Vermont news

• UVM and faculty go for facts in contract negotiations

  14-02-2018 23:55 via vtdigger.org
  Members of UVM’s faculty union, United Academics, before beginning contract negotiations, which have reached the fact-finding stage. File photo by Kelsey Neubauer/VTDigger
  BURLINGTON — Frustrated in their efforts to reach an agreement on a three-year contract, negotiators for the University of Vermont and United Academics, the university’s faculty union, this week turned to fact-finding.Both sides met with the fact finder, Michael Ryan, on Monday, to start the process of laying
  
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• Think tank report pans Vermont carbon tax plan

  14-02-2018 23:54 via vtdigger.org
  Ethan Allen Institute President Rob Roper, shown here addressing lawmakers in 2015, says he is concerned about a proposed carbon. File photo by Amy Ash Nixon/VTDigger
  The Ethan Allen Institute took aim Wednesday at a proposed carbon tax for Vermont in a report that pointed to a litany of negative economic consequences and “no measurable impact on climate.”
  The conservative research center examined the ESSEX Plan, which calls for taxing carbon-based fossil fuels and using the money to
  
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• Before Your Time: From communes to commerce

  14-02-2018 22:59 via vtdigger.org
   
  The original Jogbra, invented in Vermont in the late 1970s, is now in the collections of the Vermont Historical Society.
  Before Your Time is a podcast about Vermont history. Every episode, we go inside the stacks at the Vermont Historical Society to look at an object from their permanent collection that tells us something unique about our state. Then, we take a closer look at the people, the events, and the ideas that surround each artifact.The 1970s are often remembered in Verm
  
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• Outspoken Burlington school board chair steps down

  14-02-2018 22:45 via vtdigger.org
  Mark Porter, center, in his role as Burlington School Board chair. Porter stepped down on Tuesday but remains on the board. File photo by Morgan True / VTDigger
  BURLINGTON- The Burlington School Board’s outspoken chair Mark Porter has relinquished his leadership position, but said he would remain as a board member until his term expires this spring.
  Porter’s decision, which he announced at Tuesday’s school board meeting at Hunt Middle School, was effective immediately. The boar
  
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• LISTEN: Vermont House Members Challenged Over Comments Made During Black Lives Matter Discussion… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  14-02-2018 21:54 via twitter.com
  LISTEN: Vermont House Members Challenged Over Comments Made During Black Lives Matter Discussion… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Give Peace A Chance: Vermont's Tradition Of Pacifism dlvr.it/QGNDyq https://t.co/kKrD3n0GaY

  14-02-2018 21:54 via twitter.com
  
  Give Peace A Chance: Vermont's Tradition Of Pacifism dlvr.it/QGNDyq https://t.co/kKrD3n0GaY
  
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• LISTEN: Montpelier High School Says 'Black Lives Matter,' And The Nation Reacts dlvr.it/QGN1ll https://t.co/87SgHVcoPS

  14-02-2018 21:18 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: Montpelier High School Says 'Black Lives Matter,' And The Nation Reacts dlvr.it/QGN1ll https://t.co/87SgHVcoPS
  
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• Gov. Phil Scott proclaims February 14 as Recovery Day in Vermont

  14-02-2018 20:32 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Office of Gov. Phil ScottFebruary 14, 2018
  Contact:Rebecca [email protected]
  Montpelier – Governor Phil Scott signed a proclamation Wednesday, declaring February 14 as Recovery Day in Vermont. This designation recognizes the importance of substance use disorder recovery programs, and their critical role in addressing the opioid epidemic.
  “The opioid crisis is one of the biggest challenges facing Vermont today,” said Scott. “
  
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• Lebanon hospital to close birthing unit

  14-02-2018 18:12 via vtdigger.org
  Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital in Lebanon, New Hampshire, is the third Upper Valley hospital to become affiliated with Dartmouth-Hitchcock. The others are New London Hospital and Mt. Ascutney Hospital in Windsor, Vermont. Photo by Geoff Hansen/Valley News
  Editor’s note: This story by Nora Doyle-Burr was published in the Valley News on Feb. 13.
  LEBANON, N.H. — Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital will close its maternity ward after a planned merger of obstetrical services with Dartmouth
  
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• Public invited to nominate for the 2018 Vermont Book Award

  14-02-2018 16:52 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont College of Fine ArtsFebruary 14, 2018
  Contact:Tim [email protected]
  Montpelier – For the first time ever, the public is invited to nominate their favorite Vermont books for the 2018 Vermont Book Award. From now until March 1, anyone can visit the Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) Vermont Book Award website and nominate their favorite fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or children’s literature collection for the fourth annual award.
  To
  
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• Trump budget threatens critical safety net services locally

  14-02-2018 16:41 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Southeastern Vermont Community ActionFebruary 13, 2018
  Contact:Stephen Geller, Executive DirectorSoutheastern Vermont Community Action802-722-4575
  Westminster – For the second year, the Trump Administration proposes to eliminate all funding for the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), threatening the existence of about 1,000 local Community Action Agencies (CAAs) that serve about 16 million low-income people every year. In Windham and Windsor Counties, Southeast
  
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• Vermont consumers to receive checks from settlement with manufacturer of Provigil

  14-02-2018 16:29 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Office of Vermont Attorney GeneralFebruary 13, 2018
  Contact:Jill S. Abrams, Assistant Attorney GeneralOffice of Vermont Attorney General802-828-1106
  Montpelier – Checks are being mailed to Provigil consumers in connection with the settlement between Vermont and 47 other states, and drug company Cephalon and affiliated companies (now part of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries). In August 2016, state attorneys announced the settlement. The settlement resolved allegations tha
  
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• Brattleboro Retreat program gets nod as ‘leading practice’ from the Joint Commission

  14-02-2018 16:22 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Brattleboro RetreatFebruary 13, 2018
  Contact:Jeff KelliherBrattleboro [email protected]
  Brattleboro – The Brattleboro Retreat’s inpatient unit treatment programming known as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has been adopted by The Joint Commission as a Leading Practice for Hospital and Behavioral Health Programs.
  Submissions to the Joint Commission’s Leading Practice Library undergo rigorous clinical review. Accordin
  
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• Immigration training for volunteers, lecture Feb. 26 at VLS

  14-02-2018 16:12 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Law SchoolFebruary 13, 2018
  Contact:Maryellen Apelquist, Director of CommunicationsVermont Law [email protected]
  South Royalton – Vermont Law School students invite volunteers interested in assisting asylum seekers and detained families facing deportation to attend a Credible Fear Interview (CFI) Observer Training with attorney and immigration rights activist Carol Anne Donohoe from 12:45 to 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 26, in Yates Common Room
  
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• Salvation Farms’ third cohort successfully completes workforce development training program

  14-02-2018 16:03 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Salvation FarmsFebruary 13, 2018
  Contact:Theresa Snow, Executive DirectorSalvation [email protected]
  Morrisville – Salvation Farms, a Morrisville-based nonprofit, recently completed its third workforce development training cycle, with three trainees successfully completing the 4-month work-and-learn program. The program is housed in Salvation Farms’ Winooski food hub, where thousands of pounds of surplus crops from Vermont farms are brought each wee
  
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• Vermont Ranks fourth in the nation on annual School Breakfast Participation Scorecard

  14-02-2018 15:49 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Hunger Free VermontFebruary 13, 2018
  Alida Duncan, Development & Communications DirectorHunger Free [email protected]
  Rene Thibault, Public Relations & Communications SpecialistNew England Dairy & Food Council802-863-5416 ext. [email protected]
  South Burlington – Vermont schools continue to see record participation in the school breakfast program compared to other states in the nation. According to the School Breakfa
  
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• Magic Hat uncorks ‘Hops Not Hunger’ program benefiting Vermont Foodbank

  14-02-2018 15:41 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Magic Hat Brewing CompanyFebruary 13, 2018
  Contact:Claire StorrsPeople Making Good [email protected]
  South Burlington – Over the past 22 years, Magic Hat Mardi Gras has raised more than $260,000 for Vermont nonprofits, and this year the brewer will add to that total with Hops Not Hunger, a month-long one-for-one program benefiting the Vermont Foodbank. Starting today, Fat Tuesday, and running through the end of Magic Hat Mardi Gras weekend on Ma
  
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• UVM adds entrepreneurship, tech experts to UVM Board of Trustees

  14-02-2018 15:31 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — The University of VermontFebruary 13, 2018
  Contact:Jeff WakefieldThe University of [email protected]
  The University of Vermont Board of Trustees has added two new members with expertise in entrepreneurship and technology. The board also added a new student trustee.
  Jodi Goldstein, managing director of the Harvard Innovation Labs, and Otto Berkes, executive vice president and chief technology officer at New York City-based CA Technologies, will serv
  
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• Weston 101 primes fans for an expanded Weston Playhouse season

  14-02-2018 15:24 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Weston Playhouse Theatre CompanyFebruary 13, 2018
  Contact:Kate PaceWeston Playhouse Theatre [email protected]
  Weston – The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company’s Weston 101 is back for its third year to prime theatergoers for an exciting, expanded 2018 season. Hosted by Weston Director of Education/Artistic Associate Piper Goodeve, this pre-season backstage pass is a multi-media event series taking you – one by one – behind the scenes of ea
  
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• Burlington School Board approves Black Lives Matter flag

  14-02-2018 12:32 via vtdigger.org
  Burlington High Schoolstudents give a presentation to the school board about flying a Black Lives Matter flag on campus. Courtesy photoBURLINGTON — High school student activists notched a victory Tuesday night: The Burlington School Board voted unanimously to permit a Black Lives Matter flag on the campus.
  The flag will fly on the Burlington High School campus for the remainder of the academic year.  In future years, students will be required to petition the school boar
  
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• Vermont Attorney General launches public records page

  14-02-2018 12:18 via vtdigger.org
  Attorney General TJ Donovan. File photo by Anne Galloway/VTDiggerThe Vermont Attorney General’s Office this week began posting online all public records requests and responses from 2017 and 2018.The decision to make the information public was driven by criticism from media organizations, according to TJ Donovan, who assumed the office of Vermont Attorney General last year. 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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• Coyote hunting competition ban moving toward House vote

  14-02-2018 04:56 via vtdigger.org
  A coyote in Yosemite National Park. Photo by Christopher Bruno/Wikimedia Commons
  Vermont could become the second state to ban coyote hunting competitions under a new bill approved by the House wildlife committee that would impose up to $4,000 in fines and 60 days in prison for people who organize or take part in the contests.
  For years, activists have campaigned against “coyote tournaments,” in which hunters compete for the most kills and the biggest prey. They have not found a recep
  
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• Senate panel asks to delay anti-bias policing policy

  14-02-2018 03:40 via vtdigger.org
  Madeline Sharrow, a member of the central Vermont chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice, holds a sign at a meeting of the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council in December. Photo by Alan J. Keays/VTDIgger
  A Senate panel is asking for a delay in the implementation of anti-bias policing policy after hearing from advocates who argue it doesn’t go far enough to protect undocumented immigrants.
  Members of the Senate Government Operations Committee on Tuesday agreed to send a letter to th
  
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• Pomerleau didn’t take ‘no’ for an answer

  14-02-2018 03:20 via vtdigger.org
  The letter “P” in Mr. P stands for Pomerleau, but his loved ones, friends and colleagues said it also stood for persistent. And perhaps profits. And philanthropy.
  But persistence was the word that came to mind most often for family members, friends and politicos as they described Antonio Pomerleau’s remarkable, century-long life.
  The Chittenden County real estate tycoon died at the age of 100 last Friday. More than 400 people celebrated his life at a funeral held at Saint Micha
  
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• Smith tapped for troubled medical records firm

  14-02-2018 03:06 via vtdigger.org
  Mike Smith during his time as the interim president of Burlington College. File photo by Laura Krantz/VTDigger
  Michael K. Smith, a top aide to former Gov. Jim Douglas who went on to lead both FairPoint Communications and Burlington College through tough times, has been appointed interim CEO of a medical records management nonprofit that has been faulted in recent months for failing performance.
  Smith’s appointment at Vermont Information Technology Leaders (VITL) comes two months after a Ke
  
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• Former senior state official to head troubled medical records firm

  14-02-2018 03:06 via vtdigger.org
  Mike Smith during his time as the interim president of Burlington College. File photo by Laura Krantz/VTDigger
  Michael Smith, a top aide to former Gov. Jim Douglas who went on to lead both FairPoint Communications and Burlington College through tough times, has been appointed interim CEO of a medical records management nonprofit that has been faulted in recent months for failing performance.
  Smith’s appointment at Vermont Information Technology Leaders (VITL) comes two months after a Kentu
  
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• Advocate urges more regulation for urgent care centers

  14-02-2018 02:38 via vtdigger.org
  Rep. Bill Lippert, center, chair of the House Health Care Committee. File photo by Erin Mansfield/VTDigger
  State lawmakers are considering whether the Green Mountain Care Board should regulate a relatively new type of health facility – independent urgent care centers.
  The Office of the Health Care Advocate is proposing that the care board review significant construction and expansion projects at “freestanding walk-in clinics,” as it does at hospitals.
  Ironically, the proposal t
  
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• John Sayles: President’s budget is grim for Foodbank and for hungry Vermonters

  14-02-2018 02:34 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by John Sayles, who is CEO of the Vermont Foodbank.
  Monday, the White House released a proposed budget for 2019 that aims to make significant cuts to programs that support millions of Americans: children, seniors and working families. This budget would be devastating to the 42 million Americans struggling with food insecurity, including 74,600 food insecure Vermonters.
  The proposed budget aims to cut SNAP (also known as food stamps and 3SquaresVT), which w
  
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• Stephen C. Terry: What is an ‘Aiken Democrat’?

  14-02-2018 02:26 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Stephen C. Terry, of Middlebury, who was legislative assistant for U.S. Sen. George D. Aiken, R-Vt., from 1969 to 1975, his last term. Terry is former managing editor of the Rutland Herald as well as a utility executive at Green Mountain Power. He currently serves as a political analyst for WCAX-TV. This commentary was first published in the Times Argus-Rutland Herald on Feb. 11.
  Christine Hallquist, the current and longtime CEO of the Vermont Electric
  
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• Michael Shank & Leilani Münter: Defining clean energy

  14-02-2018 02:24 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Michael Shank and Leilani Münter. Shank, of Brandon, is the communications director for the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and Urban Sustainability Directors Network and writes in his personal capacity. Münter is a biology graduate turned professional race car driver and environmental activist.
  We now know how extensively and dangerously oil industry giants, such as ExxonMobil, sowed doubt in the American mind regarding the existence of global
  
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• Timothy Burgess: Stop the mega prison

  14-02-2018 02:19 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Timothy R. Burgess, of Waterville, a former inmate of the Vermont Department of Corrections in a Corrections Corporation of America facility. He is a prisoner advocate and the vice president of the United States Prisoners Rights Defense League.I fail to see how any state agency or entity can consider engaging in a contract with a for-profit prison entity, even for a moment. The very premise that in Vermont we have utilized the services of these money-hu
  
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• Vermont delegation skeptical of Trump budget proposal

  14-02-2018 02:18 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDigger
  WASHINGTON — Lawmakers began vetting the White House budget proposal for the next fiscal year Tuesday.
  The proposal mirrors the Trump administration’s federal fiscal blueprint from last year in many ways — increasing spending on defense programs while dramatically cutting many domestic programs involving health care, the environment and more.Get all of VTDigger's political news.You'll never miss a political story with ou
  
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• Vermont ski jump faces Olympic challenge

  14-02-2018 00:48 via vtdigger.org
  Brattleboro’s Harris Hill ski jump willhold its annual competition this weekend. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger
  BRATTLEBORO — This town’s Harris Hill ski jump is the only Olympic-size slope in New England and one of just six in the nation.
  This weekend, that could be a problem.RELATED STORIESVermont gold medalist Ross Powers pays it forwardMost families of Vermont Olympians cheering from homeThe Deeper Dig: Vermonters take PyeongchangVermont Olympians follow in their fa
  
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• Support grows for tax break on Social Security benefits

  14-02-2018 00:43 via vtdigger.org
  Gov. Phil Scott introduced income tax break in his budget address. File photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDigger
  Gov. Phil Scott’s plan to stop taxing the Social Security benefits of low income Vermonters is gaining in popularity.The governor’s proposal, which he introduced in his January budget address, would exempt about 35,000 Vermonters from paying state income tax on their Social Security benefits. Get all of VTDigger's political news.You'll never miss a political story with our weekly he
  
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• Vermont solar job losses tied to net metering changes

  14-02-2018 00:36 via vtdigger.org
  Solar panels on an East Montpelier farm make use of the state’s net metering program. File photo by Roger Crowley/for VTDigger
  Vermont’s booming solar energy industry took a hit last year, shedding 232 of its jobs, or about 13 percent, according to the trade group Renewable Energy Vermont.
  Solar industry jobs were down about 4 percent nationwide, a dip attributed to fears about the Trump administration imposing new tariffs on imported solar panels. The administration announced last m
  
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