Vermont news

• Education property tax increase likely to be smaller than projected

  06-02-2018 23:15 via vtdigger.org
   
  Brad James, education finance manager for the Agency of Education, says school spending is down “significantly” from his earlier estimation. File Photo by Amy Ash Nixon/VTDigger
  Vermont taxpayers received some good news Tuesday with word that education property taxes are likely to rise by a smaller rate because of lower school spending.
  In December, the state Tax Department and Agency of Education projected a 3.52 percent increase in school spending for fiscal year 2019. Howev
  
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• Lawmakers urge new diversity standards in schools

  06-02-2018 22:44 via vtdigger.org
  Noel Riby-Williams is the first student to hoist the Black Lives Matter flag at Montpelier High School. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  When Montpelier High raised a Black Lives Matter flag last week, tears began rolling down Katrina Battle’s face. Battle grew up “brown in Vermont,” she said, and seeing the flag go up the pole was momentous.“I wasn’t expecting tears to fall from my face but in that moment there was a recognition that I exist here, I am valued here,
  
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• Burlington Bishop Calls Synod To Attract, Retain Vermont Catholics dlvr.it/QFJ58h https://t.co/czWgfiozxi

  06-02-2018 21:53 via twitter.com
  
  Burlington Bishop Calls Synod To Attract, Retain Vermont Catholics dlvr.it/QFJ58h https://t.co/czWgfiozxi
  
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• Bennington Select Board unanimous in opposition to mayoral system

  06-02-2018 21:35 via vtdigger.org
  Stuart Hurd, town manager of Bennington. Courtesy photo
  BENNINGTON — Members of the Bennington Select Board were unanimous in their opposition to changing the town charter to install a “strong mayor” form of government, after hearing more comments from voters at a public hearing.The hearing Monday evening was the second of two required before the matter is put to the voters on the March 6 ballot. Voters will be asked to say yes or no to amending the town charter to replace the
  
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• LISTEN: Vermont Municipal Bond Bank Makes A Pitch For Community Investment dlvr.it/QFHTzf https://t.co/rULDGp6Xyf

  06-02-2018 20:02 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: Vermont Municipal Bond Bank Makes A Pitch For Community Investment dlvr.it/QFHTzf https://t.co/rULDGp6Xyf
  
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• Driscoll embraces relationship with Sanders in new ad

  06-02-2018 19:54 via vtdigger.org
  BURLINGTON — Mayoral candidate [Carina Driscoll] is embracing her family relationship with Sen. Bernie Sanders.
  Driscoll, who had previously identified herself as Sanders’ “stepdaughter,” appeared in a new campaign ad with the Vermont senator that ran on Facebook and Instagram, calling herself his “daughter,” and saying she is one of the many people inspired by Sanders.Get all of VTDigger's political news.You'll never miss a political story with our weekly hea
  
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• US Attorney charges two men with alien smuggling

  06-02-2018 19:31 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — U.S. Department of Justice United States Border Patrol Swanton Sector, United States Attorney District of VermontFebruary 6, 2018
  Contact:Tim AtkinsonUnited States Attorney’s Office, District of [email protected]
  The United States Attorney’s Office and the Swanton Sector of the United States Border Patrol announce that Irvin Munoz-Diaz, 23, a citizen of Mexico who now lives in Canada, and Candido Emanuel Noriega-Quezada, 20, a Guatemalan
  
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• Mobius, Scott, supporters celebrate Mentoring Month at the Vermont Statehouse

  06-02-2018 19:22 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — MobiusFebruary 5, 2018
  Media Contact:Benji [email protected]: 802-658-1888Cell: 802-249-8316
  Montpelier, VT—Mobius hosted more than 160 youth mentees, volunteer mentors, and mentoring supporters for its annual Youth Mentoring Celebration on Wednesday, January 31, 2018 at the Capitol Plaza Hotel and the Vermont Statehouse. This event marked the culmination of National Mentoring Month festivities in Vermont, and was made possible by support, for the fo
  
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• Peter Miller to speak on his new book, ‘Vanishing Vermonters,’ on Feb. 22

  06-02-2018 18:58 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Phoenix BooksFeb. 5, 2018
  Contact:Kristen EatonPhoenix Books802.872.7111 (p)802.872.7112 (f)[email protected]
  VANISHING VERMONTERS WITH PETER MILLER AT PHOENIX BOOKS RUTLAND
  Rutland, Vermont – February 5, 2018: On Thursday, February 22nd at 6:30pm, Phoenix Books Rutland will host Peter Miller for a talk on his new book, Vanishing Vermonters.
  Vanishing Vermonters: Loss of a Rural Culture, is the newest and most important of Peter’s five
  
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• Sweepstakes’ ultimate lakefront home now for sale

  06-02-2018 18:54 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Real Estate CompanyFebruary 5, 2018
  Contact:Ashley [email protected]
  Colchester, Vermont Home Listed by the Vermont Real Estate Company for $1.095 million
  [BURLINGTON, VERMONT, February 2018 —] A stunning Colchester, Vermont home, a few miles north of Burlington, was listed by the Vermont Real Estate Company today for $1,095,000. The home offers spectacular views of Vermont’s Green Mountains and Malletts Bay, an inlet of Lake Champlain. The
  
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• 10th Annual Student Leadership Conference returns to Lyndon State College

  06-02-2018 18:49 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Lyndon State CollegeFebruary 5, 2018
  Media Contact:Sylvia Plumb, Executive Director of Communications – [email protected], 802.626.6459
  LYNDON CTR., Vt. – Lyndon State College’s Department of Student Life will host its 10th Annual Student Leadership Conference February 10. The free conference is open to students, staff, and faculty of colleges throughout Vermont and nearby states as well as area high schools. Last year more than 160 students trav
  
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• Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies takes entrepreneurs far

  06-02-2018 18:45 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — UVMFeb. 5, 2018
  Contact:Jeff Wakefield, [email protected], 802-578-8830
  People-Places-Capital Mantra Takes VCET – and Vermont Entrepreneurs – Far
  With its superhero-themed art, retro furniture, random ping pong table and open floor plan, the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies’ eye-catching co-working space – a little bit of Palo Alto plunked into Burlington’s FairPoint Technology Hub – is a good symbol for the dynamic contrib
  
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• Leahy statement on the release of the Nunes memo

  06-02-2018 18:37 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Sen. Patrick LeahyFebruary 5, 2018
  Press Contact:David Carle(202) 224-3693
  Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.),
  On The Release Of The Nunes Memo
  February 5, 2018
  Last Friday, Devin Nunes, the House Intelligence Committee Chairman, received approval from President Trump to release a classified memo that purports to show that a FISA application to conduct surveillance of a Trump campaign aide was politically motivated. Over the weekend, the President, speaking in the th
  
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• Submit your question for our Burlington Mayoral Forum

  06-02-2018 18:20 via vtdigger.org
   Get all of VTDigger's political news.You'll never miss a political story with our weekly headlines in your inbox.Daily
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  Windham CountyJoin Burlington voters on Thursday Feb. 15, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. at the ECHO Center, as
  
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• Study: New England forests face more precipitation, milder winters; key tree species threatened

  06-02-2018 17:15 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — UVMFeb. 5, 2018
  Contact:Jeff WakefieldAsst. Director, News & Public AffairsUniversity of Vermont(802) 656-5799(802) 578-8830 (mobile)
  In Vermont and across New England and northern New York, many economically and culturally important tree species and forest communities will face increasing threats under warmer and more variable conditions, according to a new assessment of the vulnerability of the region’s forests to climate change led by the USDA Forest Service.
  A
  
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• The Richards Group to acquire Centurion Insurance from Mascoma Bank

  06-02-2018 17:08 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — The Richards GroupFeb. 5, 2018
  Contact:Kathleen P BallantineDirector of [email protected] (802) 254-6016www.therichardsgrp.com
  The Richards Group is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement to acquire Centurion Insurance Group from Mascoma Bank. The transaction will be completed in April of 2018. The Centurion office will remain at its current location while The Richards Group’s Norwich branch office, which has served Upper Valley cl
  
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• Vermont Gas offers winter storm safety info ahead of Wednesday’s snowstorm

  06-02-2018 17:02 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont GasFebruary 6, 2018
  South Burlington, Vermont – Mother Nature is sending some snow our way and Vermont Gas wants to make sure safety is top of mind. Forecasters are calling for as much as six to nine inches expected Wednesday, with heaviest accumulation between noon and 7 p.m. Vermont Gas encourages the public to be careful when traveling and to take the proper safety precautions around the home.
  To protect the public from unnecessary travel, Vermont Gas has al
  
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• Vermont Municipal Bond Bank Makes A Pitch For Community Investment dlvr.it/QFFLGZ https://t.co/48GyiZXESG

  06-02-2018 14:32 via twitter.com
  
  Vermont Municipal Bond Bank Makes A Pitch For Community Investment dlvr.it/QFFLGZ https://t.co/48GyiZXESG
  
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• Bennington celebrates local hospital’s centennial

  06-02-2018 03:44 via vtdigger.org
  The first graduating class from the new School for Attendant Nurses poses on the Putnam Memorial Hospital campus in 1948. Photo courtesy of “A Century of Caring.”
  BENNINGTON — The story of Bennington’s hospital, which is marking its centennial this year, can be traced to mid-1800s California, where a young entrepreneur named Henry Putnam started building his fortune by selling bottled drinking water to those who had journeyed west in search of gold.
  With an expanding busi
  
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• Come learn about Vermont’s rattlesnakes in Rutland on March 8

  06-02-2018 02:42 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Fish & WildlifeFeb. 5, 2018
  Media Contacts:Doug Blodgett802-786-3861
  Kathleen Wanner802-747-7900
  RUTLAND, Vt. – Vermonters of all ages are invited to attend a presentation about Vermont’s timber rattlesnakes on March 8 in Rutland. The presentation will be held at the Community College of Vermont, 60 West Street, Rutland from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
  Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department biologist and rattlesnake researcher Doug Blodgett will discuss this recl
  
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• Feb. 15 is Vermont Writes Day 2018

  06-02-2018 02:37 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Young Writers ProjectFeb. 5, 2018
  Contacts:Geoffrey GevaltYWP Executive Director(802) [email protected]
  Susan ReidYWP Publications(802) [email protected]
  YWP’s Annual Day of Writing – Write for just seven minutes!
  BURLINGTON, VT – Thursday, Feb. 15 is Vermont Writes Day! Now in its ninth year, Vermont Writes Day is an annual tradition started by Young Writers Project to honor writing and to recognize its importance
  
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• Bail reform meets little resistance in committee hearing

  06-02-2018 02:35 via vtdigger.org
  Rep. Maxine Grad, D-Moretown, is the chair of the House Judiciary Committee. Photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDiggerA panel of lawmakers heard pros and cons as well as quite a few suggestions last week on a proposal that seeks to reform bail statutes in Vermont.
  The House Judiciary Committee heard testimony last week on the bill, H.728, from a range of people who work daily in the state’s court system, including prosecutors, defense attorneys, victims’ rights advocates, corrections officials,
  
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• Leahy comment on Trump’s executive order keeping Guantanamo Bay open

  06-02-2018 02:27 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Sen. Patrick LeahyJan. 31, 2018
  Press Contact:David Carle(202) 224-3693
  Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On President Trump’s Executive Order Keeping GTMO Open
  January 31, 2018
  “For nearly two decades, Guantanamo Bay has been a stain on our American system of justice. From indefinite detentions without charges, to allegations of detainee mistreatment, to reports of government surveillance of confidential attorney-client communications, Guantanamo Bay has
  
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• First bill of the speaker’s climate change initiative receives preliminary approval in House

  06-02-2018 02:23 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Office of the Speaker of the HouseJanuary 31, 2018
  Contact:Katherine LevasseurOffice of the Speaker of the [email protected](802) 828-2245
  At the opening of the 2018 Legislative Session, House Speaker Mitzi Johnson (D-South Hero) charged each committee with working on legislation within their jurisdiction that lessens Vermont’s dependence on fossil fuels and sets Vermont up for a stronger, more resilient future. She called for solutions that work for our
  
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• Paul Manganiello: In support of three gun bills

  06-02-2018 02:03 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Paul Manganiello, MD MPH, of Norwich, a emeritus professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. This is an edited version of his testimony at the Senate Committee on Judiciary public hearing on domestic gun violence legislation on Jan. 30.
  I am a physician and the medical director of the Good Neighbor Health Clinic in White River Junction; I am the board president of the nonprofit gun safety advocacy organization G
  
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• State psychiatric hospital under investigation for racism

  06-02-2018 02:01 via vtdigger.org
  The Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital. Photo by Roger Crowley/for VTDigger
  The state Human Rights Commission has found that the Vermont Department of Mental Healthillegally discriminated against an employee of the state psychiatric hospital. Commission investigators heard complaints from other hospital employees of color, who told of enduring racist attitudes and comments dating back more than a decade. One employee said he found the word “nigger” scrawled on the windshield of his ca
  
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• Racial discrimination rampant at state psychiatric hospital, commission finds

  06-02-2018 02:01 via vtdigger.org
  The Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital. Photo by Roger Crowley/for VTDigger
  The state Human Rights Commission has found that the Vermont Department of Mental Health illegally discriminated against an employee of the state psychiatric hospital. Commission investigators heard complaints from other hospital employees of color, who told of enduring racist attitudes and comments dating back more than a decade. One employee said he found the word “nigger” scrawled on the windshield of his c
  
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• John Brumsted: The path to affordable and accessible health care

  06-02-2018 02:00 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Dr. John Brumsted, MD, president and chief executive officer of the University of Vermont Health Network and chief executive officer of the UVM Medical Center.
  During Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign for president, a sign in the campaign headquarters famously read: “Change vs. more of the same. The economy, stupid. Don’t forget health care.” This was the central theme of the campaign and the sign was meant to keep everyone focused on
  
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• Christine McGowan: Forest products industry hopeful for the future

  06-02-2018 01:58 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Christine McGowan, of Stowe, who is the Forest Products Program director for the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund.
  Vermont prides itself as the Green Mountain State, with nearly 80 percent of its land mass covered in forest. Healthy and productive forests are inherent to Vermont’s culture and heritage. Yet, the industry responsible for bringing us countless valuable forest products — high quality furniture, specialty wood crafts, lumber and fir
  
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• Stephanie Seguino: Shedding light on Burlington’s school budget proposal

  06-02-2018 01:55 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Stephanie Seguino, who is vice chair of the Burlington School Board.
  This year, once again, school budgets remain a topic of intense interest and concern. Some information about Burlington’s budget proposal may help to explain the complex pressures many school districts are facing.
  Burlington School District’s proposed FY19 budget is less than 1 percent higher than last year’s — a rate of growth that is less than the rate of infl
  
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• Scott urges support for NAFTA, Sanders and Trump push for reforms

  06-02-2018 01:36 via vtdigger.org
  Gov. Phil Scott, left, and Quebec Premier Phillipe Couillard met last year about trade and other issues. Photo by Mark Johnson/VTDiggerWASHINGTON — Gov. Phil Scott is urging Vermonters to support a major regional trade agreement.
  Scott, a defender of the North American Free Trade Agreement, wrote a letter to business and economic development leaders in Vermont, urging them to support the 24-year-old agreement that removes trade barriers between the United States, Canada and Mexico.
  The thr
  
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• Mount Snow looks to EB-5 program for $94M expansion

  06-02-2018 01:08 via vtdigger.org
  Mount Snow resort in Dover. Photo by Rob Bossi/Courtesy of Mount Snow
  Mount Snow executives want to raise $94 million for their next expansion project, and they expect more than half of that — at least $55.5 million — to come from the EB-5 foreign investment program.
  The figures come from a new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing by Peak Resorts, Mount Snow’s Missouri-based parent company.
  Peak wants to build 102 luxury housing units at the Dover resort. Having alrea
  
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• Vermont Supreme Court will hear South Burlington ‘Rebels’ suit

  06-02-2018 00:36 via vtdigger.org
  South Burlington High School displaying a banner for the new school mascots, the Wolves. File photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDigger
  SOUTH BURLINGTON — The South Burlington School District and town residents who favor retaining the town high school’s controversial high school “rebels” mascot will have an opportunity to take their respective cases to the state Supreme Court.
  At issue in the case is not the fate of the mascot itself — the high school sports teams now call the
  
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• Leahy voices frustration over budget impasse

  06-02-2018 00:34 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., in his Russell Senate Building office. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  WASHINGTON — Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., says there are some spending initiatives that lawmakers in both major parties agree on. Other initiatives, however, are more divisive: President Trump’s idea to upgrade the country’s infrastructure by drawing on local and state government funding, for instance.
  “Yeah,” Leahy said during a recent interview in his office in the C
  
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