Vermont news

• First lady of ND visits Vermont to learn about drug treatment system

  08-11-2017 23:32 via vtdigger.org
  North Dakota first lady Kathryn Helgaas Burgum addresses reporters Wednesday during a visit to Vermont to learn more about the state’s system for treating addiction. Photo by Morgan True/VTDigger
  SOUTH BURLINGTON — The first lady of North Dakota is in Vermont this week to learn about the state’s response to the opioid crisis.
  Kathryn Helgaas Burgum has taken on addiction prevention and treatment in her state since marrying North Dakota’s Republican Gov. Doug Burgum last y
  
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• Economy in rural parts of Vermont still hurting

  08-11-2017 23:21 via vtdigger.org
  Paul Costello, executive director of the Vermont Council on Rural Development, leads a meeting Monday in Vernon where federal, state and local officials discussed ideas for recovering from the closure of Vermont Yankee. Photo by Mike Faher/VTDiggerA program to boost Vermont’s farm and forest industries is having some success, but the state’s economy is still hurting, with about six people a day leaving the workforce, according to speakers at a Statehouse forum.
  The hearing Wednesday
  
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• Before Your Time: Vermont’s great flood

  08-11-2017 22:14 via vtdigger.org
   
  The Winooski River inundates a home on the south bank at Bolton Ferry during the 1927 flood. Courtesy Vermont Historical SocietyBefore Your Time is a podcast about Vermont history. Every episode, we go inside the stacks at the Vermont Historical Society to look at an object from their permanent collection that tells us something unique about our state. Then, we take a closer look at the people, the events, and the ideas that surround each artifact.Ninety years ago, a rainstorm t
  
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• Queen City Memory Cafe launches website with AARP grant

  08-11-2017 20:59 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — UVM Center on AgingNov. 7, 2017
  Contact:Janet Nunziata, Center on Aging at the University of Vermont, 656-4220, [email protected]
  BURLINGTON, VERMONT — Burlington’s first memory cafe — a monthly social event for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia — has launched a website with a grant from AARP Vermont.
  The website, www.queencitymemorycafe.com, links to the cafe’s Facebook page and provides resources for people livin
  
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• Burlington DPW’s fall leaf pickup picks up next week

  08-11-2017 20:54 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Burlington DPWNovember 7, 2017
  Contact:Robert Goulding, Public Information Manager540-0846/[email protected]
  Don’t forget to ‘Adopt-A-Drain’ while you’re outside
  Resident-driven initiatives contribute to a cleaner environment and a healthier city
  Burlington, VT – Burlington’s Department of Public Works (DPW) kicks off its annual Fall Leaf Pickup Program next week. From November 13-17, DPW crews will be collecting bagged leaves on
  
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• Sanders calls for investigation into Paradise Papers findings

  08-11-2017 20:49 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Sen. Bernie SandersNov. 7, 2017
  Contact:Sanders Press Office
  [email protected]
  WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, on Tuesday called on Congress to conduct an investigation into the offshore tax dodging uncovered by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in the “Paradise Papers.”
  In a letter to Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Sand
  
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• Leahy leads senators urging Senate Finance Committee to reject tax changes to 401(k)s

  08-11-2017 20:34 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Sen. Patrick LeahyNov. 7, 2017
  Press Contact:David Carle(202) 224-3693
  WASHINGTON (TUESDAY, Nov. 7, 2017) – Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday led a group of Senate Democrats in calling on the leadership of the Senate Finance Committee to reject changes to the tax system that would harm existing tax incentives for Americans to save for retirement. The letter comes as Senate Republicans are poised to release their own version of tax reform legislation later this week
  
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• State announces Lake Memphremagog restoration plan

  08-11-2017 20:29 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Department of Environmental ConservationNovember 8, 2017
  Media Contact:Ben Copans, Watershed Planner(802) 490-6143 | [email protected]
  Public Meetings to be held November 9th and 14th
  MONTPELIER — The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is holding two public meetings to present the Lake Memphremagog, Coaticook and Tomifobia Rivers Tactical Basin Plan, which outlines how the State will achieve new phosphorus pollution targets for the Memphremagog
  
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• DoD Cyber Security Compliance workshops offered by VT PTAC

  08-11-2017 20:25 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Procurement Technical Assistance CenterWednesday, November 8, 2017
  Contact:Leonarda Stewart, Administrative Services CoordinatorVT Procurement Technical Assistance CenterVermont Department of Economic Development
  [email protected]; (802) 828-5237
  http://ptac.vermont.gov
  Defense Contractors and Subcontractors – Are you DoD Cyber Security Compliant?
  MONTPELIER, Vt. – The Vermont Procurement Technical Assistance Center (VT PTAC) will be hosting fr
  
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• Alimony reform campaign runs into issues of gender equity

  08-11-2017 20:22 via vtdigger.org
  Carol Buchdahl, a member of the Vermont Commission on Women, discusses her concerns about alimony reform at a hearing Monday at Vermont Law School. Photo by Mike Faher/VTDigger
  SOUTH ROYALTON – In the years-long debate about reforming Vermont’s alimony law, the question of fairness has come up often.
  But there are two very different perspectives on what constitutes “fair” when it comes to divorce and financial settlements.
  Reform advocates, who dominated a hearing on the
  
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• Vermont Medical Society Foundation awards scholarship to UVM College of Medicine students

  08-11-2017 20:20 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Medical SocietyNov. 8, 2017
  Contact:Justin Campfield
  [email protected]
  Montpelier, Vt. (Nov. 8, 2017) – The Vermont Medical Society’s Education and Research Foundation (VMSERF) has awarded $5,000 scholarships to Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at The University of Vermont students Margaret Johnson and Andrew Corse. The recipients were honored at the Vermont Medical Society’s 204th annual meeting held Nov. 4, in Woodstock, Vt.
  Each y
  
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• The Continuing Saga Of The New Champlain Bridge's Construction dlvr.it/PzwbJb https://t.co/70zuaNy7aq

  08-11-2017 20:11 via twitter.com
  
  The Continuing Saga Of The New Champlain Bridge's Construction dlvr.it/PzwbJb https://t.co/70zuaNy7aq
  
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• LISTEN: The Continuing Saga Of The New Champlain Bridge's Construction dlvr.it/PzwbV4 https://t.co/2yfzsw0pQG

  08-11-2017 20:11 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: The Continuing Saga Of The New Champlain Bridge's Construction dlvr.it/PzwbV4 https://t.co/2yfzsw0pQG
  
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• Southeastern Vermont district rejects school merger plan

  08-11-2017 19:59 via vtdigger.org
  A sign urges voters in the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union to vote against a school merger. Voters rejected the plan Nov. 7. Photo by Mike Faher/VTDiggerBRATTLEBORO – Voters on Tuesday resoundingly rejected Windham Southeast Supervisory Union’s four-town Act 46 merger plan, sending residents and school officials back to the drawing board.
  After a messy, contentious merger process, the results were clear and convincing: In Dummerston, there were 473 votes against the merger compar
  
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• Tunbridge and Chelsea OK district merger

  08-11-2017 19:54 via vtdigger.org
  (This story by Matt Hongoltz-Hetling first appeared in the Valley News on Nov. 7, 2017.)
  CHELSEA — Voters in Chelsea and Tunbridge approved a proposal to merge into the newly created First Branch Unified School District.
  The proposal, which passed 197-110 in Chelsea and 207-61 in Tunbridge, will close Chelsea’s high school in favor of choice for high school students.
  Beginning July 1, First Branch will teach students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade and will have a single b
  
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• LISTEN: How Climate Change Is Transforming Vermont's Utilities dlvr.it/PzwSYj https://t.co/YSuZ1hB3eS

  08-11-2017 19:53 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: How Climate Change Is Transforming Vermont's Utilities dlvr.it/PzwSYj https://t.co/YSuZ1hB3eS
  
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• Winhall woman found guilty of bank fraud, identity theft

  08-11-2017 19:38 via vtdigger.org
  (This story by Mike Donoghue was published in the Bennington Banner on Nov. 8, 2017.)
  BURLINGTON — A Winhall woman, who officials say was involved in obtaining $1.6 million in bogus loans at five financial institutions, including the Bank of Bennington, was found guilty in U.S. District Court in Burlington on three felony charges on Tuesday afternoon.
  Alison Gu, 41, of Old Snow Valley Road was convicted for committing bank fraud between 2013 and 2015, making a false statement on a U.S. pas
  
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• Vermont Attorney General says Maple Leaf Treatment Center overbilled Medicaid $860,000

  08-11-2017 15:36 via vtdigger.org
  BURLINGTON — The attorney general’s office says that the now defunct drug treatment provider Maple Leaf Treatment Associates, Inc., overbilled Vermont’s Medicaid program by $860,000.
  Maple Leaf in Underhill operated one of the oldest and best respected inpatient addiction treatment programs until it closed abruptly in February, leaving state officials scrambling to fill a treatment vacuum in the midst of an opiate crisis. The nonprofit company also operated a separate outpatien
  
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• From Mark Johnson: ‘Get the full story, get it right’

  08-11-2017 11:52 via vtdigger.org
  Dear friends,
  Thanks to generous contributions from readers, we were able to meet the News Match challenge. We raised $57,925 toward our end of year goal so far. But we still have $292,075 to raise to meet our budget.
  Here at VTDigger, we strive to produce the best news in Vermont. For the next two months, we will also bring you voices from inside the newsroom — the VTDigger staffers who make our news possible.
  Today, Mark Johnson, senior editor and reporter talks about how he feels about
  
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• Developer calls on judge to toss out entire Rutland City grand list

  08-11-2017 11:47 via vtdigger.org
  Rutland developer Joseph Giancola is challenging the city’s assessment of this property he owns, and is arguing the entire city grand list should be thrown out. Photo by Alan J. Keays/VTDiggerRUTLAND — The lawyer for a Rutland developer is not only taking the city to court over the assessment of one of client’s properties, but is also challenging the validity of the entire grand list.
  “The plaintiff demands that the entire grand list for the city of Rutland be struck, tha
  
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• FEMA in Vermont to assess storm damage

  08-11-2017 03:25 via vtdigger.org
  The Federal Emergency Management Agency will use the visit this week to verify state damage assessments, which indicate that Vermont sustained around $4.5 million in infrastructure damages from a heavy storm in late October.For Vermont to receive disaster funding from the federal government, at least $1 million in damage statewide must be verified by the agency, according to Mark Bosma, the public information officer for Vermont Emergency Management.
  The cleanup and repairs have already been com
  
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• Kids’ Chance of Vermont spreads the word with awareness week

  08-11-2017 03:24 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Kids’ Chance of VermontNov. 8, 2017
  Contact:Keith Kasper, President Kids’ Chance of VermontEmail: [email protected]: 802-863-3494
  What happens when a child loses a parent to a work-related fatality? How do families cope with a dramatic decrease in income because a parent cannot return to work due to an injury? In many cases, paying for higher education seems impossible. Kids’ Chance of Vermont is committed to providing scholarships to help children of in
  
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• WATCH LIVE: Jeff Chester on Big Data, Politics, and the 2020 Election

  08-11-2017 03:15 via vtdigger.org
  Jeff Chester, Director of the D.C.-based Center for Digital Democracy, will be at Burlington City Hall on 5:30 p.m. Thursday, November 9 for a talk about how political candidates and issue campaigns are now fully integrated into the growing Big Data marketing infrastructure. Chester will talk about how to protect the integrity of the democratic electoral and decision-making process.
  The event starts at 5:30 pm with a reception. The talk begins at 6 p.m., followed by a Q&A. View the livestrea
  
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• Leahy comment on Republican tax plan

  08-11-2017 03:13 via vtdigger.org
  Press Release — Sen. Patrick LeahyNov. 7, 2017
  Press Contact:David Carle(202)224-3693
  Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)On The Unveiling Of The Closed-Door Republican Tax PlanAnd The Frantic Rush To Pass It Without Hearings
  “Republicans are repeating the same mistakes they made with health care. It’s the same old playbook: jam through a bill, cobbled together in a back room, that sticks it to hard-working Americans.
  “Republicans are desperately seeking a ‘win&
  
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• Ford joins the Vermont Foodbank to solve hunger in Vermont

  08-11-2017 03:06 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont FoodbankNovember 7th, 2017
  Contact:Nicole Whalen, Vermont Foodbank802-505-0123
  www.vtfoodbank.org
  Barre, VT – November 7th, 2017- This month Ford Motor Company Fund, in partnership with Feeding America announced that they will be supporting the Vermont Foodbank in their mission to end hunger in Vermont with a grant of $28,500. Locally, Vermont Ford Dealerships raised an additional $5,000 to fight hunger through their Drive Against Hunger Campaign.
  Ford Motor Co
  
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• November is National Family Caregivers Month

  08-11-2017 03:01 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — TLC Homecare & NursingNov. 7, 2017
  Contact:Mohamed Basha
  [email protected]
  Caring for Vermont’s Caregivers
  November is National Family Caregivers Month, when we recognize the challenges family caregivers face when loved ones need caregiving long term and often around the clock. Family caregivers are the backbone of our nation’s long-term care system, helping thousands of older Vermonters and Vermonters with disabilities to remain living at home where the
  
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• New officers and directors elected for Vermont Insurance Agents Association

  08-11-2017 02:58 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Insurance Agents AssociationNov. 7, 2017
  Contact:Mary EversoleExecutive DirectorVermont Insurance Agents Association802.229.5884
  MONTPELIER, VT (November 7, 2017) – Erin Odell, a second-generation principal at the Odell Insurance Agency in Bradford, was elected president of the Vermont Insurance Agents Association (VIAA) during its recent 111th annual convention at the Hilton Burlington. For the past year, Odell was vice president of the association.
  She also s
  
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• Vermont artist Randi Solin awarded lifetime achievement award

  08-11-2017 02:53 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — SolinglassMonday, November 6, 2017
  Press Contact:Melissa J Cook802-251-0989
  Brattleboro, VT—Randi Solin, owner and founder of Solinglass in Brattleboro, Vermont awarded Lifetime Achievement Award by Art Design Consultants, Inc. (ADC) in Cincinnati, OH. In addition to the Lifetime Achievement Award, Solin was voted in the top 2% of all entries and won two Gallery Contract Awards as well as a Purchase Award. Randi Solin, a master glassblower, is the sole owner and presid
  
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• Women in Vermont Statehouse say: ‘Me too’

  08-11-2017 02:48 via vtdigger.org
  The Vermont House during a vote. File photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDiggerRep. Sarah Copeland Hanzas was in her first term as a legislator when, in a post-adjournment moment of milling about on the House floor, an older lawmaker put his hand on her rear.
  It wasn’t particularly provocative, the Bradford Democrat said. She didn’t immediately tell anyone or do anything about it.
  The second time, it happened in the cafeteria: “a very intentional hand on my ass,” she said.
  That
  
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• Howard Center honors Whit Smith with 2017 Help is Here Award

  08-11-2017 02:48 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Howard CenterNovember 6, 2017
  Contact:Martie Majoros
  [email protected]
  www.howardenter.org
  BURLINGTON, VT—Howard Center is pleased to announce that it will present the 2017 Help is Here Award to Whit Smith (Mickenberg, Dunn, Lachs & Smith, LLC) at its annual Help is Here Award Celebration. The award honors an individual whose contributions personify Howard Center’s mission and demonstrate a passion for those served by the organization.
  Smith was selec
  
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• Chris Pearson & Joe Benning: #MeToo — step two

  08-11-2017 01:05 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by state Sens. Chris Pearson and Joe Benning. Pearson, of Burlington, is a Progressive who represents the Chittenden District in the Vermont Senate; Benning, a Republican from Lyndonville, represents the Caledonia-Orange District.
  The recent phenomenon known as #MeToo is a powerful way for victims of unacceptable sexual behavior to speak up and support one another. It also provides all of us with a priceless opportunity that cannot be missed. Even though w
  
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• John Klar: It’s not males, it’s the culture

  08-11-2017 01:00 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by John Klar, a Vermont grass-fed beef farmer, and an attorney and pastor who lives in Westfield.
  In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, our society is alive with “#MeToo” discussion about sexual assault. College campus and military rapes have steadily increased in recent decades, along with an exploding pedophilia industry. It is high time our nation had a more blunt conversation about this scourge.
  But then the blame starts. The anti-ma
  
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• Steve May: All-payer model will punish the least healthy

  08-11-2017 00:55 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Steve May, a licensed independent clinical​ social worker who is the former national director of state affairs for the Hemophilia Federation of America. He is a member of the Selectboard in Richmond, where he resides.
  Mental health practitioners have a name for them. We call them “the wounded well.” These are people who have a need for a mental health provider, but they aren’t our sickest clients; those folks are called “se
  
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• Pro-white fliers at UVM part of national campaign

  08-11-2017 00:22 via vtdigger.org
  BURLINGTON — Posters stating “It’s okay to be white” were put up anonymously at the University of Vermont and in other public spaces across the country Tuesday.
  Five posters were found on the UVM campus and two were torn down before 8:30 a.m., according to The Vermont Cynic, the student newspaper. The posters match those found at high schools and colleges nationally in their font and message.A flier hangs on the University of Vermont campus Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Erik
  
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