Vermont news

• Sanders leads the pack in 2017 fundraising

  01-02-2018 23:04 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., outside the U.S. Capitol. File photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  WASHINGTON — Sen. Bernie Sanders again led Vermont’s Congressional delegation in fundraising in the final quarter of the 2017.
  Sanders, I-Vt., who is up for reelection in November, concluded 2017 with $6.2 million cash on hand, according to a year-end report filed with the Federal Election Commission ahead of a disclosure deadline on Wednesday.Get all of VTDigger's political news.You'll neve
  
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• LISTEN: 'Vermont Edition', Live From The 2018 Vermont Farm Show dlvr.it/QDcj9L https://t.co/26Jzxa3LAZ

  01-02-2018 22:10 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: 'Vermont Edition', Live From The 2018 Vermont Farm Show dlvr.it/QDcj9L https://t.co/26Jzxa3LAZ
  
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• A New Idea For Education Funding In Vermont: Shifting From Property To Income Tax dlvr.it/QDcbqb https://t.co/5YXswymwpW

  01-02-2018 21:50 via twitter.com
  
  A New Idea For Education Funding In Vermont: Shifting From Property To Income Tax dlvr.it/QDcbqb https://t.co/5YXswymwpW
  
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• SLIDESHOW: Black Lives Matter flag raised at Montpelier High School

  01-02-2018 20:36 via vtdigger.org
  After a successful campaign by the student-led Racial Justice Alliance, Montpelier High School raised the flag of the Black Lives Matter movement at a ceremony this morning. Joelyn Mensah, who led the effort to raise the flag, told the audience that students of color “want to be seen, and demand to be represented in our education.” The school plans to fly the flag for the month of February.
  Read the story on VTDigger here:SLIDESHOW: Black Lives Matter flag raised at Montpelier H
  
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• Senate Appropriations Committee’s Democratic staff fact checks Trump’s State of the Union

  01-02-2018 20:05 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Sen. Patrick LeahyJan. 31, 2018
  Press Contact:David Carle(202) 224-3693
  The #BudgetTruthSquad
  Fact Checks President Trump’s State Of The Union
  (Prepared by the Democratic staff of the Senate Appropriations Committee)
  Senator Patrick Leahy, Vice Chairman
  Infrastructure:
  “I am asking both parties to come together to give us the safe, fast, reliable, and modern infrastructure our economy needs and our people deserve….Together, we can reclaim our building heri
  
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• Three Hickok & Boardman companies honored as 2018 Best Places to Work in Vermont

  01-02-2018 18:20 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Hickok & BoardmanJan. 31, 2018
  Contact:For More Information ContactSybil KeefeVice President of MarketingColdwell Banker Hickok & Boardman RealtyV: (802)846-9549HickokandBoardman.com
  Burlington, VT – January 31, 2018 — The Hickok & Boardman Network of Companies achieved the ultimate workplace trifecta as three companies from within the Network are recognized among the 2018 “50 Best Places to Work in Vermont.” The twelfth annual list of the
  
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• State police cite men for cultivation, possession of marijuana

  01-02-2018 18:13 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont State PoliceFeb. 1, 2018
  CASE#: 18B400534
  TROOPER:Trooper Christopher Loyzelle
  STATION: RutlandCONTACT#: (802) 773-9101
  DATE/TIME: 01/31/2018 1942 hours
  LOCATION: Proctor, Vermont
  VIOLATION: Cultivation of Marijuana/Criminal Possession of Marijuana
  ACCUSED: Kevin Burnham
  AGE: 49
  CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE: Proctor, Vermont
  ACCUSED: Keeghan Burnham
  AGE: 25
  CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE: Proctor, Vermont
  SUMMARY OF INCIDENT: On January 30, 2018, Troopers from the Vermont Stat
  
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• Christine Hallquist plans race for governor as Democrat

  01-02-2018 18:13 via vtdigger.org
  Christine Hallquist, CEO at Vermont Electric Coop. Courtesy photo
  A utility executive who went through a high-profile gender transition is planning to run for governor.
  Christine Hallquist, chief executive of the Vermont Electric Coop since 2005, will run as a Democrat, joining environmentalist James Ehlers and middle school student Ethan Sonneborn. They will compete for the right to take on Republican Gov. Phil Scott, who has said he will seek a second term in November.Get all of VTDigger's pol
  
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• VSAC: FAFSA is first step to being career ready

  01-02-2018 18:03 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — VSACJan. 25, 2018
  Contact:Sabina HaskellDirector of Public AffairsVermont Student Assistance [email protected]
  By Marilyn Cargill
  For Vermont students to be prepared for tomorrow’s jobs, all pathways must lead to a credential with labor market value, such as a certificate, associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree.
  Good jobs that once only required a high school education have mostly disappeared and that trend is likely to continue. The jobs t
  
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• Southwestern Vermont Health Care Foundation welcomes Bob Van Degna and William T. Ziegler to its leadership

  01-02-2018 17:58 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Southwestern Vermont Health CareJan. 30, 2018
  Contact:Ashley Brenon JowettCommunications and Marketing SpecialistSouthwestern Vermont Health Care802-447-5019svhealthcare.org
  BENNINGTON, VT—January 30, 2018—Bob Van Degna and William T. (Tom) Ziegler, both of Dorset, VT, have joined the Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) Foundation Board of Directors.
  “The SVHC Foundation’s board of directors is comprised of experienced and compassionate individual
  
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• Norwich University to celebrate completed renovation of historic weather bureau building, Ainsworth Hall

  01-02-2018 15:20 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Norwich UniversityJanuary 31, 2018
  Contact: Daphne [email protected]
  Northfield – Norwich University officials will celebrate on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018, at 12:45 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house, a complete renovation to one of the oldest buildings on campus, the College of Liberal Arts’ academic building, Ainsworth Hall.
  The public is invited to join President Richard W. Schneider, along with Provost Dr. Sandra Affenito and C
  
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• Rail City Information Services acquired by Open Approach

  01-02-2018 15:15 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Open ApproachJanuary 30, 2018
  Contact:Scott BernoudyOpen [email protected] – On January 1, 2018, Open Approach, a Burlington-based full-service IT company, acquired Rail City Information Systems (RCIS), an IT company based in St. Albans, Vermont. Effective January 1, 2018, RCIS founder and president Scott Burleson, vice president Dale Burleson, and the current RCIS technology team will transfer all existing accounts and services to
  
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• Vermont Attorney General announces consumer protection settlement with MD Cosmetics and owner Erin Jewell

  01-02-2018 15:10 via vtdigger.org
  News Release —January 26, 2018
  Contact:James Layman, Assistant Attorney General802-828-2315
  Montpelier – Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan announced a settlement of consumer protection claims against MD Cosmetics Medical Spa and its owner, Erin Jewell. The settlement resolves the Attorney General’s claim that MD Cosmetics engaged in unfair and deceptive conduct by closing in September 2017 without warning and failing to refund its customers’ outstanding gift certificate
  
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• Mother and daughter Morrisville residents charged with distributing fentanyl, heroin and oxycodone

  01-02-2018 15:05 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — U.S. Department of JusticeJanuary 26, 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 a federal grand jury returned an Indictment yesterday charging Esperanza Delarosa, 50, and her daughter Susan Mateo, 25, with conspiracy to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and oxycodone. The indictment also alleges numerous counts of distribut
  
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• Vermont high school students invited to apply for summer 2018 Governor’s Institutes

  01-02-2018 15:00 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Governor’s Institutes of VermontFebruary 1, 2018
  Contact:Karen Taylor-Mitchell, Executive DirectorGovernor’s Institutes of Vermont802-865-4448
  Enthusiastic Vermont learners in grades 9th through 12th are eligible to apply to one of the eleven fun and intensive summer programs through the Governor’s Institutes of Vermont! Applications are now open at www.giv.org/applynow.
  GIV offers enthusiastic young Vermonters the opportunity to dive in-depth into a topic
  
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• Lawmakers forge ahead with carbon tax plan

  01-02-2018 13:48 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Chris Pearson, P-Chittenden. File photo by Erin Mansfield/VTDiggerLess than a week after Gov. Phil Scott nixed a study of a tax on fossil fuels, a group of environmentalists and lawmakers announced they’re pushing ahead anyway.The ESSEX Plan would capitalize on the fact that Vermont’s electricity comes primarily from renewable sources. The plan aims to make fossil fuels more expensive while cutting the cost of electricity in half.Proponents say the state needs to make an effort
  
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• Police push saliva test for drugged drivers; ACLU threatens to sue

  01-02-2018 11:17 via vtdigger.org
  Tom Anderson, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDiggerVermont’s public safety commissioner told lawmakers that legislation allowing police to use saliva drug testing is the most important measure they could pass this session.A representative of the Vermont American Civil Liberties Union told the same panel that if saliva testing becomes law the organization will sue.
  The House Transportation Committee is considering a bill, H.237, that would al
  
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• Reporter’s notebook: Red velvet ropes and selfies at the State of the Union

  01-02-2018 05:16 via vtdigger.org
  Reporters wait outside the House chamber for lawmakers after the State of the Union. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  WASHINGTON — “The state of the union is tired,” I started to text as I left the Capitol shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday morning, before my phone, defeated by a long day and a crisp night, powered down.
  A few hours earlier President Donald Trump had declared the union “strong.” Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., declared it “tenuous.”Get all of V
  
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• Johanna Miller: Scott’s response to climate recommendations disappoints

  01-02-2018 01:05 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Johanna Miller, who is the Energy & Climate Program director at Vermont Natural Resources Council. 
  When Gov. Phil Scott established a Climate Action Commission in July 2017, he charged the 21 members he appointed with recommending at least three short-term actions that Vermont could move on quickly to address climate change. The Vermont Natural Resources Council applauded his decision, and I welcomed the opportunity to serve on that commission
  
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• Crea Lintilhac: ESSEX Plan must include methane emissions

  01-02-2018 01:00 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Crea Lintilhac, who is a director of the Lintilhac Foundation, a Vermont family foundation providing funding for clean water, renewable energy and land use management. She is a member of the board of the Vermont Journalism Trust, VTDigger’s parent organization.The drafters of the ESSEX Plan must address the concern about methane emissions. Currently, the plan addresses carbon dioxide emissions, which is only a fraction of the greater emission pict
  
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• Margaret Maclean: Local control of schools is crucial

  01-02-2018 00:55 via vtdigger.org
   
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Margaret Maclean, of Peacham, who is an international education consultant, a Vermont principal of the year and a former member of the Vermont State Board of Education.
  For the second year in a row, Gov. Phil Scott has used his budget address to attack public education. Last year he proposed a package of budget transfers that amounted to a raid on the education fund to pay for general government obligations. This year the administration has laid
  
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• Rachel Kauppila: Toward a living wage

  01-02-2018 00:50 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Rachel Kauppila, who is the job developer at Vermont Works for Women and a leader with Vermont Interfaith Action.Vermont Works for Women helps women and girls recognize their potential as well as explore, pursue and excel in work that leads to economic independence and security for themselves and their families. Economic independence means earning a wage that is high enough to support one’s family without state assistance. The current minimum wage
  
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• New psychiatric facility to open in fiscal 2019

  01-02-2018 00:44 via vtdigger.org
  Melissa Bailey, the commissioner of the Department of Mental Health, testifies in front of the House Health Care Committee. File Photo by Erin Mansfield/VTDiggerA new “forensic” psychiatric unit is scheduled to begin operating next fiscal year, potentially easing pressures on Vermont’s oversubscribed mental health system.
  Department of Mental Health Commissioner Melissa Bailey told lawmakers on Wednesday that she wants an additional $1.5 million in fiscal 2019 for initial opera
  
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• Bennington debates changing its government

  01-02-2018 00:20 via vtdigger.org
  Londa Weisman addresses a public hearing Monday on a binding referendum question to install mayoral government in Bennington, which Weisman said she would oppose. Photo by Jim Therrien/VTDigger
  BENNINGTON — A proposal to change Bennington’s system of government — substituting an elected mayor for a town manager hired by the town — drew strong opinions, most opposed to the move, at a public hearing on Monday.
  About 60 residents attended the hearing, the first of two the to
  
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• For first time in years, Burlington gets clean bill of financial health

  01-02-2018 00:11 via vtdigger.org
  Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger. Photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDiggerBURLINGTON — Burlington’s books are clean, according to a new report.Auditors recently released an annual financial report for the city that, for the first time in 15 years, shows no financial weaknesses, according to officials. The report represents a “milestone” for the city, which was hobbled when then-Mayor Bob Kiss diverted $17 million in taxpayer money to prop up a then-ailing Burlington Telecom.The fal
  
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• Burlington officials grapple with controversial mural

  01-02-2018 00:11 via vtdigger.org
  The mural, along an alley off Burlington’s Church Street Marketplace, was painted in 2012 to mark the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain’s arrival in the Champlain Valley in 1609. Photo by Cory Dawson/VTDigger
  BURLINGTON — City officials have begun the process for deciding what to do with a controversial downtown mural that has been called inaccurate, non-representative and racist.
  When Burlington activist Albert Petrarca spray painted the words “Off the Wall”
  
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