Vermont news

• Stowe lawyer will be ethics panel’s first director

  21-12-2017 23:39 via vtdigger.org
  The new State Ethics Commission has hired its first executive director.
  Brian Leven, a Stowe attorney, was selected from among 12 candidates, according to commission Chair Madeline Motta.
  Leven’s background includes a dozen years as an attorney with the Vermont Legislative Council. He also served as a deputy secretary of state until 2015. After that, he worked for a law firm in Stowe and then in solo practice.
  Brian Leven. Courtesy photoLeven, 47, will start the part-time position Jan. 1,
  
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• State’s $44.3M health data system ‘at a crossroads,’ study says

  21-12-2017 22:09 via vtdigger.org
  John Evans, left, the president and chief executive officer for Vermont Information Technology Leaders, and Robert Turnau, its chief financial officer. File photo by Erin Mansfield/VTDiggerVermont’s health information exchange network is supposed to make treating patients easier, safer and more efficient.
  But a recent review found the exchange itself, which is operated by Vermont Information Technology Leaders, or VITL, suffering from serious financial and administrative maladies of its ow
  
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• UPDATE: Gay and Lesbian Fund of Vermont and the Sustainable Future Fund $15K match success!

  21-12-2017 21:58 via vtdigger.org
  Read the story on VTDigger here:UPDATE: Gay and Lesbian Fund of Vermont and the Sustainable Future Fund $15K match success!.
  
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• LISTEN: What The New Tax Overhaul Means For Vermonters dlvr.it/Q73mfL https://t.co/LmVQSwPfr4

  21-12-2017 20:29 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: What The New Tax Overhaul Means For Vermonters dlvr.it/Q73mfL https://t.co/LmVQSwPfr4
  
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• Help VTDigger tell the untold stories

  21-12-2017 20:03 via vtdigger.org
  All Gifts Matched Dollar for Dollar This Week!
  When some of our friends at the Gay and Lesbian Fund of Vermont let us know that they were interested in supporting a Challenge Grant this week, we were thrilled.  We are thrilled to have their support and thrilled to be able to highlight some of the ways that VTDigger works to share Vermonters’ stories that are often untold.
  Kevin O’Connor wrote one such story earlier this fall when he highlighted the work of Vermonter, lesbian and
  
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• Man indicted for murder in his mother’s shooting at NH hospital

  21-12-2017 19:06 via vtdigger.org
  Travis Frink, of Warwick, R.I., stands with his attorney during his arraignment in September in New Hampshire. He has also been indicted on two murder charges in the shooting of his mother at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. File photo by Jennifer Hauck/Valley News
  (This story by Nora Doyle-Burr was published by the Valley News on Dec. 21, 2017.)
  NORTH HAVERHILL, N.H. — A Grafton County Superior Court grand jury has indicted a Rhode Island man accused of shooting and killing his 70-year
  
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• Vermont Country Store and Vermont Foodbank to operate Farm Fresh Connect Market

  21-12-2017 18:25 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Country StoreDecember 18, 2017
  Contact: Ann Warrell(802) 362-8457
  [Manchester, Vt.] Farm Fresh Connect, a program of the Rutland Area Farm and Food Link, will continue to operate under a new partnership between The Vermont Country Store and the Vermont Foodbank.
  In October, RAFFL announced it would cease operations by the end of 2017 and seek to transition its existing programs to other local non-profit organizations. At that time, The Vermont Country Store, one of t
  
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• Join Vermont State Parks for fun, guided First Day hikes

  21-12-2017 18:20 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont State ParksDecember 18, 2017
  Contact:Jessica Savage
  [email protected]
  MONTPELIER — Start the new year on the right foot with a hike in a Vermont state park. On January 1, 2018, everyone is invited to join a free, guided, family-friendly hike taking place at many state parks and forests across Vermont. Hikes will be led by professional guides and outdoor educators eager to share their knowledge and love of Vermont’s outdoors. Don&rsquo
  
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• Community Health Centers of Burlington launch ‘Be You Clinic’ for LGBTQ health care

  21-12-2017 18:15 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Community Health Centers of BurlingtonDecember 19, 2017
  Contact:Kim AndersonDirector of Development and Communications(802) 264-8193
  [email protected]
  BURLINGTON, VT – The Community Health Centers of Burlington (CHCB) is pleased to announce the recent launch of the “Be You Clinic” for LGBTQ health care.
  CHCB provider Leo Kline, AGNP, created the Be You Clinic after two years of supporting Dr. Rachel Inker’s Transgender Health Clinic. The Be
  
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• Holiday pet safety reminders from the Vermont Veterinary Medical Association

  21-12-2017 18:08 via vtdigger.org
  Press Release — Vermont Veterinary Medical AssociationDecember 20, 2017
  Contact:Kathy Finnie, Executive DirectorVermont Veterinary Medical Association802-878-6888
  [email protected]
  By Erin Forbes, DVM –information from AVMAVermont Veterinary Medical Association
  With the holidays fast upon us, it can be easy to get caught up in the festivities but is important to remember that there are variety of dangers facing our pets. From food to parties to decorations, there are many holiday haza
  
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• Burlington Police Officers Association endorses Mayor Miro Weinberger for re-election

  21-12-2017 18:01 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Miro for MayorDecember 20, 2017
  Contact:Jordan Redell, Campaign Manager802.391.0115
  [email protected]
  Burlington – The Burlington Police Officers’ Association (BPOA) today endorsed Mayor Miro Weinberger in support of his upcoming reelection effort on Town Meeting Day, March 6, 2018.
  “The Burlington Police Officers’ Association can say from experience that we have an effective leader in Mayor Weinberger guiding our City,” said Dan Gilligan,
  
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• Gov. Scott announces $3.5 million in grants to support housing affordability and downtown redevelopment

  21-12-2017 17:57 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Office of the GovernorDecember 20, 2017
  Contact:Rebecca Kelley, Office of the Governor, 802-828-6403
  Josh Hanford, Department of Housing and Community Development, ACCD 802-595-1385
  Springfield, VT – Governor Phil Scott joined local, state and federal partners Wednesday to announce over $3.5 million in community development grants to eight communities. Brownfield clean-up in Rockingham, downtown redevelopment in Springfield and funding for home repair programs statewid
  
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• Vermont CBD, hemp producers, artisans team up with Vermont ski areas

  21-12-2017 17:51 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Heady VermontDec. 20, 2017
  Contact:Eli Harrington, Co-FounderPhone: 802-424-7642Email: [email protected]
  Discounted Ski Tickets, ‘Ski + Stay’ Lodging Packages, Mini-Farmers Market, and Free Presentation: “CBD 101: Hemp for Winter Sports Athletes & Weekend Warriors”
  BURKE, Vt. — With interest in legal, non-psychoactive hemp and CBD products growing rapidly, and the explosive growth of legal hemp cultivation, processing, and products being
  
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• Legal scholars release 2018 top 10 environmental watch list

  21-12-2017 17:44 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Law SchoolDec. 20, 2017
  Contact:Maryellen Apelquist, Director of Communications, Vermont Law Schooloffice: 802-831-1228, cell: 802-299-5593, [email protected]
  SOUTH ROYALTON, Vt., Dec. 20, 2017––Environmental law scholars and editors of the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law (VJEL) at Vermont Law School today announced publication of the 2018 “Vermont Law Top 10 Environmental Watch List,” highlighting critical law and policy issues t
  
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• Sanders demands Congress protect Dreamers, fund CHCs & CHIP before going home

  21-12-2017 17:39 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Sen. Bernie SandersDec. 20, 2017
  Contact:Bernie Sanders Press
  [email protected]
  WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 – In a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said it would be unacceptable for Congress to break for the holidays without protecting Dreamers, funding community health centers and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and addressing a number of other issues critical to working families.
  “It really would be u
  
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• City Market donates proceeds from 20th annual tree sale

  21-12-2017 17:33 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — City MarketDecember 20, 2017
  Contacts:Allison HopeDirector of Community Engagement, City Market802-861-9750
  [email protected]
  www.CityMarket.coop
  Co-op donates $10,500 to COTS
  Burlington, VT – For the past 20 years, City Market has held a COTS Tree Sale to benefit Burlington’s Committee on Temporary Shelter. This year, City Market once again sold fresh balsams from Moffatt’s Tree Farm in Craftsbury, Vermont. The Co-op sold 660 trees from Wednesday, Nove
  
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• Under the Weather receives pet industry recognition

  21-12-2017 17:04 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Under the WeatherDec. 21, 2017
  Media Contact:Shawn [email protected]
  for Freeze-Dried Bland Diet Product Line
  So. Burlington, VT, December 21, 2017 – Under the Weather® Founder and President, Kyla Sternlieb, announced today that the company has been honored by Pet Business magazine for the development of its line of freeze-dried bland diet products. Each year Pet Business selects just a handful of innovative products that will give the
  
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• Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Brattleboro Memorial argue over liability in delayed cancer notification

  21-12-2017 16:11 via vtdigger.org
  Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. File photo by Mike Faher/VTDigger(This story by Bob Audette was published in the Brattleboro Reformer on Dec. 21, 2017)
  BRATTLEBORO — A malpractice lawsuit filed against Brattleboro Memorial Hospital has spawned a legal fight between the hospital and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic, which runs the hospital’s emergency department, over who bears liability for damages resulting from the lawsuit.
  In a motion filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court on behalf of Dar
  
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• What does #TaxReform mean for Vermonters? Today on @vermontedition we're talking with a tax accountant &… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  21-12-2017 15:50 via twitter.com
  What does #TaxReform mean for Vermonters? Today on @vermontedition we're talking with a tax accountant &… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• LISTEN: What Lies Beneath Montreal? A 15,000-Year-Old Cavern dlvr.it/Q71s9t https://t.co/oZGaa2mYO5

  21-12-2017 15:35 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: What Lies Beneath Montreal? A 15,000-Year-Old Cavern dlvr.it/Q71s9t https://t.co/oZGaa2mYO5
  
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• What Lies Beneath Montreal? A 15,000-Year-Old Cavern dlvr.it/Q70qML https://t.co/2KCV5AuY4m

  21-12-2017 12:49 via twitter.com
  
  What Lies Beneath Montreal? A 15,000-Year-Old Cavern dlvr.it/Q70qML https://t.co/2KCV5AuY4m
  
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• New: Now accepting donations directly through PayPal!

  21-12-2017 11:07 via vtdigger.org
  You asked and we delivered — you can now support VTDigger’s investigative reporting through PayPal. We know that this is a lot easier than having to enter credit card numbers all the time, and it’s a very secure way to invest in real news in Vermont.Just click on the PayPal logo and you can support VTDigger now and throughout 2018.
  Read the story on VTDigger here:New:Now accepting donations directly through PayPal!.
  
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• Work finished on northern Burlington Bike Path

  21-12-2017 11:03 via vtdigger.org
  Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger announces the completion of rehabilitation work on a stretch of the Burlington bike path Wednesday. The project has been in the works since last year and will continue into 2019. Photo by Cory Dawson/VTDiggerBURLINGTON — A major phase of work on popular three-mile section of the Burlington bike path is complete, officials announced during a news conference Wednesday.The path from North Beach to Shore Road, just north of Leddy Park was the last major section
  
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• Budget showdown in Rutland: ‘Bare bones’ v. ‘not sustainable’

  21-12-2017 10:50 via vtdigger.org
  RUTLAND – The city’s Board of Aldermen cut a bit deeper but big tickets items survived a marathon budget session.
  The board Wednesday night adopted a proposed spending plan for the next fiscal year totaling $21,393,763, a figure that will now go on the ballot for voters to decide on this Town Meeting Day, March 6.
  The 2019 budget is up 5.8 percent, or about $1 million over last year, officials said.Various numbers were bandied about at the end of the meeting regarding how the propose
  
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• Hold polluters to account.

  21-12-2017 05:17 via vtdigger.org
  Dear Readers,
  Dollar for dollar match ends soonVTDigger has been reporting on Vermont’s environment since we launched in 2009. Whether the news is related to wind, solar or nuclear power, watershed health, agricultural policy or land use, VTDigger holds government officials accountable with accessible,accurate reporting.
  Environmental reporting is complex and we’re proud of the ability of VTDigger reporters to make the stories about Lake Champlain cleanup, PFOA contamination, or down
  
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• Vermont homeowners to see changes under new tax law

  21-12-2017 02:11 via vtdigger.org
  Electricians install solar panels at a home. File photo by John Herrick/VTDiggerThe federal tax bill Congress passed this week could mean changes for many Vermont homeowners.
  Earlier drafts of the legislation caused housing advocates to worry that the proposals would hurt affordable housing initiatives in Vermont.RELATED STORIESVermont homeowners to see changes under new tax lawAs Congress passes tax overhaul, Vermont legislators brace for unknown
  “In many ways the runup to the vote and th
  
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• Some Vermont homeowners could take a hit under new tax law

  21-12-2017 02:11 via vtdigger.org
  Electricians install solar panels at a home. File photo by John Herrick/VTDiggerThe federal tax bill Congress passed this week could mean changes for many Vermont homeowners.
  Earlier drafts of the legislation caused housing advocates to worry that the proposals would hurt affordable housing initiatives in Vermont.RELATED STORIESSome Vermont homeowners could take a hit under new tax lawAs Congress passes tax overhaul, Vermont legislators brace for unknown
  “In many ways the runup to the vote
  
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• Debbie Ingram: Two bills to improve the lives of working people

  21-12-2017 01:05 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Sen. Debbie Ingram, of Williston, who represents the Chittenden District in the Vermont Senate. She is also executive director of Vermont Interfaith Action.
  Today, too many Vermonters work hard and still can’t adequately support their families. During this upcoming legislative session, state leaders have the opportunity to enact two measures that will improve the lives of working people, their families and our communities.
  The first measure is to
  
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• Madeline Raynalds: Understanding proficiency

  21-12-2017 01:00 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Madeline Raynolds, of Pomfret, who is a studying for certification as a high school principal and is a principal intern at Sharon Academy. She taught at Hanover High School and in international baccalaureate schools in Portugal, China and Brazil over the past 20 years.
  In a time when our public discourse on so many issues is confusing, it is great to see focus on topics that do make sense, like education. Any time our schools are the subject of public a
  
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• Petition sets up binding vote on mayor vs. manager in Bennington

  21-12-2017 00:59 via vtdigger.org
  Stuart Hurd is the longtime town manager of Bennington. Courtesy photo
  BENNINGTON — Local voters will consider whether to scrap the town manager/selectboard form of government for a mayoral format.
  A binding referendum on the question was assured with submission of enough signatures on a petition to secure a spot on the annual ballot in March. Supporters fell 38 votes short of the required 453 names — 5 percent of registered voters — during an initial count last week at the tow
  
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• Deborah Messing: Is it time yet to talk about climate change?

  21-12-2017 00:55 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Deborah Messing, of Montpelier, who is retired after working at Hunger Mountain Co-op for a couple of decades as the wine and cheese buyer.
  Does anyone remember that CNN interview way back on Sept. 7, after Florida got slammed by Hurricane Irma, when EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said, “To discuss the cause and effect of these storms, there’s the … place (and time) to do that, and it’s not now,” and “to use time and
  
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• LA lawmaker blasts Scott’s climate refugee remarks as ‘stupid’

  21-12-2017 00:48 via vtdigger.org
  Gov. Phil Scott speaks at a news conference. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  A congressman for a California county hit by wildfires is lashing out at Gov. Phil Scott for his unscripted comment that U.S. residents fleeing the effects of climate change could prove an “economic boon” to Vermont.In a news release, Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu called Scott’s statements “insensitive and stupid.” Lieu represents part of Los Angeles County.
  Scott told reporters earlier th
  
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