Vermont news

• Psych facility fined $14,000 for not protecting staff from patients

  14-06-2017 23:34 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital in Berlin before its opening in 2014. File photo by Roger Crowley/for VTDigger
  The Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital in Berlin faces $14,000 in fines for what state inspectors say was a failure to protect front-line workers from patients who become dangerous.
  The Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration says in the citations that it found three “serious” violations of employee safety.
  The 25-bed state-owned hospital serves patients w
  
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• Scott calls new ethics law a step to restore trust in government

  14-06-2017 22:30 via vtdigger.org
  
  Gov. Phil Scott addresses a crowd Wednesday before signing S.8, which creates a statewide ethics commission, among other things. Behind him, from left, stand Sen. Anthony Pollina, P/D-Washington; Secretary of State Jim Condos; and Rep. Jessica Brumsted, D-Shelburne. Photo by Dan Schwartz/VTDiggerGov. Phil Scott signed into law a bill Wednesday to establish a state code of ethics and a commission that will receive complaints and direct them to proper authorities but which lacks the power to inves
  
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• Senate staffer disputes facts of governor’s health care plan

  14-06-2017 22:13 via vtdigger.org
  
  Peter Sterling is chief of staff for Senate President Pro Tem Tim Ashe. File photoThe chief of staff for the Senate’s top Democrat is disputing information that Gov. Phil Scott’s office has put out in support of Scott’s proposed teacher health care plan.
  Peter Sterling, the chief of staff for Senate President Pro Tem Tim Ashe, D/P-Chittenden, contacted several media outlets Tuesday to say a recent “frequently asked questions” document from Scott’s spokesperson
  
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• New Hampshire budget negotiators reach deal

  14-06-2017 22:06
  House and Senate budget negotiators have agreed on an $11.7 billion two-year spending plan, and members are expected to sign off on the deal Thursday.
  
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• Governor signs ethics bill into law

  14-06-2017 22:05
  
  Vermont Gov. Phil Scott is going to sign into law a bill establishing a state ethics commission.
  
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• Vermont Public Service Department announces Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel meeting

  14-06-2017 21:54 via vtdigger.org
  
  News Release — Vermont Public Service DepartmentJune 14, 2017
  Contact:Tony Leshinskie(802)272-1714
  [email protected]
  Vermont Public Service Department Announces June 22, 2017 Meeting of the Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel
  Montpelier, VT – The Public Service Department today announced the next meeting of the Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel will be held on Thursday, June 22, 2017, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the Governor Hunt House, 322 Gover
  
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• Green Mountain National Forest thanks Fishing Derby sponsors and participants

  14-06-2017 21:44 via vtdigger.org
  
  News Release — Green Mountain National ForestJune 14, 2017
  Media Contact:Brett HillmanVoice: (802) 362-2307 x7217
  [email protected]
  GMNF THANKS FISHING DERBY SPONSORS AND PARTICIPANTS
  Manchester Center, VT. The Manchester Ranger District of the Green Mountain National Forest would like to thank our friends and partners for making the Twenty-seventh Annual Youth Fishing Derby at Hapgood Pond a great success! In all, 83 kids aged twelve and under threw their lines in the water after the
  
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• Attorneys divvy up $25M from Raymond James settlement

  14-06-2017 21:13 via vtdigger.org
  
  Michael Goldberg, the court-appointed receiver in the EB-5 fraud case, announces the settlement with the financial firm Raymond James. File photo by Michael Dougherty/VTDigger
  Attorneys for investors in an alleged “Ponzi-like” scheme to fund development projects in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom have agreed on how to split up $25 million in settlement proceeds to pay for their work.
  Now, they are asking a federal judge to approve their plan.A group of lawyers who brought a propose
  
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• Southern Vermont Economy Project launches new program

  14-06-2017 21:08 via vtdigger.org
  
  News Release — Brattleboro Development Credit CorporationJune 14, 2017
  Contact:Sarah Lang(802) 257-7731 x222
  [email protected]
  brattleborodevelopment.com
  Momentum from well-attended inaugural SummitThe Southern Vermont Economic Development Summit gathered and showcased individual and collaborative economic and community development entities and efforts in Bennington and Windham counties. Over 130 attendees from the two counties, representatives of statewide programs and coll
  
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• Jay Peak investor sues Vermont EB-5 Regional Center

  14-06-2017 21:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  Department of Financial Regulation Commissioner Michael Pieciak. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  A Jay Peak investor is suing the state over allegations that officials covered up a $200 million Ponzi-like scheme in which more than 800 EB-5 immigrant investors were defrauded.
  In the civil complaint, Tony Sutton, an investor from London, charges that three state entities and 10 current and former state officials were “grossly negligent” and effectively acted as partners in the alleg
  
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• Director of State Police announces promotion of sergeant to lieutenant

  14-06-2017 20:28 via vtdigger.org
  
  News Release — Department of Public SafetyJune 12, 2017
  Contact:Scott Waterman802-241-5277 desk802-279-4554 cell
  [email protected]
  Colonel Matthew T. Birmingham, Director of the Vermont State Police, is pleased to announce the following promotion:
  Effective June 12, 2017, Detective Sergeant Dave Petersen, Bureau of Criminal Investigation Unit assigned to the St. Johnsbury Field Station and VSP Bomb Squad Team Leader, is promoted to Lieutenant, Commander of the Office of Profession
  
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• Frugality connects twin-state bridge committee

  14-06-2017 20:17 via vtdigger.org
  
  A project advisory committee for a proposed Connecticut River bridge linking Brattleboro with Hinsdale, N.H., reviews plans Monday with Bill Saffian, right, of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDiggerBRATTLEBORO — The Vermont and New Hampshire project advisory committee picking a design for a proposed Connecticut River bridge linking the two states appeared to be the picture of connectedness.
  Then came a PowerPoint presentation about the cost.
  
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• Sanders 'sickened' to learn shooting suspect was campaign volunteer

  14-06-2017 20:04
  
  The man identified as the Virginia shooter had apparently volunteered on Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign.
  
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• Trespass charge dropped against Vermont Yankee activist

  14-06-2017 20:02 via vtdigger.org
  
  Prosecutors have dropped their charge against a man they say trespassed at Vermont Yankee, the shuttered nuclear plant along the Connecticut River that still stores radioactive waste.
  Windham County sheriff’s deputies arrested Clay Turnbull in March 2016 after plant security staff discovered him taking photos to use in the debate over a plan by the plant’s owner, Entergy Corp., to build a second concrete pad to store the spent nuclear fuel.
  Clay Turnbull is a trustee and staff member
  
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• What's On Your Summer Reading List? bit.ly/2sAOiC9 https://t.co/XQk12eTyiF

  14-06-2017 19:54 via twitter.com
  
  What's On Your Summer Reading List? bit.ly/2sAOiC9 https://t.co/XQk12eTyiF
  
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• Vt. woman accused of drugged driving with kids in car

  14-06-2017 19:36
  
  Police say a Bennington woman was driving under the influence of drugs when she was stopped with her three young children in the car. 
  
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• 'The Baker's Secret': An Interview With Author Stephen Kiernan bit.ly/2sANL3i https://t.co/CIICLREgfg

  14-06-2017 19:21 via twitter.com
  
  'The Baker's Secret': An Interview With Author Stephen Kiernan bit.ly/2sANL3i https://t.co/CIICLREgfg
  
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• Small dog dies after bear attack in Wilmington

  14-06-2017 19:12
  A Vermont game warden says a bear attacked and fatally wounded a small dog in southern Vermont last month in the latest of several bear encounters in northern New England this spring.
  
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• Sanders condemns ‘despicable’ shooting blamed on ex-campaign volunteer

  14-06-2017 19:12 via vtdigger.org
  
  A screen shot from the James T. Hodgkinson Facebook page.WASHINGTON — Vermont’s congressional delegation offered prayers Wednesday for House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who was shot and wounded along with four congressional aides during a practice ahead of this week’s annual congressional baseball game.
  The alleged shooter, identified as 66-year-old James T. Hodgkinson, was wounded by Capitol Police officers, and President Donald Trump announced Hodgkinson had died in the hosp
  
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• Rock slide blamed for Northfield train derailment

  14-06-2017 19:04
  
  The National Transportation Safety Board has concluded that the cause of a 2015 Amtrak train derailment in Vermont was debris on the tracks from a rock slide.
  
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• Louisiana congressman shot during baseball practice; shooting suspect dead

  14-06-2017 18:42
  
  The man identified as the Virginia shooter had apparently volunteered on Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign.
  
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• National Endowment for the Arts announces grants to Vermont organizations

  14-06-2017 18:40 via vtdigger.org
  
  News Release — Vermont Arts CouncilJune 14, 2017
  Contact:Susan McDowell802.828.0152
  [email protected]
  Today, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced grants to Vermont organizations. Seven organizations will each receive $135,000 through the Art Works program. One organization will be awarded $50,000 through an Our Town grant, and the Vermont Arts Council will receive funding through a Partnership agreement.
  Art Works is the NEA’s largest category and focuse
  
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• Children’s Literacy Foundation aims to serve children at summer readers events

  14-06-2017 18:33 via vtdigger.org
  
  News Release — Children’s Literacy FoundationJune 14, 2017
  Contact:Erika Nichols-Frazer(802) 244-0944
  [email protected]
  The Children’s Literacy Foundation Aims to Serve 8,000 Children This Summer at 140 Summer Readers Events
  Waterbury Center, VT — The Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF)’s Summer Readers grant offers a fun storytelling presentation by one of CLiF’s 60 professional children’s author/illustrators, poets, graphic novelist
  
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• Albany College of Pharmacy’s Vermont Campus Partners with Age Well

  14-06-2017 18:23 via vtdigger.org
  
  News Release — Age WellMay 25, 2017
  Sara Wool802-662-5229
  [email protected]
  Albany College of Pharmacy’s Vermont Campus Partners with Age Well to provide Experiential Education Opportunities to Students
  May 25, 2017 (Essex Junction, VT/Colchester, VT) – The Vermont campus of the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS) is pleased to announce a new partner in our Experiential Education Program. Age Well (formerly the Champlain Valley Agency on Aging) and Vermont-
  
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• Hermitage Club makes first payment in tax agreement

  14-06-2017 18:07 via vtdigger.org
  
  (This story by Chris Mays was first published in the Brattleboro Reformer on June 13, 2017.)
  WILMINGTON — The Hermitage Club is avoiding a tax sale that would have seen some of its properties sold during a public auction.
  “The Hermitage Club paid its Wilmington tax payment per the agreement at end of business today,” Hermitage Club President Jim Barnes wrote Friday in an email.
  The company owns and operates a private ski resort at Haystack Mountain, a golf course, and hotels an
  
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• Chester road reopens after chemical spill

  14-06-2017 18:07
  
  A section of a main stretch in Chester finally reopened Wednesday at about noon after a chemical spill there Tuesday.
  
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• Documents: Vt. shooting suspect involved in drug trafficking

  14-06-2017 18:05
  
  Federal officials say the suspect in a Burlington murder has continuously engaged in drug trafficking. 
  
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• Possible explosives incident in Mount Tabor

  14-06-2017 17:59
  
  WCAX News has learned about a situation possibly regarding explosives in Mount Tabor. 
  
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• Bennington College gets $300K grant to study PFOA

  14-06-2017 17:42 via vtdigger.org
  
  Scientists test a well for the chemical PFOA. Bennington Banner photo
  (This story by Derek Carson was first published in the Bennington Banner on June 14, 2017.)
  BENNINGTON — Three faculty members at Bennington College have received a $300,000 grant to investigate PFOA and its effects.
  The grant, from the National Science Foundation, will allow the faculty members, David Bond, Janet Foley and Tim Schroeder, to “deepen and expand the college’s response to PFOA contamination in N
  
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• Department of Labor announces workforce development director

  14-06-2017 17:28 via vtdigger.org
  
  News Release — Vermont Department of LaborJune 14, 2017
  Contact:Lindsay Kurrle802-828-4301
  Department of Labor Announces David Lahr as New Workforce Development Director
  MONTPELIER, VT – Commissioner of Labor, Lindsay Kurrle, announced the appointment of long-time Department of Labor employee David Lahr as the new Workforce Development Division Director.
  “As we work to align statewide workforce, education, and economic development resources necessary to develop a vibrant econom
  
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• Scott signs bill supporting rural development and forest economy

  14-06-2017 17:21 via vtdigger.org
  
  News Release — Gov. Phil ScottJune 12, 2017
  Contact:Rebecca Kelley802-828-6403
  [email protected]
  GOVERNOR PHIL SCOTT SIGNS S.34 and H.495, SUPPORTING RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, THE FOREST ECONOMY AND FARMS
  At a public bill signing Monday, Vermonters highlighted the valuable impact this legislation will have on rural agricultural and timber businesses across the state
  Albany, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott today signed S.34, an act relating to rural economic development, and H.49
  
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• Louisiana congressman shot during baseball practice

  14-06-2017 17:09
  
  U.S. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana was shot Wednesday at a congressional baseball practice.
  
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• NH mental health bill to be signed into law

  14-06-2017 16:54
  
  New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu is going to sign into law a bill a bill to improve the state's mental health system and reform the Division of Children, Youth and Families.
  
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• NY Senate OKs stiffer penalties for heroin, opioid dealers

  14-06-2017 16:51
  
  New York state may soon have a new way to prosecute dealers who sell heroin or opioids that result in a lethal overdose.
  
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• Campaign kicks off in Vermont state's attorney race

  14-06-2017 16:48
  
  The race for a Vermont state's attorney is kicking off more than a year before the 2018 primary election.
  
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• Vermont to get $700K to help with contamination cleanup

  14-06-2017 16:45
  Vermont is going to get $700,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency to help assess and clean up contaminated properties.
  
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• Gov. Scott to sign ethics bill into law

  14-06-2017 16:44
  
  Vermont Gov. Phil Scott is going to sign into law a bill establishing a state ethics commission.
  
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• New Workforce Development director in Vermont

  14-06-2017 16:42
  
  Vermont's Labor Department has a new director of its Workforce Development Division.
  
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• Chemical spill closes Chester road

  14-06-2017 16:27
  
  A section of a main stretch in Chester was still closed Wednesday morning after a chemical spill there Tuesday. 
  
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• Roundtable receives grant to support Vermont Talent Pipeline Management Project

  14-06-2017 16:14 via vtdigger.org
  
  News Release — Vermont Business RoundtableJune 13, 2017
  Contact:Lisa Ventriss802-865-0410
  [email protected]
  Roundtable Receives Grant from the J. Warren & Lois McClure Foundationto Support Vermont Talent Pipeline Management Project
  The Vermont Business Roundtable, through its VBR Research & Education Foundation, was awarded a grant of $10,000 from the J. Warren and Lois McClure Foundation to advance the work of the Vermont Talent Pipeline Management Project (VTPM).
  “The R
  
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• Phoenix Books Essex to celebrate the launch of Hinchliff memoir

  14-06-2017 16:04 via vtdigger.org
  
  News Release — Phoenix BooksJune 13, 2017
  Contact:John Turner802.858.9344 (o)802.324.6531 (c)
  [email protected]
  Essex – Local Vermont author Nancy Hinchliff and Phoenix Books Essex will celebrate the launch of Hinchliff’s new memoir, Operatic Divas and Naked Irishmen: An Innkeeper’s Tale, on Tuesday, June 13th at 7pm.
  At the age of 64, with no business experience, Nancy Hinchliff bought a turn-of-the-century mansion in Louisville, Kentucky; using dogged determination
  
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• Sanders Statement on Sessions Hearing

  14-06-2017 15:50 via vtdigger.org
  
  News Release — Sen. Bernie SandersJune 13, 2017
  Contact:Sanders Press Office
  [email protected]
  WASHINGTON, June 13 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Tuesday after Attorney General Jeff Sessions testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Russian meddling in the United States election:
  “The attorney general’s appearance raised more questions than answers about President Trump and whether he has tried to derail the investi
  
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• University of Vermont receives national award for work to reduce high risk drinking

  14-06-2017 15:40 via vtdigger.org
  
  News Release — University of VermontJune 13, 2017
  Contact:Jeff Wakefield
  [email protected]
  UVM Receives National Award for Work to Reduce High Risk Drinking
  The University of Vermont was one of three institutions of higher education whose work to address high risk drinking and other substance misuse was honored with a Prevention Excellence Award at the ninth annual Campus Prevention Network Summit in Boston on June 12. The award was presented by EVERFI, Inc., a leading t
  
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• We're joined for today's safety discussion by Jon Kaplan of VTrans and by Jason Van Driesche of @LocalMotionVT. You… twitter.com/i/web/status/8…

  14-06-2017 15:37 via twitter.com
  We're joined for today's safety discussion by Jon Kaplan of VTrans and by Jason Van Driesche of @LocalMotionVT. You… twitter.com/i/web/status/8…
  
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• CVSWMD Compost Hauling Program Changes Hands

  14-06-2017 15:36 via vtdigger.org
  
  News Release — Central Vermont Solid Waste Management DistrictJune 13, 2017
  Contact:Bruce Westcott(802) 229-9383 x 101
  Transition to Grow Compost begins July 1
  MONTPELIER— The first municipal organics hauling program east of the Mississippi changes hands next month. After 13 years contributing to an infrastructure that enables large scale hauling and composting of food scraps in Vermont, the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District (CVSWMD) is pleased to announce that its busi
  
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• Norwich University to Celebrate Newest Online Graduates

  14-06-2017 15:11 via vtdigger.org
  
  News Release — Norwich UniversityJune 13, 2017
  Contact:Daphne Larkin 802-485-2886
  [email protected]
  Norwich to Celebrate Newest Online Graduates
  NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Norwich University’s College of Graduate and Continuing Studies (CGCS) will host its annual Residency Conference June 19-23. Over 580 students set to graduate, representing 11 online master’s programs and three online bachelor’s degree completion programs, will gather on the Northfield, Vt., campus for a
  
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• Senate Address by Sen. Leahy on Attorney General Sessions

  14-06-2017 15:05 via vtdigger.org
  
  News Release — Sen. Patrick LeahyJune 13, 2017
  Media Contact:David Carle(202) 224-3693
  Senate Address By Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Attorney General Sessions
  This afternoon, Attorney General Sessions will return to the Senate for the first time since his confirmation hearing. It has been more than three months since the press revealed that the Attorney General gave false testimony in response to questions from me and from Senator Franken about his contacts with Russian officials. Yet
  
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• How can drivers, cyclists and pedestrians all do a better job of sharing the road safely? Share your thoughts: bit.ly/2sxBexx #VT

  14-06-2017 14:39 via twitter.com
  How can drivers, cyclists and pedestrians all do a better job of sharing the road safely? Share your thoughts: bit.ly/2sxBexx #VT
  
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• How can drivers, cyclists & pedestrians can all do a better job of sharing the road safely? Share your thoughts: bit.ly/2sxBexx #VT

  14-06-2017 14:34 via twitter.com
  How can drivers, cyclists & pedestrians can all do a better job of sharing the road safely? Share your thoughts: bit.ly/2sxBexx #VT
  
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• Howard Center Project Hire Celebrates 35 Years

  14-06-2017 14:32 via vtdigger.org
  
  News Release — Howard CenterJune 13, 2017
  Contact:Martie Majoros
  [email protected]
  Project Hire Celebrates 35th Anniversary
  BURLINGTON, VT— Project Hire, a Howard Center supported employment program for individuals with developmental disabilities, will celebrate its 35th anniversary on Thursday, June 15, with an open house reception at the New Moon Café from 3:00-5:00 p.m.
  Since the program began, 525 businesses have provided employment support to more than 500 individ
  
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