Vermont news

• The Deeper Dig: Who pays for clean water?

  08-12-2017 22:39 via vtdigger.org
  Chris Kilian, Julie Moore and David Mears (left to right) at VTDigger’s panel on water quality. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  On Thursday, a VTDigger panel discussion tackled the debate around how to clean up waterways across Vermont. Toxic algae blooms led to closed beaches on Lake Champlain this summer, and other bodies of water, like Lake Carmi, have suffered the effects of phosphorous pollution.
  Environmental officials and conservationists have posed solutions, but the question
  
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• Critics question Moore’s call for patience on cleanup

  08-12-2017 22:37 via vtdigger.org
  David Mears, Director of the Environmental Law Center at the Vermont Law School, at VTDigger’s panel on water quality. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDiggerBURLINGTON — Agency of Natural Resources chief Julie Moore gamely insisted that Vermont’s worsening water pollution, and the bacterial outbreaks caused by that pollution across the state, are difficult issues that will require time and patience.
  Speaking at a water quality forum at the Flynn Center Thursday evening, Moore’s
  
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• Vermont woman says imposter filed fake FCC comments

  08-12-2017 22:03 via vtdigger.org
  Irene Racz of Montpelier says she favors maintaining current “net neutrality” rules allowing all web content equal access to the internet.
  But the Federal Communications Commission’s public comments website contains a statement from an Irene Racz of Montpelier, Vermont, saying she favors rolling back net neutrality rules put in place during the Obama administration.
  “Due to the grip of the utility-style regulations imposed under the previous Commission,” the comment
  
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• Sanders vows continued opposition to tax bill from conference committee seat

  08-12-2017 21:11 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at the annual Vermont Democrats fundraiser in Burlington on Nov. 9, 2017. Photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDigger
  WASHINGTON — Sen. Bernie Sanders will sit on the congressional committee responsible for reconciling the differences between the House and Senate versions of the tax bill.
  Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Thursday that he selected the Vermont independent to be one of seven Senate Democrats on the tax bill conference committee.
  Sanders, the rankin
  
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• Vermont Yankee buyer makes financial case

  08-12-2017 20:59 via vtdigger.org
  The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon. Photo courtesy of the Nuclear Regulatory CommissionVERNON – A New York company is using words like “reasonable,” “reliable” and “adequate” in an effort to convince federal regulators that it has enough cash to buy and clean up Vermont Yankee.
  In answer to questions posed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NorthStar Group Services says it has a sound plan to pay for the long-term management of radioacti
  
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• LISTEN: House Speaker Johnson On Education Funding, State Carbon Tax And Paid Family Leave dlvr.it/Q523Qm https://t.co/WWr1zE86VD

  08-12-2017 20:40 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: House Speaker Johnson On Education Funding, State Carbon Tax And Paid Family Leave dlvr.it/Q523Qm https://t.co/WWr1zE86VD
  
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• LISTEN: Lack Of Financial Literacy 'Concerning For Every Single Citizen' Says Vt. Treasurer dlvr.it/Q51yNg https://t.co/gTyWY8k8x9

  08-12-2017 20:22 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: Lack Of Financial Literacy 'Concerning For Every Single Citizen' Says Vt. Treasurer dlvr.it/Q51yNg https://t.co/gTyWY8k8x9
  
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• High School Sports Programs Adjust To Fewer Students And Changing Attitudes dlvr.it/Q51scG https://t.co/phWPIGTYSh

  08-12-2017 20:08 via twitter.com
  
  High School Sports Programs Adjust To Fewer Students And Changing Attitudes dlvr.it/Q51scG https://t.co/phWPIGTYSh
  
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• Former Maple Leaf psychologist denies harassment claims

  08-12-2017 19:54 via vtdigger.org
  A psychologist who was recently fired by the state is denying allegations contained in charges brought against him by the Office of Professional Regulation.
  Investigators for OPR allege that Dr. Charles Simonds created a hostile environment at his previous workplace through a pattern of intimidation, verbal abuse and sexual harassment.
  Simonds was the clinical director for Maple Leaf Treatment Associates Inc., from May 2016 until the company closed unexpectedly in February, leaving state officia
  
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• Activists urge Town Meeting votes on Vermont climate agenda

  08-12-2017 19:09 via vtdigger.org
  Vermonters gathered at the Statehouse in April to advocate for climate justice. Photo by Michael Dougherty/VTDigger(This story byMatt Hongoltz-Hetling was published in the Valley News on Dec. 8, 2017.)
  HARTFORD — Environmentalists are asking communities throughout the Upper Valley to put articles on their Town Meeting warnings that urge the Vermont state government to be more aggressive in combating climate change.
  Saying Vermont has made “insufficient progress” toward renewabl
  
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• Fox News says FBI’s Burlington College probe ongoing

  08-12-2017 18:20 via vtdigger.org
  Jane O’Meara Sanders, former president of Burlington College, celebrated her husband’s presidential campaign kickoff at Waterfront Park in Burlington, May 27, 2015. File photo by John Herrick/VTDiggerBURLINGTON — The federal probe into a 2010 land deal orchestrated by former Burlington College president Jane Sanders, wife of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., may still be ongoing, a news report suggests.
  Sanders was forced out as president of Burlington College the following year
  
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• Lack Of Financial Literacy 'Concerning For Every Single Citizen' Says Vt. Treasurer dlvr.it/Q518qD https://t.co/PcSbtpoENg

  08-12-2017 18:18 via twitter.com
  
  Lack Of Financial Literacy 'Concerning For Every Single Citizen' Says Vt. Treasurer dlvr.it/Q518qD https://t.co/PcSbtpoENg
  
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• YWP: ‘Interest in the Pig Snorts’

  08-12-2017 18:17 via vtdigger.org
  Young Writers Project, an independent nonprofit based in Burlington, engages young people to write and use digital media to express themselves with clarity and power, and to gain confidence and skills for school, the workplace and life.Check out the most recent issue of The Voice, Young Writers Project’s monthly digital magazine. Click here.Each week, VTDigger features a writing submission – an essay, poem, fiction or nonfiction – accompanied by a photo or illustration from Yo
  
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• SCOV Law Blog: Parental rights termination ruling appealed to Supreme Court

  08-12-2017 18:00 via vtdigger.org
  Creative Commons photo by walknboston via FlickrEditor’s note: This piece from the SCOV Law Blog is by Elizabeth Kruska.In re B.K., 2017 VT 105
  Between basically the dawn of time and 2015, the Vermont Supreme Court didn’t overturn any termination of parental rights orders from the lower courts. Since then they’ve overturned several, including the one here.RELATED STORIESSCOV Law Blog: Parental rights termination ruling appealed to Supreme CourtSCOV Law Blog: Trial court re
  
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• Burlington winter temperatures rise 7 degrees

  08-12-2017 17:46 via vtdigger.org
  Winters in Burlington have warmed more over the past four decades than in any major US city, according to data compiled by a Washington, D.C.-based science organization.
  Average winter temperatures in the Queen City rose seven degrees Fahrenheit since 1970 — from 18 degrees to 25 degrees, a group called Climate Central reported last week.Climate Central culled these figures from measurements taken by two federal agencies on instruments located in the 244 Nielsen media markets across the co
  
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• Sen. Leahy calls for continuing resolution to avoid government shutdown

  08-12-2017 17:16 via vtdigger.org
  News release — Sen. Patrick LeahyDec. 7, 2017
  Contact:David Carle(202) 224-3693
  The current spending caps set in place by law will not responsibly fund the government or alleviate the consequences of sequestration on our domestic priorities or our military readiness. Since March, I have constantly repeated that we must reach a bipartisan budget deal that is based on parity, free of poison pill riders and not waste taxpayer dollars on President Trump’s useless border wall.But with the
  
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• Cambridge Greenway Trail Bridge opening in Jeffersonville

  08-12-2017 16:51 via vtdigger.org
  News release — Lamoille County Planning Commission
  Contact:Tasha WallisExecutive DirectorLamoille County Planning Commission802-760- 7466
  On December 8th at 11 am, Senator Richard Westman of Lamoille County and Larry Wyckoff Chair of the Cambridge Selectboard will join State and Federal officials in celebrating the opening of the Cambridge Greenway Trail Bridge in Jeffersonville, VT.
  The new bridge over the Brewster River replaces an older bridge which had a low elevation and as a result w
  
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• State seeks public input on Camel’s Hump plan

  08-12-2017 16:38 via vtdigger.org
  News release — Agency of Natural resourcesDec. 7, 2017
  Contact:Jason NerenbergDistrict Stewardship ForesterDepartment of Forests, Parks & RecreationAgency of Natural Resources(802) 498-4342
  Vermont Agency of Natural Resources is extending the opportunity to provide public comments on a draft plan for a group of conserved lands in the Camel’s Hump area of central Vermont. An additional public meeting has been scheduled for December 13 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Crossett Brook M
  
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• Vermont House Speaker @MitziJohnsonVT is talking live with @VPRKinzel on the program today. What questions do you h… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  08-12-2017 15:50 via twitter.com
  Vermont House Speaker @MitziJohnsonVT is talking live with @VPRKinzel on the program today. What questions do you h… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Infinite Culcleasure: Redemption in an oppressive racist culture

  08-12-2017 13:32 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Infinite Culcleasure, an independent candidate for Burlington mayor.I am running for mayor because Burlington is a community that not only believes in accountability, but also in the possibility of transformation and the power of redemption, of hope and of giving people a second chance.
  I was 11 years old the first time I was taken into police custody in Brooklyn, because I share the same skin color with a man who had robbed a local store. When I moved
  
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• Culcleasure: Redemption in an oppressive racist culture

  08-12-2017 13:32 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Infinite Culcleasure, an independent candidate for Burlington mayor.
  I am running for mayor because Burlington is a community that not only believes in accountability, but also in the possibility of transformation and the power of redemption, of hope and of giving people a second chance.
  I was 11 years old the first time I was taken into police custody in Brooklyn, because I share the same skin color with a man who had robbed a local store. When I moved
  
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• Rights groups say proposed changes weaken police anti-bias policy

  08-12-2017 03:10 via vtdigger.org
  Jay Diaz is a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont.
  A proposed update to Vermont’s policy on fair and impartial policing is drawing criticism from advocacy groups that work with unauthorized immigrants.The groups, including the Vermont chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, Migrant Justice, and Justice for All, issued a joint statement Thursday saying the proposed changes result in a “significantly weakened” policy.
  Jay Diaz, an ACLU staff attorney,
  
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• City overbilled University of Vermont $2M for water

  08-12-2017 02:09 via vtdigger.org
  BURLINGTON — The University of Vermont has been shelling out extra for water.Because of an issue with a water meter at UVM’s University Heights dorms, the school has overpaid the city of Burlington about $2 million in water costs over about a decade.
  Burlington Public Works Director Chapin Spencer. File photoA UVM physical plant worker recently noticed an uptick in water costs and notified the city, said Joe Speidel, the college’s director of local government and community rela
  
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• Vermont delegation splits over resolution to avoid shutdown

  08-12-2017 01:59 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. File photo by Erin Mansfield/VTDiggerWASHINGTON — Congress averted a federal shutdown Thursday evening by passing a spending bill that will keep government open for two more weeks.
  The three members of Vermont’s delegation were divided over the temporary fix, which came one day before the government would have run out of funds.
  Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., was in favor of the short-term continuing resolution. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I
  
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• Bob Orleck: Scott marijuana statement not new news

  08-12-2017 01:05 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Bob Orleck, of Randolph, who is a retired pharmacist and lawyer. He served as an assistant attorney general under Vermont Attorney General Jerome Diamond.
  Most of the story “Governor says he’ll sign legislation allowing marijuana possession” was based on Bob Kinsel’s interview with Gov. Phil Scott and two online stories from VPR that reported on the discussions in that interview.
  One VPR story included a 37-second audio clip with
  
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• Scott continues to express concern over Republican tax plan

  08-12-2017 01:00 via vtdigger.org
  Gov. Phil Scott speaks at a press conference Thursday. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDiggerGov. Phil Scott continues to express trepidation about the Republican tax overhaul being pushed through Congress, but Vermont’s top tax official says, at least in the short-term, the Senate version would be a net income tax cut for most Vermonters.
  Among Scott’s concerns are the impact on the federal deficit, the elimination of certain tax credits that boost economic development, the murky nature o
  
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• Mark Skelding: Conservatives really aren’t

  08-12-2017 01:00 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Mark Skelding, of St. Albans, a retired educator who most recently was a faculty member for Southern New Hampshire University’s Graduate Program in Education. He previously worked at Food Works/Two Rivers Center for Sustainability.
  Conservatives are known as the party of fiscal responsibility and frugality. But they’re not just about spending less, saving more, reducing our budget deficit, and managing the federal budget responsibly. What th
  
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• Bill Schubart: The curse of instruction manuals

  08-12-2017 00:55 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Bill Schubart, a regular commentator for Vermont Public Radio and the author of “Lila and Theron.” He is a former board member of the Vermont Journalism Trust, the umbrella organization for VTDigger.org. This piece was first aired on VPR.
  When I was young, cursing was frowned on in our family. I was raised a Catholic and it was a mortal sin to take the Lord’s name in vain.
  But I remember shocking myself one day as I led a pack of Stowe
  
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