Vermont news

• Ron Pulcer: A country still divided

  21-03-2018 23:55 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Ron Pulcer of Rutland Town, who is a software developer, skier, guitar player and occasional blogger at SkiTheMiddleVT.wordpress.com.I look forward to attending the March For Our Lives rally in Main Street Park in Rutland, on Saturday, March 24. I will attend to support our local students and their peers in Parkland, Florida, and around our nation.
  In addition to speaking out to end gun violence in schools, these students may be asking themselves if we
  
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• Leahy not aware of FBI probe into Sessions

  21-03-2018 23:55 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., at a Senate Democratic leadership press conference Tuesday. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  WASHINGTON — A letter from Vermont’s senior senator prompted an investigation into Attorney General Jeff Sessions last year, according to a report from ABC News Wednesday.
  Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., sent a letter with then-Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., in March 2017 asking the Federal Bureau of Investigation to probe Sessions’ contacts with the Russian ambassado
  
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• Don Keelan: An unreasonable attack against Dorothy Canfield Fisher

  21-03-2018 23:50 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Don Keelan, a retired certified public accountant and resident of Arlington. The piece first appeared in the Bennington Banner.
  When it comes to folks who wish to disparage the reputation of well-known and historic figures, they may want to study a long-term concept in law known as the “doctrine of laches.”
  What comes to mind are the publications debasing the reputations of Norman Rockwell, the descendants of Robert Todd Lincoln, and, recent
  
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• Senate backs primary care compromise

  21-03-2018 23:47 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Jane Kitchel, D-Caledonia, right, Sen. Claire Ayer, D-Addison, and Senate President Pro Tempore Tim Ashe, D/P-Chittenden. File photo by Erin Mansfield/VTDigger
  The Senate on Wednesday advanced a bill that could result in a new system of universal primary health care in Vermont.
  But there’s a long way to go before the health care system envisioned in S.53 would be a reality. And the compromise version of the bill that won preliminary Senate approval does not explicitly endorse taxpayer
  
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• Report says ChemFab not only major source of contamination

  21-03-2018 23:11 via vtdigger.org
  The former ChemFab plant in North Bennington is considered by state officials to be the source of PFOA contamination of groundwater. File photo by Ben Garver/Berkshire Eagle
  BENNINGTON — In its final version, an engineering report commissioned by Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics is holding to the conclusion that two former ChemFab Corp. factories in Bennington were not the sole significant source of PFOA contamination.
  The report, which was submitted to the state Department of Environment
  
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• Condos warns on election security: ‘Bad actors’ will be back

  21-03-2018 23:11 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee on election security. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  WASHINGTON — Federal and state officials say that though there has been progress in fortifying the cyber-security of America’s election infrastructure, future elections are vulnerable to attacks by foreign entities.
  Half a dozen panelists, including current and former secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security, Vermont’s chief
  
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• UPDATED: House panel votes out bill proposing major changes to gun laws

  21-03-2018 22:23 via vtdigger.org
  The House Judiciary Committee considers marijuana legalization Wednesday. Photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDigger
  A House panel has narrowly advanced legislation that would expand background checks to private firearms sales, prohibit those under 21 from purchasing a firearm, and ban high-capacity magazines and bump stocks.
  The House Judiciary Committee voted 6-5 to approve bill S.55 Wednesday after a week of testimony. The bill could be taken up by the full House chamber as early as Friday.
  A version of
  
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• House backs nursing home oversight bill

  21-03-2018 22:21 via vtdigger.org
  Brookside Nursing Home residents relax outside the facility in White River Junction in June. File photo by James M. Patterson/Valley News
  Vermont’s nursing home regulations may be headed for an overhaul.
  The House has approved bill H.921, which orders an in-depth look at how state officials regulate nursing homes. There’s a particular emphasis on increasing financial transparency and accountability.
  The bill also ends the Green Mountain Care Board’s oversight of nursing home ow
  
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• State moves to ease vehicle inspection rules after complaints

  21-03-2018 21:49 via vtdigger.org
  Mechanics at Vermont Tire & Service in Montpelier. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  Vermont is moving to relax motor vehicle inspection standards a year after the rollout of an electronic database system that many believe unfairly burdens drivers, especially lower-income residents with older cars.
  Last March, the Department of Motor Vehicles instituted a new rule requiring mechanics at inspection stations to upload their results through an electronic database, eliminating a decades-old syste
  
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• Lawmakers make do with minimum wage, for a week

  21-03-2018 21:04 via vtdigger.org
  House Majority Leader Jill Krowinski, right, says an increase in the minimum wage is vital for Vermont’s working families. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  Rep. Susan Buckholz (D-Windsor) remembers going to the grocery store with her mother, and how her mother would cry from the stress of trying to figure out how she was going to afford to pay for Buchholz and her seven siblings to eat.Buckholz said the memory has shaped her and the way she looks at wages. Get all of VTDigger's politi
  
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• From Vermont to the Philippines, ‘We Are All Fast-Food Workers Now’

  21-03-2018 21:00 via vtdigger.org
  Annelise Orleck’s new book is illustrated by Liz Cooke, who photographed Brooklyn fast-food workers at a rally. Photo by Liz Cooke
  Vermont historian Annelise Orleck was commemorating the 100th anniversary of the March 25, 1911, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory blaze in New York when her attention shifted from the 146 workers who died in the tragic fire to the countless numbers still laboring in threatening conditions today.
  “We really need to be talking with the people who are doing the d
  
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• Bennington airport set for 90-day runway project shutdown

  21-03-2018 20:33 via vtdigger.org
  John Likakis points to cracks in the runway at Morse State Airport. Photo by Jim Therrien/VTDigger
  BENNINGTON — A $4 million reconstruction of the Bennington airport runway is set to begin April 30 and should be completed by July 30, state officials said.
  The 3,704-foot runway at William H. Morse State Airport will be closed for the duration. That will require that businesses and groups with facilities at the airport arrange for alternative sites if needed during the construction period.
  A
  
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• LISTEN: At UVM, Veterans Study And Connect To Homer's Ancient Epics dlvr.it/QLvWTX https://t.co/gtSDgtQRq5

  21-03-2018 20:28 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: At UVM, Veterans Study And Connect To Homer's Ancient Epics dlvr.it/QLvWTX https://t.co/gtSDgtQRq5
  
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• LISTEN: Gun Legislation Still Moving Forward, Just Slower Than Governor Scott Wanted dlvr.it/QLvRMB https://t.co/BrNDn3PJd6

  21-03-2018 20:12 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: Gun Legislation Still Moving Forward, Just Slower Than Governor Scott Wanted dlvr.it/QLvRMB https://t.co/BrNDn3PJd6
  
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• Gun Legislation Still Moving Forward, Just Slower Than Gov. Scott Wanted dlvr.it/QLvQDp https://t.co/LdDwY4iYjZ

  21-03-2018 20:07 via twitter.com
  
  Gun Legislation Still Moving Forward, Just Slower Than Gov. Scott Wanted dlvr.it/QLvQDp https://t.co/LdDwY4iYjZ
  
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• Canadian teen arrested for Hanover High School threat

  21-03-2018 17:41 via vtdigger.org
  Hanover Police Officer Mark Ridge, left, and Sgt. Jeff Ballard watch over the lobby of Hanover High School on Tuesday. The officers said they were spendingtime talking with students after a potential social media threat to students at the school. Photo by Jennifer Hauck/Valley News
  Editor’s note: This is a merging of two stories by Jordan Cuddemi, one published Tuesday and one Wednesday in the Valley News.
  HANOVER, N.H. — A 14-year-old girl in Canada has been arrested in connection w
  
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• House panel votes out bill proposing major changes to gun laws

  21-03-2018 17:23 via vtdigger.org
  The House Judiciary Committee takes testimony earlier this year. Photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDigger
  A House panel by a 6-5 vote has advanced legislation that would expand background checks to private firearms sales, prohibit those under 21 from purchasing a firearm, and ban high-capacity magazines and bump stocks.
  The House Judiciary Committee voted on the bill, S.55, Wednesday after a week of testimony. The bill could be taken up by the full House chamber as early as Friday.
  A version of the bill p
  
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• First annual winter Vermont Brewers Festival comes to Killington

  21-03-2018 16:45 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Brewers AssociationMarch 19, 2018
  Contact:Amy CroninVermont Brewers [email protected]
  (774) 217-0182
  Killington – Over 3,000 attendees will attend the Vermont Brewers Festival at Killington on March 24, 2018. The festival is organized by the Vermont Brewers Association (VBA), who have organized a widely successful Vermont Brewers Festival on the Burlington Waterfront each summer for the last 25 years. The festival is focused on collaborat
  
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• Leahy And Collins Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill To Combat Youth Homelessness And Trafficking

  21-03-2018 15:22 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Sen. Patrick LeahyMarch 19, 2018
  Contact:David Carle(202) 224-3693
  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) Monday reintroduced their bipartisan bill to curb youth homelessness and support young victims of trafficking.The Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act (RHYTPA), which is also cosponsored by Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), would reauthorize the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act and continue authority f
  
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• The Wayside to hold United Way Day as part of its 100th Anniversary Year Celebrations

  21-03-2018 15:16 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Green Mountain United WayMarch 16, 2018
  Contact:Carrie StahlerGreen Mountain United [email protected]
  Berlin – Don’t miss your chance for a meal at the Wayside to benefit Green Mountain United Way all day long on Tuesday, March 27, 2018. While none of us really needs an excuse to eat at the Wayside, you can consider it a bonus that a generous portion of the day’s proceeds will benefit the people and programs serving Central Vermont thr
  
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• Leahy Joins In Introducing Legislation To Address Bullying

  21-03-2018 15:13 via vtdigger.org
  News Release —Sen. Patrick LeahyMarch 21, 2018
  Contact:David Carle(202) 224-3693
  Washington, D.C. – In an effort to address bullying in American schools, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) joined Senator Bob Casey (D-Penn.) and more than 30 other senators to introduce the Safe Schools Improvement Act.Their bill is aimed at ensuring that no child is afraid to go to school for fear of unchecked bullying and harassment.Bullying is widespread and has adverse long terms consequences for childr
  
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• The Children’s Literacy Foundation Selects Ten Vermont and New Hampshire Elementary Schools for $25,000 Year of the Book Literacy Program

  21-03-2018 15:08 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Children’s Literacy FoundationMarch 21, 2018
  Contact:Erika Nichols-FrazerCommunications Manager, CLiF(802) [email protected]
  Waterbury Center – The Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF) is pleased to announce that ten elementary schools in Vermont and New Hampshire have been awarded the $25,000 Year of the Book literacy program for the 2018-2019 schoolyear. The program promotes a culture of literacy within schools and encourages a love o
  
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• Patrick Flood appointed as Interim CEO for RuralEdge

  21-03-2018 15:04 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — RuralEdgeMarch 21, 2018
  Contact:Patricia M SearsNEKTI Consulting802 744 [email protected]
  Lyndonville – The Board of RuralEdge (RE) is pleased to announce the appointment of Patrick Flood as interim CEO, effective April 3, 2018, following the resignation of Trisha Ingalls, in February.
  Louise Bonvechio, chair of the RuralEdge Board of Directors, announced the transition plans.
  “I am happy to announce that Patrick Flood has been hired as an interim CEO
  
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• Landmark College names John Elder Robinson visiting lecturer, adviser to new center for neurodiversity

  21-03-2018 15:01 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Landmark CollegeMarch 20, 2018Contact:Mark DiPietroLandmark [email protected]
  Chris LenoisLandmark [email protected]
  Putney – Landmark College, a global leader in educating students with learning differences (LD), has named John Elder Robison, a renowned expert and advocate for neurodiverse individuals, as a Visiting Lecturer and Advisor to the school’s new Center for Neurodiversity.
  In his roles, Robison
  
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• At UVM, Veterans Study And Connect To Homer's Ancient Epics dlvr.it/QLsRX4 https://t.co/SiF8rLlEGc

  21-03-2018 14:48 via twitter.com
  
  At UVM, Veterans Study And Connect To Homer's Ancient Epics dlvr.it/QLsRX4 https://t.co/SiF8rLlEGc
  
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• Lawmaker withdraws locked storage provision from gun bill

  21-03-2018 01:53 via vtdigger.org
  Martin LaLonde, second from right, listens to testimony as the House Judiciary Committee considers marijuana legalization. Photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDigger
  A South Burlington lawmaker is continuing to pare down a sweeping amendment he proposed last week calling for additional gun restrictions in Vermont, this time removing a provision requiring the locked storage of firearms.“I think the way it’s drafted, it’s a little broad,” Rep. Martin LaLonde, a Democrat, said Tuesday o
  
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• Universal primary care bill develops complications

  21-03-2018 01:49 via vtdigger.org
  Senate President Pro Tem Tim Ashe: If it was easy, it would’ve been done already. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  The state Senate president says Vermont may not be ready for a taxpayer-funded system of primary health care.
  Senate President Pro Tem Tim Ashe on Tuesday defended a new version of S.53 that calls for a study of how the state might “achieve universal coverage for primary care services” but doesn’t support a way of paying for the coverage.Get all of VTDig
  
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• The search is on in Vermont for the emerald ash borer

  21-03-2018 01:12 via vtdigger.org
  An infected ash tree leaves a hole in the forest canopy. Photo by Michael Hunter/Wikimedia CommonsThe search keeps widening in scope, from an isolated woodlot into the adjacent forestland, from the town of Orange towards Groton and Washington, from Orange County into Caledonia and Washington counties.“We have some suspects that we’re following up on,” Barbara Schultz, Forest Health Program Manager for Vermont’s Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, said in a recent
  
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• Cyberattacks aimed at U.S. power grid skips Vermont

  21-03-2018 01:10 via vtdigger.org
  Business as usual for Vermont utilities despite report of a Russian cyberattack targeting small facilities. File photo by John Herrick/VTDigger
  The Russian government’s campaign of cyberattacks aimed at the U.S. power grid singled out small commercial facilities around the country, but both the Public Utility Commission and the Agency of Digital Services say Vermont utilities and energy-related businesses were not among those targeted.
  Beginning in March 2016, and possibly earlier, Russian
  
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• Cyberattacks aimed at U.S. power grid skip Vermont

  21-03-2018 01:10 via vtdigger.org
  Business as usual for Vermont utilities despite report of a Russian cyberattack targeting small facilities. File photo by John Herrick/VTDigger
  The Russian government’s campaign of cyberattacks aimed at the U.S. power grid singled out small commercial facilities around the country, but both the Public Utility Commission and the Agency of Digital Services say Vermont utilities and energy-related businesses were not among those targeted.
  Beginning in March 2016, and possibly earlier, Russian
  
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• Cyber attacks aimed at U.S. power grid skips Vermont

  21-03-2018 01:10 via vtdigger.org
  Business as usual for Vermont utilities despite report of Russian cyber-attack targeting small facilities. File photo by John Herrick/VTDiggerThe Russian government’s campaign of cyber attacks aimed at the U.S. power grid singled out small commercial facilities around the country, but both the Public Utility Commission and the Agency of Digital Services say Vermont utilities and energy-related businesses were not among those targeted.
  Beginning in March 2016, and possibly earlier, Russian
  
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• Governor throws cold water on bills with new fees and taxes

  21-03-2018 00:34 via vtdigger.org
  Gov. Phil Scott speaks to reporters earlier this month. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  Phil Scott told lawmakers on Tuesday that he is dead serious about his pledge not to impose any new taxes or fees on Vermonters, targeting 15 bills that he said won’t get his approval until they are adjusted accordingly.
  In a letter to legislative leaders, Scott listed laws currently moving through the Statehouse that he said would raise the cost of living or doing business in the state, and challenged
  
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• Senate tables Sanders-led effort to withdraw from Yemen

  21-03-2018 00:32 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDigger
  WASHINGTON — The Senate killed an effort led by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., that would have required the U.S. military to cease participation in operations in Yemen’s years-long civil war.
  Sanders, among the Senate’s most liberal members, introduced the measure with Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., in late February, and pushed for the full chamber to vote on it.Get all of VTDigger's political
  
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• Laura Smith & Vincent Riva: Toward more humane, responsible farming

  21-03-2018 00:05 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary Vincent Riva and Laura Smith, who reside in Danville, where they raise heritage breed livestock and maintain Animal Welfare Approved and 100 percent grass-fed certifications for their cattle and sheep.Vermonters, like most people, are more invested than ever in where their food comes from, especially meat and other animal products. There is growing unease about how animals are raised on industrial farms. Consumers want to support farmers who are raising anima
  
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• Leslie Sullivan Sachs: Vermont Yankee impossible to trust

  21-03-2018 00:00 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Leslie Sullivan Sachs, who is a member of the Safe & Green Campaign in Brattleboro.
  On March 22, I will be showing up for another meeting on Vermont Yankee. It is at 6 p.m. at Brattleboro Union High School’s multi-purpose room, and is open to the public. We will hear presentations from NorthStar and the state about the latest ownership deal with Vermont Yankee: the sale from Entergy to NorthStar, for decommissioning. Here is what I will say.
  T
  
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