Vermont news

• Gov. Scott's Proposed Benefits For Vermont Veterans And Guard Members dlvr.it/Q942rw https://t.co/36quUBpF9K

  05-01-2018 23:30 via twitter.com
  
  Gov. Scott's Proposed Benefits For Vermont Veterans And Guard Members dlvr.it/Q942rw https://t.co/36quUBpF9K
  
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• Burlington group seeks to put F-35 challenge on March ballot

  05-01-2018 23:25 via vtdigger.org
  Burlington City Hall. Photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDiggerBURLINGTON — A group of city residents is gathering signatures for a petition that would put an item on the March ballot asking the City Council to oppose basing F-35 fighter jets at the Burlington International Airport.The move is the latest in a long-running dispute over the new warplanes. Since the Air Force first sent notice in 2009 that it was considering the airport as one of the locations it would send F-35’s, groups of resid
  
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• Kmart closing at Rutland Town mall; officials ponder shopping center’s future

  05-01-2018 23:13 via vtdigger.org
  Kmart is closing its store at the Diamond Run Mall in Rutland Town, a move that will now leave all three anchor store locations at the mall vacant. Photo by Alan J. Keays/VTDigger
  RUTLAND TOWN — The third of three anchor stores at the Diamond Run Mall in Rutland Town plans to close, leaving local officials to wonder about the future of the regional shopping center.
  Sears Holding Corp. announced Thursday plans to shutter 64 underperforming Kmart and 39 Sears stores across the country, with
  
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• LISTEN: A Look Back At The First Week Of The 2018 Legislative Session dlvr.it/Q93Z7q https://t.co/Lv6giwYwOl

  05-01-2018 21:56 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: A Look Back At The First Week Of The 2018 Legislative Session dlvr.it/Q93Z7q https://t.co/Lv6giwYwOl
  
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• Legislature poised to push forward with data broker rules

  05-01-2018 21:41 via vtdigger.org
  Attorney General TJ Donovan, right, presents a report to lawmakers Wednesday on regulating data brokers. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDiggerVermont lawmakers are poised to take action to regulate data brokers in the coming months.
  Data brokers — companies that collect and maintain consumers’ personal information — have been in the spotlight after the credit report giant Equifax revealed that a security breach exposed the private information of millions of Americans.
  However, law
  
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• Moore gives large developers a pass on parking lot rule

  05-01-2018 18:27 via vtdigger.org
  Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore. File photo by Mike Faher/VTDigger
  Julie Moore, the Agency of Natural Resources secretary, told lawmakers Wednesday that she missed a Jan. 1 deadline for new rules that would require developers to build stormwater systems for 3-acre parking lots.
  The secretary asked the House Committee on Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife for a one-year extension on stormwater enforcement rules for the parking lots. The Jan. 1, 2018, deadline was set in 2015.
  
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• YWP: ‘What They Left Behind’

  05-01-2018 17:22 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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• Randolph principal under investigation for misconduct involving former student

  05-01-2018 16:45 via vtdigger.org
  David Barnett, co-principal of Randolph Union High School.
  (This story by Rob Wolfe was first published in the Valley News on Jan. 4, 2018.)RANDOLPH — David Barnett, a co-principal at Randolph Union High School, has been placed on paid leave as law enforcement authorities investigate allegations of misconduct involving a former student, according to information provided to parents by school officials.
  “The district takes any allegations of misconduct directed against students very se
  
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• Tell us: What do you think lawmakers should focus on in this new year? Tune in for today's reporter roundtable disc… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  05-01-2018 16:07 via twitter.com
  Tell us: What do you think lawmakers should focus on in this new year? Tune in for today's reporter roundtable disc… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Hermitage Club appeals water/sewer shutoff

  05-01-2018 16:05 via vtdigger.org
  In January 2016, the Hermitage Club members welcome the new Barnstormer lift, which takes riders to the top of Haystack Mountain in a bubble protected from wind and snow with heated benches. Photo courtesy Hermitage Club
  (This story by Chris Mays was published by the Brattleboro Reformer on Jan. 4, 2018.)
  After missing a deadline Wednesday to pay delinquent water and sewer payments, the Hermitage Club in Wilmington appealed a decision to shut those services off.
  Kimberly Hicks, administrator at
  
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• We talked this week with Scott Darling, a senior biologist from @VTFishWildlife, about Vermont's moose population a… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  05-01-2018 15:59 via twitter.com
  We talked this week with Scott Darling, a senior biologist from @VTFishWildlife, about Vermont's moose population a… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• VCFA’s new ‘Art More Than Ever’ podcast spotlights its worldwide community of artists

  05-01-2018 15:15 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — VCFAJan. 4, 2018
  Contact:Tim [email protected]
  Montpelier, Vt.—Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) is launching its first-ever podcast featuring lengthy interviews with faculty, alumni, current students, and visiting artists. Titled “Art More Than Ever,” the podcast will showcase the breadth of artists VCFA brings to its campus through its nine academic programs.
  “’Art More Than Ever’ really highlights the best
  
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• Burlington Business Association annual business summit to focus on transportation

  05-01-2018 15:10 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Burlington Business AssociationJanuary 3, 2018
  Contact:Kelly DevinePhone: (802) 863-1175www.bbavt.org
  Burlington, VT – The Burlington Business Association (BBA) is hosting their annual Business Summit event on Thursday, January 11th from 7:30-11 am at Vermont Energy Investment Corporation’s offices, located at 128 Lakeside Avenue, Suite 401 Burlington, VT 05401.
  This year’s event will include a keynote address from Jeff Olson, Principal of Al
  
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• Lamoille County Mental Health Services chosen to represent Vermont at International Disability Conference in Germany

  05-01-2018 15:05 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Lamoille County Mental Health ServicesJanuary 3, 2018
  Contact:Rebecca CopansPhone: 802.922.3452Email: [email protected]
  The State of Vermont was invited by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs to present on best-practices on employment inclusion for people with developmental disabilities in December. The invitation follows Vermont’s recent prestigious World Council Zero Project Award for its enduring and effective Supported Employment
  
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• Vermont Veterinary Medical Association offers cold weather safety tips for pets

  05-01-2018 15:00 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Veterinary Medical AssociationJanuary 3, 2018
  Contact:Kathy Finnie, Executive DirectorVermont Veterinary Medical [email protected]
  Cold Weather Safety for Pets
  By Erin Forbes, DVMVermont Veterinary Medical Association
  Winter has come to Vermont and this means colder weather, snow, and ice. And importantly, winter’s cold means potential dangers for our pets. Pets are susceptible to the cold, just like people. Some pets are more at risk if t
  
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• Today @VPRKinzel hosts a roundtable with members of Vermont's press corps — @aliciafreese @nealgoswami and… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  05-01-2018 14:58 via twitter.com
  Today @VPRKinzel hosts a roundtable with members of Vermont's press corps — @aliciafreese @nealgoswami and… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Judge tosses child sex assault case in Washington County; blames prosecutors

  05-01-2018 12:03 via vtdigger.org
  BARRE — A Vermont judge says the Washington County State’s Attorney’s office dropped the ball in a child sex case, prompting him to dismiss a felony charge that carried a possible life sentence against the defendant.The ruling this week by Judge Howard VanBenthuysen comes as Washington County State’s Attorney Scott Williams is on leave from his office, reportedly to receive psychiatric care.“This is a very serious case, carrying upon conviction the potential for a l
  
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• House passes pot legalization compromise in face of federal threat

  05-01-2018 03:10 via vtdigger.org
  The Vermont House passed a bill Thursday to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, defeating a host of amendments including one that likely would have cost the governor’s support.
  The House vote came on the same day that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded a policy that shielded states with legalized marijuana from federal action.
  Sen. Dick Sears, D-Bennington. File photo by Anne Galloway/VTDiggerThe bill seems well on its way to becoming law. Senate Judiciary Committee Chai
  
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• Progressives renew push for $15 wage as heart of economic agenda

  05-01-2018 01:55 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont’s Progressive lawmakers made a pre-emptive strike ahead of Gov. Phil Scott’s State of the State address Thursday, laying out a legislative agenda in opposition to the Republican’s less-is-more philosophy.RELATED STORIESProgressives renew push for $15 wage as heart of economic agenda
  While Scott has focused on reining in state spending as the path to economic stability, the Progressives proposed that government act to directly boost residents’ incomes and lower he
  
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• Agency heads fail to deliver pre-K fixes, say lawmakers

  05-01-2018 01:35 via vtdigger.org
  Rebecca Holcombe, the secretary of the Agency of Education, at the Statehouse in 2017. File photo by Erin Mansfield/VTDigger
  Lawmakers impatient to solve problems with the state’s universal pre-kindergarten program pressed administration officials for specific fixes Wednesday.On the opening day of the legislative session, members of the Education and Human Services committees in both chambers sat down with Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe and Human Services Secretary Al Gobeille.
  Their
  
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• George Harvey: We are in trouble

  05-01-2018 01:05 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by George Harvey, of Brattleboro, who writes for Green Energy Times. He has maintained a daily blog on news about energy and climate change for five years and has a weekly TV show on BCTV, “Energy Week with George Harvey and Tom Finnell.” He is a retired computer engineer. This commentary first appeared on CleanTechnica.com.
  From an environment point of view, we are in serious trouble. Most people are entirely unaware of how bad things are.
  Stu
  
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• Conor Casey: Scott’s first year — Kicking the can

  05-01-2018 01:00 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Conor Casey, the executive director of the Vermont Democratic Party.
  Recently Gov. Phil Scott has given several interviews recapping his first year in office. One was entitled: “Gov. Scott’s first year: Holding the line and pushing back.” As we start the legislative session for 2018, a more apt title for Phil Scott’s first year would be “Kicking the can and stalling progress.”
  Scott’s strategy is to kick the can
  
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• Bill Schubart: New Year’s resolutions for the planet

  05-01-2018 00:55 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Bill Schubart, a regular commentator for Vermont Public Radio and a former board member of the Vermont Journalism Trust, the umbrella organization for VTDigger.org. This piece was first aired on VPR.
  Although our collective individual commitments to improving our communities and environment are important in offsetting the negatives of overconsumption and pollution, scientists warn us that by themselves, personal efforts like recycling, heating with rene
  
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• Vermont Gas offers cold weather safety guidance as second severe cold snap heads our way

  05-01-2018 00:08 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Gas SystemsJanuary 4, 2018
  South Burlington. Vt. – Vermont is about to experience round two of a bitter cold snap that is affecting much of the northeast. Sub-zero temperatures and strong winds are in the future again this weekend and the National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for parts of Vermont where wind chills are expected between 20 and 40 below zero. With weather like this forecasted, it’s important that Vermonters take steps
  
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