Cognitive dissonance, anyone? Seven Days has one story about a proposed 100-bed shelter that can't find a location, and another about efforts to curb disruptive behavior at City Hall Park. What the hell are we doing?
John Walters
@thevpo.bsky.social
Blogger about Vermont politics, keeper of house rabbits, Detroit sports and #ncfc fan
A deep dive into the truly weird, pointless, and sometimes questionable campaign finances of Republican county committees. Some of 'em are bereft of funds, others are rollin' in it, most of the spending is irrelevant. No idea what it means, but it sure is interesting. thevpo.org/2026/09/10/a...
All the Weirdness with County Republican Committee Finances
(The above screenshot was taken on the evening of September 9. As of this writing, on the afternoon of September 10, you can still see this on the Bennington County Republicans’ homepage. Whi…
thevpo.org
When you visit the Bennington County Republicans' website, you see this cheery greeting on the homepage.
Former Scary Eagle Man still wants people to vote for him in the August 11 primary. [Checks calendar] It's September 8.
A new story on VTDigger shows that St. Johnsbury's public safety problems are the same as Burlington's. And many other communities around the state. So maybe the root of the problem is not "defund the police" or a certain county prosecutor? thevpo.org/2026/09/07/r...
Remember the Great Anti-Police Protests in St. Johnsbury? Yeah, Me Neither.
Ah yes, the golden days of the early ’20s, when hordes of left-wingers took over the streets of St. Johnsbury and the town’s progressive leadership responded by cutting the police depar…
thevpo.org
We Don't Want to Solve the Problem, We Just Want the Homeless to Disappear Quietly vtdigger.org/2026/09/05/h...
Hartford considers a stricter car camping ban - VTDigger
Some selectboard members worried it would create more hardship for people experiencing homelessness and criminalize them for being unhoused.
vtdigger.org
We Don't Want to Solve the Problem, We Just Want the Homeless to Disappear Quietly www.sevendaysvt.com/news/housing...
Nonprofit Pulls South Burlington Shelter Proposal | Seven Days
City officials argued that the proposal would bring disorder to the area while making it harder for guests to receive services.
sevendaysvt.com
The latest campaign finance filings show Lt. Gov. John Rodgers is far behind challenger Molly Gray in fundraising and cash on hand. The Barons of Burlington, who fueled Rodgers' 2024 victory, are almost entirely absent from Rodgers' donor list. thevpo.org/2026/09/04/t...
The Barons Seem Uninterested in Saving John Rodgers’ Bacon
The second most notable results from the September 1 campaign finance disclosures were about the race for lieutenant governor, and they once again show that incumbent Republican John Rodgers is in …
thevpo.org
A national journalism nonprofit has just acquired five Vermont weeklies. Based on track record, it's likely the first of many moves into our state. thevpo.org/2026/09/03/a...
A Potentially Seismic Development in the Vermont News Business
We may have just seen the first in a series of moves that could transform journalism in Vermont — for better or worse, but more likely the former. The five-newspaper Vermont Community News Group, a…
thevpo.org
The latest campaign finance reports show that Vermont Democrats are doing it again: They're failing to support their own gubernatorial nominee, and leaving the field wide open for another Phil Scott victory. thevpo.org/2026/09/02/v...
Vermont Democrats Offer Amanda Janoo a Hearty Backslap and… That’s About All
The latest round of campaign finance reports is in, and it looks like Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amanda Janoo is suffering the same fate as the other challengers to Gov. Phil Scott. SheR…
thevpo.org
Gerald Malloy's getting his money's worth, running an ad on August 31 urging people to vote in the August 11 primary.
CNN ranks our very own crime-ridden hellhole as one of America's top small cities. Huh. thevpo.org/2026/08/21/t...
The Greatest Little Hellhole on Earth
So, CNN just published a little exercise in clickbait under the try-hard title “We searched for America’s best towns to visit. Here are the top 10.” And as is often the case, our …
thevpo.org
The VTGOP has filled out its statewide ticket with people you've never heard of. Their level of nutbaggery is exactly what you'd expect. The lowlight: The Republican nominee for attorney general is a chemtrails truther. thevpo.org/2026/08/20/i...
Instant Statewide Ticket, Just Add Water
Stop the presses! Big news from the world of Vermont politics! The state Republican Party just filled out its statewide ticket with three people who… uhhhh… you’ve never heard of.…
thevpo.org
Gov. Phil Scott crossed a line when he urged Republican voters to try to disrupt Democratic primaries. Which he did, brazenly, in a Facebook video published five days before the primary. thevpo.org/2026/08/18/p...
Phil Scott Presses Thumb Firmly on the Partisan Scale
Here’s a screenshot from a recent hostage video political message posted on Gov. Phil Scott’s non-governmental Facebook account. And if there was any doubt about whether Scott is first …
thevpo.org
@thepressbox.bsky.social Nominating oneself for Strained Pun Headline is probably a 15-yard personal foul, but here goes anyway. My blogpost about progressive Democrat Amanda Janoo's upset win in the Vermont gubernatorial primary: thevpo.org/2026/08/12/i...
It’s a Janoo Day, Yes It Is
For those unfamiliar, this was The New Day, an uber-popular tag team in the WWE who began their entrance routine with the slogan “It’s a new day, yes it is.” I’m not suggest…
thevpo.org
Amanda Janoo can enter the general election with confidence in herself and her agenda. The Democrats need to enter the campaign with solid, open-wallet support for Janoo, starting with all their officeholders sitting on fat bank accounts. thevpo.org/2026/08/12/i...
It’s a Janoo Day, Yes It Is
For those unfamiliar, this was The New Day, an uber-popular tag team in the WWE who began their entrance routine with the slogan “It’s a new day, yes it is.” I’m not suggest…
thevpo.org
Calling it a night. Just about everything is settled except one Democratic Senate nom in Windsor (probably Elizabeth Burrows) and the Chittenden County State's Attorney primary (Sarah Fair George widening her lead over Bram Kranichfeld). All my notes in one place: thevpo.org/2026/08/11/p...
Primary Night Instant Reaction, To Be UPDATED Until All the Key Races are Settled
So it’s primary night in Vermont, and as the results come in, I’m here to read and react. Stay tuned! Maybe Planet Hank Isn’t a Genius After All. The first contested race to be ca…
thevpo.org
The AP calls the Democratic gubernatorial race for Amanda Janoo.
Per Secretary of State, only one of 6 Burlington precincts has been counted. Probably a positive for Sarah Fair George, whose lead over Bram Kranichfeld has grown slightly.
The Secretary of State's tally includes "Blank Votes," which the AP seemingly does not track. According to the SoS, 8.63% of votes in the Democratic gubernatorial primary were turned in blank. Yikes?
What the heck's going on with vote counting in Chittenden Southeast? Every other contested race seems to be at 80-99%, but CSE is at 46%.
Two longtime Democratic House members have been declared primary losers by the AP. Saying goodbye to Jim Masland and John Bartholomew? thevpo.org/2026/08/11/p...
Primary Night Instant Reaction, To Be UPDATED Until All the Key Races are Settled
So it’s primary night in Vermont, and as the results come in, I’m here to read and react. Stay tuned! Maybe Planet Hank Isn’t a Genius After All. The first contested race to be ca…
thevpo.org
I'm reacting to Vermont primary results on ye olde blogge. So far: big win for Scary Eagle Man and for Molly Gray, and Amanda Janoo holds a narrow but consistent lead in the gubernatorial primary. thevpo.org/2026/08/11/p...
Primary Night Instant Reaction, To Be UPDATED Until All the Key Races are Settled
So it’s primary night in Vermont, and as the results come in, I’m here to read and react. Stay tuned! Maybe Planet Hank Isn’t a Genius After All. The first contested race to be ca…
thevpo.org
In the category of "How Dumb Do You Think We Are?" we find the formerly respectable Burlington Free Press slapping the "EXCLUSIVE" label on a garden-variety election preview story. www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/p...
Coester, Malloy want to be VT's first Republican in Congress in decades | Exclusive
Defense contractor Gerald Malloy and logger Mark Coester are hoping to buck the 25-year-old trend this year.
burlingtonfreepress.com
Democratic donors have spent more than $2 million on primary battles that won't significantly help Vermont Dems win in November. Here's hoping there's money left after August 11. thevpo.org/2026/08/06/i...
I Hope the Democrats Have Money Left After the Primary
The good news, if you favor the Democrats, is that many of their candidates have been able to raise impressive amounts of money in advance of next week’s primary. The bad news: They’ve …
thevpo.org
Two years ago the Barons of Burlington jumpstarted the campaigns of several Republican candidates for state senate plus John Rodgers. This year they're putting big money behind three Senate incumbents and making no effort to expand the GOP caucus. thevpo.org/2026/08/05/t...
The Barons Have Lowered Their Sights for 2026
This is a screenshot from state Sen. Steven Heffernan’s latest campaign finance report. You may recognize the names; the first is actually Amy Tarrant of the Richard Tarrant Cinematic Univers…
thevpo.org
One of Gov. Phil Scott's signature information technology projects is in deep trouble. Way over budget, rife with unknown risks, entire project put on "pause" in April, path forward unclear. I guess this isn't news? thevpo.org/2026/08/04/e...
“Every Alarm Bell in My Body Is Ringing Right Now”
Something happened last Wednesday that should have been a big news story, but it wasn’t. I was out of town so it took me some time to catch up, but you know, I felt pretty secure in thinking …
thevpo.org
Oh look, war profiteering on a massive scale. Can we please get off fossil fuels? These people are evil. www.cnn.com/2026/07/31/b...
Exxon made $160 million per day last quarter as oil prices surged | CNN Business
ExxonMobil and Chevron, the two biggest US oil companies, reported gangbusters profits driven by the spike in global oil prices unleashed by the US-Iran war.
cnn.com
The Scott administration's unilateral move to post state troopers on the streets of Burlington — in the closing days of primary battles focused on public safety and justice reform —is pure, blatant politics. It's using VSP as a pawn in the governor's game. thevpo.org/2026/08/03/s...
Scott Admin Does Blatantly Political Thing and Accuses His Opponents of Playing Politics, Part Eleventy-Billion
If this wasn’t reported as an in-kind donation to the Bram Kranichfeld campaign, it’s only because the dollars-and-cents value was incalculable. Last week, out of nowhere, and without e…
thevpo.org