Vermont news

• Expanded food aid available to Vermonters who lost power

  02-11-2017 23:54 via vtdigger.org
  Erica Bornemann, Vermont Emergency Management director, speaks at a news conference Thursday in Barre. With her are Dan Hoxworth, left, executive director of Capstone Community Action, and Barre Mayor Thomas Lauzon. Photo by Mark Johnson/VTDigger
  BARRE — Community leaders announced an expanded emergency food program Thursday to help Vermonters who recently lost electrical power.
  More than 7,000 homes and businesses are still without service after high winds Sunday night knocked down trees,
  
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• Fire at National Life prompts evacuation

  02-11-2017 23:22 via vtdigger.org
  Employees at National Life were evacuated after a fire. Courtesy Photo.A fire in the biomass heating system at National Life led to the evacuation of around 1,000 people Thursday afternoon.
  No one was injured in the conflagration, said National Life’s director of corporate communications, Ross Sneyd.
  “We did have a fire in our boiler room,” Sneyd said. “It was contained to the biomass unit we have.”
  That boiler room is found in the southern of two large office build
  
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• New St. Albans drug treatment hub rapidly expanding patient rolls

  02-11-2017 22:50 via vtdigger.org
  Jason Goguen, regional director for BAART Programs, speaks Thursday about the recently opened St. Albans opiate treatment hub. With him is Gov. Phil Scott. Photo by Morgan True/VTDiggerST. ALBANS — A long-anticipated opiate treatment hub to serve Franklin County has roughly 235 patients a month after its opening, with more streaming in every day, according to its regional director.
  Jason Goguen, with BAART Programs, said the clinic is accepting between 10 and 14 new patients daily. The sit
  
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• Vermont delegation slams GOP tax proposal

  02-11-2017 22:43 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Bernie Sanders. File photo courtesy of Sanders campaign.
  WASHINGTON — As congressional Republicans rolled out a proposal to make substantial changes to the federal tax system Thursday, Vermont’s congressional delegation came out strongly against it.
  The three Vermont congressmen slammed Republicans for producing the legislation behind closed doors, and ripped the proposal as one aimed at cutting taxes for the wealthiest people and companies in the country.
  House Republican lead
  
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• Work starts on elder housing in planned South Burlington downtown

  02-11-2017 22:19 via vtdigger.org
  Doris Allard at Allard Square’s groundbreaking in South Burlington on Wednesday. The development is named after the 93-year-old, who moved into Burlington’s Cathedral Square housing in 1979. Photo by Gail Callahan/VTDiggerSOUTH BURLINGTON — With 93-year-old Doris Allard wielding a ceremonial shovel, officials Wednesday marked the start of work on a housing development that will bring older Vermonters like her into the heart of the city’s planned new downtown.
  The nonprofi
  
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• Welch questions impact of controversial law on DEA

  02-11-2017 22:10 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont Congressman Peter Welch. File photo Kristopher Radder/Reformer StaffWASHINGTON — Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are seeking more information from the Drug Enforcement Agency on efforts to combat the opioid crisis in the wake of media reports that questioned whether a 2016 law had a chilling effect on enforcement efforts.
  The law, spearheaded by Rep. Tom Marino, R-Pa., and co-sponsored many others, including Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., purported to clarify regulations around distribution of
  
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• What The Governor's Marijuana Commission Has Determined So Far dlvr.it/PywxCN https://t.co/KpnylngCca

  02-11-2017 22:06 via twitter.com
  
  What The Governor's Marijuana Commission Has Determined So Far dlvr.it/PywxCN https://t.co/KpnylngCca
  
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• LISTEN: Looking Back At 40 Years Of Radio With Robert Siegel Of 'All Things Considered' dlvr.it/PywpfK https://t.co/YfOvsoVNmY

  02-11-2017 21:49 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: Looking Back At 40 Years Of Radio With Robert Siegel Of 'All Things Considered' dlvr.it/PywpfK https://t.co/YfOvsoVNmY
  
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• Scholarship will honor Vermont native killed in Vegas shooting

  02-11-2017 21:31 via vtdigger.org
  Sandy Casey and her fiance, Christopher Willemse, are shown in an undated photo. Casey was an East Dorset native. Courtesy photo
  BENNINGTON — The family of Sandy Casey has announced the creation of a scholarship fund in her memory.
  The Sandy Casey Scholarship Fund, honoring the life of the East Dorset native who was killed in the Las Vegas shooting on Oct. 1, will be overseen by a committee that includes Casey’s father, Steven Casey. Other members include the president and the publis
  
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• Salt from Vermont Railway sheds pollutes groundwater

  02-11-2017 21:12 via vtdigger.org
  Shelburne Selectboard Chairman Gary von Stange addresses a rally last year against a Vermont Railway salt storage facility. File photo by Phoebe Sheehan/VTDiggerRoad salt from Vermont Railway storage sheds in Shelburne has contaminated groundwater to almost five times the state’s enforcement limit, but a representative for the company says the pollution levels are decreasing.
  Hearings are underway in a court case that will determine whether Shelburne can ban the salt sheds in their current
  
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• End of a long chapter in Windsor as prison closes

  02-11-2017 19:20 via vtdigger.org
  Corrections work crew supervisor Dana LaPlante loads a metal detector taken from the gatehouse of the Southeast State Correctional Facility in Windsor onto a truck Monday. Photo by James M. Patterson/Valley News(This story by correspondent Patrick O’Grady was published in the Valley News on Nov. 1, 2017.)
  WINDSOR — Southeast State Correctional Facility closed on Tuesday, putting a quiet end to the town’s 208 years of hosting a state prison, which was the first of its kind in th
  
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• Report proposes transitional housing for Windsor prison

  02-11-2017 19:04 via vtdigger.org
  The Southeast State Correctional Facility in Windsor. The original dormitory was built in 1916 by warden Ralph Walker who started a farm run by inmates. Photo by James M. Patterson/Valley News(This story by correspondent Patrick O’Grady was published in the Valley News on Nov. 1, 2017.)
  WINDSOR — A report from the Department of Corrections released on Tuesday estimates it would cost $1.3 million to convert the newly shuttered prison off County Road into a secure transitional housing
  
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• VLS presents ‘Energize Democracy: How to Run for Office’ workshop Nov. 11

  02-11-2017 18:31 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Law SchoolNov. 1, 2017
  Contact:Maryellen Apelquist, Director of Communications, Vermont Law Schooloffice: 802-831-1228, cell: 802-299-5593, [email protected]
  With Kathleen Falk, Madeleine Kunin, Jim Condos, David Zuckerman, Joe Benning, Alison Clarkson, Randy Brock and more
  SOUTH ROYALTON, Vt., Nov. 1, 2017––The New Economy Law Center at Vermont Law School will present “Energize Democracy: How to Run for Office,” a nonpartisan workshop
  
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• Weston Playhouse wraps an historic season

  02-11-2017 18:25 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Weston PlayhouseNovember 1, 2017
  Media Contact:
  [email protected]: (802) 824-8167 x 112
  www.westonplayhouse.org
  Weston, VT.
  A new theatre, a successful season, and a bright future. Weston Playhouse Theatre Company is on a roll!
  On September 23, 2017, Weston Playhouse at Walker Farm celebrated its Grand Opening. Located on a 5-acre farmstead north of the Weston Playhouse on Route 100/Main Street, the new facility complements the theatre company’s summer use
  
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• EPA awards UVM $598K to explore links among algal blooms, human health, community action

  02-11-2017 18:20 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — UVMNov. 1, 2017
  Contact:Jeff Wakefield, [email protected], 802-578-8830
  The University of Vermont has received a $598,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to investigate links between harmful algal blooms and human well-being, and to explore how a community along Lake Champlain works to take action based on scientific information about those links. In lakes and ponds worldwide, cyanobacteria blooms, also known as “blue-green algae,” thr
  
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• Senate panel advances Nolan nomination for US attorney

  02-11-2017 18:16 via vtdigger.org
  Senate Judiciary Committee members Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDiggerWASHINGTON — A Senate panel advanced the nomination of Christina Nolan to be Vermont’s next chief federal prosecutor Thursday morning.
  The Senate Judiciary Committee endorsed Nolan for the U.S. attorney post by voice vote with no opposition.
  Nolan, who is currently an assistant U.S. attorney, was recommended for the top job by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Republ
  
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• National rail group leader to speak in Vermont

  02-11-2017 18:16 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Rail Action NetworkNovember 1, 2017
  Contact:Larry Lewack, VT Rail Action Network—(802) 598-1577; [email protected]
  BURLINGTON – Jim Matthews, President of the National Association of Rail Passengers, will be in Rutland, Vermont on November 8 to address participants in the gala Annual Dinner of the Vermont Rail Action Network. Prospects for better passenger rail service in Vermont, and the fate of the US national passenger rail system will be discussed
  
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• VHFA’s David Adams to retire, Maura Collins named deputy director

  02-11-2017 18:10 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Housing Finance AgencyOctober 31, 2017
  Contact:Steve Gronlund(802) 652-3413
  [email protected]
  BURLINGTON—Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) announced today that David Adams, Chief of Program Operations, will be retiring from the agency on November 17, 2017. Concurrently, Maura Collins will be promoted to the position of Deputy Director. “Dave has expertly led our programs through the turbulent economic and mortgage industry changes of the past two dec
  
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• Southwestern Vermont Health Care adds Stephen Kelly to board of trustees

  02-11-2017 18:05 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Southwestern Vermont Health CareOct. 31, 2017
  Contact:Media Contact:Ashley Brenon JowettCommunications & Marketing SpecialistPhone: 802.447.5019 | Fax: 802.447.5214
  [email protected]
  BENNINGTON, VT–October 31, 2017–Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) has announced the appointment of Stephen Kelly to its Board of Trustees.
  “Stephen has an accomplished background in helping non-profit organizations fulfill their missions while meeting the
  
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• Financial assistance available for farms recovering after severe wind storms

  02-11-2017 18:00 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & MarketsTuesday, October 31, 2017
  Contact:Trevor Audet, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets802-522-4725
  [email protected]
  MONTPELIER, Vt. – The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets urges farmers seeking financial recovery assistance to apply for emergency loans as soon as possible.
  By Tuesday afternoon, more than 20 Vermont farms reported damage or problems caused by wind storms Sunday night and
  
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• Sanders calls for reversing Social Security cuts to improve deteriorating customer service

  02-11-2017 17:57 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Sen. Bernie SandersOct. 31, 2017
  Contact:Dan McLean, 802-862-6695
  BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 31 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Tuesday called on Congress to reverse deep budget cuts that have left Social Security Administration offices understaffed and unable to keep up with growing caseloads.
  In a letter to U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), who chairs the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Sanders said, “Social Security is one of the most successful governmen
  
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• Secretary of State Jim Condos speaks at national forum on election cybersecurity

  02-11-2017 17:40 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Secretary of State Jim CondosOctober 31, 2017
  Contact:Eric Covey, 802-828-2148
  On Saturday, October 28th, Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos spoke on a national panel at the State Legislative Leaders Foundation’s 2017 Technology Summit regarding cybersecurity in elections and electronic threats to voting systems. The Summit was attended by over fifty legislative leaders from across the nation. Secretary Condos was joined on the panel by Tennessee Secretary of State
  
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• Former Winooski man completes running through Vermont’s 251 towns and cities

  02-11-2017 17:36 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — 251 ClubNovember 1, 2017
  Contact:David “Devo” DeVarneyCell: 401-256-7955
  [email protected]
  WINOOSKI, VERMONT—David “Devo” DeVarney, a 61-year-old former resident of Winooski and Vermont 251 Club member, will be completing his goal of running through Vermont’s 251’s towns and cities when he arrives at Winooski’s Eugene Richards Memorial Park November 12, 2017 at 11 AM. DeVarney is a retired U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer an
  
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• Howard Dean to deliver keynote address at Northeastern Conference on Public Administration

  02-11-2017 17:23 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Oct. 31, 2017
  For Immediate Release
  Contact: Chris Koliba, Professor, CDAE, [email protected], 802-656-3772
  Howard Dean to Deliver Keynote Address at Northeastern Conference on Public Administration (NECOPA) Hosted by UVM
  Government leaders, heads of non-profits, academics and students from across New England and the Mid-Atlantic are coming to the University of Vermont on Nov. 3-5 to participate in the 2017 Northeastern Conference on Public Administration (NECOPA) at the Dudle
  
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• 17 Downs Rachlin Martin attorneys named to New England Super Lawyers lists

  02-11-2017 17:19 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Downs Rachlin MartinNov. 1, 2017
  Contact:Joseph L. Choquette III, External Affairs Manager, 802-225-5510
  (Burlington, Vt.) Thirteen Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC attorneys have been named to the 2017 New England Super Lawyers list and four DRM attorneys have been named to the Rising Stars list according to the publisher of the list. The selections were announced on Oct. 17.
  Attorneys named to the Rising Stars list are David F. Harlow of the Brattleboro office, and Kathryn M. Fol
  
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• Johnson man accused of sex crimes against minor relatives

  02-11-2017 16:30 via vtdigger.org
  Jay Orost is led out of the courtroom Oct. 19 after pleading not guilty to several sexual abuse charges. Photo by Tommy Gardner/News & Citizen(This is a combination of stories by Tommy Gardner that were published in the News & Citizen on Oct. 19 and Nov. 2, 2017.)
  A Johnson man already facing a slew of charges involving sex with a minor was back in court last week to face more than a dozen additional charges involving two more victims.
  Police allege he also offered to pay off the or
  
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• EB-5 investors pursue lawsuit against People’s United Bank

  02-11-2017 10:53 via vtdigger.org
  The Hotel Jay is the signature project of the Jay Peak Resort expansion. The developers used EB-5 immigrant investor money to build the five-story hotel. An investor alleges that the fifth floor was double-sold to two sets of investors. VTDigger photoLawyers for a group of EB-5 investors are asking a federal judge to certify their fraud lawsuit against the Jay Peak resort developers and People’s United Bank.
  The recent filing was brought in the investors’ case against Jay Peak owner
  
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• Security director at Vermont Lottery leaves

  02-11-2017 10:32 via vtdigger.org
  After five years of overseeing and implementing security procedures for the Vermont Lottery Commission, Director of Security Michael Ferrant has resigned.
  Ferrant left his job on Friday. He said in a resignation letter that he’ll become the Committee Services Supervisor for the Office of the Legislative Council.
  Ferrant said in a statement his departure was a personal choice to further his career.
  “It has nothing to do with the lottery, the great people here or the incredible work th
  
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• Ag agency accepts applications for trade show assistance grants

  02-11-2017 04:12 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & MarketsWednesday, November 1, 2017
  Contact:Lauren MasseriaSenior Market Development CoordinatorVermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets802-505-5413
  The Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets is pleased to announce the availability of a third year of funding for Trade Show Assistance Grants. Trade Show Assistance Grants financially assist eligible Vermont agriculture and forestry businesses in connecting with new ma
  
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• Leahy announces $7.4 million in federal funding to support victim service programs in Vermont

  02-11-2017 04:07 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Sen. Patrick LeahyNov. 1, 2017
  Press Contact:David Carle(202) 224-3693
  Grants Will Also Strengthen Domestic and Sexual Violence Response in Rural Communities
  WASHINGTON (WEDNESDAY, Nov. 1, 2017) — U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has announced that Vermont organizations will receive 10 grants totaling more than $7.4 million from the U.S. Department of Justice to support crime victims and to strengthen services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
  As a forme
  
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• Green Mountain Club celebrates 100 years of publishing with ‘A Century of Long Trail Guidebooks: A Retrospective’

  02-11-2017 04:00 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Green Mountain ClubNovember 1, 2017
  Contact:Mike DeBonis, Executive Director(802) 241-8212; [email protected]/IG @greenmountainclubTwitter: @greenmtnclub
  Vermont – Following the publication of the Centennial Edition of the Long Trail Guide in June 2017, the Green Mountain Club has now released A Century of Long Trail Guidebooks: A Retrospective wherein Reidun Nuquist masterfully weaves the twenty-eight Long Trail guidebook editions together, incorporatin
  
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• Audi FIS Ski World Cup returns to Killington, and other November events

  02-11-2017 03:56 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Department of Tourism and MarketingOct. 31, 2017
  Contact:Philip Tortora, Communications DirectorVermont Department of Tourism and Marketing(802) 522-7323; [email protected]
  Audi FIS Ski World Cup Returns to Killington in November
  MONTPELIER, Vt. – For the second consecutive year, Vermont will welcome many of the top skiers in the world when the Audi FIS Women’s Ski World Cup returns to Killington Resort during Thanksgiving weekend.
  This year&rsqu
  
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• Sherry Marcelino, longtime advocate against homelessness, wins award

  02-11-2017 03:46 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Lamoille County Mental Health ServicesNovember 1, 2017
  Contact:Rebecca CopansLamoille County Mental Health ServicesPhone: 802-922-3452Email: [email protected]
  Morrisville, Vermont— Lamoille County Mental Health Services (LCMHS) is pleased to announce that Sherry Marcelino has been named the 2017 Shirley Hayden Award winner. Board member Nancy Durand presented the award at the agency’s annual meeting. “Each year we recognize one outstanding employe
  
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• Lamoille Home Health & Hospice garners honor

  02-11-2017 03:43 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Lamoille Home Health & HospiceOct. 31, 2017
  Media contact:Mary L. Collins802.888.4651
  [email protected]
  Lamoille Home Health & Hospice Named to Top 100 and Top Agency of the 2017 ABILITY | HomeCare Elite
  [Morrisville, VT, October 31, 2017] — Lamoille Home Health & Hospice (LHH&H) today announced that it has been named as a Top 100 and a Top Agency of the 2017 HomeCare Elite®, recognition of the top-performing home health agencies in the United State
  
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• Lawyer challenging $500,000 judgment for shortchanging client

  02-11-2017 02:22 via vtdigger.org
  Robert Parizo with daughters Liza Barron, left, and Ashley Smith, sometime after the 2005 fall that left him paralyzed. He later sued his lawyer over a settlement Parizo was due for a 2010 car crash. Courtesy photo
  A Burlington attorney and his law firm are appealing a $500,000 judgment for taking too much of a client’s settlement after a car crash in which the already paralyzed man was severely injured.
  A jury found attorney Thomas Nuovo had no written or verbal agreement with Robert Pari
  
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• Updated OneCare Vermont budget is $140M less

  02-11-2017 01:41 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont’s largest health reform company has resubmitted its first annual budget to state regulators to reflect updated numbers.OneCare Vermont is now projecting it will control about $599 million in patient care money in calendar year 2018, down from $737 million when the company submitted its original budget in June.
  Todd Moore is chief executive officer of OneCare. File photo by Erin Mansfield/VTDiggerThe company is second only to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington in
  
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• John Fairbanks: The $4,000 promise

  02-11-2017 00:15 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This op-ed is by John Fairbanks, a Vermonter currently living and working in Washington, D.C.
  In 1789, Benjamin Franklin famously, if not originally, observed that “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.”
  Other current events notwithstanding, I would add one more certainty: outlandish promises on tax cuts.
  Congress recently approved a budget resolution in a parliamentary maneuver that allows $1.5 trillion to be added to the defic
  
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• Jim Leddy: Who’s counting?

  02-11-2017 00:12 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Jim Leddy, of South Burlington, who is a former Democratic Chittenden County state senator, former chair of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee; former president of AARP Vermont; former chair of the national AARP’s Health and Long Term Care Committee; and a 10-year recipient of Medicare benefits.In a recent VTDigger story by Elizabeth Hewitt, she writes that Rep. Peter Welch, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., have called upo
  
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• George Plumb: The challenges facing the Earth

  02-11-2017 00:09 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by George Plumb of Washington, a longtime environmental activist who was the first and only non-professional to organize a “climate action” in central Vermont. He was the lead co-founder of Vermonters for Sustainable Population, which was recently renamed Better Not Bigger Vermont. He has flown in a jet plane for recreational purposes only once in his 80 years.
  There is not just one but two huge challenges facing the Earth that could well resul
  
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