By Guy Page

The home-ownership news about Vermont isn’t all bad.

Vermont had the highest share of equity-rich homeowners in the nation during the first quarter of 2026, according to a new report from ATTOM Data Solutions.

The report found that 85.7% of mortgaged residential properties in Vermont were considered “equity-rich,” meaning homeowners owed more than half of the property’s estimated market value. That was well ahead of second-place New Hampshire at 58.1%.

Nationwide, 43.3% of mortgaged homes were classified as equity-rich, down from 44.6% in the previous quarter as higher mortgage rates and cooling home prices slowed equity growth.

ATTOM said Vermont’s ranking highlights the state’s strong housing market and relatively low levels of mortgage debt compared to home values.

The results may also be a positive side-effect of Vermont’s slow business growth (fewer people moving into the state and buying new mortgages) and aging demographics (older people tend to have high equity). 

This story, and the stories below, are the subject of WDEV’s Hot Off The Press today at 11:05 AM. Call in 802-244-1777. Live and podcast episodes are available on wdevradio.com.

Homeschoolers dodge proposed state oversight

As reported in Vermont Daily Chronicle Saturday, the Vermont Senate rejected a proposal that would have created unnecessary and burdensome oversight of homeschooling families. The amendment to HB 930, proposed by Sen. Martine Gulick of Burlington (D-Chittenden Central), a Burlington resident and longtime educator, would have required additional reporting and information-sharing among school districts, the Agency of Education, and the Department for Children and Families whenever families withdrew students to pursue home study programs.

Americans for Prosperity Deputy Northeast Region Director Rachel Burgin said of the failed amendment: 

“Rather than empowering families and protecting educational flexibility, this amendment would have created new ways for the government to place obstacles in front of parents seeking independent, student-centered learning options. Vermont has a long track record of successful homeschooling—any policy changes should build on that success, not undermine it with unnecessary bureaucracy.

“AFP applauds the Vermont Legislature for rejecting this amendment and protecting the right of every child to access an education that fits their unique needs, with parents remaining at the center of those decisions.”

Anti-semitic government sanctions north of the border – could it happen here?

Members of the Canadian House of Commons (their Congress) are accusing their federal government of unfairly targeting Jewish charities after the revocation of charitable status for several nonprofits, including one that has operated for more than 50 years.

This matters in Vermont because: 

1) national policy initiatives in Canada inevitably rear their heads in the U.S. as well

2) An anti-Israel Boycott, Divest and Sanction ballot referendum has been tried several times in recent years in Burlington, narrowly failing – so far. 

3) As reported by VDC on April 30, Vermonters with any Canadian ancestry are regarded as Canadian citizens, under a 2025 Canadian law. 

Several members have created a Canadians-only petition of protest, backed by Canadian Women Against Antisemitism (CWAA), saying the Canada Revenue Agency revoked the Canadian Zionist Cultural Association (CZCA)’s charitable status without offering what it described as the “standard opportunity for administrative correction” typically extended to charities facing compliance issues.

The group said the decision comes amid rising antisemitism and anti-Zionist hostility in Canada, where Jewish institutions have reported increased threats, vandalism, and harassment since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.

CWAA also alleged a broader pattern of selective enforcement involving other Jewish and Zionist-linked charities, including JNF Canada, the Ne’eman Foundation, CCP, Masorti Judaism, Herut Canada, Mazel Charity Fund, and The Emunim Fund. No such enforcements are in place against pro-Palestinian groups, including those with ties to terror organizations, the CWAA asserts.

According to the statement, the loss of charitable status could reduce support for vulnerable families who rely on services such as grocery vouchers, scholarships, and bereavement assistance.

The organization is calling on the Government of Canada to review the CRA’s actions “to ensure the decision was not influenced by systemic bias or political pressure.”

A government sanction you WON’T be seeing here in Vermont anytime soon – Florida has passed a law pressuring teachers’ unions.

The now firmly-Red state requires a majority of members to be present for teachers’ union certification or recertification votes, increase fines for illegal strikes, and establish merit-based pay for educators.

The Epoch Times reports that in Idaho after July 1, teachers unions will be prohibited from collecting dues directly from members’ paychecks, using paid time off for union activities, or recruiting new members during school hours. A similar law in Arizona, which also bans teacher strikes and prohibits organized labor members from using any school property—even email addresses—for union activities, will be decided on by voters in the November election.

Sunday New York Times is his go-to news source – Kevin Ellis, pro-Democrat columnist and occasional guest on Hot Off The Press, in his Conflict of Interest column today gives Vermont conservatives a window into the newsgathering that informs his worldview. 

The East Montpelier resident recalls that “the paper lived on our magazine table all day every day in New Jersey growing up, my mother having fetched it from the end of the driveway. The only place in my town that still sells the print edition every day is the local food coop. This requires a car ride of a few miles. Worth it.”

Actually, Kevin, you can also buy the Sunday New York Times and Boston Globe at the Kinney’s in Berlin.