Anne Galloway and VTDigger, for another big step toward success. Perhaps because the Freeploid and Herald/T-A are now behind paywalls, Digger’s readership has doubled in the past year. From the look of the homepage, I’d say ad revenues have improved significantly. And Digger’s nonprofit overseer, the Vermont Journalism Trust, is investing back in the product. Over the weekend Digger announced the hiring of four new employees, including two reporters. Anne Galloway has put a ton of effort into Digger, and the work is paying off for all Vermonters in the development of a new, trustworthy — and free — online news source. This is especially crucial, given the ever-increaseing financial pressures on other media sources. (They do, of course, accept donations. I’m a donor; if you value Digger’s work, please consider doing the same.)

Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Brock, for effectively undercutting his own message. Recently, two noted pundits pronounced his campaign DOA (cough, ahem, only two and a half months after this observer did the same, on July 16. Guess I haven’t earned my Pundit Card yet). In response, Brock told reporters that his internal polling showed the race is still winnable. And then he stomped all over his message by hinting that today’s campaign finance report will, again, be disappointing. Which means that, unless he makes another six-figure loan to his own campaign, he won’t have the resources he needs to make the race competitive. Sigh.

State Sen. Ann Cummings, for having the (entirely metaphorical) stones to announce a run for Senate President Pro Tem, challenging incumbent John H.A. Campbell. “I’ve been there for 16 years,” the Washington County Democrat told Seven Days, “and I think the last two were just — we didn’t use our time well.” Nice understatement there. Campbell mustered all his (cough) diplomatic skill in attributing Cummings’ challenge to “personal issues” between the two, and hinting that Cummings had sometimes fallen short in performing her own duties.

And thumbs up to old H.A. himself, for gaining the support of the two eldest Dicks in the Senate, Sears and Mazza. The Pro Tem battle will be a real test for the Old Boys’ Caucus. Here’s hoping they fail. We’ve got way too many Old Boys in positions of power, thank you very much.

The Shumlin Administration, for a trifecta of bad news on its health-care reform plan. First, the Green Mountain Care Board voted to exclude dental care. Second, Jeb Spaulding announced that the administration won’t unveil financing plans for a single-payer system until 2015. And third, the news that next year’s transition to a health-care exchange may result in massive cost increases for low-income Vermonters, and that the administration and Legislature are still trying to figure out what to do about it. Shumlin deserves all the credit in the world for tackling health care, which is obviously a huge, complicated and difficult task. But if he faced a credible challenge in this campaign, these setbacks would spell real political trouble.

After the jump: Phil Scott, Franklin reactionaries, Jeff Danziger, Tayt Brooks, and more!

Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott, for completing his eight-day, 568-mile bicycle tour of Vermont’s 14 counties. It was another feel-good event for the Mr. Happy Face of Vermont politics, best known for doing other people’s jobs for a day. (Which is oddly appropriate, for a guy whose “real” job involves… erhm… doing nothing much). I don’t want to downplay the good stuff that he’s done, notably the upcoming “Wheels for Warmth” tire-resale drive. But I do look forward to the day when Scott actually has to run a political campaign, get serous about the issues, and maybe even take some unpopular stands.

The Good People of Franklin, for continuing the senseless battle over prayer at Town Meeting. The town plans to appeal its defeat in court, and plaintiff Marilyn Hackett is facing intimidation and harassment for seeking to end the prayer. And the really strange thing about it is, if you believe the Freeplod’s story in the Friday edition, it has nothing to do with religion. It’s just something they’ve always done, and they don’t like change. “We’ve always done that,” “Tradition is tradition,” and other deep thoughts. Well, progress is progress, too. And the absence of what the invoking pastor calls “a simple invocation, it takes 20 seconds,” isn’t going to change the fundamental character of the town. At all. What really changes the community is the smoldering anger and bitterness of too many townspeople.

Washington County Judge Geoffrey Crawford, for rejecting the Republican Governors Association’s effort to launch a fishing expedition. (The ruling was issued on September 30, but hadn’t been reported as far as I can tell until a Vermont Press Bureau story published on October 8.) The RGA is defending itself against charges that it illegally colluded with Brian Dubie’s 2010 campaign for Governor. It sought to depose Shumlin aide Alex MacLean in an effort to find evidence of similar collusion on the Democratic side. The judge said the RGA was “building a case out of straw,” and seeking “to act as a private attorney general, combing through the records of its ideological opponents for evidence they too broke the law.” Sounds about right.

Well-meaning animal-rights activists, for their opposition to Green Mountain College’s plan to slaughter two oxen and process the meat for use in the college cafeteria. The beasts in question, Bill and Lou, have been campus fixtures for years, but they can no longer work as a team because of injury. Since the College teaches sustainable farm practices and the slaughter of aging work animals is a normal part of farm life, the decision makes perfect sense. But GMC is being called “cruel” for turning down an offer to house the oxen at a nearby animal sanctuary. Lord knows, there are plenty of battles to be fought on the animal-rights front; this one shouldn’t be anywhere near the top of the list.

Jeff Danziger, political cartoonist extraordinaire, for nailing it again with his Sunday effort in the Herald/T-A. Not available online anywhere I can see, but here’s the gist of it. The Dalai Lama and Governor Shumlin are sharing a cup of tea, sitting cross-legged at a low table.

The Dalai Lama: “The Buddha tells us the truth of love is seen in the trust for wisdom to visit in our hearts and find the gift of life in the blessings of friends who give us of themselves without fear or favor when we know that what is given in spirit of love is the reality of man’s true wealth.”

Shumlin: “The Buddha got land deals?”

Tayt Brooks, International man of Mystery, and the Super PAC Vermonters First, for staining the Internet with some truly ugly advertisements for Wendy Wilton and Vince Illuzzi. The ads featured a riot of colors and type fonts, plus really unflattering photos of the two candidates. That would have earned a Thumbs Down; what elevated it to Poke In The Eye status was the fact that, after GMD put its spotlight on the ads, it turned out the ads were illegal as well. They violated a state law banning the use of the state seal in advertisements of any sort. The Tayter quickly tucked his tail between his legs and pulled the offending ads. That should come as a big relief to Vince Illuzzi, who looked disconcertingly skeletal in the VF ad. (Unfortunately, he couldn’t complain about it or provide a replacement photo, because that would have been illegal coordination, wouldn’t it now?)

That’s it for this week, boys and girls. I welcome your own Thumbs Up and Down in the comments below.