News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
Guy Page 
An anti-Israel group will rally the day after Town Meeting to celebrate what it hopes will be Town Meeting referendum victories. The referendum asks voters to approve several initiatives, including withdrawal of Vermont Air National Guard F-35’s from the strike force now aimed at further military action against Iran. The Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation … Read more
A Wells man has been arrested on child sexual abuse material charges as part of a multi-state investigation that began in New Hampshire, authorities said. According to a statement published on the Newport, New Hampshire Police Department Facebook page, investigators identified Alexander Henry of Wells as an additional suspect while examining suspected online sexual exploitation … Read more
A Vermont couple has regained their foster care license following a legal dispute with state officials over required LGBTQ-related training, according to a report by Fox News. Melinda Antonucci, 45, and her husband, Casey Mathieu, 43, reached a settlement with the Vermont Department for Children and Families after their foster care license was revoked amid disagreements … Read more
A proposed amendment to Act 73, Vermont’s sweeping education reform law, would create a single, unified statewide school district in which parents would allocate tuition dollars to any public school. The proposal was introduced by sponsor Steve Heffernan (R-Addison) on Wednesday afternoon in Senate Education. The amendment would move Vermont toward a Unified School System designed to … Read more
For better or worse, the Vermont Legislature has not yet passed any bills into law this year. The Senate last week passed two controversial anti-ICE bills. Both bills passed by a 27-2 roll call vote with only Sens. Russ Ingalls (R-Essex) and Terry Williams (R-Rutland) voting no. Both bills now move over to the Vermont … Read more
The leadership of the House Ways & Means Committee wants nothing to do with allowing Vermonters to access a One Big Beautiful Bill tax credit that would give them a dollar-for-dollar return on money contributed to private school scholarships. Ways and Means, the committee with oversight over all tax policy and legislation, on Wednesday discussed … Read more
Braving efforts by opponents to shut them down, two Spaulding High School students are moving forward with the first public meeting of a local high school–level affiliate of Turning Point USA, scheduled for Feb. 20 at the Canadian Club on Route 14 in Barre. The event is being organized by Spaulding students Seth Fewer and … Read more
At the January 28 Senate Finance Committee meeting, Sen. Martine Laroque Gulick (D-Chittenden Central) pushed back against the idea that Vermont’s property taxes are too high. “I would love to do a deeper dive when we say the Vermonters can’t afford their property taxes. I’d like to learn more about that,” Gulick, a Burlington resident and … Read more
The Williamstown selectboard wants voters to know the financial downside of the forensic audit of the town’s books to be voted on at Town Meeting. The ballot item was requested in the wake of the arrest of the town manager for embezzling $186,000 from the Tunbridge volunteer fire department. Jackie Higgins served as town manager … Read more
Lawyers with Vermont Law School’s Center for Justice Reform Clinic are representing a Burlington cab driver from Somalia who was sentenced for immigration fraud in 2019, but was arrested on New Year’s Day by immigration officials. Hussien Noor Hussien was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on January 1. He is incarcerated in the Northwest … Read more
By Guy Page and Bill Moore An anti-Israel coalition called on five Vermont legislators to resign during a press conference Tuesday at the Statehouse, alleging ethical concerns over their participation in a September 2025 trip to Israel. One of the five lawmakers says she fears for her safety following the action taken by the Vermont … Read more
Montpelier police have arrested a former executive director of the Central Vermont Economic Development Corporation following an investigation into the misuse of organizational funds. According to a press release issued Saturday, the Montpelier Police Department began investigating a report on July 19, alleging the misappropriation of company funds at CVEDC. The organization reported that its … Read more
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