Charitable giving should be more public
Ellis: We need to talk about money
Addison County prosecutor closes out her DUI case
A two-year old driving while intoxicated court case against besieged Addison County State’s Attorney Eva P. Vekos appeared to come to a close Tuesday when she pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge.
HOTP Tuesday: Gun rights activists sue over waiting period, Memorial Auditorium block redo to cost million$$
Pushing back in federal court against Vermont gun control laws.
Tiemann: NEA handbook pushes gender and race-based ideologies on children
I’m very grateful for Jarrod Vaillaincourt’s excellent commentary in the Dec 10th issue of the Vermont Daily Chronicle. He exposes efforts by elementary school staff to market a new school-sanctioned “sexuality” club – to elementary school students! Although such conduct by public school educators is beyond revolting, it’s unfortunately not surprising.
VT Headlines: Addison County State’s Attorney Eva Vekos due back in court Tuesday for plea change in DUI case
Vermont family says nephew is ok following mass shooting at Brown University; Man dies by suicide following police investigation in Essex; Three arrested in Bennington following drug trafficking investigation
U.S. House set to vote on banning child gender medical intervention
The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote as early as Tuesday on H.R. 3492, titled the Protect Children’s Innocence Act, legislation that would prohibit gender-related medical interventions for minors.
Today on Hot Off The Press: Ben & Jerry’s wastewater violations – 2A Tuesday – Memorial Auditorium update plans
Listen at 11:05 AM today on WDEV AM 550, FM 96.1, and on wdevradio.com. Call in at 802-244-1777. You can also email your comment or question to news@vermontdailychronicle.com.
Welch calls for “assault weapons” ban and stricter gun laws
Bondi Beach mass shooting despite even tighter restrictions throws doubt on this idea.
Soulia: When Vermont ignores reality – Part 1
What Vermonters are experiencing now is the predictable result of multiple systems breaking down at the same time: education finance, demographic decline, housing scarcity, regulatory overreach, healthcare inflation, workforce deterioration, and a tax base that continues to shrink while public obligations grow.
Sanctuary state refuses ICE detainer, releases illegal alien accused of causing multi-car pile-up involving a school bus
Juan Hernandez-Santos has a criminal history of multiple DUIs, possession of a controlled substance, and two prior removals from the U.S.
The December 15 ratification of the Bill of Rights
Safeguarding liberties in a new nation
Ghost-gun owning addict, car thief sent to federal prison
Anthony T. Seagroves, 34, was ordered to serve a 26-month prison term on Friday for having a loaded privately made firearm — also known as a “ghost gun” — in downtown Burlington on Oct. 14, 2024.
Klar: MAHA’s war on ultra-processed foods was just vindicated
The medical journal The Lancet has just released three companion studies that vindicate this MAHA message.
UVM Men’s Rugby dominates D2 National Championship with historic 71-5 win
The undefeated Catamounts finished a flawless playoff run, outscoring opponents by a very large margin, cementing their status as the best team in collegiate D2 rugby.
Ben & Jerry’s #1 in industrial wastewater violations
Major dairy processors and manufacturers accumulated hundreds of permit violations in 2024 while state regulators emphasize “partnership” over enforcement.
Former homeless Mainer suspected in stabbing murder of Rob Reiner
The couple’s 32-year-old son and screenwriter Nick Reiner is the prime person of interest in the deadly stabbing, sources told the New York Post.
Illegal alien busted at Lamell Lumber sentenced for bogus immigration papers
An illegal alien from Mexico, who authorities say used counterfeit immigration documents to get hired at a Chittenden County business, has been sentenced to five months in federal prison for unlawful reentry into the United States after being deported multiple times.
VT Headline: Multiple crashes, slide-offs on Interstate 89 due to icy roads, VSP says
One person dead following US Route 7 collision; Burlington City Council to discuss sidewalk obstructions, grant for drug recovery shelter; Brattleboro hospital’s chief financial officer exits amid projected $14.5M shortfall
Brown, Australia shootings: how long?
Ella Cook was also the vice-president of the Brown University College Republicans. So why did this young man – described anyway as a young man by police – shoot and kill Ella Cook? Why did he kill at least one other person, and wound eight others?
Milton-made ‘Brataroo’ leaps canyon in latest Gymkhana video
You will believe that a car can fly.
Banzhaf: If “Jingle Bells” is racist, so are milk and fitness
Some intellectuals claim that they are
CLG: Brown University gunman hunt continues as police release person of interest
Brown U. gunman shouted something before opening fire; 2 killed, multiple injured in mass shooting at Brown University as Ivy League campus is plunged into lockdown; Trump’s Israeli-born pick for U.S. anti-Semitism czar plans to work with social media to suppress ‘hatred,’ label it ‘misinformation’; Gunmen kill 16 at Australia’s Bondi Beach Jewish holiday event; Elections impossible under Zelensky’s ‘terrorist regime’ – Ukrainian MP
Soulia: “Jingle Bells” is racist?
What the research actually says
Former NCH employee accused of embezzling $163,000
A former maintenance supervisor at North Country Hospital allegedly embezzled more than $163,000 through fraudulent expense claims, inflated on-call pay requests, and reimbursements for cancelled or returned purchases, according to police.
Breaking: Burlington acupuncturist held in federal child porn case, for now
Federal court records indicate Lane “engaged in an extended and highly sexualized conversation” with a 13-year-old girl.
Hot Off The Press Monday at 11:05 AM
No guests are scheduled, and the phone lines are open. Call in 11:05 – noon at 802-244-1777.
Ever-rising taxes endanger downtown restaurants, owner warns
Restaurant owners in Burlington and Barre worry about downtown economic conditions.
Unaffordable electricity topic of Dec. 16 online event
Sponsored by Better Not Bigger Vermont.
Violent crime suspect held on $250,000 bail
According to Pennsylvania State Police, Robbie John Morgan, 33, a convicted felon and fugitive from South Carolina, had threatened a neighbor with a semi-automatic 40cal pistol.
“Philly Whiteboy” drug dealer threatens state judge
Burlington has been fighting the escalating drug pipeline with Philadelphia for a number of years.
Man dies after trailer detaches from truck
The Rutland man died after the trailer section disconnected from the truck and struck his oncoming SUV.
Burlington man arrested for Cambridge store burglary
Police say the burglary occurred on November 28, at about 12:57 a.m. at the Cambridge Village Market on South Main Street in Cambridge. Following an investigation, troopers developed probable cause that Ian Gardner, 39, of Burlington committed the offenses of burglary, grand larceny, unlawful mischief and possession of stolen property.
Bland pleads not guilty in Vermont death penalty case
A former Stowe resident has pleaded not guilty in federal court to a series of felony charges, including a possible death penalty case for reportedly killing two out-of-state drug dealers in the Northeast Kingdom in 2023.
Roper: Given AI’s appetite for electricity, does it make sense to electrify heat and transportation?
Short answer: Nope.
VT Headlines: Hyde Park residents left without power during frigid night
Burlington faces up to $12M budget gap for fiscal year 2027; Vermont regulation could lower number of THC products you can buy at one time; Student plans to show Gazan protest documentary delayed due to pushback
Soulia: Act 47 and a story of Vermont’s compact future
The pressures shaping Vermont’s future are very real.
From national champs to big ten: Why Rob Dow is walking away from Vermont at the absolute peak
The 2024 national men’s soccer champion Catamounts face an uncertain future as their architect departs for the Big Ten.
U.S. House passes $800mn aid package for Ukraine
Trump gives Zelensky ‘days’ to respond to peace plan; U.S. lawmaker pushes for withdrawal from NATO; U.S. deploys fighter jets to Gulf of Venezuela in closest known approach yet; How Covid vaccines can cause heart damage
Energy supply expert to speak at UVM Dec. 16 via Zoom
Richard Heinberg, a senior fellow at the Post Carbon Institute and a prominent voice on global energy trends, will give a public presentation on December 16 examining what he describes as mounting pressures on both the world’s—and Vermont’s—energy systems.
Parent petition wants sex offender off school property
Families in the Plainfield–Marshfield region are voicing alarm over repeated sightings of a registered sex offender on local school property, a situation that has prompted residents to launch a petition aimed at state lawmakers.
Vermont’s F-35 fighter jets deploy to Caribbean in major military mobilization
The F-35s from the Vermont Air National Guard will join the growing U.S. force massed in the Caribbean aimed largely at the Maduro regime.
Steidler: As AI grows in the U.S., so grows affordability
Today, artificial intelligence (AI), a technology that is more profound in its capacity to change and improve lives than electricity, holds the promise of transforming America. Indeed, it can take us to the golden age President Trump envisions.
Liberty Food Fest in Bellows Falls this weekend
The event in the Opera House will feature vendors, demonstrations, and a full lineup of speakers and films Friday and Saturday.
Welch seeks missing pages from Federal disaster report as Vermont aid hangs in balance
At stake is more than bureaucratic transparency. Vermont is appealing the Trump administration’s denial of disaster relief for a July 2025 storm that caused $1.8 million in verified damage to roads and infrastructure in the Northeast Kingdom—damage that exceeded federal thresholds but was nonetheless rejected in November.
Klar: Justices Gorsuch and Thomas revisit the plenary powers doctrine
What is the legal standing of Puerto Rico?
Winooski school superintendent, detained by Border Patrol in July, testifies to Congress
“Their stories represent the chaotic and broken system President Trump has created,” the senator added.
VT Headlines: Vermont Catholic Church receives bankruptcy court’s OK to sell Rutland property
Two central Vermont elementary schools could face closure; Gov. Scott, Vermont party leaders call for Addison County State’s Attorney Eva Vekos to resign; Vermont directs flood recovery funds to housing on higher ground
Scott: State’s Attorney, Redistricting Task Force members may need to go
A State’s Attorney with an on-duty DUI history and an alleged insensitivity problem should resign, Scott and Democrats agree. But who would take her place?
Klar: Toxic Chinese pet food killed thousands of U.S. pets
A wary eye on the food supply
“Faith Warms the Winter Night”
Revelation 3:21 reminds us that grace is not inherited, but chosen: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Amen.
Roper: Baruth offers partisanship, higher taxes, and zero solutions
VT Senate leader vows to fight Trump rather than solve Vermont issues.
Ex-Winooski High soccer coach denies lewd conduct, luring a player
Kane H. Smart, 44, of South Burlington is the husband to Sally Adams, chief deputy state’s attorney in Chittenden County and works fulltime as an enforcement and litigation attorney with the Agency of Natural Resources in Montpelier.
RSVP now for GOP Christmas Party
Dinner, speakers at Dec. 15 event in Colchester.
School bus overturns on slippery road
No students were aboard. The crash was one of 44 accidents reported statewide today.
Homeless man dies after ‘paradoxical undressing’ in -17 cold
A Barre transient was found dead in the cold behind a North Main St. business.
Vaillancourt: Know your parental rights
Parents have the right to know what is going on with their child at school. That right is not surrendered at the schoolhouse door.
Winooski soccer coach arrested for sex crime with child
Smart is accused of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child and luring a child while serving in his coaching role.
VT Headlines: Intelligence officials reviewing messages received by Winooski School District on Somali flag
Winooski Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria to testify in Washington, D.C.; Man sentenced in Vermont 1986 cold case murder of Sarah Hunter; Vermont officials push early action as health coverage deadlines near
Today’s Hot Off The Press: ‘frequent flyer’ bail reform tough sell in Vermont, prosecutor says
What would work? Creating a frequent-flyer-unfriendly cash bail system, similar to the much tougher federal system’s. “Based on the political winds in Vermont, I don’t see that happening,” Illuzzi said.
Contrary to loud online chatter, convicted Venezuelan narco-trafficker does not finger senators
The letter from the former Director of Intelligence make startling claims about Tren de Aragua and Smartmatic voting machines.
Soulia: Vermont’s quiet tax break that everyone pays for
Vermont’s Use Value Appraisal Program—commonly known as the Current Use Program—has been a central part of the state’s land management approach for more than four decades.
Waterbury community gathers to build lanterns for annual River of Light parade
The interior of Waterbury’s Brookside Primary School gym is usually reserved for basketball games and physical education classes. But for a handful of days last month, it served a different purpose: a workspace for the River of Light — Waterbury’s upcoming annual community lantern parade, happening this past Saturday, Dec. 6.
Welch pushes to make airlines pay Vermont passengers for long delays
The legislation seeks to establish a standardized system where airlines must pay passengers for delays and cancellations that are deemed within the airline’s control.
Feds fund redo plan for flooded Montpelier post office
Thirteen community and infrastructure projects across Vermont will receive a combined $8.9 million in federal funding through the Northern Border Regional Commission’s Fall 2025 Catalyst Program, state and federal officials announced Tuesday.
Vermont Air National Guard mobilized on short notice: What we know about the deployment
Federal orders arrive with little warning
Thieves haul away wood pellets in rental van
Employees discovered the larceny when they arrived at the store Tuesday morning, December 9, around 8:41 a.m.
VT Headlines: Suicide prevention, education center to close due to ‘insurmountable’ financial issues
Vermont Democratic Party head calls for resignation of Addison County State’s Attorney Eva Vekos; As bitter cold hits Vermont, new shelters open for the first time this season; State waterways could lose federal protection under new rule
HOTP Today: Downtown woes, woodstove blues, and Somali flag story goes viral
Today’s Hot Off The Press show will be a little city and a little country. In the first half hour, we’ll be talking with Kolby LaMarche, editor of the Burlington Daily News, about downtown Burlington amid the desperate holiday shopping season, and in the second half of the show with pig farmer, inventor, and FYIVT publisher Dave Soulia and climate change activists making noise about taking away your woodstove.
Shorts: Annual State House Christmas tree lighting today
Also, Vermonter dies in Ukraine war.
Soulia: Is affordable housing in VT affordable?
How a 24-unit project reveals a statewide crisis in cost, regulation, and taxpayer inefficiency
House committee opens investigation into Minnesota welfare fraud
Congress has begun an investigation into a large-scale fraud scheme that led to hundreds of millions of dollars being stolen from Minnesota’s social welfare programs under Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.
Wright: A call to restore the true meaning of Christmas
This world-shaking miracle has been pushed to the margins of relevance within the cultural bubble that much of secular America, and even many believers, now inhabit.
One town’s secret to affordable housing? Mobile homes
Colchester is a haven for manufactured housing in pricey Chittenden County
Vermonter Kyle Dezotell wins national soccer title at Tufts
Two assistant coaches have deep Vermont ties.
JD Vance says he is ‘fascinated’ by Bernie Sanders
In a recent NBC News interview covering topics from his personal life to potential 2028 ambitions and rising antisemitism, Vice President JD Vance shared his respect for three progressive political figures: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D).
Cops raid Swanton drug nest
Swanton Police arrested Mustafa M. Muhammed and Anthon R. Avery and seized crack cocaine, fentanyl, cash and a defaced gun.
Winooski School District raises Somali flag, draws mixed response
“We are raising the Somali flag this week in honor of our Somali youth and families in Winooski and Vermont. On Monday, we will be gathering to celebrate together and to learn more about our civil rights.”
VT Headlines: Mount Mansfield sets record for earliest 50″ snow depth amid coldest start to December in decades
Humble Revelry in Milton closes after car crashes into building; Rutland Regional Medical Center grilled by Green Mountain Care Board over proposed unit closure; Montpelier Finance Director Resigns; Swanton family decorates home with 25,000 Christmas lights for toy drive; In Winooski, 3 arrests upend a family’s quiet life
Truck driver from India serving sentence in Vermont fatal crash
Homeland Security reports other fatal/serious accident TT crashes with Indian drivers
Funeral home says yes to dissolving the dead
Alkaline hydrolysis — a cremation process that dissolves body tissue in water and chemicals — has been introduced to Vermont as a greener afterlife alternative.
Danville votes by 6-1 margin to keep small, local high school open
The final vote was 75-480 against the petition, thereby opting to keep 81-studentDanville High School open.
Cota: Dropping enrollment, rising costs = more property tax pressure
Vermont is facing an estimated 12% increase in education property taxes next year unless lawmakers again step in with a General Fund subsidy.
10 years for enticing minor/ lost hunter DUI/ Man arrested naked in mother’s car
McGrath also exchanged over 1,800 messages with a third person, coaching that person as to how to sexually abuse an 11-year-old girl, providing explicit instructions, and requesting photographs of the abuse.
Alternative media Vermont Back Porch debuts
Learn more about the new alternative media, Vermont Back Porch, when Hot Off The Press interviews founder Amy Hornblas today at 11:40 AM on WDEV. Call ins welcome at 802-244-1777.
Could VT’s property tax crisis close the door on $2.1 billion in outdoor recreation?
While Vermont property owners who permit recreational use of their land are legally protected, they receive no compensation or tax relief for their generosity.
Republicans divided over how to address rising health care costs
While House Republicans will drop the text of a health care policy bill as soon as Monday, individual Republican senators have introduced a hodge-podge of ideas via separate bills.
Letters: Livingston on the stock market failure on the horizon
Brook on new conspiracies
Soulia: Is Montpelier coming for your woodpile?
Vermont likes to call itself a leader in combating climate change, but leadership implies setting an example others want to follow. Instead, Vermont is becoming a cautionary tale of what happens when ideology trumps practicality. The result? A state struggling under the weight of policies that deliver the opposite of what they promise.
Response to Benedict: School Redistricting Task Force not ‘failure’
With respect, the evidence does not support that conclusion, nor does the characterization of the thousands of Vermonters who participated in the process as merely “organized activism.” That phrase is a dysphemism—substituting a negative label for something legitimate in order to undermine it.
Staples store employee cited for embezzlement
Officers responded to Staples after receiving a report that an employee had been taking money from the business.
Rutland County lawmaker to resign Jan. 6
Harrison expressed gratitude to district residents for their support and to his wife for being “by my side for the entire journey,” from campaign work to reviewing his weekly columns in local newspaper.
Why I like Trump, whatever John Bossange says
Few Vermonters take the time to write op-eds to the Chronicle about what they like about Donald Trump. In the interests of equal time and respectful discussion, I do.
Vermont’s $51.5 million railroad bridge rescue
A seven-year project to modernize critical freight infrastructure faced delays and cost overruns—but may have saved Western Vermont’s rail economy.
Judge reverses Village Trustees’ decision on Woodstock Chief Swanson’s demotion
A Vermont judge has reversed an April ruling by the Woodstock Village Trustees upholding the demotion of Police Chief Joe Swanson, and the case will now go back to the village board.
Winooski mom and child caught at border with bogus papers
The illegal possession of fraudulent documents, including a bogus social security card, is the reason a Winooski mother and her 7-year-old son were detained at the International border over the Thanksgiving holiday, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Friday.
Feds: Elementary teacher found at Vermont border with suspected child porn, more at his Michigan home
U.S. Homeland Security Investigations in South Burlington reported it was called to the international border at Highgate Springs on Thursday due to an alert Customs and Border Protection received when Waskowski attempted to enter Vermont from Quebec, court records note.
Morley named to Orleans Senate seat
Morley grew up in, and resides in, Orleans County with his wife, Jodi. He has worked for the Village of Orleans for 33 years, managing an electric department, street department, water and wastewater department, fire department, and library. Morley is an active member of the community, serving on many boards, in addition to having served in the Vermont House of Representatives for six years from 2004 until 2010.
No drug treatment release for UVM gun thief
It turns out that Garelnabi also had some disciplinary reports while in prison during the summer, including one for setting a fire in a microwave in an effort to mask the smell for smoking cocaine.
VT Headlines: Water main breaks overnight on small road off Shelburne Road
11th annual ‘Troy’s Toy Drive’ accepting new, unwrapped toys this Saturday; New protections for seniors at risk of scams; Registration for ‘Scat & Tracks’ educational program open
Here comes the sun—or not?
Some other Vermont environmentalists have questioned the seemingly obvious inconsistency between “blocking out the sun will save the earth” and “solar energy will save the earth…”
Recent Comments