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
VT Headlines: Suicide prevention, education center to close due to ‘insurmountable’ financial issues
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…”
Bossange: Is Trump bigoted? And does anyone care?
Whether or not you respect President Trump’s approach, the fact remains America has never had a president who has had so many documented incidents of using racist, antisemitic, and misogynistic language.
Vermonter won Congressional Medal of Honor at age 11
When the Civil War erupted, Willie’s father answered the call to defend his adopted country, enlisting in the 3rd Vermont Infantry in June 1861. The boy, desperate not to be separated from his father, begged to accompany him to war.
Vermont alumna becomes ‘Doctor Brain Barbie’
Neurologist Dr. Jessica Lowe brings medical expertise and 230,000 followers to national telemedicine company
Three candidates for interim Orleans County senator named
The seat became vacant when first-term Sen. Sam Douglass resigned October 20 under pressure from Scott and GOP leaders after controversial statements he made online surfaced in a national news report.
Soulia: The hidden cost of government-run welfare
Public aid vs. private generosity
CLG: FBI makes arrest in Jan. 6 pipe bomb probe nearly 5 years after devices were discovered
University of Delaware student arrested with car full of guns, plans to carry out mass shooting – and chilling note about ‘martyrdom’; 11 U.S. warships and 15,000 troops now in Caribbean as Venezuela tensions escalate; Stricter guidelines demanded for flu shots by FDA regulator after memo links Covid jabs to deaths of ten kids
Turning Point Club approved at VTSU Castleton after pushback
Student Government Association approves club after initial denial and pressure from a club member’s parent.
10 years for enticing to produce porn
Exchanged 1800 messages, coaching someone on how to abuse a victim.
Police raid busts alleged coke dealer at homeless shelter
As of September 2022, Bryan already had had 170 police encounters – including an arrest for attempted murder.
VT Headlines: DOJ sues Vermont over voter registration data
Montpelier Council Selects Three Finalists for City Manager; USDA’s threat to withhold SNAP funding won’t directly impact recipients; Vermont Legislature’s top economist slams Trump’s trade war
Roper: Healthcare in Vermont is a government facilitated grift
And EVERYBODY is paying the price.
MA man arrested on assault charges in Newark over the weekend
State Police arrested a Massachusetts man early Sunday after he allegedly threatened troopers with an axe and chainsaw.
Vermont Veterans’ Home receives its Christmas tree for 2025
For the seventeenth year in a row, The Vermont Veterans’ Home received its Christmas Tree from Marine Veteran Don Keelan’s property in Arlington. The tree, a 15-foot balsam, was delivered along with the traditional honorary escort from several Troopers with the Vermont State Police.
Waitsfield butcher featured in Food and Wine Magazine article about best value steaks
Joshua Turka of 5th Quarter Butcher and Provisions offers guidance as beef prices hit record highs
Soulia: What parents need to know about Vermont’s minor-consent laws
Vermont’s consent laws for minors allow adolescents to seek medical care for STIs, mental health, and gender-affirming services without parental consent or notification. Supporters highlight the seeming public health benefits, but others highlight the dangers posed.
Governor Phil Scott defends Afghanistan refugees in Vermont
Governor Phil Scott defended Afghanistan refugees in Vermont on Facebook Tuesday in response to the recent high-profile shooting in Washington, D.C., involving an Afghan refugee suspect.
Gov. Scott appoints Michael Hoyt to VT House of Representatives
Also, Governor Scott on the need for “education transformation” this legislative session.
Presumptuous skiers in backcountry concerning for Stowe Mountain Rescue
If you leave the trail, even following another’s tracks, there is a real risk of no way back.
Compass Vermont: Armed with questionable data, GMCB sets its sights on Gifford Hospital
The Green Mountain Care Board seems to continue to prioritize standardized billing data in order to support their policy goals even after receiving the more reliable clinical reality.
South Burlington man sentenced to 10-years for exploitation
In addition to the 120-month prison term, Judge Vyskocil ordered 10 years of supervised release after McGrath completes his sentence.
Puma back in trouble after 3 Federal felony charges for threatening
A longtime South Burlington man, who received a 20-month federal prison sentence in 2023 for intimidating phone calls to Vermont criminal justice officials, is back in trouble – this time for state charges of stalking and criminal threatening Middlebury College employees.
VT Headlines: Data breach at Dartmouth College exposes personal information of 40,000 people, incl. many Vermonters
Authorities search for missing Whitingham man; Montpelier’s acting city manager resigns in the middle of search for new city manager; Fireworks show on Burlington waterfront Wednesday night; USDA demands SNAP data from states
The Liberty Food Festival returns
December 11-13 at the Bellows Falls Opera House
Frenier: Act 73 is a danger to ALL independent schools
Parents of independent school students: rattle a few cages and get your school’s leaders to step up.
First snow of the season keeps Vermont State troopers busy with 50 crashes
From midnight to 2 p.m., Vermont State Police responded to 50 weather-related crashes: 27 in the northern half of the state and 23 in the south. Seventeen of those wrecks happened on interstate highways, with one injury reported, while 33 occurred on secondary roads, resulting in three injuries.
Keelan: And then there was one…
Governor Phil Scott has been, for some time, the clarion: the State is losing its young people. Flood recovery, increasing school taxes, healthcare costs, illegal drug use, and climate change took center stage. Meanwhile, the workforce kept descending. And institutions of learning have kept closing.
Berlin Police report ‘theft’ at mall
Police are looking into a light-hearted series of theft reports at the Five Below store in the Berlin Mall after officers received a second call on November 29 involving what appears to be the same mischievous suspect.
Highway surveillance cameras raise privacy concerns
As Vermont’s law enforcement agencies mark the 12th year of the state’s regulation on Automated License Plate Recognition Systems (ALPRs), members of the VDC team have highlighted the potential double-edged sword of this surveillance technology and the increasing prevalence of electronic surveillance technologies.
Norwich to lay wreaths at university cemetery December 6
Norwich University in Northfield will host its first Wreaths Across America Ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 1 p.m., at the Norwich University Cemetery. Students, alumni, veterans, and members of the Central Vermont community are invited to take part in the laying of remembrance wreaths and the reading aloud of the names of the fallen.
Feds to seek death penalty in NEK double homicide
Second case by Justice Department in as many months
Book Review: The Tech Exit
Is a Smartphone on your child’s Christmas wish list? Not so fast…
Soulia: VT’s Constitutional consistency on trial: Non-citizen voting vs. gun restrictions
If constitutional silence is grounds for exceptions, how does this logic apply to Vermont’s other rights not involving voting—specifically, Article 16, which guarantees the right to bear arms?
VT Headlines: Johnson store has record Cyber Monday sales
Milton teen and service dog excel in canine competition.
MacDonald: Illegal and unconstitutional
No one breaks laws or violates rights like Democrats. Keep that in mind as they work to build their latest anti-Trump “unlawful orders” narrative.
Success! Every veterans cemetery grave will have a wreath
First time ever!
Body of missing teen found on river bank
Police say the youth had fled the scene of an accident.
Hot Off The Press podcast Monday, Dec. 1: State employees ordered back to office today, and Property Tax Letter due
Note: There will be no LIVE Hot Off The Press this Tuesday thru Thursday. Guy Page will return Friday with another live episode of Feedback Friday.
White House launches media bias portal to expose ‘fake news’
Now live at wh.gov/mediabias, the ‘flamethrower on the media’ lays bare those deemed offending journalists and their outlets, and presents what it says are the actual facts they attempted to bury, twist, or invent.
Transient set dumpster fire, burned American flag on police cruiser, and toppled city Christmas tree: police
While investigating the dumpster fire, officers also found a burnt American flag placed on top of a police cruiser.
Mom chases lewd and lascivious man out of playground
Video shows the man fleeing from a hero mom armed only with a video phone.
Paula Welden disappears 79 years ago today
December 1, 1946, an 18-year-old college student named Paula Welden vanished while taking a hike on the Long Trail near Glastenbury Mountain. Welden had informed her roommate that she intended to go for a walk, but she never returned. The subsequent search involved hundreds of volunteers, including military personnel, but no concrete evidence was discovered.
BREAKING: Statewide property tax projected to rise 12% next year
Scott said education taxes already have risen more than 40% over the last five years while student enrollment, performance, and educational opportunities have declined.
Hospital to tear down vacant medical office building
Demolition of Medical Office Building D, 266 Hospital Loop Road, Berlin, will take three or four weeks and involve heavy equipment and utility work, hospitals leaders said.
Court to Vermont State Employees: go back to the office
Return-to-office stays on track. The conflict now moves to the Vermont Labor Relations Board (VLRB) for adjudication.
Page: December 1st, a fateful date
State workers back in the office, the Property Tax Letter, and the vote on Obamacare.
VT Headlines: Energy assistance funds released to states after government shutdown delay
Small Business Saturday; Rutland man helps fill gap with peer-run sober living community; Multiple crashes in Vermont, New Hampshire during busy holiday travel weekend
Vermont medical debt relief will roll out soon
The Legislature this year unanimously passed a new law that will erase up to $100 million in medical debt—with no new taxes or fees. The Governor signed it into law on May 15.
Moffett: Rep. Maggie Goodlander: Seditious or just shameful?
There are many angles from which to view the “Scandalous Saga of the Seditious Six,” the recent Video-Gate story of six Democrat congresspeople who went public to admonish serving military personnel that they don’t need to follow orders they deem illegal.
Police: Addison County reckless driver found in Burlington
Patrick Cota, 32, sped away from both the Addison County Sheriff’s Department and the Middlebury Police on Friday during separate incidents in Salisbury and Middlebury, officials said.
Thurston: Paying the price for DEI in schools, on streets, at border
Those who come to this country with ill-will toward America pose real threats to public safety, as we have seen in the attack on two young National Guard members in Washington DC on Thanksgiving eve.
Readers, lock in your 2026 Sustaining Subscription now: pay less and continue to comment
Most people realize that ‘free’ news, isn’t. Someone is selling your data behind your back. Or else a sugar daddy funder is pulling the strings on news coverage while shutting down comments. Or, more likely, both.
Car passenger held driver in necklock, police say
According to police, 39-year-old Jody Sears placed the driver—identified only as a family member—in a neck restraint, causing pain and putting everyone in the vehicle at risk.
Firefighters rescue trapped driver after midnight crash
Using rescue struts, firefighters secured the overturned vehicle and worked to safely free the driver.
Wreaths Across America Vermont coordinator: “We’re soooooo close”
Two locations have already reached the finish line: Fort Ethan Allen Cemetery and the Vermont Veterans Home Cemetery in Bennington have fully met their wreath goals.
Hot Off The Press podcasts: Feedback Friday
Feedback Friday convos with Mark, Wayne, Jim and Neil.
VT Headlines: VT cheerleader performs in Macy’s parade, USS Vermont leaves Down Under
Fire in Morrisville, crashes around the state over Thanksgiving holiday.
Breaking: Orleans County man busted for illegal gun buys while facing felonies in two states
Angel Elias Estremera, 26, also possessed five other firearms unlawfully that were unknown to law enforcement when they conducted a court-ordered search at his Derby Line residence late last month, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said in federal court papers.
Balsamic: Golden Dome to get a new goddess
The new statue will depict Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak in mid-sentence, one hand holding a bullhorn, and the other cradling in its palm a tiny bronze of Gov. Phil Scott.
Woman charged with cruelty to cats
The suspect was already barred from having possession of animals.
VT Headlines: 400 runners and walkers gather in Killington for 14th annual Thanksgiving Turkey Trot
Manchester kickstarts plan for housing development that protects flood-prone area; A more than 200-year-old blacksmith shop in Cornwall seeks new owner; Craftsbury community weighs the impact of Sterling College’s closure
Hot Off The Press podcasts: Wednesday, the plan to reduce school spending
The task force and Kinsley agree that consolidation doesn’t fix the big problem—that our schools cost too much, especially for the poor educational outcomes they deliver.
Dyer: The Mayflower brought the First Amendment
Branded “SS” (stirrer of sedition) on his forehead, William Brewster’s ears were cut off and he was put in prison “until a convenient time.”
State police investigate thefts at Sticks & Stuff, Aubuchon Hardware
Helpard did not say what specific items were stolen in the incidents, but he did tell Waterbury Roundabout that the items were valued between $200 and $700.
Lanese: ‘Refuse illegal orders’ lawmakers are wolves in sheep’s clothing
Six wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Alternative to Front Porch Forum platform planned
According to an announcement shared with supporters, the platform will serve as a digital gathering space “with room for members to connect with each other, build networks and help us meet our mission.” VSU said the service will prioritize open conversation among “real, human neighbors.”
Same crime, wildly different punishment
Victoria Thompson, a defendant facing a “death resulting” charge—a legal classification usually associated with the most severe penalties in the opioid crisis—will avoid any long-term incarceration.
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