Vermont news

• Leahy, Lee statement on Senate debate on privacy protection

  12-01-2018 23:59 via vtdigger.org
  News Release Sens. Patrick Leahy and Mike LeeJan. 11, 2018
  Contact:Conn Carroll (w/Lee), 202-224-5444
  David Carle (w/Leahy), 202-224-3693Statement Of Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) And Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.),
  Chief Republican And Democratic Sponsors
  Of The USA Liberty Act (FISA Section 702 Privacy Protections For American Citizens),
  On The Senate’s Upcoming Debate On Section 702 Legislation
  (THURSDAY, Jan. 11, 2018) — Today the House of Representatives passed the FISA Amendments Re
  
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• GMP crews prepared to respond to potential outages from ice storm

  12-01-2018 23:55 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Green Mountain PowerJan. 11, 2018
  Contact:Kristin Carlson, Green Mountain [email protected]
  Crews around the State, with Additional External Crews ready to help
  COLCHESTER, Vt. – Forecasters are calling for a wind and ice storm to start Friday morning and next 36 hours that could bring rain, snow, possible flooding, then freezing rain statewide. Green Mountain Power has been tracking the storm and forecast, and is prepared to ensur
  
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• Welch advances legislation to combat opioid crisis

  12-01-2018 23:53 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Rep. Peter WelchJanuary 11, 2018
  Contact:Kate Hamilton, Press Secretary(202) 440-3340
  As Trump Signs Welch-Cosponsored Fentanyl Bill Into Law, Congressman Introduces Legislation to Fund Opioid Alternatives Research
  WASHINGTON – In an Oval Office ceremony late yesterday, President Trump signed into law legislation cosponsored by Rep. Welch (D-VT) that will stem the illegal flow of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids across the U.S. border. Additionally, Welch has intro
  
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• Vital Communities names new Upper Valley manager

  12-01-2018 23:50 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vital CommunitiesJan. 11, 2018
  Contact:Allison Furbish, Communications [email protected] x108
  January 11, 2018 – White River Junction, Vt. – Hanover, New Hampshire, resident Rob Schultz has been appointed as Director of Development and the new Manager of Leadership Upper Valley and Community Discussion Lists at the White River Junction-based nonprofit Vital Communities. Schultz has more than three decades of nonprofit leadership and
  
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• Vermont Senate bill calls for action on financial technology report prepared by Center for Legal Innovation at VLS

  12-01-2018 23:42 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Law SchoolJan. 11, 2018
  Contact:Maryellen Apelquist, Director of Communications, Vermont Law Schooloffice: 802-831-1228, cell: 802-299-5593, [email protected]
  SOUTH ROYALTON, Vt., Jan. 11, 2018––A recently introduced Vermont Senate bill proposes action on blockchain, cryptocurrency, and other financial technology (FinTech) initiatives as recommended in a report produced by the Center for Legal Innovation (CLI) at Vermont Law School. The bill, S.26
  
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• Welch to introduce legislation to block net neutrality rollback

  12-01-2018 23:39 via vtdigger.org
  Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., at a recent Vermont Democratic Party fundraiser. Photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDiggerRep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and other lawmakers in Congress plan to introduce legislation blocking a recent decision abolishing net neutrality regulations.
  The Federal Communications Commission voted in December to roll back Obama-era rules that required internet service providers to give consumers equal access to all content on the internet.RELATED STORIESVermont officials vow action after FCC n
  
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• Mayor Weinberger statement on the governor’s Opioid Coordination Council report

  12-01-2018 23:37 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Office of Mayor Miro WeinbergerJanuary 11, 2018
  Contact:Katie Vane802.734.0617
  Burlington, VT – Mayor Miro Weinberger released the following statement today in response to Governor Scott’s Opioid Coordination Council Report:
  “I welcome the Governor’s Opioid Coordination Council (OCC) report and the year of hard work that went into outlining its strategies to begin addressing this terrible challenge. Opioid addiction is the single biggest public health
  
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• ACLU, Vermont journalists call for broad public records act reforms

  12-01-2018 23:34 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — ACLUJan. 11, 2018
  Contact:Chloé White, Policy Director, ACLU of Vermont, 913.206.7105, [email protected]
  Hilary Niles, Independent journalist and member of the Society of Professional Journalists FOI Committee, 802.798.2535, [email protected]
  Groups working for legislative reforms to counter alarming trend of state government secrecy, recurring denials of public access to information
  MONTPELIER—A coalition of journalists and open government advocates including th
  
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• The Deeper Dig: The path to legalization

  12-01-2018 23:31 via vtdigger.org
  A marijuana cloning facility. Photo by Andrew Kutches/VTDiggerThis week, a bill to legalize the recreational use of marijuana cleared the Vermont Senate. Gov. Phil Scott has indicated that he’ll sign it into law, which would make Vermont the first state to legalize recreational marijuana through legislation rather than by voter initiative.
  Lawmakers took up H.511 on the first day of the 2018 session. But the bill’s path to the governor’s desk
  
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• David Rosowsky, Don Laackman join board at Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies

  12-01-2018 23:31 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Center for Emerging TechnologiesJan. 10, 2018
  Media Contact:Sam Roach-Gerber, Director of InnovationVermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET)[email protected]. 413-519-6251
  Leaders from University of Vermont and Champlain College Help Unite Entrepreneurialism, Innovation and Higher Learning at VCET
  Burlington, VT​ (January 10, 2018) – To support and inspire the growing number of student and alumni entrepreneurs, the Vermont Center for Emergin
  
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• U.S. Marine general to Speak at Norwich ROTC commissioning ceremony

  12-01-2018 23:24 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Norwich UniversityJan. 11, 2018
  Contact:Daphne Larkin [email protected] us on Twitter @NorwichNews
  NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Norwich University’s graduating future officers will hear remarks from a fellow alum at this spring’s joint services commissioning ceremony. U.S. Marine Lieutenant General John J. Broadmeadow ’83 returns to the Norwich campus to speak to ROTC commissioning officers during a formal ceremony to mark the occasion on Sun
  
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• Vermont's End-Of-Life Law, 4 Years On dlvr.it/Q9zwFJ https://t.co/HSlVlTolyR

  12-01-2018 21:27 via twitter.com
  
  Vermont's End-Of-Life Law, 4 Years On dlvr.it/Q9zwFJ https://t.co/HSlVlTolyR
  
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• Federal tax directed at nonprofit salaries over $1 million

  12-01-2018 21:27 via vtdigger.org
  Demonstrators rally outside the Capitol in early December against a GOP tax bill. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  The federal tax package enacted in December includes a new tax on nonprofits that pay salaries over $1 million.
  The new 21 percent tax would be on employers for the highest five salaries the organization pays that are $1 million or more per year.
  The new tax is likely to predominantly impact larger institutions in higher education and hospital groups nationwide, according to Rick
  
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• LISTEN: Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman On Education, Property Taxes and The Tax-And-Regulate Push dlvr.it/Q9zmN5 https://t.co/xXl4svtypB

  12-01-2018 21:01 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman On Education, Property Taxes and The Tax-And-Regulate Push dlvr.it/Q9zmN5 https://t.co/xXl4svtypB
  
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• Bill would create bike registrations, impose $28 annual fee

  12-01-2018 20:44 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Carolyn Branagan, R-Franklin. Courtesy photo
  Vermonters should pay $28 a year for the privilege of riding their bicycles in public, according to a new bill from Franklin County Republican Sen. Carolyn Branagan.
  The bill would require Vermont residents to display license plates on their bicycles, and to carry proof of registration, and it would bar Vermonters who habitually drink from legally riding a bicycle in public.Branagan said the bill has almost no chance of passing, and said it&rsquo
  
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• Vermont Electric Co-op brings on two new solar arrays

  12-01-2018 18:59 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Electric Co-opJanuary 11, 2018
  Contact:Andrea Cohen, Vermont Electric Co-op, 802-696-9036
  Johnson, VT – Vermont Electric Co-op (VEC) recently announced the opening of two new VEC Co-op Community Solar projects.
  The commissioning of the two solar projects – one in Hinesburg and one in Grand Isle – caps a two-year VEC effort to install long-term, cost-effective, solar arrays in three locations in VEC territory. The 1.3 megawatt Hinesburg project was d
  
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• Two UVM scholars earn fellowships at U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

  12-01-2018 18:56 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — UVMJan. 11, 2018
  Contact:Jeff Wakefield, [email protected], 802-578-8830
  Two members of the University of Vermont’s history department and the UVM Miller Center for Holocaust Studies have been invited by the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. to take up prestigious research fellowships in the fall 2018 semester.Associate Professor Susanna Schrafstetter will be the Judith B.
  
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• Southwestern Vermont Health Care announces Brian O’Grady as new member to its board of trustees

  12-01-2018 18:53 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Southwestern Vermont Health CareJan. 11, 2018
  Contact:Ashley Brenon JowettCommunications & Marketing SpecialistPhone: 802.447.5019 | Fax: [email protected]
  BENNINGTON, VT–January 11, 2018–Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) has announced the appointment of Brian O’Grady to its Board of Trustees.
  “Brian is a highly skilled leader, and we are grateful for the experience he will bring to our organization,&
  
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• Barre man pending sentencing on federal gun charges arrested for trading heroin for a firearm

  12-01-2018 18:49 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — United States Attorney District of VermontJanuary 10, 2018
  Contact:Tim AtkinsonUnited States Attorney’s Office, District of [email protected]
  The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Eric Goldstein-Purdue, 26, of Barre, VT made his initial appearance on January 8, 2018 in the United States District Court in Burlington, following an arrest for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crim
  
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• Brattleboro Memorial Hospital installs drug take-back box

  12-01-2018 18:43 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Brattleboro Memorial HospitalJan. 10, 2018
  Contact:Maeve C. [email protected]
  January 10, 2018, (Brattleboro, VT) – If you have unwanted, unused, or expired prescription drugs, you no longer have to wait for drug take-back events. Brattleboro Memorial Hospital (BMH) recently installed a MedDrop Drug Take Back box.
  The MedDrop box is located in the entryway of the main entrance of the hospital. The blue box has a secure drawer to add the drugs that go into
  
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• Mortgage holder seeks to foreclose on Pownal track site

  12-01-2018 18:22 via vtdigger.org
  The grandstand at the former Green Mountain Race Track in Pownal. A loan servicing firm wants to foreclose on the 144-acre site. Photo by Holly Pelczynski/Bennington Banner
  POWNAL — A complaint filed in Bennington Superior Court Civil Division seeks to foreclose on the former Green Mountain Race Track property.
  Mortgage holder Bayview Loan Servicing LLC of Coral Gables, Florida, filed the suit last week, naming the current owner, Green Mountain Race Track LLC, a former track ownership grou
  
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• YWP: ‘The Beautiful Inevitable’

  12-01-2018 17:34 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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• Chancellor pushes boost for state college funding

  12-01-2018 17:16 via vtdigger.org
  Jeb Spaulding, chancellor of the Vermont State Colleges. Photo by Amy Ash Nixon/VTDiggerA lack of financial support from the Legislature has kept tuition high at the state’s colleges and has contributed to the low level of Vermont high school students going on to college.
  That’s according to the head of the state college system, Chancellor Jeb Spaulding, who told lawmakers Wednesday the public colleges are a linchpin in Gov. Phil Scott’s plan to develop a skilled labor force to
  
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• SCOV Law Blog: Trial court’s home detention denial is appealed

  12-01-2018 17:05 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This piece from the SCOV Law Blog is by SCOV Law editor Andrew Delaney.
  State v. Shores, 2017 VT 102 (mem.)
  Thomas Wolfe’s posthumous novel “You Can’t Go Home Again” is 743 pages long. So don’t say we never taught you anything. I really wanted to put “nothin” at the end of the last sentence but that would be a double negative and double negatives, sadly, are wrong — even if they sound way more entertaining than proper English.R
  
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• LISTEN: Conversation Continues At Middlebury Over Free Speech On Campus dlvr.it/Q9xpL0 https://t.co/e70oOHqfUs

  12-01-2018 15:59 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: Conversation Continues At Middlebury Over Free Speech On Campus dlvr.it/Q9xpL0 https://t.co/e70oOHqfUs
  
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• Conversation Continues At Middlebury Over Free Speech On Campus dlvr.it/Q9xlY4 https://t.co/dnciqjf3Ut

  12-01-2018 15:49 via twitter.com
  
  Conversation Continues At Middlebury Over Free Speech On Campus dlvr.it/Q9xlY4 https://t.co/dnciqjf3Ut
  
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• Today during the noon hour, we're talking live with Lt. Gov. @DaveZuckermanVT — have questions or comments for the… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  12-01-2018 15:21 via twitter.com
  Today during the noon hour, we're talking live with Lt. Gov. @DaveZuckermanVT — have questions or comments for the… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Vermont Life to remain a state property

  12-01-2018 12:05 via vtdigger.org
  The commerce agency will keep Vermont Life in house. State officials have rejected nine bids from outside companies to take over the state’s signature tourism magazine.
  Michael Schirling, the secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, told lawmakers that none of the bidders, who were invited to purchase the magazine, partner with the state or contract out editorial services, found a way to substantively rebrand the magazine or change the revenue model and none would hav
  
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• State taxes forecast to rise under US changes, but officials talk of relief

  12-01-2018 03:09 via vtdigger.org
  Tax Commissioner Kaj Samsom. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  State fiscal officials anticipate Vermont tax revenue will increase as a result of the changes made to the federal tax system last month.
  While many Vermonters will likely see their federal tax bill go down as a result of the package Congress passed in December, some could see their state tax bill go up.
  Gov. Phil Scott’s administration may propose changes to Vermont laws if some groups of taxpayers see their state tax bill
  
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• National Guard leaders say free tuition would boost readiness

  12-01-2018 02:52 via vtdigger.org
  Maj. Gen. Steven Cray is the adjutant general for the Vermont National Guard. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDiggerWaiving in-state college tuition for National Guard members would boost recruitment and expand the state’s workforce, said supporters of two bills at a news conference Thursday.
  H.72 and S.195 would shift tuition assistance for service members from a limited pool of interest-free loans to a full tuition benefit program.
  Vermont is the only state in the Northeast that does not offer
  
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• ‘Substantial progress’ reported in Vermont Yankee sale talks

  12-01-2018 02:36 via vtdigger.org
  The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon. Photo courtesy of the Nuclear Regulatory CommissionState officials may be close to resolving their differences with the current and prospective owners of Vermont Yankee, potentially paving the way for the plant to change hands later this year.
  On Thursday, representatives of three state agencies filed a motion asking the Vermont Public Utility Commission to delay all hearings scheduled this month on the proposed sale of the Vernon nuclear plant t
  
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• Vermont Federal Credit Union raises over $30,000 for United Way

  12-01-2018 01:23 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Federal Credit UnionJan. 10, 2018
  Contact:Kylie J. PerryMarketing StrategistVermont Federal Credit Union(802) 923-1322, (888) 252-0202 Ext. [email protected]
  Burlington, VT – Jean Giard, President and CEO of Vermont Federal Credit Union, is pleased to announce the Credit Union has raised $30,004 for United Way.
  During the months of November and December Vermont Federal Credit Union participated in the annual fundraising campaign for United Way. Fund
  
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• Vermont Homelessness Awareness Day Vigil was Wednesday

  12-01-2018 01:20 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Office of the Speaker of the HouseWednesday, January 10, 2018
  Contact:Katherine LevasseurOffice of the Speaker of the [email protected]
  Montpelier, VT – Concerned citizens, housing and homeless service providers, and legislators gathered at the State House today for a vigil in order to raise awareness of the pressing issue of homelessness in Vermont.
  “Too many Vermonters struggle to find safe, affordable and secure homes” said House Speaker Mi
  
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• ‘A Century of Caring,’ an exhibition of hospital history, opens at Bennington Museum

  12-01-2018 01:17 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Southwestern Vermont Health CareJan. 10, 2018
  Contact:Ashley Brenon JowettCommunications & Marketing SpecialistPhone: 802.447.5019 | Fax: [email protected]
  BENNINGTON, VT—January 10, 2018—One hundred years ago, Putnam Memorial Hospital opened its doors in Bennington. While the facility, practices, and technology have changed dramatically throughout the century, the commitment to delivering exceptional health care to the community has
  
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• Transportation committees to hold public hearing on Middlebury tunnel on Jan. 18

  12-01-2018 01:13 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont General AssemblyJanuary 10, 2018
  Contact:Barbara DallPhone: 802-828-2262Fax: 802-828-2424E-mail: [email protected]
  Public Hearing on the Middlebury Tunnel,Thursday, January 18, 2018, 9:00-11:00 AMState House, Montpelier
  Montpelier, Vermont. The Vermont Legislature will hold a public hearing on The Middlebury Tunnel on January 18, 2018. The hearing will be held at the State House in Montpelier, from 9:00 to 11:00 AM. The hearing is being held by the Senate Committ
  
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• 2017 Farm to Plate annual report presented to the legislative committees

  12-01-2018 01:08 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Sustainable Jobs FundJanuary 10, 2018
  Contact:Rachel CarterCommunications DirectorVermont Sustainable Jobs Fund3 Pitkin Ct #301E | Montpelier, VT 05602802-318-5527 | [email protected]
  Workforce development critical to sustain local food economy
  2017 Farm to Plate Annual Report shows successful implementation of Vermont’s food system plan has created need for more farm and food workers to meet food business expansion goals due to increased consumer demand
  
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• Tom Evslin: Congressional haze

  12-01-2018 01:05 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Tom Evslin, an entrepreneur, author and former Douglas administration official. This post first appeared on his blog, Fractals of Change.The haze of bipartisan congressional hypocrisy is thicker than the air in a marijuana bar. I’m for legalization; it’s time for Congress to stop blowing smoke and start legislating.
  The Controlled Substances Act, which classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug like heroin and proclaims it more dangerous than
  
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• Jill Krowinski: A Vermont that works for all

  12-01-2018 01:00 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Rep. Jill Krowinski, a Democrat who represents Burlington in the Vermont House of Representatives. She is the House majority leader.
  I want a Vermont that works for all of us, not just the wealthy. A Vermont where our families and communities can thrive and where the Vermont dream is accessible to everyone — not just a select few.
  During the governor’s State of the State address last week, I didn’t hear a plan on how we can create an e
  
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• Scott undecided on public signing for marijuana bill

  12-01-2018 00:57 via vtdigger.org
  Gov. Phil Scott introduces members of the Opioid Coordination Council at a news conference Thursday. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDiggerGov. Phil Scott reiterated Thursday he plans to sign the bill legalizing the recreational use of marijuana in Vermont, but said he hadn’t yet decided if the public will get a chance to see him put pen to paper.The governor, speaking at the Statehouse during his weekly news conference, said he’s still undecided whether to have a public signing for H.511,
  
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• Robyn Freedner-Maguire: Investing in child care

  12-01-2018 00:55 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Robyn Freedner-Maguire, of Burlington, who is the campaign director of Let’s Grow Kids.If we want to make Vermont the top choice of young workers looking for the best place to work and raise their families, increasing access to high-quality, affordable child care is the smartest, most strategic investment we can make.
  In his 2018 State of the State address, Gov. Phil Scott announced a new campaign to persuade young people and families to move to V
  
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• Group wants local voters to demand more climate action

  12-01-2018 00:18 via vtdigger.org
  Arguing that the state is falling behind in its effort to combat climate change, activists are pushing to get the issue before Town Meeting Day voters this year.
  The Burlington-based group 350Vermont says it has petitions underway in at least 30 towns to put a climate resolution on town meeting agendas.
  Such resolutions won’t carry any legal weight. But 350Vermont representatives say they’re trying to drum up support for quicker action to curb fossil fuel use and boost renewable ener
  
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• 350Vermont pushes petitions for 30 town resolutions on climate action

  12-01-2018 00:18 via vtdigger.org
  Arguing that the state is falling behind in its effort to combat climate change, activists are pushing to get the issue before Town Meeting Day voters this year.
  The Burlington-based group 350Vermont says it has petitions underway in at least 30 towns to put a climate resolution on town meeting agendas.
  Such resolutions won’t carry any legal weight. But 350Vermont representatives say they’re trying to drum up support for quicker action to curb fossil fuel use and boost renewable ener
  
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