Vermont news

• Politics aside, Vermont labor force decline does matter

  13-02-2018 22:39 via vtdigger.org
  Gov. Phil Scott argued the labor force is losing six people a day. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  Gov. Phil Scott and Senate President Tim Ashe have been having a little data dispute.
  On the numbers, the fight was a tie. On the narrative, the Governor won, which probably explains why Ashe beat a hasty retreat.
  “It was actually a non-issue made a political issue by the administration and I’m happy that it’s over,” Ashe said, as though he had not made it a political
  
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• Montpelier High School Says 'Black Lives Matter,' And The Nation Reacts dlvr.it/QGDSD9 https://t.co/95KlzluBe8

  13-02-2018 22:00 via twitter.com
  
  Montpelier High School Says 'Black Lives Matter,' And The Nation Reacts dlvr.it/QGDSD9 https://t.co/95KlzluBe8
  
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• LISTEN: Could Climate Change Be An 'Economic Boon' For Vermont? dlvr.it/QGDFrH

  13-02-2018 21:24 via twitter.com
  LISTEN: Could Climate Change Be An 'Economic Boon' For Vermont? dlvr.it/QGDFrH
  
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• Vermont gold medalist Ross Powers pays it forward

  13-02-2018 20:00 via vtdigger.org
  Ross Powers competes at the 2012 SBX World Cup at Stoneham, Canada. Photo by Oliver Kraus/FIS
  History remembers Ross Powers as the first American man to win snowboarding’s Olympic gold medal. But the Vermonter himself recalls a hardscrabble childhood as a prodigy in a sport few had yet to hear of.
  “My mom, being a single parent, was sometimes giving up groceries to let me do the local events,” he says today.RELATED STORIESMost families of Vermont Olympians cheering from homeThe
  
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• LISTEN: 'Brown 'n Out' Podcast Aims To Amplify Voices Of LGBTQ Vermonters Of Color dlvr.it/QGCh4L https://t.co/QljHoFsknH

  13-02-2018 19:54 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: 'Brown 'n Out' Podcast Aims To Amplify Voices Of LGBTQ Vermonters Of Color dlvr.it/QGCh4L https://t.co/QljHoFsknH
  
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• Colchester company fined for unlawfully managing septic waste

  13-02-2018 18:36 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Agency of Natural ResourcesFebruary 9, 2018
  Contact:Kane SmartVermont Agency of Natural [email protected]
  Colchester Company Endangered Public and Environmental Health by Unlawfully Managing Septic Waste
  MONTPELIER – The Agency of Natural Resources announced today that Enviro Tech of VT Septic Services, LLC of Colchester was fined $58,550 for unlawfully managing septic waste for over a decade.
  Many Vermonters live outside areas served
  
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• Live poll at Better Buildings by Design conference takes industry’s pulse

  13-02-2018 18:27 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Efficiency VermontFeb. 8, 2018
  Contact:Jeff BuellEfficiency Vermont802-540-7662 (o)[email protected]
  Building trades professionals optimistic about 2018 business prospects
  Feb. 7, 2018 – Burlington, VT – Optimism ruled the room this morning at the Better Buildings by Design conference, where an audience of several hundred building performance professionals were asked if they felt 2018 would be a more, less, or equally profitable year for th
  
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• White River Junction VA, Dartmouth-Hitchcock sharing veterans health care information

  13-02-2018 18:23 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — White River Junction VA Medical CenterFeb. 12, 2018
  Contact: Katherine Tang802-295-9363, ext. [email protected]
  White River Jct. VAMC and Dartmouth Hitchcock Health Care System Sharing Veterans Health Care Information
  WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt.– The White River Junction Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) and Dartmouth Hitchcock based in Lebanon, N.H. have partnered together to electronically share Veteran health information securely through the Virtual Lifetime E
  
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• Lake Champlain Basin Program seeking boat launch stewards for 2018 season

  13-02-2018 18:18 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Lake Champlain Basin ProgramFeb. 12, 2018
  Contact:Meg [email protected]
  Grand Isle, VT – The Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) is hiring up to twelve boat launch stewards to work at New York and Vermont public boat launch access areas during the steward program’s 12th season. The stewards help to reduce the spread of aquatic invasive species by identifying high-risk boats for courtesy inspection and providing information about invasive species
  
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• Draft habitat management plan for Nulhegan Basin Division available for public review and comment

  13-02-2018 18:05 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Nulhegan Basin Division, Silvio O. Conte National Fish & Wildlife RefugeFebruary 12, 2018
  Contact:Steve Agius, Wildlife Refuge Manager, 802-962-5240, ext. 112
  Brunswick, Vermont: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has released a proposed habitat management plan (Plan) and environmental assessment (EA) for the Nulhegan Basin Division of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) in Bloomfield, Brunswick, Ferd
  
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• Orton Family Foundation names director of marketing and communications

  13-02-2018 17:57 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Orton Family FoundationFeb. 13, 2018
  Contact:Leslie Wright, senior associate of marketing and communications, [email protected], 802-495-0864
  DAVID WEAVER JOINS FOUNDATION STAFF
  SHELBURNE, Vt. (Feb. 13, 2018)—Orton Family Foundation Executive Director David Leckey announced the hiring of David Weaver as director of marketing and communications.
  Weaver’s background includes extensive experience directing marketing strategy for some of the most respected and innova
  
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• Scott releases details of the Working Family Taxpayer Protection Act

  13-02-2018 17:53 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Office of the GovernorMonday, February 12, 2018
  Contact:Rebecca Kelley, Office of the [email protected]
  Kate Strousse, Department of [email protected]
  Administration’s tax reform package protects Vermont’s working families from $30 million tax hike
  Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott today released details on his tax reform plan, the Working Family Taxpayer Protection Act, to ensure Vermonters don&rsqu
  
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• Sanders: Trump budget is ‘morally bankrupt’

  13-02-2018 17:47 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Sen. Bernie SandersFeb. 12, 2018
  Contact:[email protected]
  BURLINGTON, Vt., Feb. 12 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement Monday after President Donald Trump released his budget proposal:
  “The Trump budget introduced today is morally bankrupt and bad economic policy. During the campaign, Donald Trump promised that the wealthy would not get a tax break and that Social Securi
  
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• Grace Cottage Hospital welcomes new CEO

  13-02-2018 17:43 via vtdigger.org
  News Release – Grace Cottage HospitalFebruary 12, 2018
  Contact:Andrea Seaton, Director of Development and Community RelationsGrace Cottage Family Health & Hospital802-365-9109, [email protected]
  Townshend — The Board of Trustees of Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital has appointed Douglas F. DiVello to the position of chief executive officer, effective February 12, 2018. DiVello is replacing Roger Allbee, who announced his plans last July to retire from this positio
  
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• Leahy statement on President Trump’s budget proposal and infrastructure plan

  13-02-2018 17:37 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Sen. Patrick LeahyFeb. 12, 2018
  Contact:Jay Tilton202-224-2667
  Statement Of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)
  On President Trump’s Budget Proposal And Infrastructure Plan
  Monday, February 12, 2018
  A budget is where we lay out our priorities as a nation. The priorities identified in this budget are not the priorities of the American people. By making drastic cuts to our domestic priorities, President Trump is abandoning the bipartisan b
  
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• Legislative page donates first paycheck to Friends of the Vermont State House

  13-02-2018 17:29 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Friends of the Vermont State HouseFebruary 12, 2018
  Contact:Barbara Butler, [email protected]
  MONTPELIER, VT – Each year a small group of young Vermonters in the eighth grade who are interested in public affairs are selected to work as legislative pages in the Vermont State House. Serving as a page for members of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and various legislative offices offers a unique opportunity to observe the workings of the l
  
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• How can #Vermont adapt & thrive as we face warmer, wetter weather? What does #climatechange hold for #VT industries… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  13-02-2018 16:03 via twitter.com
  How can #Vermont adapt & thrive as we face warmer, wetter weather? What does #climatechange hold for #VT industries… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• City looks to buy stake in Burlington Telecom

  13-02-2018 12:25 via vtdigger.org
  Sharon Bushor, Burlington city councilor. Photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDiggerBURLINGTON — The City Council has taken the first step toward buying interest in Burlington Telecom.
  Councilors instructed the city attorneys to ask the Vermont Public Service Board — the state regulatory body tasked with approving the sale of Burlington Telecom to Indiana-based Schurz Communications — to approve an agreement allowing the city to buy a stake in Burlington Telecom Monday.The city signed off
  
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• Senate begins debate on DACA with a blank slate

  13-02-2018 03:24 via vtdigger.org
  Dozens of lawmakers, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., gathered in September in support of immigration legislation. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  WASHINGTON — With less than a month remaining before a popular immigration program is set to expire, the Senate has begun a free-for-all process that could set the course for the future of program Monday.
  Staff for the two senators from Vermont say the lawmakers are preparing for the debate. Both Bernie Sande
  
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• Efficiency Vermont announces ‘Best of the Best’ in energy efficient construction

  13-02-2018 03:13 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Efficiency VermontFeb. 9, 2018
  Contact:Jeff BuellEfficiency Vermont802-540-7662 (o)[email protected]
  Feb. 9, 2018 – Burlington, VT – Efficiency Vermont recognized 17 Vermont building professionals for their high achievement in using energy efficiency and sustainability practices to construct or renovate Vermont buildings.
  The Best of the Best award winners were announced this week at the Better Buildings by Design conference, the Northeast&
  
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• Scott appoints 13 to boards and commissions in January

  13-02-2018 03:08 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Office of the GovernorMonday, February 12, 2018
  Media Contact:Rebecca Kelley, Office of the [email protected]
  Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott today announced he appointed 13 Vermonters to State boards and commissions in the month of January.
  Boards and commissions serve an important role in state government, giving Vermonters numerous opportunities to serve their state and communities. The Governor’s office is currently soliciti
  
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• Finance commissioner says education funding proposal falls short

  13-02-2018 03:05 via vtdigger.org
  Commissioner of Finance and Management Adam Greshin. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  Finance Commissioner Adam Greshin said on Monday that a proposal moving through the Legislature to overhaul the state’s education funding formula does not adequately address the administration’s desire to control school spending in fiscal 2019.
  The lawmakers sponsoring the bill say there are built-in cost-control measures in their plan, and have signaled they are open to finding ways to save on sp
  
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• Vermont Law School presents ‘The Vagina Monologues’ Feb. 16

  13-02-2018 02:59 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Law SchoolFeb. 12, 2018
  Contact:Maryellen Apelquist, Director of Communications, Vermont Law Schooloffice: 802-831-1228, cell: 802-299-5593, [email protected]
  SOUTH ROYALTON, Vt., Feb. 12, 2018––Vermont Law School students will present an adaptation of Eve Ensler’s award-winning play, “The Vagina Monologues,” at 7:15 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16, in Chase Community Center at VLS. Event proceeds will benefit Safeline, a local nonprofit th
  
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• Vermont Community Garden Network offers garden start-up services for businesses

  13-02-2018 02:56 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Community Garden NetworkFeb. 12, 2018
  Contact:Libby Weiland, Vermont Community Garden Network, 802-861-4769, [email protected]
  Support Employee Wellness: Start a Garden
  Vermont Community Garden Network is offering garden start-up services for any business that wants to establish a workplace food garden for their employees. The Green Thumbs at Work program provides employers and employees with technical assistance and planning support to ensure the garden will be success
  
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• Washington Electric Co-op increased 2018 energy efficiency incentives for members

  13-02-2018 02:52 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Washington Electric CooperativeFebruary 12, 2018
  Contact:Patty Richards802-223-5245
  Increased 2018 Incentives Help Washington Electric Co-op Members Improve Energy Efficiency, Lower Fossil Fuel Use
  East Montpelier, Vt: Washington Electric Co-op (WEC)’s Button Up program is increasing cash incentives for WEC members investing in energy-efficient weatherization, heating and transportation purchases. In 2018, WEC is expanding its program to offer incentives for all-electr
  
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• Marijuana ‘sniff test’ ruling appealed to Supreme Court

  13-02-2018 02:28 via vtdigger.org
  Marijuana. Photo by Andrew Kutches/VTDigger
  A man who lost a lawsuit alleging his car was improperly seized in 2014 after police caught the scent of burnt marijuana officially took his fight to the Supreme Court on Monday.The American Civil Liberties Union filed the appeal on behalf of Gregory Zullo, a black man from Rutland. Police say then-State Trooper Lewis Hatch stopped Zullo’s car because part of the license plate was obscured by snow, and impounded it after smelling marijuana in the
  
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• Deb Markowitz: Flying the Black Lives Matter flag

  13-02-2018 01:44 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Deb Markowitz, who is a visiting professor at the UVM Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. She was Vermont secretary of state from 1999 to 2010 and secretary of natural resources from 2011 to 2016.
  February is Black History Month. This observance began in 1976 to remember the important contributions of African-Americans throughout our nation’s history. In Vermont, Black History Month has served as an opportunity to celebrate our
  
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• John McClaughry: The steady erosion of liberty

  13-02-2018 01:42 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by John McClaughry, the vice president of the Ethan Allen Institute.From Revolutionary days into modern times, Vermonters have championed the liberty extolled in our 1777 Constitution. Article I declared that “all men have certain natural, inherent, and unalienable rights, amongst which are the enjoying of and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.”
  That pro-li
  
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• ­DJ Hellerman : On John Killacky’s ‘Embodied Voice: Video Narratives’

  13-02-2018 01:39 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This review is by DJ Hellerman, curator of Art & Programs at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York.Introduction
  Many of us know John Killacky as the executive director of the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts or as a frequent commentator on VPR, often using his relationship with his pony, Pacific Raindrop, to convey wise life lessons. A retrospective exhibition, currently on view at the Champlain College Art Gallery, is an opportunity to get to know yet anot
  
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• Nuclear power critics to testify in Vermont Yankee case

  13-02-2018 00:48 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont Yankee as seen from the air in winter. File photo by Kristopher Radder/Brattleboro Reformer
  State regulators will consider the testimony of two prominent nuclear power critics in deciding whether a cleanup company should be allowed to buy Vermont Yankee.
  The Vermont Public Utility Commission has ruled that the majority of testimony offered by Ray Shadis and Arnie Gundersen is admissible. In doing so, the commission overruled most objections filed last fall by Entergy and NorthStar Group
  
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• Officials want closer look at unused drug program

  13-02-2018 00:24 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Claire Ayer, chair of Senate Health and Welfare. Photo by Erin Mansfield/VTDigger
  State officials may get more time to assess a proposed program that would donate unused prescriptions to those in need.
  The Senate on Friday gave preliminary approval to S.164, a bill that suggests creation of an “unused prescription drug repository program.”
  The bill has changed since its introduction last month. Rather than saying the state “shall establish” a repository, the legislat
  
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• Receiver’s EB-5 green card plan: From Lake Road to Wall Street

  13-02-2018 00:15 via vtdigger.org
  Michael Goldberg at a Statehouse news conference in April. Photo by Anne Galloway/VTDiggerEB-5 investors who lost out on obtaining green cards when a proposed $110 million biomedical research facility in Newport was deemed by regulators “nearly a complete fraud” now have the opportunity to reinvest in a luxury New York City high-rise on Wall Street.
  Federal Judge Darrin P. Gayles has approved a plan by Michael Goldberg, the court-appointed receiver for the AnC Bio Vermont, to aid def
  
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• Local public access channels can intervene in Comcast suit

  13-02-2018 00:06 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This story has been replaced. The original post was previously published in August.
  A federal judge has ruled that Vermont’s public-access cable channels have a big stake in the outcome of Comcast’s suit against the state of Vermont, and can intervene in it.
  Judge Geoffrey Crawford, sitting in the U.S. District Court in Rutland, ruled last week that the public access “stations depend on networks maintained by cable operators like Comcast to reach their view
  
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• Comcast sues state over license conditions

  13-02-2018 00:06 via vtdigger.org
  Members of the public listen to testimony at a 2015 public hearing on Comcast’s certificate of public good. File photo by Morgan True/VTDigger
  Cable television giant Comcast is suing the Vermont Public Utility Commission over the panel’s decision to require the company to expand its network and step up support for community access TV if it wants to continue doing business in Vermont.
  A key issue is the services Comcast must provide to local community access systems that carry municip
  
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• Comcast sues state over conditions on new license

  13-02-2018 00:06 via vtdigger.org
  Members of the public listen to testimony at a 2015 public hearing on Comcast’s certificate of public good. File photo by Morgan True / VTDigger
  Cable television giant Comcast is suing the Vermont Public Utility Commission over the panel’s decision to require the company to expand its network and step up support for community access TV if it wants to continue doing business in Vermont.
  A key issue is the services Comcast must provide to local community access systems that carry munic
  
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• Solar project offers new lease on an old landfill

  13-02-2018 00:05 via vtdigger.org
  Crews spread topsoil to prepare the landfill at Windham County Waste Management for the installation of solar panels. Photo by Kristopher Radder/Brattleboro Reformer
  (This story by Chris Mays was published in the Brattleboro Reformer on Feb. 8, 2018.)
  BRATTLEBORO — Companies from around the world are collaborating on what Windham County officials say will be the largest net-metering solar project in Vermont.
  “It’s a big project,” said Bob Spencer, executive director of Wi
  
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