
Davis: Many reasons for Legislature’s slow start
March 14 is the deadline for a federal government shutdown, and at that time, we will get a first glance at the political potential for proposed massive cuts in national spending.
Update on J.D. Vance visit to Vermont
The inn’s website notes today that there are no rooms available for Friday and Saturday night.
Friday at 4: Slowest Session Ever
Paul, Guy and Alison explore why this Legislature is moving like molasses on property tax, housing, and public safety reform.
Thayer: Advocating for parents’ rights in Vermont’s public schools
A call for parent-school collaboration and transparency.
Soulia: 10 acres for $1. $12M in debt. And a quiet vote.
A proposal to build a $12.1M Valley Community Center (VCC) is moving forward across multiple towns, with funding to come primarily from taxpayer-backed bonds.
North Country Hospital dialysis services saved by regulatory decision
The regulatory board voted to increase UVM Medical Center’s revenue cap to cover losses from operating dialysis centers in Newport, St. Albans and Rutland.
Ira Allen’s legacy in Winooski explored at recent book talk
“Without him, your picture of the history of Vermont is massively incomplete,” said J. Kevin Graffagnino, author of “Ira Allen: A Biography.”
Senate may challenge Scott over budget veto threat
With the session now seven weeks old, Senate Republicans are getting impatient with lack of consideration to changes to any of the previously passed energy bills that had been enacted by overriding gubernatorial vetoes.
VT Headlines: $1M Powerball ticket sold in Newport Center, VT Lottery announces
Wagon signs in Charlotte spur billboard scrutiny; Vermonters to hold vigil in Montpelier on three-year anniversary of war in Ukraine
Gunned down Veteran Border Patrol Agent from VT laid to rest with military honors
Besides his federal co-workers from the Green Mountain State, Maland also was honored with a delegation of troopers from the Vermont State Police led by Lt. Andy Jenson, commander at the Derby barracks.
Freeze $100K state salary raises, spend savings on homeless, senator asks
A recent Pay Act provides a 6.4% state employee pay increase this year and a 5.2% increase next year, Vyhovsky said.
BREAKING: Vice President JD Vance skiing in Vermont this weekend at Sugarbush with his family
Trump’s first vice-president, Mike Pence, also was fond of vacations in Vermont.
Jesses: DEI is Detrimental to Essex Instruction
DEI is inculcated into the lives of our EWSD students day in and day out, but show little to no academic benefits.
CLG: Trump announces Dan Bongino will be deputy director of the FBI
Elon Musk ‘uncovers’ 20M in Social Security database over age 100; Trump brands Zelensky ‘dictator without elections’; Putin-Trump dialogue ‘promising’
Scott leads top 100 2024 campaign spenders
While money helps – a lot – neither is it a sure thing. The second and third largest state senate fundraisers both lost their elections.
Winooski school tax to drop
“Making some compromises to keep the spending increase in check”
Women fight at youth hockey game/ Shotgun fired at man
Fingon allegedly assaulted Mielewski, who was pregnant at the time, leaving her with minor injuries.
Louvenia Bright: first black woman lawmaker in Vermont
Not until the close of the 20th century did a black woman sit in the Vermont Legislature.
With Clean Heat Standard progress slow, Senate bill seeks another path to carbon reduction
“You have folks doing storage. I don’t know why storage is mentioned in S.65. I don’t think it’s necessary,” Ed McNamara, Chair of the PUC, said.
Federal death penalty on table for VT homicide suspects
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi cited in her directive the killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David “Chris” Maland, 44, of Newport during a traffic stop in Orleans County on Jan. 20 as a perfect example for the death penalty consideration.
Phil Scott to meet President Trump today
Governor Phil Scott will attend the National Governors Association Winter meeting in Washington, D.C. this week, where he is expected to meet President Trump.
Roper: VT Democrats need to fish or cut bait on climate policies
Either pass laws that will meet GWSA mandates or repeal the mandates.
Soulia: VT’s PILOT Program: What it is and how it affects taxpayers
Vermont’s rural taxpayers are subsidizing PILOT payments that disproportionately go to larger municipalities, despite their own financial challenges.
Bill could ban food dyes linked to unappetizing effects from school meals
The bill is modeled after California’s 2024 School Food Safety Act.
Officials outline Waterbury Dam facelift amid flood fears
Starting in 2027, builders will replace the floodgates with thicker, sturdier ones and swap out the bridge above the spillway.
WCAX: ‘Divisive’ transgender lecture at college
“We have no idea if they’re (puberty blockers) beneficial or not. They could be completely harmful, we don’t know. We don’t know means we don’t know.” said lecturer Leor Sapir at a Middlebury College.
Hartford couple busted in Brat for dealing fentanyl, coke
The arrests follow a months-long investigation into the sale of fentanyl and cocaine at 50 Central Street.
Cop charged with felony in fatal nighttime crash with bicyclist
Shelburne Sgt. Kyle Kapitanski, who has been on paid leave since the crash three months ago in South Burlington, is due in Vermont Superior Court on March 13.
$40M hotel and apartment complex to transform downtown Rutland
The City has provided incentives, including approx. $4.6M in reduction of future taxes over the first 12 years, and around $750,000 in waived permit fees.
Letter: Mazur on Biden’s folly
Treason is defined as a betrayal of trust. We need to uncover and prosecute those responsible because if the last four years go unpunished, it will happen again.
Scott to meet with Trump/ Bank prez retires/ UVM ROTC wins award
Northfield Bank Prez to retire.
VT Headlines: To keep tax increases at bay, many school districts will cut staff
Plan afoot to relocate Windsor Diner to alternate Main Street lot; Norwich University criminologist weighs in on impact of social media on cult following
Man arrested for Assault and Robbery on Church Street
A Williston man was arrested Tuesday morning following an alleged assault and robbery on Church Street, according to the Burlington Police Department.
Tenant, landlord discuss no-cause eviction
The committee this year has taken extensive testimony on just cause evictions, which would replace the ‘no cause’ eviction currently legal in Vermont. To date no specific legislation has been reviewed.
Senate Ag may reconsider seed ban passed last year over guv’s veto
Some committee members said they would like to revisit the ban on neonicotinoid-treated seeds, set to take effect in Vermont in 2029. The Legislature last year passed Act 182 by overriding a veto by Gov. Phil Scott.
McCann: The dire cost of getting well
Increasing healthcare and hospital costs pose a greater challenge than education
McGuinness: Statewide Healthcare bill introduced
The Senate Committee on Health & Welfare discussed a bill to advance a statewide health care delivery system on February 11
Bill aims to restrict tuition costs for public elementary schools
School tuition has been a hot-button issue for the Green Mountain State. The average public elementary school tuition in Vermont is $19,400.
Headlines: Barn collapses, six cows dead
Towns requesting ‘rainy day’ reserve funds at Town Meeting, March 4.
Crispe: The future of Vermont education reimagined
We can achieve new educational heights without draining our pocketbooks.
Galfetti: Snail’s pace
It would appear that House Democrats and Republicans have gotten off on the wrong foot. The Budget Adjustment Act passed recently was contentious for good reason.
Soulia: The Rutland Forward enigma
A PAC with missing money, unfiled reports, and unanswered questions
New bill seeks “fair standards and fair process” for school closures
A new bill seeks to formalize the always-controversial process of closing a community’s public elementary school.
Klar: Bernie Sanders’s ‘onesies’ rant displayed his animosity for free speech
Demanding Bobby Kennedy cancels others’ messaging is absurd!
Tractor-trailers stuck during ‘bombogenesis’ storm
In Vermont, 18.8 inches of snow fell in Waterbury and in double-digits statewide during what WDEV Meteorologist Roger Hill referred to on-air Tuesday as a ‘bombogenesis.’
Vermonter faces charges for providing guns in fatal shootout killing of Border Patrol Agent
Zajko is charged with making false statements while buying four handguns on Feb. 13 and 14, 2024.
Video: Watch Kristi Noem’s Warning ad to illegal immigrants
This series of ads will run on radio, broadcast, and digital, in multiple countries and regions in various dialects. Ads will be hyper-targeted, including through social media, text message and digital to reach illegal immigrants in the interior of the United States, as well as internationally.
Update: Vermonter suspected of providing two guns in Border Patrol Agent slaying arrested in Maryland
The case has so many twists and turns that scorecards are helpful in trying to keep all the players straight.
KVS: Orange man arrested for DUI and assault on law enforcement
Also: Couple pulls up to scene of a crash, leave in cuffs; Two found dead in parked car, no foul play suspected
Gervais: Can the feds save Vermont’s power grid?
Vermont’s legislature continues the race to the precipice.
Bigger districts mean more student opportunity, Ed Secretary says
Education Secretary Zoie Saunders told VDC on Friday that having larger districts would enable more equal distribution of resources.
Vermont DOGE “not a bad idea,” says Gov. Scott
Vermont had its own version of DOGE pre-Covid. “It’s not a bad idea to reinstitute that,” Scott said.
How will Trump changes affect Vermont? We’ll know soon
Will the House budget (just to cite one example) continue to allocate Title X family planning money to Planned Parenthood? Planned Parenthood of New England certainly hopes so – there was a request at the governor’s budget public hearing last week from PPNE for an increase in Medicaid for family planning for $85k state funds and a 90% federal fund match, which would bring the total up by $850k.
Town cries foul on road salt exemption for VTrans
A Senate bill to control road salt pollution notably exempts VTrans from the bill’s requirements while asking municipalities and private businesses to comply.
VT Headlines: A second incarcerated man dies at Springfield prison in less than a month
California man, missing for 2 years, ‘left everything behind’ to join ‘Zizian’ group; Sterling Market owners seek FEMA buyout in Johnson
Rep. Zachary Harvey appointed as VTGOP Finance Chair
In this role, Harvey will help lead the Party’s fundraising strategy and donor engagement efforts
Q&A with 104-year-old Kenneth Hart
Kenneth Hart is 104 years old and currently resides in The Pines nursing home in Rutland.
After Covid population influx, too few moving to VT to offset the dying
Thinktank: “Policymakers should proceed with caution” concerning migration trends
Lawrence: What’s wrong with a little “Communism”?
Communism and DEI are identical in philosophy and execution.
Ziz cult leader, Derby woman arrested
Jack ‘Ziz’ LaSota, the apparent leader of the Zizians, a cult-like group tied to at least six deaths, was arrested Sunday evening in western Maryland, Maryland law enforcement officials report.
State Senate advances health insurance bills, picks the judge pickers
Raising Minimum Wage (S.67) to deal with higher livable wage and inflation also introduced.
70-year-old arrested, jailed for child sex crimes
Also – two people found dead in car. Town plow truck stolen. Woman clocks 103 MPH on I-89. Freeway bicyclist cited.
Fireovid: Anti-Trump Vermont might consider the Secession Solution
In my day, it was called a “reduction in force.” For sure, almost no one likes losing their job. But it’s a fact of life in a free society, and I’d much rather be a free individual in a free society than a hamstrung subject in a socialist society.
Dad charged with breaking seven-week-old infant’s bones – then released by judge
The child was brought to the University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC) and discovered to have multiple broken bones.
Bennington drug user found guilty of bomb possession
The bomb detection came during part of an extended period that saw Bennington dealing with a major uptick in violence and drugs, including drive-by shootings and a couple of homicides. Most involved drug traffickers that were linked to out-of-state gang members that relocated to the Bennington area.
Headlines: Ferry crossing closed due to ice
Burlington to vote on eviction timing. Hartford rethinks honoring heroes after first honoree revealed as embezzler.
Blindspot reports news the left doesn’t know, and the right doesn’t know either
The left has news blind spots. The right has them too. “Blindspot” opens everyone’s eyes, every day.
CLG: Trump wants half of Ukraine rare earth minerals
The U.S. could send troops to Ukraine to “guard” the country’s rare earth minerals that Washington wants as repayment for aid, NBC reported on Saturday.
Friday at Four: the Zoie Saunders interview
The plan addresses recurring problems of declining enrollment and test scores, and increasing costs, Saunders said. “Everything we do is about students and student opportunities.”
Geoengineering ban bill introduced into Vermont House
This bill was referred to the House Committee on Environment and has co-sponsor support from fourteen Republicans, three Democrats, and one Independent.
Klar: Defending free speech in America
The First Amendment seemed forgotten under the Biden Administration, but it’s back.
Recent Comments