Vermont news

• Judge: Plea deal too easy on ex-Burlington police officer

  07-09-2017 23:45 via vtdigger.org
  Former Burlington police officer Christopher Lopez appears in Chittenden County Superior Court in Burlington on Thursday. Pool photo by Ryan Mercer/Burlington Free PressBURLINGTON – A judge rejected as too lenient a proposed plea deal for a former Burlington police officer accused of making false statements about a drug arrest.
  Chittenden County Superior Court Judge Alison Arms said Thursday she could not accept the deal for Christopher Lopez to plead no contest to the misdemeanor charge o
  
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• Community groups chip in to address panhandling in Brattleboro

  07-09-2017 23:19 via vtdigger.org
  Downtown Brattleboro. File photo by Mike Faher/VTDigger(This story is by Chris Mays of the Brattleboro Reformer, in which it first appeared Sept. 6, 2017.)
  BRATTLEBORO — Before Tuesday night’s Selectboard meeting, Michelle Simpson-Siegel grabbed a burger.
  But the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance board president was shocked when she saw a sign from a panhandler she had earlier seen smoking marijuana with other men downtown.
  “You are lucky I am not robbing you,” the sign read.
  
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• Jay Peak investor sues immigration attorney

  07-09-2017 22:49 via vtdigger.org
  Jay Peak’s Tram Haus Lodge was built with EB-5 money. VTDigger photoA Brazilian man who came to the United States hoping to escape corruption in his native country has accused his immigration attorney of securities fraud.Felipe Accioly Vieira is suing The Korda Law Firm, based in Naples, Florida, and Anthony Korda, the principal attorney for the firm, alleging malpractice, consumer fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract and unjust enrichment.Vieira, who lives in Stowe, is one
  
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• Bennington charter group favors option of paid firefighters

  07-09-2017 22:10 via vtdigger.org
  BENNINGTON — Bennington’s Charter Review Committee voted Wednesday in favor of allowing the Selectboard the option to form a partly paid fire department.
  The current government charter, under a section identifying the powers of the board, authorizes it to organize or reorganize the Bennington Fire Department, but also specifies that “such department shall be a volunteer fire department.”
  The Bennington fire station. Courtesy photoCommittee member Robert Ebert said he was
  
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• Live With Senator Patrick Leahy bit.ly/2wMZLyo https://t.co/1XHULKlIpH

  07-09-2017 21:25 via twitter.com
  
  Live With Senator Patrick Leahy bit.ly/2wMZLyo https://t.co/1XHULKlIpH
  
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• Vermont’s laws increase health care costs, say analysts

  07-09-2017 21:02 via vtdigger.org
  Construction on the University of Vermont Miller building in July. Photo courtesy of the University of Vermont Medical CenterVermont has the most restrictive laws in the country governing whether new health care facilities can start up and whether existing facilities can buy new equipment, according to researchers at George Mason University in Virginia.
  The laws are so restrictive that Vermonters are spending more on health care than they would spend without the laws, lowering Vermonters’
  
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• Constitution Day Panel Presentation with Supreme Court justices and trial judges will be Sept. 20 in Montpelier

  07-09-2017 20:54 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Bar AssociationSept. 6, 2017
  Contact:Vermont Bar Association802-223-2020
  [email protected]
  The Vermont Supreme Court and the Vermont Bar Association are pleased to host a Constitution Day Panel Presentation, featuring a panel of Vermont Supreme Court Justices and Vermont Superior Court Trial Judges who will provide an informative overview of the United States Constitution, with a focus on the 14th Amendment, on Wednesday, September 20 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. at the
  
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• Vermont Public Utility Commission approves renewable natural gas program for Vermont Gas customers

  07-09-2017 20:52 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Public Utilities CommissionSept. 6, 2017
  Contact:Andrea McHugh, Utilities Analyst(802) 828-2358, [email protected]
  Montpelier, VT — September 6,2017 – Today the Vermont Public Utility Commission (“PUC”) approved a Renewable Natural Gas (“RNG”) program for Vermont Gas Systems, Inc. (“VGS”).
  RNG, also known as bio-methane, is produced from materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material,
  
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• Leahy reintroduces bill to renew and expand Farm To School Program

  07-09-2017 20:38 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Sen. Patrick LeahySept. 6, 2017
  Press Contact:David Carle(202) 224-3693
  Leahy-Authored Program Has Helped Make Vermont A National Leader In Bringing Nutritious Local Foods To School Cafeterias
  WASHINGTON (WEDNESDAY, September 6, 2017) — U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) Wednesday re-introduced their legislation to extend a key nutrition program for school-aged children. The bipartisan Farm to School Act of 2017 will increase federal resourc
  
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• BioTek Instruments donates $25K to benefit STEM complex at UVM

  07-09-2017 20:33 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — BioTekSept. 6, 2017
  Contact:Chere GriffinExpression Marcom, LLC908-818-9463
  [email protected]
  September 6, 2017, WINOOSKI VT, USA — BioTek proudly announces its donation of $25,000 towards the construction of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Complex at The University of Vermont (UVM). This facility marks UVM’s largest ever capital project and is anticipated to transform the Central Campus with three interconnected buildings.
  
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• The Politics Of Sen. Sanders' 'Medicare For All' Push bit.ly/2vPWktv https://t.co/JCe2xwpw0t

  07-09-2017 20:31 via twitter.com
  
  The Politics Of Sen. Sanders' 'Medicare For All' Push bit.ly/2vPWktv https://t.co/JCe2xwpw0t
  
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• Free Road Salt Conference to be held in Burlington

  07-09-2017 20:29 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Winooski Natural Resources Conservation DistrictSeptember 6, 2017
  Contact:Corrina Parnapy, District ManagerWinooski Natural Resources Conservation District(802) 778-3178
  [email protected]
  Burlington—On September 29, 2017, The Winooski Natural Resource Conservation District and Lake Champlain Sea Grant will host the first Lake Champlain Watershed Deicing Salt Conference. This day- long event is designed to bring together a variety of groups that carry out winter
  
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• Developer wants 3 solar arrays bigger than any yet in Vermont

  07-09-2017 20:29 via vtdigger.org
  Big solar may be coming to southern Vermont.
  New documents show that Connecticut-based Freepoint Solar has plans to develop three arrays – each capable of generating 20 megawatts of power – in Vernon, Shaftsbury and Fair Haven.
  Only one array of that size has been approved in Vermont at this point. And large photovoltaic projects have spurred debates about siting and transmission capacity.
  A solar panel. File photo by John Herrick/VTDiggerOfficials are taking a wait-and-see approach
  
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• Vermont National Guard members assists Texas in Hurricane Harvey relief efforts

  07-09-2017 20:19 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont National Guard6 Sept. 2017
  Contact:1st. Lt. Mike ArcovitchPHONE: (802) 338-3324BB: (802) 734-1677
  Members of the Vermont National Guard are mobilizing this week to provide assistance to the Hurricane Harvey response in southeast Texas at the request of the Texas National Guard.
  A public affairs team of both Vermont Army and Air National Guardsmen will be serving at Camp Mabry during their mission. This team was requested to provide crucial public affairs&nb
  
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• LGBTQIA Alliance of Vermont condemns Trump decision on DACA

  07-09-2017 20:14 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — LGBTQIA Alliance of VermontSept. 6, 2017
  Contact:Brenda Churchill
  [email protected]
  The LGBTQIA Alliance of Vermont condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the decision by the Trump administration to cancel the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. This program was started to allow youths who have largely been raised in the US and who have no criminal records to receive a two year, renewable, period of protection from deportatio
  
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• Baby Lake Trout Surviving In Lake Champlain For The First Time In Decades bit.ly/2wMwJiv https://t.co/Op0q5r6XLA

  07-09-2017 20:14 via twitter.com
  
  Baby Lake Trout Surviving In Lake Champlain For The First Time In Decades bit.ly/2wMwJiv https://t.co/Op0q5r6XLA
  
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• Affordable condos added to plans for former Burlington College land

  07-09-2017 20:11 via vtdigger.org
  A design rendering of the proposed Cambrian Rise project on the former Burlington College campus. Courtesy of city of BurlingtonBURLINGTON — Plans for a new neighborhood on North Avenue are now expected to include up to 60 condominiums to be sold below market rates.
  Cambrian Rise, a mixed-use development with more than 700 apartments and condominiums planned on the former Burlington College land, announced a deal with Champlain Housing Trust to provide the affordable condos.
  The project in
  
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• LISTEN: Baby Lake Trout Surviving In Lake Champlain For The First Time In Decades bit.ly/2wMwJiv https://t.co/kwAnjyvvnt

  07-09-2017 20:09 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: Baby Lake Trout Surviving In Lake Champlain For The First Time In Decades bit.ly/2wMwJiv https://t.co/kwAnjyvvnt
  
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• Free forum to discuss guaranteed primary health care on Sept. 14 in Morrisville

  07-09-2017 19:52 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Lamoille County DemocratsSept. 6, 2017
  Contact:Lamoille County DemocratsHelene G. Martin, Vice-ChairStowe Democrats
  [email protected]
  Guaranteed Primary Health Care in Vermont: Fact or Fiction?
  A free forum with Dr, Anna Carey, Vermont State Representative; Sarah Copland-Hanzas; and health advocate, and health advocate Michael Fisher speaking for guaranteed primary health care for all Vermonters on Thursday,September 14, 6:30-8:30pm. They will discuss the challenges Vermont
  
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• 2017 MAH Classic golf tournament a success for community health care

  07-09-2017 19:42 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health CenterSeptember 6, 2017
  Contact:Amber Cutler(802) 674-7327, [email protected]
  WINDSOR, VT – On June 19, continuing a tradition that began 35 years ago, the Woodstock Country Club hosted the annual MAH Classic golf tournament. More than 80 golfers participated in a day filled with challenges and fun to raise funds for Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) in Windsor and the Ottauquechee Health Center (OHC) in Woodstock.
  &l
  
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• Vermont Gas encouraging small businesses, nonprofit organizations to participate in efficiency programs

  07-09-2017 19:38 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont GasSeptember 6, 2017
  Media Contact:Beth Parent, Communications and Brand Manager, Vermont Gas SystemsPH: (802) 865-1460 / (802) 578-2776
  [email protected]
  Program will help small businesses and entrepreneurs save money, upgrade systems and reduce their energy needs
  South Burlington, VT – Vermont Gas is encouraging its small business and nonprofit customers to participate in its nationally recognized and award-winning energy efficiency program. The Company&
  
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• Volunteers needed for Vermont river cleanups in September

  07-09-2017 19:33 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Watersheds United VermontSept. 5, 2017
  Contact:Lyn Munno; (802) 585-3569; [email protected]
  MONTPELIER, VT – Picking up trash out of a river may not sound like the most fun way to spend a few hours, but the hundreds of Vermonters who annually participate in river cleanups find cleaning our waterways both enjoyable and rewarding! This September, join the fun by volunteering to clean up your local river as part of Vermont’s official River Cleanup Month.
  Lo
  
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• LISTEN: Taking Stock Of 40 Years Of VPR With President And CEO Robin Turnau bit.ly/2hWwCx2 https://t.co/tdK0OHCo8t

  07-09-2017 19:32 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: Taking Stock Of 40 Years Of VPR With President And CEO Robin Turnau bit.ly/2hWwCx2 https://t.co/tdK0OHCo8t
  
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• Almost time! Share your questions about @vprnet or memories of our first 40 years and listen in at noon! twitter.com/vprnet/status/…

  07-09-2017 17:46 via twitter.com
  Almost time! Share your questions about @vprnet or memories of our first 40 years and listen in at noon! twitter.com/vprnet/status/…
  
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• LISTEN: Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman On DACA And Other Issues Facing The State bit.ly/2wL4twC https://t.co/27zG3Dx9Xx

  07-09-2017 15:18 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman On DACA And Other Issues Facing The State bit.ly/2wL4twC https://t.co/27zG3Dx9Xx
  
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• Vermont students outpace national averages on ACT

  07-09-2017 09:01 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont students who took the ACT, a college readiness test, in 2017 scored higher than the national average in the four subject areas covered, according to a report released by the testing and research giant.
  The 2,108 graduates who took the test — about 30 percent of those who got high school diplomas in the state this year — scored slightly better in individual subjects than Vermonters who took the test in 2013, according to a five-year trend analysis in the Condition of College a
  
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• Meeting yields no clues to fate of suspended town official

  07-09-2017 02:59 via vtdigger.org
  The five-member Rutland Town Selectboard. Chairman Josh Terenzini is at center. Photo by Alan J. Keays/VTDiggerRUTLAND TOWN – The future of the suspended Rutland Town administrator’s job remains a mystery.
  The Selectboard met Wednesday night in executive session for about 35 minutes before emerging without taking any action.Joe Zingale, who was placed on administrative leave last week, has said he was given a letter from the town stating that the special Selectboard meeting Wednesday
  
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• Trump, Democrats’ deal shifts outlook in DC, possibly Vermont

  07-09-2017 02:26 via vtdigger.org
  The U.S. Capitol. File photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDiggerWASHINGTON — Lawmakers returned after the August recess with a slew of major deadlines looming at the end of September.
  Now, on the second day back, they are considering a deal with bipartisan backing that would postpone two major issues — the debt ceiling and the expiration of the current federal budget — until December.
  If the package passes both the House and Senate, it could also mean the Vermont Legislature will not
  
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• Vermont judge: Google must obey warrants in child sex cases

  07-09-2017 01:48 via vtdigger.org
  A Vermont judge has told tech giant Google it must turn over evidence in cases of alleged sexual exploitation of children, the Vermont attorney general’s office said Wednesday.
  The orders by Judge Samuel Hoar Jr. of Addison County Superior Court are part of a push by 32 states and the federal government that prosecutors hope will end with the U.S. Supreme Court saying tech companies can’t duck search warrants by saying the information sought is stored on servers outside the United St
  
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• Scott: Teachers unions, school boards need to compromise

  07-09-2017 01:28 via vtdigger.org
  Gov. Phil Scott on Wednesday encouraged both sides in teacher contract disputes in Burlington and South Burlington to compromise for the sake of students.
  Scott said he wasn’t sure there was a “direct correlation” between the impasses in two of the state’s largest cities and legislation he signed that attempts to force communities to accrue savings in health care spending for teachers or receive less state funding.
  Gov. Phil Scott. File photo by Holly Pelczynski/Benningto
  
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• South Burlington teachers try leverage short of strike

  07-09-2017 01:17 via vtdigger.org
  SOUTH BURLINGTON — The South Burlington Educators’ Association says it will not begin negotiating a contract for next year unless the school board agrees to reopen talks on the current year.
  The union said at a Wednesday news conference that it voted to formally reject the terms of employment the South Burlington School Board imposed last week. The board took that step after 10 months of negotiations failed to yield a contract. The two sides are still at loggerheads on teacher salari
  
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• Bob Frenier: Ehlers’ portrayal of Republicans wrong

  07-09-2017 01:05 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Bob Frenier, of Chelsea, a Republican who represents the Orange-1 district in the Vermont House of Representatives.
  James Ehlers, the first Democratic candidate to challenge Phil Scott in the 2018 election, is quoted by VPR as saying voters in the next election will have grown tired of “that whole ideology of Republican thinking that says if people just work a little bit harder, then they’ll succeed, and everyone who isn’t succeeding,
  
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• Rachel Smolker: Vermont Gas’ permit violations

  07-09-2017 01:00 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Rachel Smolker, who is a co-director of Biofuelwatch. She has researched, written about and campaigned against large scale bioenergy and its negative impacts on public health and the environment. She has a Ph.D. in biology/ecology from the University of Michigan. She is on the steering committee for Campaign to Stop GE Trees, is a board member for Global Forest Coalition, and is a founding member of the Hinesburg group Protect Geprags Park.
  Vermont Gas
  
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• Vermont joins suit to preserve DACA from Trump action

  07-09-2017 00:31 via vtdigger.org
  Dozens of lawmakers, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., gather Wednesday at the Capitol to call for a vote on immigration legislation. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDiggerWASHINGTON — The Vermont attorney general has signed on to a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s plan to terminate an Obama-era program that shields some unauthorized immigrants from deportation.
  Attorneys general from 15 states and Washington, D.C., are part of the suit, which
  
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• Police won’t release video, audio of Poultney fatal shooting

  07-09-2017 00:20 via vtdigger.org
  This house in Poultney is where Michael Battles, 32, was shot and killed in a standoff with police. Photo by Alan J. Keays/VTDiggerVermont State Police have denied a request to release any video or audio they may have of a shooting involving five troopers during a standoff early Friday morning that left a Poultney man dead.
  Police say they were trying to arrest Michael Battles, 32, on a warrant for aggravated domestic assault at his home when he pointed a silver revolver from a second-story wind
  
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