News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
New Hampshire eliminated annual passenger vehicle inspections last year. Beginning in February 2026, they are no longer mandatory. The journey from there to here is well documented on our pages, including the lawsuits, caterwauling, and fearmongering. The problem was the paradigm. People just assumed that the state’s interest in making you pay for an inspection … Read more
Senator Bernie Sanders says America has a student debt crisis. He’s right about that. Forty-three million Americans owe student loans. About 76,000 Vermonters have them. Many borrowers are struggling, and some face higher monthly payments starting tomorrow, July 1, as changes to federal repayment programs take effect. Sanders recently held a Senate roundtable featuring borrowers … Read more
This week, on Right Side Up, Alison and Mike discuss some of the upcoming America 250 July 4 events, a pending Act 73 lawsuit, and the state of the economy. Watch on the ‘Grok Rumble Channel if the Embedded Video does not load. Authors’ and Speakers’ opinions are their own and may not represent those … Read more
Mid Vermont Christian School in Quechee has asked a federal appeals court to overturn Vermont’s Act 73 exclusion of religious schools from the state’s tuition and other public education benefit programs, arguing the policy violates the First Amendment, according to a statement by Alliance Defending Freedom. Attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom filed an opening brief … Read more
Four Washington County legislators are being taken to task on the Rural Vermont Rising Facebook group for what a poster says is their negative characterization of the grassroots organization’s successful efforts this year to repeal Act 181 and promote legislation protecting property rights. The criticism follows a post-session legislative forum on Wednesday, June 24, in … Read more
The former treasurer of the Board of Directors of EcoHealth Alliance, the now-defunct research group associated with coronavirus research in Wuhan, China, is a Vermont veterinarian. EcoHealth Alliance re-emerged into the COVID-19 media coverage this weekend after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released documents that revealed U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases chief Anthony Fauci’s … Read more
With Vermont’s annual budget shrinking like CNN’s viewership, the native population is fleeing the state for more affordable regions like the Carolinas or Sudan. The subsequent drop in tax revenue has many in Montpelier racing to figure out how to shore up the shortfall. The avant-garde senator from Windsor County, Becca White (Windsor D-3), who came out as the … Read more
This week, on Right Side Up, Alison and Mike talk about the challenges for dairy farmers in VT. We also discuss some of the Governor’s vetoes. Watch on the ‘Grok Rumble Channel if the Embedded Video does not load Authors’ and Speakers’ opinions are their own and may not represent those of Grok Media, LLC, GraniteGrok.com, … Read more
This week on Right Side Up, Alison and Mike discuss climate science, climate-related legislation, and the adverse effects on the economy. We also talk about a second scientific revolution and an article by Jay Bhattacharya. Watch on the ‘Grok Rumble Channel if the Embedded Video does not load. Authors’ and Speakers’ opinions are their own … Read more
Rural Vermont Rising clearly has the Left spooked. Rightly so. Any organization that goes from zero to nearly 16,000 followers in a matter of a few months and is organizing itself with town-based chapters aimed at rolling back big chunks of the Democratic Socialist (or progressive, or “woke,” or whatever you want to call it) … Read more
Artificial intelligence has arrived in Vermont politics, and whether you laughed at the latest video or found it offensive, it raises questions that aren’t going away. An AI-generated cartoon making fun of Congresswoman Becca Balint is making the rounds online. In the video, an artificial version of Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vermont) says things she never actually said, … Read more
Since 1991, Vermont’s only member of the US House of Representatives has been either a socialist who couldn’t run as one (until now) or a Democrat (same difference). It has one district, the entire State of Vermont. You can’t gerrymander that. And despite its open borders and sanctuary city-like leanings, the state is still 93% … Read more
This week, on Right Side Up, Alison and Mike discuss the Independent school option and “Who owns the Land in Vermont?” Watch on the ‘Grok Rumble ‘ channel if the embedded video does not load. Authors’ and Speakers’ opinions are their own and may not represent those of Grok Media, LLC, GraniteGrok.com, its sponsors, readers, … Read more
In the wake of Act 73/H.955 education “reform” and the emphasis on consolidation, there has been considerable worry in rural Vermont about what this means for their small, local schools. For many, it will mean closure. A recent op-ed by Nina Antin notes, “When Sen. Ruth Hardy, D-Addison, presented H.955 on the Vermont Senate floor, … Read more
Both Vermont’s Senate President Pro-Tem Philip Baruth (D/P-Chittenden) and Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski (D-Burlington), the top leaders in the state legislature, announced that they will be retiring after sixteen and fourteen years, respectively. And, not to put too fine a point on it, they, and more importantly the entire clown car they’ve been … Read more
The new highly anticipated education reform bill H. 955 is now at the governor’s desk to be signed or vetoed. On Friday the bill passed out of the House chamber via a 125-10 affirmative vote. Highlights include a foundation funding formula that targets reducing the cost per student by about half the current price. One … Read more
This week, on Right Side Up, Mike and Alison discuss the Governor’s veto of H.727, free markets, and a few other bills that passed at the end of the session. Watch on the ‘Grok Rumble Channel if the embedded video does not load. Authors’ and Speakers’ opinions are their own and may not represent those … Read more
A South Burlington woman has been charged following an investigation into her conduct during a March 11 law-enforcement operation and protest on Dorset Street, according to the Vermont State Police. Police said Connie Anania, 53, of South Burlington, was cited Thursday, May 28, on charges of simple assault, disorderly conduct and grossly negligent operation of … Read more
One of Vermont’s beloved local daily newspapers will soon be only offering print newspapers three days per week. The Newport Daily Express, serving Orleans County and the surrounding towns, has announced a series of changes to its news service with the expressed goal of better serving its readers. The changes include a new three editions … Read more
I just read, I think, the most important op-ed to appear anywhere in Vermont this year. It is by Shawn Tester, CEO of Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital, and it is about school choice. Why is a healthcare guy writing about the importance of school choice? Because access to school choice and a variety of independent … Read more