Bruce Erdmann was sentenced for a 2021 cocaine deal which resulted in a non-fatal overdose.
SoBu man sentenced for dealing coke
House drops rental registry over cost kerfuffle
Setting up a rental registry proved so costly that House leaders have dropped implementation in favor of a study.
Voting for Brattleboro 16-year-olds goes to House vote
The House will vote this week on allowing 16-year-olds to vote in local Brattleboro elections.
Big legislative pay, benefits hike on Senate agenda tomorrow
A big legislative pay hike and hefty benefits package are on tomorrow’s Senate agenda.
Shorts: High school students banned from ordering pizza, Starbucks deliveries
A high school principal goes on TikTok to tell students to stop ordering pizza and Starbucks deliveries during the school day – or else.
Police: toddler dies after drunk father loses him in brook fleeing early morning crash
Rescue workers pulled a two-year-old boy from a brook in Clarksburg, MA after his Readsboro, VT father dropped him while leaving the scene of an early Saturday morning crash.
VT Headlines: Former newsman J.B. McKinley finishes his last page
J.B. McKinley never, ever showed off his vast understanding of the world and the English language. He just lived it and loved it.
Report: Vermont 4th highest SF home property tax rate in U.S.
Windham, Orange and Caledonia counties ranked 1-2-3 in effective property tax rates. Chittenden and Lamoille were near or at the bottom.
Bill would protect girls’ right to play sports against girls only
A bill prohibiting biologically-male transgender students from playing school sports designated for girls or women has been introduced into the Vermont Legislature – and immediately labeled as “hate” by transgender activists.
Welch: bill would protect independent pharmacies, reduce Medicaid costs
The problem is that independent pharmacies are getting paid less than what it costs to fill the prescription for the patient.
Attorney General Charity Clark ducks question about GWSA lawsuit
Rep. Brian Smith asked Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark if she could defeat a Global Warming Solutions Act lawsuit brought by an environmental group.
Lynch: the unknowable nature of being
I became a self-avowed atheist. Not just a happy-go-lucky atheist. A radical atheist – one that reveled in the oratorical brilliance of Hitchens as he verbally dismantled cohorts of Christian apologists.
Klar: Vermont trash policy, farms, and human nature
At what point do dump fees become so high that people leave their household trash and old couch on the side of the road? Especially if they are feeding their children, or feeding an addiction.
VT Headlines: Rutland student threatens classmate with gun online
VT students address substance abuse; Burl. PD threatens to arrest doc treating gunshot; Standardized testing changes
House allocates $16 million for new Burlington High School
The Vermont House of Representatives voted to give $16 million of state funds to the new BHS demolition and construction project and rejected a lawmaker’s request for a refund if Burlington wins its suit against Monsanto.
Report: Over-charging persists at Dollar General stores
A retailer with 39 Vermont stores continues to overcharge customers nationwide, a recent report claims.
Tribute planned for VT military officer who suffered from PTSD
John Sandvil lost his battle to PTSD after a distinguished military career, including combat in Iraq. On May 12, friends and loved ones will honor him with a motorcycle ride to his resting place in Randolph.
Hinesburg confronts destruction of beaver dams by landowner
“All I do out back is knock it down and prevent the water from flooding everybody’s property,” Lyman said. However, the Town of Hinesburg has taken action.
McClaughry: Regulations weaponized to resist housing development
The enviros are sometimes willing to allow more more housing in urban areas – but never, ever out in the countryside.
New grassroots group wants biofuels out of S.5
Burning biofuels and biomass emits as much CO2 as fossil fuels and should not be exempted from S.5, the proposed carbon reduction law, Stop VT Biomass says.
Obituary for America
Conceived in Liberty and born to immigrant parents in 1776, America died today after a brief illness. For many, it is hard to believe that she is gone.
Satan, Ishtar referenced in VT support of legal abortion, prostitution
As followers of Jesus Christ celebrate Holy Week, Vermonters more sympathetic to other gods are showing support for legal abortion and prostitution.
Warner: Trump, Taibbi and Repressive Tolerance
“Rules for thee and not for we” seems the motto of the day.
VT Headlines: Morning fire in downtown Barre
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. files paperwork to challenge Biden in 2024; South Burlington police to hire bike-riding patrollers; Robert F. Kennedy Jr. files paperwork to challenge Biden in 2024
Ax murder in Brattleboro homeless shelter
A 38-year-old resident of a Brattleboro homeless shelter axed the facility director to death Monday, police say.
Barre police arrest Boston teen in big drug bust
Police found drugs, cash and guns at a Barre Town home yesterday morning.
House passes 50% land conservation bill vetoed by Scott last year
The bill sets goals for conserving 30 percent of Vermont’s total land area and waters by 2030 and 50 percent by 2050. This would include all state, federal, municipal and private lands.
Survivor to host Holocaust Remembrance concert
Holocaust Remembrance Day will be celebrated in Stowe April 16.
Opinion: Heat pumps troubling / VT taxpayers on hook for Burlington high school?
No way should the Legislature make Vermonters pay for Burlington’s new high school.
‘We Will Kill You’: college student arrested in Vermont for threatening congressman for opposition to ‘the gays’
A college student was arrested in Springfield with the help of the Springfield Police Dept. for allegedly threatening to kill a member of congress.
Trump pleads “not guilty” to 34 criminal charges
The indictment against former President Donald Trump was unsealed Tuesday with 34 criminal charges related to falsifying business records.
VT Headlines: Hinsdale driving out immigrant business for profit?
Farm seeks to sell renewable natural gas; Winooski School District unveils renovations; Burlington High School Project behind schedule; Lincoln schools ask for budget as independent district
Despathy: 14 reasons why S.5 would harm the Earth and poor people and must be defeated
There are so many reasons for compassionate, conservation-minded people to oppose S.5 – pick at least one and tell your House representative, Alison Despathy advises.
S37 legalizes lower health care standards for abortion/transgender providers
Did you know that 12-year-olds can keep insurance information confidential from parents? The Vermont House Health Care Committee didn’t, until yesterday.
17-year-old missing since March 29 found dead in Weybridge
A human/canine search and rescue team yesterday found the body of Rebecca Ball in a wooded area in Weybridge.
Read the Trump indictment here
Link provided to Alvin Bragg’s 16-page indictment of former Pres. Donald Trump.
Video: New bills would allow non-citizen, ranked choice voting in the Queen City
Four House bills introduced on April 4 would make numerous changes to Burlington’s voting regulations.
New single-family homes on their way out?
The Senate bill allowing more housing density in cities but not in rural areas gets its first look in the House this afternoon.
VT Headlines: Vetoes likely for legislation that’s going ‘off the rails’
Threats at Neshobe Elementary; Missing autistic teen: Soaring egg prices; BTV to be named for Leahy; Financial literacy in education
Sandra Dragon, longtime AIV president, passes on March 25
Sandra Dragon was a force of nature.
First Lady Jill Biden will fly tomorrow into Burlington International Airport, to be renamed for Patrick Leahy
Beta Technologies, Vermont’s emerging electric air transport manufacturer, will get a visit from First Lady Jill Biden tomorrow.
Steidler: Give postal workers tasers — for their safety and ours
America’s rising, out-of-control crime wave claims a growing number of Postal Service workers as victims of robberies, beatings and even murder.
Roper: So, the “check back” in S.5 isn’t really a check back
House committee clarifies it’s a (very limited) “throttle down.”
Galfetti: Like Buffalos running off a cliff
And so, the buffalos are running off the cliff. The House has passed three terrible bills this week…
UVM reports “voluntary resolution” of fed investigation of campus anti-semitism
UVM’s announcement of a ‘voluntary resolution’ of a federal investigation into campus anti-semitism contains no admission of wrong-doing, no apology, and no specific plans to address anti-semitism.
Former VT governor sues college over ‘cancel culture’
Middlebury College quietly removed Mead’s name from the marble building on the morning of Sept. 27, 2021, for what it said was his role “in promoting eugenics policies in the state that led to the involuntary sterilization of an estimated 250,” the lawsuit filed by former Gov. James Douglas stated.
Warner: It’s Never Been A Better Time To Be A Christian
You, like me, may not even bother to look out the windows on a daily basis to lament the sad goings on in our world.
Despathy: S.5 a parasitic tapeworm
S. 5 would negatively impact the price of heating fuel or bring collateral damage to Vermonters, small businesses and our economy as a whole.
Anti-hunting activists oppose Vermont tradition, conservation
These anti-hunting activists have decided their fellow citizens merit no regard, including even the simple courtesy of a civil debate as is evidenced by elitist, segregationist statements.
Smith: Vermont’s Next Radical Shift in Education
Gone are the days of Martin Luther King Jr.’s colorblind society.
Fireovid: Due diligence missing from VPA sports ruling
Whereas progressive European countries are pursuing science-based policies, the VPA is listening only to wildly biased, unscientific opinions of ideological activists.
Wilson: Holding onto Vermont – Holding onto Vermont Traditions
Authentic Vermont embodies agriculture, self-sufficiency and independence, a strong work ethic, healthy communities and families, faith and honorable values and fiscal responsibility.
Hammond Cove Shooting Range Will Open April 1
The Hammond Cove Shooting Range in Hartland, Vermont will open on April 1, at 10:00 a.m. The range operates under rules set by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.
Gervais: VT broadband victim of the Sunk Cost Fallacy
The Sunk Cost Fallacy is the notion that once an entity invests in something, it becomes harder to walk away from it.
Two state troopers resign over off-duty comments made while playing video games
Two rookie state troopers submitted their resignations and publicly apologized for using inappropriate language while playing a video game off-duty.
Kauffman: What expansion of “personal reproductive liberty” really means
Vermont legislators are set to expand Article 22, “personal reproductive liberty”, without voter approval or a day in court.
Dead of heart attack after basketball game brawl
After participating in a post-game brawl that shocked the state and made national news, an Alburgh man suffered a fatal heart attack in his car.
Hartford man, 21, dies in targeted shooting in Brattleboro
A Hartford CT man is dead in what police say was a targeted shooting.
McClaughry: Sen. Ram Hinsdale and ‘climate migration’
Sen. Ram Hinsdale urges readiness to house massive numbers of climate refugees.
VT attorney general urges feds to ensure asylum access
In the comment letter, the coalition urges the federal government to continue to explore commonsense solutions to protect access to asylum.
University of Irasburg returns with pop-up campus after two-year hiatus
The University of Irasburg is set to return this April after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
Klar: Let them eat bugs!
The World Economic Forum is now the self-designated world-saver — not only from climate change, but also from global starvation.
Lee Zeldin headlines GOP dinner 4/20
A former congressman who almost became NY governor last year will speak at a GOP dinner in South Burlington.
Video: S.130: The end of at-will termination?
A Senate bill introduced on March 15 would eliminate at-will termination, and protect employees’ voting rights and free speech.
VT Headlines: Flavored tobacco, e-liquids banned in VT
Search underway for missing Middlebury teenager; Vermont State Police conducts recovery operation for missing Waitsfield woman
NY Grand Jury Votes to Indict Trump
A Manhattan grand jury has reportedly voted to indict former President Donald Trump over his alleged role in a payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016.
Vermont could legalize sports betting apps
How does the plan compare to New Hampshire?
Video: VSC library protection bills
Three bills would protect Vermont State College’s physical libraries from being reduced or eliminated.
Thayer: Senate Ed. Committee does not go far enough
The Democratic leadership in the Vermont legislature is not going far enough in protecting our school children.
VT Headlines: Anonymous threat at Lamoille Union Middle School
Extended EBT benefits end; House approves ranked voting for primary elections
Burlington voters will again consider who is allowed to vote on Town Meeting Day
If the provision passes, legal non-citizens would be able to vote in municipal elections.
Roper: Auditor’s Report: Just how bad our lawmakers screwed up the broadband buildout.
Sibilia and her colleagues opted to go with their own complicated plan to install cable to “the last mile” of every dirt road in the state.
VT Headlines: House passes anti-suicide gun control bill H. 230
Senate gives preliminary approval to flavored tobacco ban in Vt.; WHO experts revise COVID-19 vaccine advice, say healthy kids and teens low risk.
Another U.S. chemical train derails
At least eight freight trains have crashed across the country since the beginning of February.
VT Headlines: Brattleboro man dies of exposure in home
Brattleboro man dies of exposure to cold in home; Burlington approves recommendations for police department; zoning changes in Burlington
Bullock: Lest we forget—the electric line workers
When have we ever witnessed an awards celebration for electric line workers?
Warner: Tennessee Shooting: Fear Is the Goal
Let’s think rationally about this situation.
Babesiosis, tick-borne disease now endemic in Vermont
A disease first reported in Nantucket in 1969 is now endemic to Vermont.
Wilson: Dem./Prog. supermajority has established elitist rule
Your future financial wellbeing may not be as bright as you might have hoped for.
Roper: Rep. scolds equity official for showing how S.5 will “force/pressure” low-income Vermonters into spending money they don’t have.
Green’s point remains undeniable that low-income Vermonters cannot afford the upfront costs of taking even the most rudimentary clean heat measures.
This week in committee: March 27-31
Items on the agendas for Vermont Legislature Committees this week.
Vermont Guard soldiers inserted into Arctic on ski-equipped C-130
C-130s are HUGE. Landing them on ice requires a special rig of landing gear, as Vermont soldiers discovered.
VT Headlines: State bill could ban Catholics’ sealed confessions
State legislation could strip Catholic churches’ right to protect members’ sealed confessions.
BREAKING NEWS: Private school tuition House vote postponed until Wednesday, sources say
Do House leaders have enough votes to pass a bill restricting public tuition to private schools? And are they worried about the overburdened camel’s bite?
VT Headlines: Maple Weekend in Vermont
Sugar houses open doors for maple weekend in Vermont.
Mandatory paid family, medical, and safety leave bill gets prelim OK in House
In its first year, the paid family medical and safety leave ‘contribution’ would be .55% of earnings. Every year, it would be adjusted to cover all of the likely claims.
Alliance Defending Freedom fights Virginia transgender sports ruling
When males are allowed to compete in women’s sports, they routinely displace women and girls, robbing them of their constitutionally protected right to equal opportunity and victories they’ve worked so hard for.
Drug suspect dies in police custody
A man arrested on drug charges died in Bennington police custody yesterday afternoon. Also, police report several other deaths and death-related incidents this week.
Vermont needs to trust the voters to choose their sheriffs
You can kill a mosquito with a sledge hammer. But should you?
Kauffman: Sen. Lyons, show us the data for your ‘data-informed’ transgender decisions
Both youth patients and their parents are reporting the lack of informed consent in growing testimonies and lawsuits against “gender-affirming” health care.
Sanders: Silicon Valley bank president shouldn’t continue to serve on Federal Reserve Board
It would come as a shock to most Americans to find out that Gregory Becker, the CEO of Silicon Valley Bank, was a director of the same body in charge of regulating his bank: the San Francisco Federal Reserve.
Roper: Lawmaker tells ANR Secretary to ‘lighten up’ on informing citizens about cost of S.5
Somebody needed to do this because nobody else dared. So thank you, Julie Moore!
Majority of terrorist suspects now crossing Northern Border
A Montana lawmaker says that with the Border Patrol overwhelmed on the southern border, terrorists and cartels are focusing on the less-defending northern border.
Evslin: Legislators squandering money
The pandemic is over. Unemployment is near an all-time low. The federal funding ends March 31.
Senate expands cancer coverage for firefighters
Workers comp will cover firefighters for on-duty related forms of cancer under a bill that passed the Senate.
Gone fishin’, back April 3
We’re going fishin’. But you will still be able to read new news and commentary in the Chronicle next week.
Downtown development grants announced
$200K to convert a former high school into a multi-purpose community center, etc..
Thurston: Solar power most expensive carbon reducer
The truth is solar is very expensive. You must pay for it three times over.
Peaceful sidewalk prayer and presence doubles abortion no-show rate, Planned Parenthood admits
In California, the peaceful prayer presence on the sidewalk has resulted in a doubling of no-shows for scheduled abortion appointments, a Planned Parenthood executive fumes.
Pension fund divestment bill rejected by investment board
Climate-minded senators want to expel fossil fuel stocks from the pension fund portfolio. The state’s fund investors say it’s a bad idea.











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