Vermont news

• New publisher taking over at Bennington, Brattleboro papers

  13-12-2017 22:12 via vtdigger.org
  New England Newspapers President Fredric D. Rutberg talks with readers earlier this year. He will become publisher of the company that produces the Bennington Banner, Brattleboro Reformer and Manchester Journal. File photo by Ben Garver/The Berkshire Eagle
  (This story by the staff of New England Newspapers was published by the Bennington Banner on Dec. 13, 2017.)
  Alan English is stepping down as publisher of New England Newspapers Inc. to pursue public service in a new sector as head of communic
  
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• How To Talk About Loss During The Holidays dlvr.it/Q5q7V0 https://t.co/GY7qY5I2jJ

  13-12-2017 21:55 via twitter.com
  
  How To Talk About Loss During The Holidays dlvr.it/Q5q7V0 https://t.co/GY7qY5I2jJ
  
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• LISTEN: Who's Legally A Parent? Vermont Supreme Court Says Behavior Can Make The Difference dlvr.it/Q5q6rd https://t.co/vTm7ulF6ud

  13-12-2017 21:53 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: Who's Legally A Parent? Vermont Supreme Court Says Behavior Can Make The Difference dlvr.it/Q5q6rd https://t.co/vTm7ulF6ud
  
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• LISTEN: What Will The End Of Net Neutrality Mean For The Future Of The Internet? dlvr.it/Q5pjr5 https://t.co/jS5eH86y1o

  13-12-2017 20:59 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: What Will The End Of Net Neutrality Mean For The Future Of The Internet? dlvr.it/Q5pjr5 https://t.co/jS5eH86y1o
  
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• Naturalist Sue Morse to give ‘Animals of the North’ presentation at Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area on Jan. 11

  13-12-2017 20:29 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Fish & WildlifeDecember 13, 2017
  Media Contacts:Amy Alfieri, 802-759-2398; Corey Hart, 802-505-5562
  ADDISON, Vt. – Naturalist Sue Morse will give a presentation entitled ‘Animals of the North: What Will Climate Change Mean for Them?’ at the Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area Conference Room in Addison on Thursday, January 11. The program is sponsored by the Hannaford Career Center and is free and open to the first twenty people who contact Amy
  
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• Vermont Performance Lab kicks off The Confluence Project

  13-12-2017 20:23 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Performance LabDecember 12, 2017
  Contact:Sara Coffey
  [email protected]@VTPerformLab (twitter)Tel: 802-257-3360/ Cell: 802-579-3766
  www.vermontperformancelab.org
  A Collaboration on Water with an Institute bringing together teachers, artists, and water scientists to focus on local watershed protection
  Guilford, Vermont—Vermont Performance Lab (VPL) is launching The Confluence Project, a new collaborative effort that demonstrates an in-depth model for
  
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• 7 child care and preschool facilities work with state to assess possible chemical contaminants from dry cleaners

  13-12-2017 20:15 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Department of Environmental ConservationDecember 13, 2017
  Media Contact:Vermont Department of Environmental ConservationPatricia Coppolino, Environmental Program Manager
  [email protected]
  Seven child care and preschool providers around the state that are located within 200 feet of current or former dry cleaning businesses are partnering with state agencies to assess indoor air quality to ensure they are not impacted by chemicals associated wi
  
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• Southwestern Vermont Health Care announces centennial celebration plans

  13-12-2017 20:08 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Southwestern Vermont Health CareDec. 13, 2017
  Media Contact:Ashley Brenon JowettCommunications & Marketing SpecialistPhone: 802.447.5019 | Fax: 802.447.5214
  [email protected]
  BENNINGTON, VT—December 13, 2017—On June 10, 1918, Putnam Memorial Hospital, now known as Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), opened to patients. A century later that 30-bed hospital has grown into one of New England’s leading rural healthcare systems.
  “A hu
  
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• Scott to initiate debate over increase in Vermont student-to-staff ratio

  13-12-2017 20:05 via vtdigger.org
  Gov. Phil Scott. File photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDiggerLast week, Republican Gov. Phil Scott suggested laying off school staff to plug an $80 million hole in the education fund and end the threat of a 9 cent increase on property taxes.
  But he’s already backing off the idea of mandatory staffing ratios and now wants to discuss the cost-cutting option with participants at an Education Summit on Monday.
  The current ratio in Vermont is an average of four students per school staff person.
  Scott sa
  
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• Burlington Telecom to remain net neutral regardless of FCC ruling

  13-12-2017 20:03 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Burlington TelecomDecember 13, 2017
  Contact:Abbie TykockiBurlington Telecom802-540-0948
  [email protected]
  THE FCC PLANS TO KILL NET NEUTRALITY, BUT IT WILL LIVE ON IN BURLINGTON, VERMONT
  Earlier this year, Congress repealed internet privacy rules and Burlington Telecom re-committed to never collect, share or sell sensitive personal data about our customers.
  In July, Burlington Telecom joined the national battle to preserve net neutrality by participating in an i
  
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• Who's Legally A Parent? Vermont Supreme Court Says Behavior Can Make The Difference dlvr.it/Q5mQcB https://t.co/C3QQpfr2s5

  13-12-2017 16:06 via twitter.com
  
  Who's Legally A Parent? Vermont Supreme Court Says Behavior Can Make The Difference dlvr.it/Q5mQcB https://t.co/C3QQpfr2s5
  
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• I Wanted to Backcountry Ski in Vermont. So I Helped Clear the Trails.

  13-12-2017 12:49
  Brandon Gap, managed by the Forest Service, is a beautiful place to glide. But maintaining it requires some hard work — and that’s a good thing.
  
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• Columbia Journalism Review names VTDigger leading news nonprofit

  13-12-2017 09:30 via vtdigger.org
  Dear Readers:In an article published on Friday, the Columbia Journalism Review citedVTDigger as a national model for local nonprofit investigative news.David Westphal, a senior fellow at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, describes how VTDigger was founded and how the organization has grown from a one person operation to a full-fledged nonprofit news company with 19 employees, including 14 editors and reporters.Westphal writes:Today t
  
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• Newbury wins tax case against Wilder Dam owner

  13-12-2017 02:55 via vtdigger.org
  A woman walks near the Wilder Dam. File photo by James M. Patterson/Valley NewsThe town of Newbury prevailed before the state Supreme Court this week in a case that will bring thousands of dollars in tax revenue from impoundments by a dam located 41 miles downriver.
  The case hinged on the value of legal instruments the dam owner possesses, called flow easements or flowage rights, that permit the dam to flood land situated below its reservoir’s high-water line.
  The Wilder Dam’s reserv
  
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• Health centers worry on brink of federal funding ‘cliff’

  13-12-2017 02:42 via vtdigger.org
  A dental hygienist works on a patient at The Health Center in Plainfield. Centers like it provide primary care and mental health and dental treatment. File photo by Morgan True/VTDiggerWASHINGTON — Almost three months after Congress skipped a deadline to renew a program of community health funding, health centers in Vermont are poised to lose millions in federal support next year.
  As Congress is embroiled in year-end fights over funding the government and passing a GOP-led tax overhaul, Go
  
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• Health centers on brink of federal funding ‘cliff’

  13-12-2017 02:42 via vtdigger.org
  A dental hygienist works on a patient at The Health Center in Plainfield. Centers like it provide primary care and mental health and dental treatment. File photo by Morgan True/VTDiggerWASHINGTON — Almost three months after Congress skipped a deadline to renew a program of community health funding, health centers in Vermont are poised to lose millions in federal support next year.
  As Congress is embroiled in year-end fights over funding the government and passing a GOP-led tax overhaul, Go
  
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• Brattleboro Retreat says accreditation another sign of recovery

  13-12-2017 02:23 via vtdigger.org
  Brattleboro Retreat President and Chief Executive Officer Louis Josephson. File photo by Kristopher Radder/Brattleboro Reformer
  BRATTLEBORO – The Brattleboro Retreat has been reaccredited for the next three years, and administrators say it’s yet another sign that the hospital has recovered from past regulatory troubles.
  The Joint Commission, an Illinois-based nonprofit that surveys thousands of health care organizations nationwide, examined Retreat operations in late October and gran
  
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• Lund, Leahy announce $3 million federal grant to improve wellbeing and safety for children

  13-12-2017 01:42 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — LundDec. 7, 2017
  Contact:Charlotte BlendTel: (802) 861-2580E-mail: [email protected]
  Grant to establish theVermont Family Recovery Project in collaboration with state agencies.
  South Burlington 12/7/2017 – Lund is pleased to announce that the agency has been awarded a $3 million Regional Partnership Grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration of Children and Families. Over the next five years, Lund will use this funding to develop an
  
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• New policing policy doesn’t do enough to protect immigrants, advocates say

  13-12-2017 01:41 via vtdigger.org
  Madeline Sharrow, a member of the central Vermont chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice, holds a sign at a meeting Tuesday of the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council where the panel adopted a new policy on fair and impartial policing. Photo by Alan J. Keays/VTDIggerPITTSFORD — A police panel adopted an anti-bias policy for law enforcement Tuesday that advocates say doesn’t go far enough to protect undocumented immigrants.
  “While this may not make everyone happy, again,
  
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• Council adopts police anti-bias policy amid calls for changes

  13-12-2017 01:41 via vtdigger.org
  Madeline Sharrow, a member of the central Vermont chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice, holds a sign at a meeting Tuesday of the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council where the panel adopted a new policy on fair and impartial policing. Photo by Alan J. Keays/VTDIggerPITTSFORD — A panel charged with crafting an anti-bias policy for law enforcement around Vermont adopted one Tuesday, but not without concerns raised over parts of it dealing with unauthorized immigrants.
  “While t
  
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• Vermont DLC launches Operation SafeRide in collaboration with Uber

  13-12-2017 01:39 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont DLCDec. 12, 2017
  Contact:Skyler Genest, Director of Enforcement and Compliance802-477-2429
  [email protected]
  MONTPELIER, VT – December 12, 2017 – The Vermont Department of Liquor Control (DLC), the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association (NABCA) and Uber today announced a joint effort to raise awareness about the dangers associated with alcohol-impaired driving this holiday season. The groups are launching Operation SafeRide, which tackles t
  
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• Community Bank donates $2,500 to Vermont Foodbank

  13-12-2017 01:36 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Community BankDec. 12, 2017
  Contact:Sarah Warren585-899-3271
  [email protected]
  Burlington, V.T. — Community Bank N.A. recently presented Vermont Foodbank with a $2,500 donation to help restock their partner food shelves after the heavy rain and windstorm in late October. With each $3 buying five meals for a family, the donation will provide more than 4,100 meals to local families in need.
  “After hearing that Vermonters were struggling with the loss of
  
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• Burlington Subaru partners with the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf

  13-12-2017 01:30 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Chittenden Emergency Food ShelfDec. 12, 2017
  Media Contact:Anna McMahon, CEFS Community Engagement Manager802-658-7939 ext. 32
  [email protected]
  Steve Kelson, Burlington Subaru General Manager802-448-3856
  [email protected]
  Burlington, VT – Burlington Subaru has announced that they are partnering with the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf (CEFS) for the fifth year in a row as part of Subaru of America’s annual Share the Love event.
  From Nov. 16, 2017 t
  
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• Six UVM students featured in anthology of best undergraduate investigative journalism

  13-12-2017 01:27 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — UVMDec. 12, 2017
  Contact:Jeff Wakefield, [email protected], 802-578-8830
  Six University of Vermont students from the Community Development and Applied Economics program are featured in the new book Censored 2018: Press Freedoms in a “Post Truth” Society.
  An annual anthology published by California-based media watchdog organization Project Censored, Censored 2018 compiles the top 25 student-written investigative news stories from the past year. The six UVM
  
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• Rutland man sentenced to 60 months and ordered to pay $40,000 fine for conspiracy to distribute heroin

  13-12-2017 01:22 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — United States Attorney District of VermontDecember 12, 2017
  Contact:Tim AtkinsonUnited States Attorney’s Office, District of Vermont802.951.6725
  [email protected]
  The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Kwasi Asante, 59, of Rutland, was sentenced December 6, 2017, in United States District Court in Burlington to 60 months of imprisonment following his guilty plea to charges of Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin and
  
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• Colchester rescue chief Amy Akerlind stepping down

  13-12-2017 01:17 via vtdigger.org
  Press Release — Town of ColchesterDec. 12, 2017
  Contact:Kathi O’Reilly
  [email protected]
  Colchester, VT – Long time Colchester Rescue Chief Amy Akerlind is stepping down. Akerlind’s career with Colchester Rescue started in February 2001 when she became a volunteer. In April of 2005 she became the volunteer Rescue Chief, and went on to become the first paid Chief in October 2006.
  Over the last 12 and half years Akerlind has grown the department significantly includ
  
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• KSV recertifies as a B Corp

  13-12-2017 01:10 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — KSVDecember 12, 2017
  Contacts:Tim Volk
  [email protected]
  NYC & Burlington, VT Marketing Agency Focuses on Sustainable Energy
  New York, N.Y. and Burlington, Vt. – KSV, a marketing and advertising agency with considerable expertise in sustainable energy marketing, recently won recertification as a B Corporation, meaning the company voluntarily meets a higher standard of public transparency, legal accountability and verified performance.
  Certified B – t
  
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• William Moore: $15 minimum wage will stifle economy

  13-12-2017 01:05 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by William D. Moore, the president and CEO of the Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce.
  The General Assembly will convene its 2018 session in less than a month, and the business community is already concerned about the direction in which we may be headed.
  It is apparent that one of the priority bills in the new year will be to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour. The Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce has joined many other pro-business/pro-growth grou
  
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• Charlotte Dennett: Answers needed about Schurz Communications

  13-12-2017 01:00 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Charlotte Dennett, who is an investigative journalist, author and lawyer based in Burlington.
  Like many who stayed till the bitter end of the City Council meeting of Nov. 27, I continue to reflect on the chaos surrounding the last-minute offer by Schurz Communications to buy Burlington Telecom. As we watched city councilors milling about during a two-hour recess before the vote, some huddling, others going out into the hallways, still others sitting glu
  
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• Don Keelan: A case for improved meetings

  13-12-2017 00:55 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Don Keelan, a retired certified public accountant and resident of Arlington. The piece first appeared in the Bennington Banner.
  Let’s be honest and ask ourselves: Do we really look forward to going to meetings – be they meetings at companies, nonprofit organizations, or school/municipal settings? I found many meetings to be boring and not too productive. And in many cases, I led the meeting. As I look back at a career that spanned five plus
  
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• Wind turbine blade icing danger cited in fine

  13-12-2017 00:32 via vtdigger.org
  A view of Georgia Mountain Community Wind taken with a telephoto lens at the Highbridge boat launch near Scott and Melodie McLane’s property in Fairfax. Photo by Roger Crowley/VTDigger
  The operator of several wind turbines near Georgia received a $7,500 for operating the turbines in 2016 during weather that could have led ice to form on the turbines’ blades.
  The turbines’ owner won’t contest the fine, a representative said.The case establishes important precedent that let
  
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