We must confront the inherent risks posed by unchecked political dominance, but the GOP seems to be focused more on internal squabbles.
LaMarche: Time to GET REAL about democracy
Senate slated to give final OK today to S.258, Fish & Wildlife bill
The Senate passed an amended bill that, although less restrictive than the original version, could be “the end of hunting as we know it in Vermont,” one senator said. The Senate retained the ban on baiting coyotes and hunting them with dogs.
Proposed $130 million in new taxes could mean veto session
The $130 million won’t provide property tax relief, but would pay for new and expanded programs.
BLM flag to come down from Milton school flagpole
AG will run again. Milton strikes the BLM flag. Huge gift stabilizes tuition at Dartmouth.
VT Headlines: Public transit $$ crunch could cut service
With the influx of federal $$ gone, Vermont’s public transit system is looking at cutting some service in order to meet budget.
Cannabis concentrates for teens/ Legislature wants more accountability to itself/ Guv says H.687 not housing-friendly
Plugging teens’ legal access cannabis concentrate. Housing slow-down bill. Why won’t State Government do what the Legislature tells it to do?!
California dreamin’ could become Vermont’s nightmare
In 2008, the Terminator decreed California ramp up renewable power. How’s that working out?
Headlines from the Vermont Giggler
Peter Rabbit sues State of Vermont for reparations due to suburban sprawl.
GPS tracking devices found on vehicles returning from Montreal
In the past month alone, two separate incidents have been reported by Burlington residents who stumbled upon these invasive trackers on their cars.
Burlington mayor: “I knew it was trouble” when Council defunded police in 2020
The mayor has always maintained that he was against the policy from the start.
Lawmakers ponder fossil-fuel divestment, paying for new schools
This week lawmakers in the House are set to look at divestment from carbon fuels, new funding for school construction projects, and more.
Galfetti: The cost of Renewable Energy Credits
The Floor Report: 03/21/2024.
Wilson: GOP unity?
Be vigilant, respectful, and honest. We need to resist bad government. A house divided against itself will fall.
Vermont farmers urge senators to not chicken out of passing poultry inspection bill
By meeting a slew of conditions, producers wouldn’t need inspections to sell raw chicken products from the farm, at farmers markets or to restaurants in VT.
Restorative justice referral bill could see ‘a much slower starting process’ with uncertain position funding
The bill would codify the practice of pre-charge referrals so the process is the same regardless of county.
Letters: Marxist madness and impenitent Presidents
Who is responsible for arresting a sitting president who is breaking the law?
Bossange: Elect Mr. Trump again?
Be careful what you wish for… You will likely just be trading one “deep state” for another.
Temporary homeless shelters cost $50K per night/ 20″ snowfall in Fairlee
The temporary shelters for a few cost more per night than the homeless hotels for the many – but that’s not the whole story, state officials say.
Vandals spraypaint ‘free Gaza’ on recruiting office/ Ski resort voyeur
Anti-Israel graffiti. A voyeur at Jay Peak. Catalytic converter suspect dies before trial. Police Welfare check on chronic suicide threatener goes bad for checkers and checkee.
VT Headlines: Sweet tooth in the Valley! Girl Scouts sell 3,200 boxes
Girl Scouts have been selling cookies since 1917. More than a century later, they’re not homemade anymore, but they’re still a delicious, popular fundraiser.
Roper video: Anti-fossil fuel lobbyist caught on hot mic moment
Behind The Lines columnist Rob Roper comes out from behind the keyboard to expose an anti-fossil fuel lobbyist’s hypocrisy.
Video: the path to 100% carbon free electricity the Legislature is ignoring – again!
Some things never change.
Roper: House passes Renewable Energy Standard amidst cloud of baloney
Sponsoring Rep. deploys word salad to avoid stating truths about the bill.
Bananas: Third semi-annual Vegas odds on the Antichrist!
As the world get’s crazier than a rainbow flag at a Hamas rally we turn our sights to the coming of the lawless one prophesied in holy writ.
Federal judge selections announced
A leading public defender, a law school professor and a longtime federal prosecutor are in the running to become the next U.S. District Court Judge in Vermont.
Holocaust education workshop draws over 50 teachers from across VT
Educators were provided novel tools and resources to help communicate lessons of history, intolerance with focus on Nazi Germany.
Victimized by transgender activism, some Vermonters pushed back
Christian school banned from competitions; Fired snowboard coach wins lawsuit; WCAX takes down report
Klar: Renewables threaten the US power grid
The crisis has regulators scrambling.
Corrected version: Senate passes S.258, Fish & Wildlife bill
The Senate passed an amended bill that, although less restrictive than the original version, could be “the end of hunting as we know it in Vermont,” one senator said. The Senate retained the ban on baiting coyotes and hunting them with dogs.
Breaking: Bray proposes softer version of S.258
Changes to S.258 on Senate floor now.
Guv appoints Education secretary
Vermont’s new Secretary of Education comes from Broward County, Florida.
Senate passes flavored tobacco ban, youth crime tweaks,
The Senate banned flavored tobacco, approved a flood safety bill, and adjusted youth criminal justice laws.
Burlington Police Chief: “Court inexplicably released” attempted murder suspect
“This is beyond bewildering, and beyond frustrating for the men and women of patrol who responded to a bar-closing shooting in the heart of our downtown, for the detectives who spent their weekend investigating and assembling a case for arraignment, and, most of all, for the victim who had a firearm pointed at his chest at close range and was shot in the arm,” BPD Chief Murad said.
Shorts: One celebrity doctor reprimanded, another gets big State job/ Bernie, AOC housing Green New Deal
An expert in pandemic-related mental health problems will lead Vermont’s Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living.
VT Headlines: Students home on Eclipse Day
Schools say it’s safer for students to be home on Eclipse Day.
An ostrich approach to mental health truth
Office of Public Guardian with its head in the sand
Man with 1600 police interactions has one more
Drunk, spitting on and headbutting cops after (again) refusing to leave, police say.
H.289 ‘shoved down our throats,’ lawmaker says on floor
A Northeast Kingdom legislator tells her colleagues on the floor just what she thinks about their plan to get Vermont to 100% zero carbon emissions for electricity.
The path to 100% zero carbon emissions the Legislature is ignoring
Both the Legislature and the governor have a plan to get to 100% zero emissions from power generation by 2030. One will cost $110 million over 10 years – and the other is far more expensive.
School district promoting political activism with public funds
It calls students to organize “civil resistance” and “establish and maintain a Racial Justice Student Alliance,” in the “Racial Justice: PBL Challenge” class.
Smith: Inequitable, un-environmental illusion
The unrealism of the Renewable Energy Standard grows.
Banyai pepper sprayed by constable, jailed on ‘protected persons’ assault charge
Banyai was a passenger in a car stopped for speeding by the town constable. An altercation ensued.
VT Headlines: Judges consider suspending prosecutor’s law license
What to do with a prosecutor who (police say) drove drunk to a crime scene then wrote an angry, embarrassing letter about the cops she works with?
FBI Albany, Vermont State Police announce $40,000 reward in Brianna Maitland case
No tip is too small, the FBI said of the 20-year-old cold case.
‘State of Lake Fisheries’ March 23/ Priest named state’s attorney/ Flood kitchens to Gaza/ Pharmacy cyberattack over
Priest named state’s attorney. How’s the fishing in Lake Champlain? Kitchens that helped Barre-Montpelier flood victims go to Gaza. Etc.
Money problems, attempts to leave preceded JetBlue’s departure from Burlington
‘It was a constant battle’ to keep JetBlue in the Green Mountain State — a conflict that started long before the airline pulled out in 2023.
Maynard: Will it liberate?
A critical look at the new bondage promoted by Critical Race Theory.
In downtown Burlington, two attempted murders
Two attempted murders in Burlington: one by car, another by gunfire. Suspects are in custody.
Taking away parents’ right-to-know goes to Senate floor today
If the Senate says so this afternoon, parents will be one step closer to being in the dark about what books their children are reading.
Senators consider education board power shift, government meeting in private, illegal drug law overhaul
How much of the Truth & Reparations process be shielded from public view?
VT Headlines: Obama picks Cat March Madness upset
Former president and hoop junkie Barack Obama picks the UVM men’s team to upset Duke Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Doctor challenges Senate incumbent
A Democratic candidate for Congress in 2022 has set his sights on running for a state senate seat in the district where Sen. Ginny Lyons now holds a seat. His platform: changes in Vermont’s health care system.
Page: Aral Sea catastrophe a warning for geoengineering
A cautionary tale against climate engineering.
Hammond Cove Shooting Range will open April 1
The range operates under rules set by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.
Shelburne Post Office hit by car again
The crash forced the post office to close its doors for the day as maintenance workers swiftly boarded up the damaged front section on Monday.
Revamped bill aims to stem sexual violence on campus
The bill went nowhere last year but was passed out of committee at Friday’s crossover deadline.
Former Gov. Douglas agrees it’s time to GET REAL
“It seems to me this legislative session it has not been just a drift, it’s been a very dramatic shift,” Gov. Douglas said.
LaMarche: Paternalist policy puzzle
We should examine the twisted ways this legislature has “shielded” children from danger.
Stack: The Vermont Taxpayer Wakes Up!
John and Jane Doe Taxpayer have exited the “complicit” phase and are now entering a more aware/active and, yes, skeptical “show me” phase.
Except in Burlington, no interest in temporary shelters
Apart from Burlington, use of the proferred temporary shelters was low – but that doesn’t mean the transition out of ‘homeless hotels’ was easy for everyone.
Bank robbery suspect arrested
It was unclear why Blatt, 32, was free in the community. Since 2010, Blatt has amassed at least 20 adult criminal convictions, mostly felonies.
FBI, state police talk on 20th anniversary of Brianna Maitland disappearance
State police and feds outline ‘new resources’ to be used on the 20-year-old missing person case.
VT Headlines: WDEV general manager out
Steve Cormier, a longtime star in the Vermont broadcasting world and a key transitional leader between owners at community radio station WDEV, is no longer general manager, VTDigger reports.
Evslin: Remembering Tim Hayward, my best friend
Over the last 50 years, Tim Hayward was the greatest force for good and effective government in Vermont that you never heard of.
CLG: Meet the group threatening Americans’ freedom you’ve probably never heard of
Canadian law endorsed by Trudeau government could impose house arrest for offenses they ‘will commit’; Ex-Parliamentarian sentenced to year in prison in Belgium over group chat ‘Hate Speech’
Keelan: State of the Union, or a major opportunity squandered
The President’s speech quickly devolved into a rant blaming and bashing his opponents.
Despathy: Homeschool civics at the State House
These homeschoolers give me hope for the future and I believe they will continue to stay informed.
Windsor County GOP endorses Trump With 54-0 vote
The county committee voted: “We, hereby formally Endorse and Support the presumptive Republican Presidential Nominee, Donald J. Trump, for President of the United States!”
Video: Trees are the ‘quintessential renewable natural resource”
“We owe a debt of gratitude to those that sustain our forest economy: the landowners, the foresters, the loggers, the sawmill workers, and the craftspeople.”
Dr. Dynasaur for adults faces crossover this week
Money bills – like Dr. Dynasaur for adults up to 26 – face Crossover this week.
House considers new sales taxes to pay for education
Seeking tax relief for property owners, the House tax committee is looking to the Cloud and short-term-rentals.
Baseball myths explored/ Former GOP advisor passes/ Women learn the trades
It is becoming more widely known that Doubleday had no connection to baseball, but why, and for what purposes, did baseball’s boosters construct an origin story with him at the epicenter?
Suspected Decker Towers drug dealer indicted
Drugs, child porn, and convenience store trespass.
Roper: House passes racist, homophobic flavored tobacco ban
One of only two Black Reps accuses colleagues of “dehumanizing Black and LGBTQ adults.”
Correction: Underage Vermonters buying alcohol online
Vermont’s legal online sales of beer and wine is being used for the purchase of alcohol by minors.
VT Headlines: Mud-season winter hard on loggers
Skidders and other logging vehicles don’t like mud. This winter, there’s been a lot of it.
Bill to save Salisbury fish hatchery moves to Senate floor
The Senate has approved another year of funding for the Salisbury fish hatchery.
Senate moves to toughen bail, conditions of release
A Senate committee has approved tougher conditions of release and more latitude for judges to impose bail.
Dear Sen. Baruth – Republicans fought climate change when you didn’t
‘Fess up – you’ve been too picky about your flavor of carbon-free electricity.
Speaker’s Act 250 & housing bill has three-year delay
The Act 250 exemption for urban housing development won’t take effect until at least 2027 – and then under tight regulatory control.
Bean: the Legislature is coming for your Zyns
They’ve never tried them, they barely know what they are, but the Legislature is coming for your Zyns.
Fifth bank robbery in two weeks
A masked bandit got away after perpetrating the fifth bank robbery in Northwestern Vermont in two weeks.
Roper: Rearranging one deck chair on the sinking Clean Heat Standard
S.5 requires a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels – now Senators Bray, White, Watson, McCormack and MacDonald say, ‘Meh. Who cares?’
Brave Christian school holds fundraiser/ No juvy in Newbury/ Top cop in Newport/ Sex offender release
Army vet named top cop in Newport. Embattled Christian school holds fundraiser. Sex offender release scheduled. School budget revote April 15. A rabbi addresses the New Anti-Semitism.
VT Headlines: Beanbag shooting trial starts soon
State troopers face trial for shooting a suspect with a beanbag round, right before he fell from a roof.
Senators squabble over future of S.151
Senior senators squabble over health care bill that includes minor consent for vax.
Castleton University alum serves up community at local restaurants
Andrew Breting graduated from Castleton University in 2017, but his love of the Castleton community inspired him to open multiple restaurants in the area.
No credit card? No problem, under Vermont Senate bill requiring accepting cash payments
Washington district constituents approached their senator after they were turned away from a business because they only carried cash.
Vermont Legal Aid and parents’ Black hole
Vermont residents can and should expect more from publicly funded organizations than the Blacks received.
Warner: Old Glory or Pride flag – which is MORE inclusive?
Not everyone is LGBTQ or supportive of its ideas. But we’re all Americans blessed with the freedom of speech the flag represents.
Hunting bill send to appropriations, Tobacco ban vote postponed
The controversial Fish & Wildlife bill was passed out of a policy committee and now is in the Senate’s money committee. And a flavored tobacco ban may or may not have the votes to pass in the House.
Cohen: Dems get blown out in Burlington
It was voter repudiation of the way Democrats have run – or not – the crime-and-drug-infested city.
Windsor County Republicans file lawsuit
Republicans suing Republicans in spat over county chair position.
Broken baseball bat, knife found at scene of double homicide
Cirill Brown pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and a felony charge of burglary.
State seeks to suspend state’s attorney charged with DUI
Vekos had issued an email to law enforcement in Addison County saying she did not feel safe round them and would no longer meet with them.
St. Marthe: ‘All blacks should vote Democrat’ undermines diversity
The narrative of encouraging minorities to abort their babies while simultaneously supporting migrants bringing their babies across the border is contradictory and perplexing.
VT Headlines: Burlington ODs down, city asks why
A patchwork of responses by the City of Burlington are being given credit for reducing the overdose rate this year.
Thicket Adventure offers plus-sized options for outdoors enthusiasts
VT clothing brand Thicket Adventure recently hit its Kickstarter goal of $30,000 after only four days.
UVM’s Royall Tyler Theatre turns 50
Governor Scott Declares March 14 ‘Royall Tyler Theatre Day.’
Klar: The biggest climate lie is about cows
If regenerative animal husbandry is eliminated, the chemical spigot will open fully wide to produce “meat alternatives”, destroying our bodies and our planet.
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