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ROPER: The Real Story About Vermont Election Security

That WCAX Misses or Chooses to Ignore Last week, WCAX’s Calvin Cutler interviewed me for a story he was doing about state senate Democrats putting in a bill to enshrine the federal Voting Rights Act into state law as a hedge against the Trump Administration’s desire to restrict mail-in voting and to ensure only citizens … Read more

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PAGE: Somali Cabbie Sentenced in 2019 for Immigration Fraud, Detained by ICE

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

Ben Franklin US Currency

ROPER: Right Diagnosis, (Mostly) Wrong Solution

The Vermont Futures Project, a project of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, made a big splash last week by declaring our state ranks last for economic momentum. Smack! In a January 7th op-ed, they write: The Vermont Futures Project’s Competitiveness Dashboard shows Vermont trailing most states in economic outlook, cost competitiveness, and regulatory efficiency. Vermont … Read more

Right Side Up Splash with Mike T

Right Side Up: Gun Control, Mental Health, and Crime

This week, on Right Side Up, when gun control legislation, mental health, crime, and victim rights collide, and more about costly climate policy. Check out Other Episodes and Podcasts here! Check Out The Morning Update Here! – Also available on Rumble, Instagram/Reels, and Steve’s Substack. Follow ‘Grok on X – Rumble – Facebook – YouTube … Read more

Taxes crushing vermont original Photo by Chris Andrawes on Unsplash

ROPER: Freeze Taxes? Cap Spending? How ‘Bout Both!

As the legislature returned to Montpelier for the 2026 session, Representative Gina Galfetti (R-Barre) announced her proposal for a bill that would freeze property tax rates for the next three years. We like this! It is a necessary response to the 14 percent statewide increase in 2024 – an insane 40 percent increase over the … Read more

Gina Galfetti

PAGE: Lawmaker Who Visited Israel Fears for Her Safety

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

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MACDONALD: Burlington Still Trying to Ban Guns In Bars

For years, the City of Burlington has pursued its ‘salesman’s foot in the door’ strategy to begin broader gun bans in the city. Gun-banning Bolsheviks will try anything to get that ball rolling. Get one local, isolated ban, and then work on it until you have made it almost impossible to exercise your right to … Read more

Right Side Up Splash with Mike T

Right Side Up: Tax Freeze!

This week, on Right Side Up, we discuss tax freeze legislation, more drug-related arrests, and socialist policies. And the “head of the snake” was arrested.” We’ve got loads of podcasts – Check them all out here! Check Out The Morning Update Here! Also available on Rumble, Instagram/Reels, and Steve’s Substack. Follow ‘Grok on X – … Read more

Right Side Up Splash with Mike T

Right Side Up: Crime, Drugs, and Embezzlement

This week, on Right Side Up, we discuss more dissatisfaction with crime and drugs, $800,000 for the GWSA project, and embezzlement at a local nonprofit. Speakers’ opinions are their own and may not represent those of Grok Media, LLC, GraniteGrok.com, its sponsors, readers, authors, or advertisers. Got Something to Say, We Want to Hear It. … Read more

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PAGE: Director of State-Funded Non-Profit Busted for Embezzlement

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

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PAGE: Vermont Targets Human Trafficking at Massage Parlors

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

John Klar at Liberty Food Fest 2025John Klar at Liberty Food Fest 2025

KLAR: There Was an Old Lady….

I spoke at Vermont’s annual Liberty Food Fest on December 12 regarding the benefits of grass-fed over grain-fed beef. To spice it up a bit and keep my audience’s attention, I repurposed a nursery rhyme for the occasion. (I even sang it!) Here are the lyrics of my 2025 version of the classic children’s rhyme: … Read more

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ROPER: Climate Council Is Afraid

Last Monday’s Climate Council meeting featured a tense conversation about putting a price tag on what they call the number one “priority” recommendation in their updated Climate Action Plan. The project: a mandatory reporting system for carbon emissions from fuel suppliers and other significant emitters. The price tag, as requested by the Agency of Natural … Read more

VT fair share of taxes

ROPER: NO NEW TAXES!

Here’s a hard truth those on the Left will never acknowledge: Anyone who pays taxes in Vermont is already paying MORE than “their fair share.” We already pay the highest property taxes in the country. Is that fair? We have the third-highest state and local tax burden at 11.53 percent. Is that fair? Only eleven … Read more

Taxes crushing vermont original Photo by Chris Andrawes on Unsplash

PAGE: Ever-rising Taxes Endanger Downtown Restaurants

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

Right Side Up Splash with Mike T

Right Side Up: The Right to Self Defense

This week on Right Side Up, after the weekend chaos, the right to keep and bear arms, your natural right to self-defense, is more critical than ever – and gun-free zones are where killers go to find soft targets. Speakers’ opinions are their own and may not represent those of Grok Media, LLC, GraniteGrok.com, its … Read more

Zero seconds on the crosswalk

ROPER: Partisanship, Higher Taxes, and Zero Solutions

Last week, members of the Vermont House and Senate gathered for an all-day, pre-session briefing on the issues they will have to confront when they return for real in January. The agenda included presentations on another looming double-digit property tax increase, our collapsing healthcare system, infrastructure woes, and our generally moribund economy. Serious stuff. But … Read more

Right Side Up Splash with Mike T

Right Side Up: Public Safety

This week on Right Side Up, we discuss Act 180 of 2024 and its apparent adverse effects on public safety. And, is your firewood pile safe in Vermont?” Speakers’ opinions are their own and may not represent those of Grok Media, LLC, GraniteGrok.com, its sponsors, readers, authors, or advertisers. Got Something to Say, We Want … Read more

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