Vermont news

• Safe injection site legislation stalls in key Senate committee

  15-01-2018 23:28 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Dick Sears. Photo by Michael Dougherty/VTDiggerA bill that would allow for safe injection sites for people to use opioids in Vermont has stalled.The Senate Judiciary Committee has taken testimony on the legislation this session, S.107, but agreed at a meeting late last week to send a letter to the chairs of the Governor’s Opioid Coordination Council to further study the issue.
  Senate Judiciary Chair Sen. Dick Sears, D-Bennington, said Friday the committee wanted The Council to look at
  
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• Furniture firm with iconic giant chair closes, enters Chapter 7

  15-01-2018 23:14 via vtdigger.org
  LaFlamme’s Inc. has closed. The Bennington location has a replica of a chair that stood for many years in town as a tourism landmark. File photo by Jim Therrien/VTDigger
  (This story by Ed Damon was published by the Bennington Banner on Jan. 12, 2018.)
  BENNINGTON — LaFlamme’s Inc., a furniture business known for its 20-foot-tall chair on Main Street, closed last week after entering Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the company’s president confirmed Friday.
  The business had filed for C
  
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• Brouhaha brewing over charter change in Bennington

  15-01-2018 22:25 via vtdigger.org
  Michael Bethel is spearheading a charter change. Bennington Banner photo
  BENNINGTON — Battle lines are forming in what promises to be an acrimonious debate over a ballot question that could overturn Bennington’s town manager/select board form of government.
  The ballot question would amend the town charter to eliminate the professional manager’s position and substitute an elected mayoral post with strong executive powers — including the authority to veto actions of the sel
  
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• LISTEN: 'Llama Llama' Author's Legacy Shines In New Netflix Series And Posthumous Books dlvr.it/QBLmV2 https://t.co/QY4YVO6BOB

  15-01-2018 22:12 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: 'Llama Llama' Author's Legacy Shines In New Netflix Series And Posthumous Books dlvr.it/QBLmV2 https://t.co/QY4YVO6BOB
  
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• Use of $18.6M in VW settlement money fueling more debate

  15-01-2018 22:10 via vtdigger.org
  Commissioner of Finance and Management Adam Greshin. File photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  The Legislature will use the “normal budget process” to decide how Vermont spends $18.6 million the state will receive from Volkswagen in a settlement for the automaker’s fraud involving “clean diesel” emissions, state Finance and Management Commissioner Adam Greshin said Friday.
  The Agency of Natural Resources will present its plan for spending the money to the House Commit
  
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• 'Llama Llama' Author's Legacy Shines In New Netflix Series And Posthumous Books dlvr.it/QBLjmC https://t.co/jQWMOpVZKc

  15-01-2018 22:04 via twitter.com
  
  'Llama Llama' Author's Legacy Shines In New Netflix Series And Posthumous Books dlvr.it/QBLjmC https://t.co/jQWMOpVZKc
  
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• LISTEN: Vermont's End-Of-Life Law, 4 Years On dlvr.it/QBLD7p https://t.co/De7IMfRYeI

  15-01-2018 20:39 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: Vermont's End-Of-Life Law, 4 Years On dlvr.it/QBLD7p https://t.co/De7IMfRYeI
  
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• Are Safe Injection Sites Key To Curtailing Vermont's Opioid Crisis? dlvr.it/QBL8JQ https://t.co/eJ7eb9KKas

  15-01-2018 20:27 via twitter.com
  
  Are Safe Injection Sites Key To Curtailing Vermont's Opioid Crisis? dlvr.it/QBL8JQ https://t.co/eJ7eb9KKas
  
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• House Speaker Mitzi Johnson’s statement on MLK Jr. Day

  15-01-2018 19:49 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Office of the Speaker of the HouseMonday, January 15, 2018
  Contact:Katherine LevasseurOffice of the Speaker of the [email protected](802) 828-2245
  “Today we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the goals of community, universal love and social justice to which he dedicated hislife. Dr. King lived the true meaning of democracy though his messages, actions, engagement and service. We are in a time where the fight for racial equit
  
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• TEDxStowe to hold event in April

  15-01-2018 19:22 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — TEDxStoweJan. 15, 2018
  Contact:Tessa [email protected]
  PRESS RELEASE: STOWE, VT. JANUARY 15, 2018
  TEDxStowe will take place at Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center on Thursday April 5th 2018 from 6.30-9.30pm. The independently organized event, licensed by TED, will feature local voices and TED Talks video under the theme of Community.
  TEDxStowe is a window into Vermont today. A rare opportunity to celebrate and connect with our Vermont community through big
  
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• An Old New York Taste by Way of Vermont

  15-01-2018 17:47
  Mother Myrick’s Confectionery carries on a proud buttercrunch tradition.
  
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• Wisconsin author calls for farm regulation to save Vermont’s great lake

  15-01-2018 16:15 via vtdigger.org
  A satellite photo taken in the fall shows cyanobacteria in Lake Erie. The same bacteria closed beaches on Lake Champlain last summer and closed Lake Carmi entirely for months. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration photoLike many Vermonters, Dan Egan grew up playing in and around water.This was in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in the early 1970s, and Egan enjoyed roaming with his older siblings at the Fox River a few blocks from his house.But his parents soon put an end to it.“I had two o
  
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• ‘Telepsychiatry’ bolsters mental health care in Brattleboro

  15-01-2018 15:30 via vtdigger.org
  Dr. Mark McGee, Brattleboro Retreat chief medical officer, speaks Thursday at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. Behind him is equipment the hospital uses for remote telemedicine services. Photo by Mike Faher/VTDiggerBRATTLEBORO – Doctors are trying a new approach — videoconferencing — to address two persistent problems in southern Vermont psychiatric care.
  The increasing use of remote consultations via secure video has allowed the Brattleboro Retreat to recently hire several physi
  
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• Vermont Business Roundtable elects new leadership for 2018

  15-01-2018 15:10 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Business RoundtableJanuary 12, 2018
  Contact:Lisa Ventriss, President, Vermont Business [email protected]
  (South Burlington, Vt.) At its 31st Annual Membership Meeting held at Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa, the Vermont Business Roundtable elected two new directors to their first three-year term: Mark Crow, Tenth Crow Creative and Don George, BCBSVT. Elected to their second three-year term were the following directors: Tom Dee, Southwes
  
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• Harry Potter Book Night at Phoenix Books Essex

  15-01-2018 15:05 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Phoenix BooksJan. 12, 2018
  Contact:Kristen EatonPhoenix Books802.872.7111 (p)802.872.7112 (f)[email protected]
  Essex, Vermont – January 12, 2018: Harry Potter Book Night is back at Phoenix Books Essex! February 1st, 2018, will see the fourth annual Harry Potter Book Night celebrated throughout the world, and here at Phoenix Books Essex, we’re getting ready to host an unforgettable night themed around Fantastic Beasts. The fun kicks off
  
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• Welch unveils legislation to restore net neutrality

  15-01-2018 15:00 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Rep. Peter WelchJanuary 12, 2018
  Contact:Kate Hamilton, Press Secretary(202) 440-3340
  BURLINGTON, Vt. – This afternoon, at a roundtable discussion of business, education, medical, agricultural, and community services leaders, Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) unveiled legislation he will introduce in the House to reverse the decision by the Federal Communications Commission to gut net neutrality.
  “Today’s discussion reinforces that a free and open internet is essent
  
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• In 4 years, 29 Vermonters have taken a doctor's prescription to hasten their own death under #VT's Act 39. How is p… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  15-01-2018 14:56 via twitter.com
  In 4 years, 29 Vermonters have taken a doctor's prescription to hasten their own death under #VT's Act 39. How is p… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Land abutting Hamilton Falls, Jamaica State Park conserved

  15-01-2018 14:47 via vtdigger.org
  Part of Turkey Mountain Brook in southern Vermont has been conserved. Photo by Jon Binhammer/The Nature Conservancy
  (This story by Bob Audette was published by the Brattleboro Reformer on Jan. 12, 2018.)
  More than 800 acres abutting the Hamilton Falls Natural Area will be allowed to grow wild after The Nature Conservancy purchased a parcel from The Conservation Fund.
  “The property will be available for hunting and fishing but not for forestry,” said Jon Binhammer, director of land pr
  
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• Hearing to be held on universal background check bill

  15-01-2018 12:09 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Phil Baruth, D-Chittenden. File photo by Anne Galloway/VTDiggerVermont has a traditional hunting culture and is counted among a small group of states with liberal gun laws. Residents can conceal and carry a gun without a permit, for example, and there are few restrictions on where gun owners can carry firearms — guns are prohibited only on school grounds, school buses, courthouses and the Statehouse.While background checks are required for new gun purchases, second hand firearms can b
  
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• Retired doctors worry about future of health care

  15-01-2018 10:56 via vtdigger.org
  Drs. Robert Tortolani, left, and Robert Backus are both retired. Photo by Kristopher Radder/Brattleboro ReformerEditor’s note: This story by Chris Mays was published by the Brattleboro Reformer on Jan. 4.
  Former patients of the recently retired local doctors Robert Backus and Robert Tortolani sometimes stop them in the street or call their homes for advice.
  In a recent interview, the two men said they are concerned about their patients and believe the health care system in Vermont is in cr
  
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• Oversubscribed northern Vermont power grid costing utilities millions

  15-01-2018 04:37 via vtdigger.org
  A map on the wall in Green Mountain Power’s control room can spot power outages at intersections in its service territory. File photo by John Herrick/VTDiggerGreen Mountain Power suffered “several millions” of dollars of lost revenue over the past 18 months because northern Vermont’s electrical grid isn’t robust enough, the company’s director of power planning said Thursday.
  Washington Electric Co-op experienced a similar setback for the same reason, with arou
  
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• Smith: Social media is dangerous territory for journalists

  15-01-2018 04:17 via vtdigger.org
  Mike Smith is a regular columnist for VTDigger. He hosts the radio program “Open Mike with Mike Smith” on WDEV 550 AM and 96.1, 96.5, 98.3 and 101.9 FM and is a political analyst for WCAX-TV and WVMT radio. He was the secretary of administration and secretary of human services under former Gov. Jim Douglas.
  Two hot button issues last week highlighted questions of public confidence: a firing and a battle to lay claim to the affordability agenda.
  The executive editor of The Burlington
  
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• Churchill Hindes elected chair of the Vermont State Colleges System Board of Trustees

  15-01-2018 02:46 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont State Colleges SystemJanuary 12, 2018
  Contact: Tricia Coates802-793-1417
  Montpelier – By unanimous vote, the Vermont State Colleges System Board of Trustees has elected J. Churchill Hindes as its chair.
  Hindes will lead the 15-member board, which provides governance and stewardship for the VSCS and its institutions—Castleton University, Community College of Vermont, Northern Vermont University and Vermont Technical College. Working with the Chancellor and
  
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• Winooski winter transportation pilot program begins Tuesday

  15-01-2018 02:42 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Parents and Youth for ChangeJan. 12, 2018
  Contact:Infinite CulcleasureParents and Youth for ChangePhone: 802 310 6161Email: [email protected]
  Get Winooski Kids To School. Safe. On Time. Ready to Learn.
  January 12, 2018
  For youth in Winooski, getting to school is a particularly pressing challenge, especially in bad winter weather. Going to school on foot can mean that students arrive wet, tired and sometimes late. This especially impacts families who don’t
  
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• Ex-Dartmouth dean John Hennessey Jr., married to Kunin, dies at 92

  15-01-2018 01:48 via vtdigger.org
  John W. Hennessey Jr., the former dean of Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business, married Madeleine Kunin, Vermont’s first and so far only female governor, in 2006. Dartmouth College photo
  As John W. Hennessey Jr. approached his 80th birthday in 2005, he could boast of a full life, both professionally as former dean of Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business and personally as a husband and father who traveled with his grandchildren to all 50 states.
  Little did the long
  
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• Jack Lazor: Changing paradigms in food and farming — Part 1

  15-01-2018 01:05 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Jack Lazor, the owner of Butterworks Farm in Westfield. It is the first of two parts.
  Our world is in a bit of an uproar these days. Never before have we seen so many challenges come to the fore simultaneously. Here in Vermont, we are very fortunate to live in a rather civil society, especially when we consider the toxic political environment that we see on the national level. We still have plenty to worry about right here in our own state, however. Har
  
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• Mark Higley: Registration of home improvement providers unnecessary

  15-01-2018 01:00 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by state Rep. Mark Higley, R-Lowell, who represents the Orleans-Lamoille District in the Vermont House of Representatives.
  The Sunrise Review report on the home improvement/builder industry from the secretary of state’s Office of Professional Regulation has been completed. It recommends the mandatory registration for providers of home-improvement services, which includes work done in or on residential homes, and voluntary state-backed certification.
  
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• Vermont students selected for United States Senate Youth Program

  15-01-2018 00:52 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — United States Senate Youth ProgramJan. 11, 2018
  Contact:For questions about your state’s delegates, alternates or selection process, please contact your state selection administrator: Mr. Jay Nichols at [email protected] or (802) 229-0547.
  For general information about the United States Senate Youth Program: Program Director Ms. Rayne Guilford, (800) 425-3632 or [email protected]. Also see www.ussenateyouth.org.
  Students Headed to Washington, D. C. and to Re
  
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• Bennington hospital opens dental facility meant to serve region

  15-01-2018 00:51 via vtdigger.org
  Drs. Richard Barbierri, Michael Brady and Russell O’Connell are staffing a dental practice in a new facility on the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center campus in Bennington. Provided photoBENNINGTON — A new facility expected to help address a need for more dental health services in the region has opened on the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center Campus.
  SVMC Dentistry is located in 1,890 square feet of renovated space on the first floor of the medical offices building. The project re
  
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• Mayor Miro Weinberger announces 3 labor endorsements

  15-01-2018 00:42 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Miro for MayorJanuary 11, 2018
  Contact:Jordan Redell, Campaign [email protected]
  International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 300, the Vermont Building Trades Council, and Plumbers and Pipefitters UA 693 Endorse Mayor Miro because he listens and gets things done
  Burlington, VT – The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 300 (IBEW), the Vermont Building Trades Council, and the Plumbers and Pipefitters UA 693 today endors
  
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• Gov. Phil Scott announces at-par lodging promotion with Porter Airlines

  15-01-2018 00:37 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Department of Tourism and MarketingFriday, January 12, 2018
  Contact:Philip Tortora, Vermont Department of Tourism and [email protected]
  Rebecca Kelley, Office of the [email protected]
  MONTPELIER, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott today announced the Vermont at-par lodging promotion for passengers who travel from Toronto to Burlington aboard Toronto-based Porter Airlines.
  In a promotion created by the Vermont De
  
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• Paid family and medical leave insurance takes center stage at the Statehouse

  15-01-2018 00:32 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Main Street AllianceJanuary 12, 2017
  Contact:Kyle [email protected]
  WHAT: A showing of upcoming documentary film Zero Weeks and panel discussion to highlight the need for a statewide family and medical leave insurance program. The panel discussion features local business owners, legislators, and community members who have been impacted by a lack of family leave. Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions of the panel.
  The Zero Weeks scree
  
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• Leahy, Scott make joint recommendation for Vermont’s next U.S. marshal

  15-01-2018 00:29 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Senator Patrick Leahy and Governor Phil ScottJan. 12, 2018
  Contact:David Carle (w/Leahy), 202-224-3693Rebecca Kelley (w/Scott), 802-828-6403
  (FRIDAY, Jan. 12, 2018) — U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Vermont Governor Phil Scott (R) have recommended Essex Police Chief Brad LaRose to President Trump to be Vermont’s next U.S. Marshal.
  If nominated and confirmed, LaRose would oversee all U.S. Marshals Service operations in Vermont.With offices in Burlington, Ru
  
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• Deanna Bailey named director of education 
at Vermont Energy Education Program

  15-01-2018 00:25 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Energy Education ProgramJanuary 4, 2018
  Contact:Cara Robechek, Vermont Energy Education [email protected]
  MONTPELIER, Vt. — Deanna Emberley Bailey has been hired by the Vermont Energy Education Program (VEEP) as its director of education. Bailey has more than 25 years of education experience in Vermont, most recently as a lead instructor and project manager with the Vermont Science Initiative.
  Bailey previously worked for VEEP in 2013-15 as a cur
  
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• Welch, bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus unveil road map to rebuild America’s infrastructure

  15-01-2018 00:21 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Rep. Peter WelchJanuary 11, 2018
  Contact:Kate Hamilton, Press Secretary(202) 440-3340
  WASHINGTON – At a Capitol Hill press conference yesterday, Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) and the bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus released a comprehensive report outlining policy options to build a 21st century infrastructure network for America.
  “America has a 21st century economy supported by a 20th century infrastructure. Potholes don’t fix themselves. Our roads and br
  
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• ‘Vermont Reads’ taps historical novel for talks on current affairs

  15-01-2018 00:17 via vtdigger.org
  The Vermont Humanities Council has selected Katherine Paterson’s historical novel “Bread and Roses, Too” as the title for its Vermont Reads program this year. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger
  It’s only January, but Amy Cunningham says one book is the title of the year, sparking Vermonters in town upon town to talk up its specific scenes and larger lessons.
  Cunningham isn’t speaking of the current White House tell-all “Fire and Fury.” Instead, the d
  
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• Snelling Center for Government announces the Vermont School Leadership Project Class of 2018

  15-01-2018 00:17 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Snelling Center for GovernmentJan. 12, 2018
  Contact:Ptarmigan [email protected]
  January 12, 2018 – The Snelling Center for Government is pleased to announce the Vermont School Leadership Project Class of 2018.
  James Avery, Principal, Otter Valley Union High SchoolRenee Badeau, Director of Student Management, Harwood Union Middle and High SchoolKevin Barber, Physical Education Teacher, Albert D Lawton Intermediate SchoolHeather Baron, Principal, Colches
  
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