Despite higher-than-college per-pupil costs, only 40% of VT public school students meet grade level standards, and discipline and school safety are problematic.
Eshelman: Real per-pupil spending in school district almost $27K – more than Castleton college tuition, room & board
Affordable Heating Act scheduled for committee vote this week
Critics of the so-called Affordable Heating Act will testify before a likely committee vote later this week.
Deadly Ice
Stay off the ice, police and Fish & Wildlife authorities urge, following the deaths of three ice fishermen off the eastern shore of Grand Isle County last week.
First ordained black minister in USA pastored in Rutland
While a soldier during the American Revolution, Haynes wrote extensively, criticizing the slave trade and slavery. He continued these activities after the war, and also began to prepare sermons, family prayers and other theological works.
Abortion shield bill passes without conscience protections
In a speech on the floor of the House, a Northfield lawmaker decries the abortion shield bill’s lack of conscience protections for health professionals.
Reader: “I recommend the VDC to all my like-minded friends, and some who are not”
“The heads up you provide regarding proposed legislation is a launching pad for my efforts to write to [legislators] either in opposition or approval,” a Windsor reader writes.
Library closings, mental illness crisis, shooting threats in VT school news
A terrifying hoax about active shooters in 21 schools was among several highly concerning Vermont school headlines last week.
Bufka: S.5 shoddy workmanship, more stick than carrot
If the people building the more stick-than-carrot Affordable Heating Act were building a house, I would go nowhere near it.
Citizens push back against teacher takeover of public school curriculum, infringement on gun rights
A farmer from the islands and a retired doctor in Derby show how citizen advocacy is done.
Air force jets shooting down unspecified ‘objects’ in northern skies
U.S. Air Force jets are shooting down one ‘object’ after another in skies over Alaska and northern Michigan. What’s going on here?
Burlington seeks state OK for warming buildings with woodchip plant ‘waste heat’
The Vermont Climate Council is frowning on burning ‘biomass’ – what will this mean for Burlington’s plan to heat UVM, the hospital and other buildings with waste heat from McNeil?
Roper: Partisan legislators are going after the wrong schools
“Public schools are in a crisis,” school superintendent Libby Bonesteel said. “Every school system has students who are explosive in ways that we have never seen before…. Teachers are quite literally scared, and administrators are at a loss. People are getting hurt, and rooms are getting trashed.”
UPDATE: third fisherman dies off shore of Grand Isle County
A third fisherman this week has died after going through the ice off the shores of Grand Isle County.
Bananas: Will my heart make it to Valentine’s Day?
Even the hour I gained last month is one hour closer to imminent death thanks to the inherent risks associated with daylight savings time.
Another year-round Legislature study bill introduced
Now the House also has a bill to study whether the Legislature should meet year-round.
Anti-religious school tuition bill could stop ed funding to secular, private schools
Secular private schools now receiving public tuition could suffer financial harm under a bill meant to stop tuition to religious schools.
State’s top cop denies slow movement on trooper investigation
The school shooting hoax has occupied much of Jen Morrison’s attention this week, but she says she’s not dragging her feet on the investigation into allegations of racist, sexist comments made by off-duty state troopers.
CDC adds Covid-19 to routine vax schedule for adults, kids
Now that the CDC has added a Covid-19 vax to the ‘routine vaccination’ schedule, will it be required for students?
Roper: Abenaki testimony shows farce of GWSA ‘social justice’
An Abenaki activist asks senators where the social justice and equity went when S5, the not Affordable Heating Act, was drafted.
Fernandez: from the Dog River to the Euphrates
Prophesied long ago…….
Fisherman dies after rescue from fall through ice
A fisherman has died after his Thursday fall through the ice on Lake Champlain, police say.
The Irasburg Affair
The Irasburg Affair was a much discussed – and disputed – collision of an emerging Black America with small-town, overwhelmingly white Vermont.
Why Vermont court protected school district after vaccinating 6-year-old against parents’ wishes
People were shocked when a court refused to hold Brattleboro schools liable for vaccinating a child without parental consent.
William Matthews: ‘the Jackie Robinson of his age’
On July 4, 1905, William Matthews started at second base for the Burlington Baseball Team of the Northern League – at the time the only black professional baseball player. He was later known as “the Jackie Robinson of his age.”
Winooski landlords, tenants butt heads over ‘just cause’ eviction charter change
No-one enjoys the eviction process. Winooski landlords say a pending charter change will just make it worse.
Supreme Court work-around on religious school tuition introduced in Senate
A bill introduced into the Vermont Senate appears to exclude religious schools as eligible for public school tuition – without actually saying so.
Church pushes back against political speech bill, organizes e-mail campaign
More than 400 emails opposing H113 have already been sent to lawmakers.
Investigation continues into terrifying school shooting hoax
The fake calls about school shootings began at 8:40 AM yesterday and continued to come in for the next two hours. All told, 21 schools were threatened.
Biden SOTU speech bombs in ratings
Joe Biden’s State of the Union ratings bombed, although heckling by Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene was memorable.
Nonbinary at birth: parents may mark “X” on initial birth certificate
VTDigger reports that parents may now use X as a placeholder on their child’s initial birth certificate – no more binary requirement.
Senator explains why she doesn’t say the Pledge of Allegiance
For Sen. Becca White, not saying the Pledge of Allegiance “is a reflection on a religious belief, in the same way I’m sure many Christian Americans would struggle to say a pledge that said ‘Under Oden’ or ‘Under Zeus.'”
Vax freedom, fetal personhood bills introduced into House
Bills establishing vaccination freedom and fetal personhood were introduced Tuesday in the Vermont House of Representatives.
21 schools – and counting- hit by shooting hoax calls this morning
21 Vermont schools were hit this morning with ‘swatting’ calls falsely reporting shooting incidents.
Abortion/transgender shield bill headed to House floor
A controversial pro-LGBTQ bill has been approved by a House committee.
Beware blackouts on the road to electrification, environmentalist warns Senate chair
James Ehlers asks, “Why are Vermonters asking about grid reliability, Chair Bray?” – and then answers his own question in a letter to the Senate Natural Resources and Energy chair.
Roper: No such thing as a free lunch
If all of these suggested revenue sources sound familiar, it is because they are all being targeted by multiple programs that want funding.
Mermel: God bless Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Blunt in her assessment of Pres. Joe Biden, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivered what may have been the best response to a State of the Union ever given.
Burlington homeless pods ready for occupants
The Elmwood Ave. pods provide “rapid rehousing with all of the services required to move from homelessness to permanent supportive housing,” a city official says.
Freed slave graduated first in his class at UVM, first black Phi Beta Kappa
Freed during the Civil War and brought north by a Vermont infantry officer, George Washington Henderson had a distinguished career as a scholar, educator, and pastor.
State college to close library, go all-digital / Death by alcohol up 36%
Vermont’s drinking problem – already serious – has grown worse over the last five years.
Few states give paid leave for domestic or sexual violence. Vermont could become one of them
The paid family and medical leave bill also would give time off for sexual and domestic abuse victims.
McClaughry: Germany’s coming electricity shortfall
Vermont’s renewable power development was patterned after Germany’s – and now our European ally is looking at electricity shortages, after closing their nuclear power plants. Sound familiar?
Employees detail dangerous conditions at Newport prison
The letter by frontline staff, who are members of the Vermont State Employees’ Association, alerts corrections management to a “toxic environment for both incarcerated individuals and staff” at the Newport facility and identifies alarming and disturbing conditions on the ground.
“Big Joe” Burrell, iconic saxophone player
A life-size statue of Port Huron, Michigan native and sax player Big Joe Burrell graces the Church Street Marketplace.
Abortion/transgender shield bills get look in House, Senate committees this week
A bill that would restrict advertising by pregnancy counseling services is under discussion in a Senate committee this week.
Summer studded snow tire ban, universal free school meals, emergency veterinary bills intro’d into House
New bills continue to flood into the Vermont House of Representatives.
Vermont #2 in nation in rate of homelessness – what can be done?
It may seem oxymoronic. And heartless. Or both. But I believe it’s true: purportedly compassionate policies offering plentiful, free emergency housing both grow and maintain Vermont’s core population of ‘homeless.’
Sec-State: Void in Vermont’s democracy filled with disinformation
A new Education and Civic Engagement Coordinator position has been created because sometimes people don’t know how to vote, or they don’t know the candidates, or they don’t know whether their vote will make a difference.
Lawmakers question need for job subsidies
So – why are we spending state money on ‘job creation’ when we already don’t have enough workers?
Roper: Lawmakers’ appetite for state programs is way bigger than the state’s work force
Amid the worst worker shortage ever, the State of Vermont is emulating the states workers are leaving in droves.
Bill requires churches to certify no political activity
A southern Vermont lawmaker explains why she introduced a bill requiring churches to certify annually they did not lobby or engage in political activity.
Wilson: Organic farms want $$, have no plan to fix problems
Some regulation is needed to protect Vermonters and the environment – but right now, Act 250 hinders farm and forest operations, a Lyndon lawmaker on the House ag/foresty committee says.
Tarrant: Legislators pay costly game of ‘kick the can’
Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime, but helplessness is a learned behavior.
Legislature declines to save $7.5 million, continues free housing for able-bodied people without kids
The Legislature extended emergency housing services through June. It could have saved $7.5 million by declining them for able-bodied people without kids. It didn’t.
Report: Teacher, school board member resign over unsafe response to shooting threat by nine-year-old
The Woodstock Elementary School became unsafe when administrators failed to act promptly after a nine-year-old threatened to shoot another student, a teacher and school board member said.
Gas stove replacement in state buildings proposed
No new gas stoves (or space heaters or hot water heaters) in state buildings, a new Senate bill proposes.
Historic Burlington diner for sale
First the Oasis Diner went out of business, now Henry’s Diner is up for sale. Just one more sign of the Queen City Apocalypse.
‘Bonnie’ from alleged 2021 car heist busted for Northfield convenience store robbery
A Randolph woman with an arrest record involving drugs and a car heist has been arrested for a convenience story robbery.
Buffalo Soldiers U.S. Cavalry regiment stationed in Colchester 1909-1913
An all-black regiment of the U.S. Cavalry was stationed in Colchester from 1909-1913.
War vet from Jeffersonville arrested in Burlington shooting
A decorated Iraq War veteran who transitioned genders after returning from the war has been arrested for the latest Burlington shooting.
Brook: IMF says Ukraine conflict a ‘global war’
Governments use money as well as weapons to wage war.
Mermel: Affordable Heating Act – legal construction prioritized over unanswered questions
Senators seem more interested in building a legal argument against violating interstate commerce law than answering questions about cost and potential smuggling.
Organic farms closing – industry seeks $9 mil from state
Eleven organic dairy farms in Vermont closed in 2021. The next year, 18 more followed. And this year the industry expects to lose another 28 farms.
My talking head debut / roadkill app / pesticide-ridden pot
So THAT’S what it’s like doing one of those TV news shows…..
Ehlers: Bright, green lies coming out of Montpelier
Vermont environmentalists opposed to intensified wind and solar development are fighting what Rachel Carlson called “the basic irresponsibility of an industrialized, technological society toward the natural world.”
Williston gun club says Senate bill makes communities less safe
Reducing the number of shooting ranges will limit access to classes and push recreational shooting into backyards, farm fields, and woodlots.
Senate takes aim at local gun clubs
“Shooting ranges will close if S.57 becomes law,” club president Bob Otty said.
Vermonters respond to the New Normal
Five very different types of responses to Election Day and its aftermath are on display in today’s Vermont Daily Chronicle.
Shield bill gives unspecified ‘adult person’ rights equal to parents, VFA tells House committee
The State of Vermont should follow international Standards of Care regarding gender dysphoria, a Vermont parents’ group told the House Judiciary Committee.
Flanders: don’t bow to the statue
Bend the knee, kiss the ring, bow to the statue or you won’t get the goodies.
Bananas: VT Legislators who ridicule conspiracy theorists now hold secret meetings
From the doorway of the House Ways and Means Committee room one lawmaker was overheard asking “are we setting aside money for new tinfoil hats for those nutty reporters outside” while giving the double-knuckle with a palm-press secret handshake shared between Progressive Freemasons.
Rowell: Lawmakers not solving Vermont’s real problems
If only…..
Vermonters face avalanche of new taxes
When Democrats won super-supermajorities in both chambers of the Vermont legislature in November’s election, they brought with them a host of legislative priorities that come with massive price tags for Vermont taxpayers.
Contaminated pot pulled from retail shops
The Cannabis Control Board has ordered fungi-filled product pulled from the shelves of five Vermont retail outlets.
Manchester, VT man arrested for Jan. 6 assault on cops
A Manchester man became the second Vermonter arrested for the January 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol
Bean: Enough with the armchair QBs, get in the game!
A young GOP candidate asks bitter critics of the Democratic win in November: did you volunteer for a Republican? Did you vote?
Trappers, Fish & Wildlife evaluate best practices
A trapping leader describes, in detail, how trappers and state wildlife officials cooperated on assessing best practices and equipment.
Whitworth: Vermont and the Sixth Great Extinction
Every current and planned Vermont wind turbine development is in forestland that our Agency of Natural Resources has designated “highest priority.”
Gassett: Town Meeting bill oppresses freedoms of Vermont citizens
The directives in this newly passed Bill H42 will oppress citizen involvement in local government.
Bennett: Sixteen below zero in the Rutland Cedar Swamp
The Scoutmaster said a night there in pup tents would make the boys “rugged.”
Children from Harlem visit Vermont in 1946, in forerunner of ‘Fresh Air Kids’ program
A Scottish-born pastor brought hundreds of Black children from Harlem to visit Vermont in 1946 with the help of legendary civil rights leader Adam Clayton Powell.
Wind chill as low as 45 below expected
Wind chill values could reach as low as 30 to 45 degrees (F) below zero tonight through Saturday.
Scott: State doesn’t require recipients to address root causes of homelessness
The State of Vermont offers homeless people help with the root cause of what put them on the street, but doesn’t require they accept the help in order to receive ongoing services.
Senate targets pregnancy centers
A majority of state senators have co-sponsored a bill targeting pro-life counseling service advertising as ‘deceptive’ and subject to government action.
Investigation continues into death after adults’ brawl at school basketball game
60-year-old Russell Giroux was driving home from the fight at the Alburgh Community Center when he stopped his car and called first responders, police say.
Term limits resolution introduced into House
Congress seems unwilling to impose term limits on itself. So a growing number of Vermonters are joining with citizens across America to call a Convention of States.
Sheriff, states attorneys face backlash
In today’s VT news headlines – A newly elected sheriff, a newly appointed state’s attorney, and another state’s attorney all face public criticism from other members of the criminal justice system.
Mermel: Fatal flaws appear in Clean Heat Standard
Since the state currently cannot stop the smuggling of fentanyl, it is unlikely it can stop fuel.
Video: Daisy Turner tells father’s first-hand account of the day Lincoln was shot
At age 100, Daisy Turner of Grafton – daughter of freed slaves, gifted raconteuse – told her family stories to folklorist Jane Beck.
Police seek Bennington fraud suspect
NBC 5 reports that state officials are striking back against Vermont’s growing mental health crisis.
S.39
A bill co-sponsored by two Vermont Senate chairs would make lawmakers eligible for the state employee health benefit plan ‘at no cost.’
Man dies after fight at school basketball game
A large fight between spectators of an Alburgh-St. Albans boys middle school game led to the death of one participant.
Illegal immigrant health insurance bill introduced into Senate
State law already provides health insurance for illegal immigrant children. A bill in the Senate would extend Medicaid coverage to all regardless of age and immigration status.
Burlington mayor stops special-duty policing at condos
“Of much greater concern is that any neighborhood in the City feels that they need to pay out of pocket for basic public safety services,” Weinberger said.
Updated: Man charged with Unlawful Fornication
Crimes of Unlawful Fornication and Lewd and Lascivious with a Child in Southern Vermont.
McClaughry: Facial recognition threat to privacy rights
Facial recognition data in government hands could lead to a staggering invasion of individuals’ most basic privacy rights.
Letters: Public school trends unacceptable
A young Milton man decides to run for his local school board, amid concerns about educators – not parents or school boards – deciding what shall be taught.
Roper: $383 million childcare proposal not ‘for the kids’
Finding ways to help more parents stay home to raise their own children is both better for the children and potentially less costly for the taxpayers. But it doesn’t create a long-term taxpayer funded voting block of unionized preschool teachers.
McClaughry: Seven top legislative issues of 2023
Shamelessly renamed ‘the Affordable Heating Act,” S5 will create a carbon tax and state bureaucracy to subsidize heat pumps and weatherization.
Committees to review shields for gender ID/racism teachers, abortion/transgender providers; free health insurance for legislators; paid family leave; gun control; Affordable Heat Act
Committees this week will review bills with added legal protections for abortion and transgender service providers and ‘academic freedom’ to teach gender ID and systemic racism in public schools.
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