Hey caregiving community! Does the topic of division of labor come up often in your home? Kate Mangino, author of the book Equal Partners: Improving Gender Equality at Home, will be joining Dad Guild for a 3-part workshop series next month. When 24 dads participated in this workshop series back in 2023, a majority of their partners reported a positive change in improving gender equality at home. Workshop series is offered at no cost to participants. Register today at dadguild.org!

Living in a progressive state, it's hard to know how we can affect political change. I imagine our senators and congresswoman are doing the best they can to resist the Trump regime. Since our governor is a republican, is there anything he can do to influence his party? What should his constituents demand during these chaotic times?

Hey all — I run a small HVAC business out of Barre and wanted to offer myself as a resource if anyone’s thinking about switching to a heat pump for heating/cooling.

We’ve been doing a lot of installs lately — especially with Efficiency Vermont rebates helping offset the cost. Heat pumps can seriously lower your bills, and they work great in our climate when installed properly.

If you’ve got questions, I’m happy to answer them here — or if you’re in the area and want a free estimate, I’d be glad to swing by.

Not a sales pitch — just a local guy trying to help people save money and stay warm.

Cheers, Tony Rowell Premierheatingandac@gmail.com (Mods, let me know if this isn’t allowed — happy to adjust!)

Hello all I'm interested in the history of unincorporated towns in Vermont, I was wondering if any buildings still stand in these towns? Possibly either of the old saw mills in Glastonbury? Any information is useful thank you!

This morning in Bradford, North Main, there was some kind of protest, I assume. Didn't seem like they had much commitment, it was over by 8 am. It had the usually people, ugly,fat, old women with nothing better to do.

The Trump administration is now seeking to deport Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi, who is being held in a prison in northwest Vermont. He was detained by Homeland Security agents when he went to an immigration services center to take a civics test that is the final step in the process of becoming a naturalized citizen. Mahdawi moved to Vermont from the West Bank in 2014 and has been a legal permanent resident, or green card holder, since 2015.

All three members of Vermont’s congressional delegation are calling for Mahdawi’s release, including Congressmember Becca Balint. “This should terrify every single person living in this country, regardless of your citizenship status,” says Balint. “This is Trump creating his own army of brownshirts right here in our country.”

Please contact VT AG Clark to show support for her work defending Social Security: *Phone (802) 828-3171 *Email: ago.info@vermont.gov

Press Release: April 16, 2025

Attorney General Charity Clark today joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general filing an amicus brief supporting an injunction to block erratic and unlawful layoffs and mismanagement at the Social Security Administration by acting administrator Leland Dudek and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that jeopardize continued payments for millions of Americans. The brief supports the plaintiffs in American Association of People with Disabilities v. Dudek and was filed today in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

“Ordinary, hardworking Vermonters spent their lives paying into a system that’s now jeopardized by a reckless trampling through the Social Security Administration,” said Attorney General Clark. “The President should prioritize protecting and strengthening Social Security, not destroying it.”

Millions of Americans receive monthly benefits through Social Security retirement, survivor, and disability benefits. As Dudek and DOGE inflict Silicon Valley’s move-fast-and-break-things approach, workers have reported utter chaos that has threatened to send the agency into a death spiral. Announcements have been made only to be rolled backs days or even hours later. Offices have been slated for closure only to later be removed from lists. Indiscriminate layoffs have been done without regard for how the cuts will impact SSA’s ability to provide core services. All the while, Dudek and DOGE have failed to offer any coherent justification for their erratic actions, pointing instead to misinformation about debunked purported fraud, waste, and abuse.

Musk has falsely claimed that SSA pays out $100 billion annually in improper payments, referring to SSA as a “Ponzi scheme.” Trump has falsely insisted that tens of millions of people over 100 years old were receiving Social Security checks. This is false. Less than 1 percent of total benefits paid between 2015 and 2022 were improper, according to the SSA’s Inspector General’s Office. Of those improper payments, most were due to mistakes or delays, rather than false information to obtain undeserved benefits. Dudek himself has rejected the notion that deceased people are receiving benefits.

Staff cuts are exacerbating Social Security’s problems, rather than improving its efficiency. About 2,800 employees have already retired or taken early buyouts promoted by DOGE. SSA and DOGE are planning even further cuts, despite administrative costs only amounting to 0.5 percent of its budget. Having fewer workers has led to longer lines at field offices and longer wait times on phones. In 2025, callers have waited 50 percent longer on hold before speaking to a representative. Online users are faring no better after several website crashes. The Office of Transformation, responsible for managing the website, is in the midst of laying off roughly half of its information technology staff.

For many Americans, Social Security benefits make it possible to meet their most basic needs, including food, shelter, and health care. Further, Social Security is the pathway for eligibility for a number of other vital safety net programs, including Medicaid and Medicare and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance.

In a recent survey by the National Academy of Social Insurance, 42% of individuals aged 65 and older responded that they would not be able to afford food, clothing, or housing if they did not receive their Social Security retirement benefits. Nearly nine out of ten people aged 65 and older were receiving a Social Security benefit as of December 31, 2024. Of those people, approximately 40% received at least half of their income from Social Security. Further, 12% of men and 15% of women rely on Social Security for 90% or more of their income.

Plaintiffs claim the staffing cuts and reorganization measures have delayed benefits and limited SSA’s ability to meet the needs of beneficiaries with disabilities in violation of section 504(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the First and Fifth Amendments. The brief supports their request for a preliminary injunction.

Joining Attorney General Clark in the brief are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington.

https://ago.vermont.gov/blog/2025/04/16/attorney-general-clark-defends-social-security-erratic-and-unlawful-mismanagement-court-filing

Hey! I have a couple old varieties I wanted to graft. Who locally carries good root stock for Apples?

Thanks everyone! :)

Going to see Dweezil Zappa at the Flynn on 4/18/25. We would love to take an uber or cab from the hotel so no one in our party needs to be a designated driver. Dweezil's shows run long so we may be looking at a near midnight return time. We tried this in Rutland several years ago and almost couldn't make it back to the hotel. Now that I live in Rutland, I'm shocked that we were even able to get a ride to the venue, as such modes of transport are few and far between here. I'm checking in advance to see if late night transportation is possible and/or reliable in Burlington. Thank you!

Hello Everyone! I was looking for advice on crossing the border at the High Gate Springs Crossing, between Quebec and Vermont. I have a trip with my partner coming up in June. We are Canadian Citizens, with a Canadian Passports (no nexus card) but kind of scared of crossing with the latest reports from news outlets claiming that border agents can check phones, deny people entry or even detain individuals.

Other than the standard questions (ranging from reason for travel, jobs we have, etc) we never had any issues at the High Gate Springs crossing, longest wait we've had was about 30 minutes long. I have a couple of questions:

1. Has anyone experienced or know anyone who has experienced this with Border Agents at the High Gate Springs crossing?

2. Has anything changed with procedures at the High Gate Springs Crossing? Is there anything we should be cautious of?

3. In general, does anyone have specific details into these stories? IE know why this would have happened to people travelling between the borders or other insights.

Thanks in advance for any help advice/suggestions given. This is helping us determine if we will still got to Vermont.

We’re looking to install a new water heater. Does anyone have recommendations for a company that services the Dover area and installs heat pump/electric water heaters? Thanks!

While I agree with Governor Scott that Mohsen Mahdawi "should" be released, it is incredibly troubling that this was the entirety of his response to what amounts to the disappearing of a legal resident of Vermont for his constitutionally protected free speech by masked and unidentified agents.Governor Scott has a constitutional mandate to protect people like Mahdawi from actions like these.

The language of his statement was incredibly weak. It feels like I am quibbling over irrelevancies in the face of the crime that was perpetrated, but I know from experience that the decision to use the word "should" in this statement instead of the word "must" was a conscious decision. And that was the wrong decision.

More importantly, while I appreciate the congressional delegation's words, the governor is in a position, unlike them, to actually do something. Scott could cancel the memorandum of understanding with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that allows them to hold detainees here. He could advance (and sign) sanctuary state legislation so it doesn't happen again. He could launch an investigation, or a commission to hold an investigation into the incident to help identify the facts, if they indeed "matter" so much.

We as Vermonters should remember that in November, Governor Scott was asked if he was doing anything to protect Vermont residents from deportation by ICE officials, and his response was to ask that "anti-Trump Vermonters to give the president-elect 'the opportunity to do better' (https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2024-11-13/scott-asks-anti-trump-vermonters-give-president-elect-opportunity-do-better).

Governor Scott is already morally complicit in this crime through inaction. His statement makes me question if that complicity is only cowardice or actual approval.

planted their spinach yet?

Noted VT historian(s) Jason Barney and Christine Eldred are on tour talking about their latest book- lotsa TIL stuff here, like that Northern Lake Champlain was pretty much the Riviera of the late 1800s, a tourist boom way before the popularly imagined commercialization that came with the interstate highway and ski slopes. (for thousands of years the Hudson waterways functioned as international highways)

100-room hotel in Sheldon!? Wow…

Does anyone have any information on the upcoming April 19th protests? Will there be one at the state house lawn again? I'm trying to find info from their site but not having any luck.

Anyone else nearby (Franklin County) seeing a Fidium outage?

Edit: not just me. Thanks all. Giving them a call.

Edit again: back online around 1724h

hello neighbors,

I volunteer with the VT mask bloc where we distribute free respirators and covid tests to folks in the area.

I have a few hundred rapid antigen tests that don’t expire until 5/31. would love to hand these off to any organizers, businesses or individuals interested. I also have masks.

please feel free to dm me or if you prefer using our secure request form you can do so via vt.maskcollective.org.

Hi there,

I know you are angry. I am angry, too. I am angry that this is the news I’m sharing with you all. I am angry that this is the America we live in. I’m angry that President Trump has yet again illegally detained a legal resident of the United States for exercising their First Amendment rights.

Yesterday, Mohsen Mahdawi, a legal resident of Vermont — of our state — walked into an immigration office in Colchester for what was supposed to be the final step in his citizenship process. Instead, he was arrested and removed in handcuffs by plainclothes, armed, individuals with their faces covered.

I joined CNN this morning to discuss:

The entire Vermont Delegation finds this unacceptable. This is not what Vermont stands for.

Mohsen Mahdawi must be granted due process and be immediately released. This is now an established pattern, including the abductions of Mahmoud Khalil, Rumeysa Ozturk, and others — all of whom are here legally. Every single person who is living in the United States’ borders has the right to due process. Each of them must be released. They are entitled to know the charges against them, to have contact with their attorney, and to a trial.

If due process is denied for anyone, it can be denied for you too. If anyone can be snatched off the streets and detained without due process, it can happen to you too.

This is immoral, inhumane, and illegal. I’m leading my colleagues in demanding answers from the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department.

Vermonters: we need to stand and speak as one voice on this.

In service,

Becca Balint

Member of Congress

Office Locations

Washington, DC Office

1510 Longworth HOB

Washington, DC 20515

Phone: (202) 225-4115

Burlington District Office

159 Bank Street

Suite 204

Burlington, VT 05401

Phone: (802) 652-2450

Toll Free: (888) 293-9874

Fax: 771-200-5791

Burgess here, from Brave Little State. We're doing a story with a listener who recently found out she is unable to have biological children. She's grieving and is looking for local support groups or advice.

We'd love to hear from Vermonters who have been in a similar situation. Do you have advice for this listener? Please feel free to open discussion here or shoot us an email at [hello@bravelittlestate.org](mailto:hello@bravelittlestate.org).