Vermont news

• Scott’s solution to pollution is ‘gimmickry,’ critics say

  24-01-2018 23:42 via vtdigger.org
  Brian Shupe, executive director of the Vermont Natural Resources Council. File photo by John Herrick/VTDigger
  Environmentalists are expressing disappointment in Gov. Phil Scott’s budget saying that while it may accomplish a political goal for the governor, who has promised not to increase taxes or fees, the savings will be at the expense of Vermont’s environment and water quality.“It lacked ambition,” said Brian Shupe, executive director of the Vermont Natural Resources C
  
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• Tax cuts result in rate reductions for Green Mountain Power, Vermont Gas bills

  24-01-2018 23:38 via vtdigger.org
  Mary Powell, CEO of Green Mountain Power. Photo by John Herrick/VTDigger
  The federal tax cut Republicans adopted in December will cut the cost of electricity and natural gas for Vermonters, utility representatives say.
  Thanks to the tax cuts, electric rates for Green Mountain Power, the state’s largest utility, will increase by 4 percent instead of 5 percent, according to Kristin Carlson, vice president of strategic and external affairs for the company. Regulators approved a 5 percent incr
  
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• Tax cuts reduce utility costs in Vermont

  24-01-2018 23:38 via vtdigger.org
  Mary Powell, CEO of Green Mountain Power. Photo by John Herrick/VTDiggerThe federal tax cut Republicans adopted in December will cut the cost of electricity and natural gas for Vermonters, utility representatives say.Electric rates for Green Mountain Power, the state’s largest utility, will increase by only four percent as a result of the tax cuts, instead of the five-percent increase regulators approved last month, GMP’s vice president of strategic and external affairs, Kristin Carl
  
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• Sanders Medicare for All Town Hall attracts 1 million viewers

  24-01-2018 23:34 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., (far left) and Vermont primary care nurse practitioner Deborah Wachtel (far right) at a town hall event on Medicare for all at the U.S. Capitol Tuesday. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  WASHINGTON — At a town hall event promoting his proposal to create a Medicare for all system, a video montage included a vintage clip of then-Rep. Bernie Sanders making the case on the House floor for single-payer health insurance.
  “Who was that young guy?” Sanders
  
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• Two Puerto Rican students attend UVM at no cost while their colleges rebuild

  24-01-2018 22:50 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — The University of VermontJanuary 24, 2018
  Contact:Jeff WakefieldUniversity [email protected]
  Two Puerto Rican college students are studying at The University of Vermont this semester at no cost while their home colleges, devastated by Hurricane Maria in late September, rebuild.
  Jonathan Lopez, a junior chemical engineering major, was attending the University of Puerto Rico’s Mayaguez campus. Leishla Perez, a junior biology major, was a
  
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• LISTEN: Auditing Gov. Scott's 2018 Budget Address dlvr.it/QCcqzN https://t.co/qIaUuEUjX2

  24-01-2018 22:35 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: Auditing Gov. Scott's 2018 Budget Address dlvr.it/QCcqzN https://t.co/qIaUuEUjX2
  
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• ArtSynergy to hold public meeting for Montpelier Public Art Master Plan, Jan. 29

  24-01-2018 22:32 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Montpelier ArtSynergy ProjectJanuary 24, 2018
  Contact:Paul Gambill, Executive DirectorCommunity Engagement [email protected]
  Montpelier – The Montpelier ArtSynergy Project will hold a public meeting on January 29 to help envision public art for the downtown area. The evening event will be co-facilitated by architect and Langdon Street Alive founder Ward Joyce, Amanda Golden from Designing Local, and Paul Gambill, Executive Director of the Community Eng
  
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• Adventurer Erik Weihenmayer to speak at Smuggs Ice Bash, Jan. 27

  24-01-2018 22:06 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Petra CliffsJanuary 23, 2018
  Contact:Andrea CharestPetra [email protected]
  Jeffersonville – Erik Weihenmayer, American athlete, adventurer, author, activist and motivational speaker, and the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, wants to tell everyone, “What’s within you is stronger that what’s in your way.” Erik will be bringing his movement of a No Barriers Life to an audience at The Barn at Smugglers&
  
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• Advocates press for universal primary care

  24-01-2018 21:52 via vtdigger.org
  Dr. Allan Ramsay of Essex Junction testifies Tuesday night at a legislative hearing about the importance of primary care. Photo by Mike Faher/VTDigger
  If state legislators needed a cheering section for enacting universal primary health care, they got one Tuesday night.
  During a public hearing jointly hosted by the House Health Care and Senate Health and Welfare committees, more than 50 people expressed support for a publicly funded health plan that would provide primary care for all.
  The financi
  
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• Feds threaten to subpoena Burlington over sanctuary city documents

  24-01-2018 21:51 via vtdigger.org
  Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger. File photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDiggerBURLINGTON — The Justice Department is asking Burlington for documents that they believe will show if the city has been cooperating with federal immigration law as part of an escalating, nationwide crackdown on so-called sanctuary cities.
  The Department of Justice is threatening to subpoena records if Burlington doesn’t turn over the documents, or fails to do so completely or quickly. The feds are asking for any doc
  
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• Vermont Republican Party Chair Deb Billado on Gov. Phil Scott’s budget address

  24-01-2018 21:06 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Republican PartyJanuary 23, 2018
  Contact:Mike [email protected]
  “Three weeks ago in his State of the State Address, Governor Scott told Vermonters he wants to expand the workforce, reverse Vermont’s demographic trends, incentivize community development, and tackle the affordability crisis head on. Today, in his budget address, Governor Scott delivered on his vision for Vermont, offering the Legislature a responsible and specific path toward re
  
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• Feds file charge after Colchester ICE raid

  24-01-2018 20:39 via vtdigger.org
  An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer frisks a migrant worker.
  BURLINGTON — Federal authorities have filed a criminal charge against one of the 14 construction workers detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in an early-morning raid last Thursday, according to court documents.Luis Suarez-Lopez was detained by ICE in a 5 a.m. raid on the Days Inn in Colchester last Thursday. He is facing one count of illegal reentry into the United States. A formal arraignment has been sch
  
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• Teachers group takes aim at Scott’s plan to raise student-to-staff ratio

  24-01-2018 20:30 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont NEA President Martha Allen, shown last June with three Vermont Teachers of the Year, spoke out this week against the governor’s plan to raise student-to-staff ratios. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  Vermont’s leading teachers’ group says Gov. Phil Scott’s plan to raise the state’s student-to-staff ratio through retirements amounts to a hiring freeze that will cost the state more than 4,000 jobs, based on a report from its national affiliate.
  The f
  
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• Vermont Democratic Party’s statement on Gov. Phil Scott’s budget address

  24-01-2018 19:51 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Democratic PartyJanuary 24, 2018
  Conor Casey, VDP Executive [email protected]
  Governor Phil Scott has proven once again that he is either unable or unwilling to present a specific plan to move Vermont forward. Passing the buck once more to Democrats in the Legislature, Governor Scott failed to produce any substantive proposals in yesterday’s annual budget address.
  The Governor has shown that he’s happy to take a back seat when it
  
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• VNRC Executive Director Brian Shupe on Gov. Phil Scott’s budget address

  24-01-2018 19:38 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Natural Resources CouncilJanuary 23, 2018
  Contact:Brian Shupe, VNRC Executive Director802-223-2328 x. [email protected]://vnrc.org/
  “We were encouraged to hear Gov. Scott note in his State Budget Address the importance of clean water, climate action, and investing in the future of Vermont,” said Brian Shupe, Vermont Natural Resources Council Executive Director. “However, we are deeply concerned that his statements lacked specificity or commitme
  
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• Trump’s tariffs may cloud Vermont’s solar scene

  24-01-2018 18:40 via vtdigger.org
  These solar panels are part of a 2.2-megawatt generating facility at the former Green Mountain Race Track site in Pownal. File photo by Holly Pelczynski /Bennington Banner
  (This story by Matt Hongoltz-Hetling was published in the Valley News on Jan. 23, 2018.)
  WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — President Donald Trump’s decision to move forward with a steep tariff on solar panels could spell particular trouble for Vermont, which has one of the most solar-dependent economies in the nation.
  “
  
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• Trump’s imposed tariffs may cloud Vermont’s solar scene

  24-01-2018 18:40 via vtdigger.org
  These solar panels are part of a 2.2-megawatt generating facility at the former Green Mountain Race Track site in Pownal. File photo by Holly Pelczynski /Bennington Banner
  (This story by Matt Hongoltz-Hetling was published in the Valley News on Jan. 23, 2018.)
  WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — President Donald Trump’s decision to move forward with a steep tariff on solar panels could spell particular trouble for Vermont, which has one of the most solar-dependent economies in the nation.
  “
  
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• Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum hires new executive director

  24-01-2018 18:19 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Ski and Snowboard MuseumJanuary 22, 2018
  Contact:Deb [email protected]
  Stowe – The Board of Directors of the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum in Stowe, VT is excited to announce that Deb Taylor has been selected as their new Executive Director. Deb worked for 11 years as Director at Camp Sewataro in Sudbury, MA and brings extensive experience in leadership, administration, communications, events, and development to VTSSM as it moves into a new er
  
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• Brattleboro Memorial Hospital welcomes new midwives

  24-01-2018 18:12 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Brattleboro Memorial HospitalJanuary 22, 2018
  Contact:Maeve ShaughnessyMarketing & Communications Specialist, Brattleboro Memorial [email protected]
  Brattleboro – Brattleboro OB/GYN, a department of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital (BMH), recently welcomed two new midwives to the practice, Hannah Cressy and Kate Lucy.
  A certified nurse-midwife, Cressy is a native Vermonter and received her midwifery education at Oregon Health & Science University in Por
  
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• Mental health advocates rally for Mental Health Advocacy Day, Jan. 31

  24-01-2018 18:01 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — National Alliance on Mental Illness, VermontJanuary 22, 2018
  Contact:Laurie EmersonNAMI Vermont802-876-7949 [email protected] 
  Peter [email protected]
  Julie TesslerVermont Care [email protected]
  Montpelier—Hundreds of Vermonters will rally together at the State House for Mental Health Advocacy Day on Wednesday, January 31st from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm to call on Vermont leaders and legislators to protect
  
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• Vermont Federal Credit Union employees donate time to local non-profits

  24-01-2018 17:51 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Federal Credit UnionJanuary 22, 2018
  Contact:Kylie J. PerryVermont Federal Credit Union, Marketing [email protected]
  Burlington, VT – Vermont Federal Credit Union employees spent over 650 hours volunteering at local non-profits in 2017. Credit Union employees collected non-perishable food donations for the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf, walked dogs at All Breed Rescue, helped set up the Spectrum Empty Bowl Dinner and cooked meals
  
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• Office worker resigns after ‘financial misconduct’ discovered at private Putney school

  24-01-2018 17:42 via vtdigger.org
  (This story by Bob Audette was published in the Brattleboro Reformer on Jan. 24, 2018.)
  PUTNEY — In a letter distributed to staffers and families with students at The Grammar School, the head of school, Nick Perry, wrote that “financial misconduct in the front office involving inappropriate use of school funds …” had been discovered.
  As a result, the woman who ran the “day-to-day front office operations of the school” submitted her resignation letter on Frida
  
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• New town forest created, farmland protected in Westford

  24-01-2018 17:39 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Land TrustJanuary 22, 2018
  Contact:Bob HeiserVermont Land Trust(802) [email protected]
  Elise AnnesVermont Land Trust(802) [email protected]
  Westford—The Westford community came together with the Vermont Land Trust to protect a treasured piece of land known locally as the Jackson Farm and Forest. The centrally located property is well-loved for its forest and stone-wall-lined farmland that stretches between the Westford School and the village center.
  T
  
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• Community College of Vermont brings Job Hunt Helpers to more Vermont libraries

  24-01-2018 17:26 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Community College of VermontJanuary 22, 2018
  Contact:Katie [email protected]
  MONTPELIER, Vt. – This spring, Community College of Vermont (CCV) will continue its partnership with the Vermont Department of Libraries, offering the Job Hunt Helpers program to assist library patrons with job searches and applications. Beginning this month, CCV students who serve as Job Hunt Helpers will again be available at the Goodrich Memorial Library in Newport, the
  
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• Nature documentary, play reading at Brattleboro event on Feb. 2

  24-01-2018 17:15 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Green Writers PressJanuary 23, 2018
  Contact:Dede [email protected]://greenwriterspress.com
  Brattleboro, VT – Antioch University New England and Green Writers Press announce a free public screening of the short documentary “The Best Day Ever” and readings from a new edition of Wild Play: Parenting Adventures in the Great Outdoors by David Sobel on Friday, February 2, 2018, from 6:00-8:00 pm at 118 Eliott Street in Brattleboro
  
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• VCFA announces judges for 2018 Vermont Book Award

  24-01-2018 16:50 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — VCFAJan. 23, 2018
  Contact:Tim [email protected]
  MONTPELIER, Vt.—Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) has chosen eight Vermont writers and readers to be the 2018 Vermont Book Award judges. The judges are Megan Mayhew Bergman, Elizabeth Bluemle, Hugh Coyle, Maria Hummel, Alison Prine, Aaron Starmer, Bianca Stone, and Joy Worland.
  Nominations for this year’s Vermont Book Award are open until March 1, 2018. The judges will then select finalists to
  
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• Annual Cabin Fever Spelling Bee at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library is Feb. 17

  24-01-2018 16:24 via vtdigger.org
  News Release –Kellogg-Hubbard LibraryJanuary 22, 2018
  Contact:Rachel SenechalKellogg-Hubbard Library Program and Development Coordinator802-223-3338www.kellogghubbard.org
  Montpelier- The Kellogg-Hubbard Library invites you to their annual spelling bee for adults on Saturday, February 17, 2018 at 7pm. This fun and funny evening features two teams of spellers: the Readers and the Writers. Local authors and writers make up the Writers team and community members are on the Readers team. Folks
  
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• Social Security plan would eliminate state tax for 35,000 Vermonters

  24-01-2018 11:52 via vtdigger.org
  Kaj Samsom, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Taxes. Photo by Erin Mansfield/VTDigger
  A plan to exempt Social Security benefits from the state income tax would eliminate the tax for about 35,000 retirees, according to Scott administration officials. That represents about 23 percent of people in Vermont who receive Social Security payments.Any single retiree who has an adjusted gross income of $45,000 or less would no longer pay state income taxes, according to Kaj Samsom, the commissione
  
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• Bennington county energy plan can withstand legal threat from solar developer, officials say

  24-01-2018 11:09 via vtdigger.org
  BENNINGTON — The town is on course to become one of the first Vermont municipalities with a certified energy plan under the state’s energy planning legislation, Act 174.
  The Select Board on Monday approved a 28-page plan recommended in November by the Planning Commission. The board voted unanimously following a second public hearing on the document, which will now become a hefty amendment to the Benningtown Town Plan.
  Prior to the vote, the board met in executive session to discuss o
  
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• How to keep seeing VTDigger on Facebook

  24-01-2018 10:45 via vtdigger.org
  In recent weeks, Facebook announced changes to its News Feed tool that will reduce the number of news articles readers see on the platform.
  In his latest post on the subject, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote that the company will not only favor posts from family and friends over posts from publishers and other organizations, but the News Feed algorithm will also prioritize “trusted sources” of news.
  The move follows more than a year of criticism about the platform’s role 
  
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• Troopers in Montpelier fatal shooting back on duty

  24-01-2018 10:36 via vtdigger.org
  Montpelier High School was placed on lockdown Tuesday during a standoff with an armed robbery suspect. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDiggerAll nine law enforcement officers who opened fire and killed a man at Montpelier High School after police say he robbed a credit union are back at work.
  The officers included eight Vermont State Police troopers and a corporal from the Montpelier Police Department.
  Also in the case, a death certificate filed this week with the state Department of Health shows that
  
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• Agencies gear up for 12th statewide homeless Point in Time Count on Jan. 31

  24-01-2018 02:43 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Coalition to End HomelessnessJanuary 21, 2018
  Contact:MaryEllen Mendl802-861-0146 ext. 205
  The Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness (Balance of State Continuum of Care) and the Chittenden County Homeless Alliance (Chittenden Continuum of Care) are again joining efforts for the twelfth statewide Point in Time Count on January 31, 2018. The Continua are comprised of local homeless, housing & human service organizations that strive to make homelessness in our commu
  
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• First draft of 2018 Chittenden County ECOS Plan released for public review and comment

  24-01-2018 02:37 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Chittenden County RPCJanuary 22, 2018
  Contact:Emma Vaughn, Communications ManagerChittenden County [email protected]
  30-day comment period will conclude with a public hearing on Feb. 21
  Winooski, VT – The Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) and the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation (GBIC) have released the first draft of the 2018 Chittenden County ECOS Plan for a 30-day public comment period concluding with a public hearing o
  
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• Personal income tax season officially opens Jan. 29

  24-01-2018 02:30 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Department of TaxesJanuary 22, 2018
  Contact:
  Montpelier, Vt., Jan. 22, 2018— The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced that they will begin accepting federal returns on Jan. 29, one week later than last year, to ensure the security and readiness of its tax processing systems and to assess the potential impact of recent federal tax legislation on 2017 returns. Tax returns are processed by the IRS before they are released to states. The Vermont Department
  
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• VSA Vermont announces new training series for teaching artists in Northeast Kingdom

  24-01-2018 02:27 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — VSA VermontJan. 16, 2018
  Contact:Susan Evans McClure, Executive DirectorVSA Vermont, [email protected]
  For over two decades VSA Vermont has worked as the state organization on arts and disability. Their programs reach every region of the state, and very soon every corner. Beginning February 3, and running monthly through May, VSA Vermont will work together with Catamount Arts, River Arts, WonderArts, and the Vermont Arts Council to offer the Northeast Region Te
  
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• Hub and spoke evaluation shows significant impact being made on opioid addiction

  24-01-2018 02:23 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Department of HealthJanuary 22, 2018
  Media Contact:Vermont Department of Health802-863-7281
  Study participants report dramatic decrease in drug use
  BURLINGTON – An evaluation of the Care Alliance for Opioid Addiction, Vermont’s Hub and Spoke system of care, has shown that people in treatment for opioid addiction reported a 96 percent decrease in opioid use, and a 100 percent drop in overdose incidences, according to a new report from the Vermont Departmen
  
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• Vermont Gas customers receive $2.4 million cost reduction

  24-01-2018 02:19 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont GasJanuary 23, 2018
  Media Contact:Beth Parent, Communications and Brand Manager, Vermont Gas SystemsPH: (802) 865-1460 / (802) [email protected]
  Customers receive full value of recent federal tax changes
  South Burlington, VT – Vermont Gas announced today that it will reduce 2018 customer costs by $2.4 million, the full benefit of December’s federal tax law changes. Vermont Gas has filed a notice with the Vermont Public Utility Commission to g
  
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• TJ Donovan: Governor’s prison plan prompts questions

  24-01-2018 02:04 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan, who previously served as the Chittenden County state’s attorney for 10 years, where in 2010 he started the Rapid Intervention Community Court, a criminal justice program available to non-violent offenders whose crimes have been driven by addiction or mental illness. He is a former board member of the Burlington Dismas House.
  The governor’s administration has proposed a new 925-bed prison campus at a cost
  
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• Joyce Judy: Higher education is a necessity, not a privilege

  24-01-2018 01:57 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Joyce Judy, of Waterbury, the president of Community College of Vermont since 2009. She is a member of the New England Board of Higher Education Executive Board, the Vermont Public Radio Board of Trustees, the UVM Health Network/Central Vermont Medical Center Board of Trustees, the Vermont Higher Education Council, and the Vermont Business Roundtable.
  In this time of heightened dialogue around the future of higher education in Vermont, I am compelled to
  
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• Marie Houghton: A matter of fairness

  24-01-2018 01:54 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Marie Houghton, who is the state president of AARP Vermont.
  Nineteen eighty-four was a big year in Vermont and beyond. Madeleine Kunin was elected Vermont’s first woman governor, Apple unveiled the Mac PC, and Phish played at Nectar’s each week. It’s also the year Vermonters began paying taxes on their Social Security benefits.
  Some 34 years later a lot has changed. Apple devices are everywhere, Phish sold out 13 nights at Madison Squa
  
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• Scott budget earns pans and plaudits

  24-01-2018 01:07 via vtdigger.org
  Gov. Phil Scott greets lawmakers after he delivered his budget address. Photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDigger
  Legislative leaders gave Gov. Phil Scott’s proposed budget mixed reviews Tuesday, labeling some of his ideas “workable” and extensions of their own, dismissing others as simplistic, and criticizing him in large part for what he failed to mention.
  The strongest blast came from the chair of the Senate Education Committee, Philip Baruth, who charged Scott with a “profound l
  
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• Vermont Dreamers hope Congress acts soon

  24-01-2018 00:02 via vtdigger.org
  First year medical student Juan Conde with Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., at a September news conference urging Congress to extend legal protections for the children of unauthorized immigrants. File photo by Morgan True / VTDigger
  WASHINGTON — With less than six weeks to go until a high-profile immigration program is set to expire, recipients of the program in Vermont are hoping Congress will take action soon.
  The Trump administration announced plans in September to “wind down” Defer
  
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