News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
Guy Page 
Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas says her office is moving to close a regulatory gap that has limited law enforcement’s ability to address suspected human trafficking at massage parlors across the state. Speaking with VDC in an impromptu interview in Montpelier on Tuesday, Dec. 23, Copeland Hanzas said authorities have raised concerns about … Read more
A provocative proposal out of Washington recently — one that sounds like it belongs in a history book, or maybe a pirate movie—but it’s very real. U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah has introduced legislation that would revive a long-dormant constitutional power: letters of marque and reprisal. In plain terms, the bill would allow the President of … Read more
Just days after a popular Burlington coffee shop announced it would close amid a strike and challenging financial and social conditions in downtown Burlington, a Barre restaurant is sounding the alarm about overtaxation. Barre restaurant owner Diane Duquet Hood says she plans to take her concerns about rising property taxes directly to local lawmakers after … Read more
A Canadian truck driver convicted in connection with a 2023 fatal crash in Moretown remains jailed in Vermont, according to state records. Satnam Singh, 26, formerly of Brampton, Ontario, is serving a 2–3 year sentence imposed in April 2024 for grossly negligent operation resulting in a death. His minimum release date is listed as February 18, 2027. The crash … Read more
Many Chronicle readers have taken umbrage at John Bossange’s recitation of alleged statements uttered by President Donald Trump that – Bossange and the original journalists say – demonstrate our Chief Executive is a racist, sexist, bigot. They wonder why VDC even published it. I published Bossange’s commentary because 1) VDC is a free speech forum, not a conservative echo … Read more
Let’s talk about Senator Bernie Sanders, artificial intelligence, and—of course—blaming Donald Trump for America’s rising electricity rates. After spending his political career saying NO to large baseload power producers, Bernie Sanders now says there’s “not enough electricity to go around.” And—big surprise—he’s pointing the finger at the billionaires again. In a letter dated November 10, … Read more
The leader of a cult whose members shot and killed U.S. Border Patrol Agent David ‘Chris’ Maland on January 21, accused the U.S. government of ‘trans genocide’ during a federal court appearance Monday, reporter Andy Ngo wrote November 24 in his ‘Ngo Comment’ blog. Jack “Ziz” LaSota, the self-described leader of the fringe “Zizian” group … Read more
The operator of a Swanton convenience store, an Indian national, was detained by Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities earlier this month for illegal entry and due to alleged crimes committed in India, an ICE spokesperson told VDC this morning. Premkumar Pankajkumar Patel – known to Grand Avenue Quick Stop patrons as Pete – is … Read more
The City of Burlington will go slow on a plan to increase the property tax exemption and shift the burden to higher-value properties. The City Charter Change Committee had planned to move forward Monday night with discussions on a new homestead property value exemption of up to the first $50,000 of real estate value. The exemption – … Read more
As the federal government shutdown threatens to halt food benefits next week, Governor Phil Scott said Monday that Vermont is prepared to join other states in suing the federal government if Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments stop after November 1. In a separate action, Vermont House of Representatives’ leaders said they will seek to … Read more
Seth Fewer and Javion Kastner are freshmen at Spaulding High School in Barre. Last night, they attended the Americans for Prosperity legislative forum in Barre, where they told VDC about their plans to start Vermont’s (for now) only high school Turning Point USA club. Since June, Seth – a big Charlie Kirk fan who, like … Read more
As noted by Behind the Lines columnist Rob Roper (“Roper: More climate propaganda and left-wing bias from VT Digger“) and FYIVT researcher Dave Soulia (“Dark Money in Vermont: It’s Not Coming From AFP“) there has been widespread protest from many politicians and non-profit organizations about the decision by Americans for Prosperity to support efforts to reduce taxation and … Read more
HHS wants states to remove all references to “gender ideology” from federally funded Education Program materials
Vermont’s Attorney General Charity Clark took pains to say she ‘plays no role in immigration enforcement’ in an August 28 statement that decries the Trump administration’s immigration policies and outlines what she says are constitutional rights ‘regardless of a person’s citizenship or immigration status.’ The State of Vermont was declared a sanctuary state earlier this month by … Read more
Gov. Phil Scott today vowed to veto S.131, Burlington’s ban on firearms and a bill that would establish permanent funding and government programs for services to unhoused Vermonters. Neither bill has cleared the Legislature yet. At his weekly press conference at the Vermont State House, Scott said Burlington’s charter change banning carrying guns in bars lacks … Read more
Federal officials are reevaluating the security risks posed by Chinese-manufactured components found in solar power equipment after discovering undocumented communication devices capable of compromising the U.S. energy infrastructure, according to a new report from Reuters. The devices are installed inside Chinese-made inverters, which convert solar energy into electricity. They transform the DC current that the panels … Read more
Chris Goodwin, coach of the Mid-Vermont Christian School girls basketball team, tells podcaster and former Olympic swimmer Riley Gaines that his private Christian school team is under a permanent ban from participating in Vermont school athletics, because the school forfeited a 2023 tournament game against an opposing team that included a biological male. The school … Read more
The U.S. Border Patrol conducted a raid yesterday evening, Monday, April 21, at Pleasant Valley Farms in Berkshire, the largest dairy farm in Vermont. Operating since 1986, Pleasant Valley milks over 3,000 cows across 10,000 acres. The farm is owned and operated by Mark and Amanda St. Pierre, with their sons Bradley and Jamie St. … Read more
Two days after transgender activists disrupted a peaceful, educational National Detransitioning Awareness Day event at the Vermont State House, and one day after the Senate and House (Democrat) Majority Leaders blamed the Vermont Family Alliance event organizers for their “attack” on trans rights, the VFA is demanding an apology. VDC’s video footage of biological males dressed … Read more
What do the impending, across-the-board Trump administration and Congressional cuts to federal education, energy, and human services mean to Vermont? Ask this question to legislators and advocates in the State House and the response is like a Greek chorus chanting, ‘We don’t know, we don’t know, we don’t know.’ (Whether the play is a comedy … Read more