Vermont news

• UPDATED: Rodgers, vocal gun rights advocate, weighs run for governor

  10-04-2018 22:23 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. John Rodgers, D-Essex-Orleans, speaks at a press conference about new gun legislation at the Statehouse on Tuesday. Photo by Colin Meyn/VTDigger
  Sen. John Rodgers, D-Essex-Orleans, has been one of the loudest opponents of gun restrictionsthis legislative session, and now that Republican Gov. Phil Scott is prepared to sign three gun control bills into law, the senator from Glover says he is pondering a run for the state’s top office.Rodgers made the announcement during a Statehouse pre
  
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• Rodgers, vocal gun rights advocate, weighs run for governor

  10-04-2018 22:23 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. John Rodgers, D-Essex-Orleans, speaks at a press conference about new gun legislation at the Statehouse on Tuesday. Photo by Colin Meyn/VTDigger
  Sen. John Rodgers, D-Essex-Orleans, has been one of the loudest voices in the Legislature for gun rights during heated debate this session on increased restrictions on firearms. As Gov. Phil Scott prepares to sign three gun bills into law, Rodgers says he’s now considering a run for governor.
  Rodgers, a Glover resident, said he was pondering
  
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• Trump's 'Most Influential White Nationalist Troll' Has Vermont Roots dlvr.it/QP5Mr7 https://t.co/avAX3tGJPg

  10-04-2018 21:30 via twitter.com
  
  Trump's 'Most Influential White Nationalist Troll' Has Vermont Roots dlvr.it/QP5Mr7 https://t.co/avAX3tGJPg
  
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• LISTEN: Trump's 'Most Influential White Nationalist Troll' Has Vermont Roots dlvr.it/QP5Lw5 https://t.co/MSSJdb2pjA

  10-04-2018 21:26 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: Trump's 'Most Influential White Nationalist Troll' Has Vermont Roots dlvr.it/QP5Lw5 https://t.co/MSSJdb2pjA
  
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• VSECU members donate $23,000 to local charities through giving program

  10-04-2018 20:20 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — VSECUTuesday, April 10, 2018
  Contact:Rachel Feldman, Public Relations [email protected] / 802-272-9756
  Annual giving program We Care 2 provides members a direct voice in charitable giving
  Montpelier, VT — VSECU, a member-owned cooperative and not for profit credit union for everybody who lives or works in Vermont, is donating $23,000 to Vermont charities through its member-directed, charitable giving program, We Care 2. More than 4,600 VSECU members allocate
  
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• Leahy, others urge Trump administration to finalize EB-5 regulatory reforms

  10-04-2018 20:17 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Sen. Patrick LeahyThursday, April 5, 2018
  Contact:David [email protected]
  Grassley, Goodlatte, Leahy Urge Trump Administration to Finalize EB-5 Regulatory Reforms
  WASHINGTON – In a joint letter to the Secretary of Homeland Security, Senate and House Judiciary Committee chairmen Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and former Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) urged the swift implementation of regulations that would dr
  
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• Northern Vermont Regional WEB hosting business support forum on April 24

  10-04-2018 20:14 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Lamoille Economic Development CorporationApril 10, 2018
  Contact:John MandevilleLamoille Economic Development [email protected] (802) 888-5640Fax (802) 851-1136P.O. Box 455Morrisville, VT 05661
  WEB Connections Business ForumSupporting Vermont’s Food WebApril 24th, 2017 | 9:00 am – 12:00 pmGreen Mountain Technology and Career CenterCommunity Education Center738 VT-15, Hyde Park, VT 05655
  The Northern Vermont Regional WEB (Workforce-Education-
  
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• Weston Playhouse unveils blockbuster 2018 season

  10-04-2018 20:05 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Weston Playhouse Theatre CompanyApril 10, 2018
  Contact:westonplayhouse.org
  Weston, VT — Vermont’s award-winning Weston Playhouse Theatre Company unveils a blockbuster 2018 line-up, the largest in the theatre’s history. The season includes three productions on the company’s Main Stage at the historic Weston Playhouse and four productions at its stunning new Second Stage, Weston Playhouse at Walker Farm, plus pre-theatre dining, post-show Cabaret, and p
  
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• What The Heck Is Blockchain? Why Vermont Lawmakers Are Betting On New Tech As A Future Moneymaker… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  10-04-2018 20:03 via twitter.com
  What The Heck Is Blockchain? Why Vermont Lawmakers Are Betting On New Tech As A Future Moneymaker… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Ethan Sonneborn statement on this week’s gun legislation

  10-04-2018 20:00 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Ethan SonnebornApril 9, 2018
  Contact:Miles BurgessCampaign ManagerPhone: (802)458-7728Email: [email protected]
  Ethan SonnebornEmail: [email protected]
  This week, Governor Phil Scott is poised to sign groundbreaking and important legislation that will begin to address the school safety and gun violence crisis. 15,549. That’s the number of gun deaths in 2017. Vermont has always led our nation, and it is crucial that we maintain that trend S.55 is an important step
  
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• 
SIIA: Vermont data broker bill is unconstitutional

  10-04-2018 19:55 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — SIIAApril 10, 2018
  Contact:Diane Pinto(202) 789-4456siia.net
  Says it Violates First Amendment’s Prohibition on Content-Discriminatory Burdens on Speech

  Washington, D.C. (April 10, 2018) – The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the principal association for the software and digital content industries, opposes Vermont bill H.764 saying that the bill violates the First Amendment by placing content-discriminatory burdens on free speech. Th
  
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• Public invited to open house to comment on Mount Philo State Park Draft Plan

  10-04-2018 19:50 via vtdigger.org
  Press Release — Department of Forests, Parks & RecreationApril 9, 2018
  Contact:Lisa Thornton, District Stewardship Forester, Department of Forests, Parks & [email protected]
  MONTPELIER — The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources is hosting a meeting to provide an opportunity for public input on the draft long-range management plan for Mt. Philo State Park. The meeting will be held on Thursday, April 19, 2018 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Charlotte Central School
  
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• LISTEN: The Shift: Collecting School Taxes From Paychecks Instead Of Property dlvr.it/QP4mZ1 https://t.co/eh0mrkjNrs

  10-04-2018 19:43 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: The Shift: Collecting School Taxes From Paychecks Instead Of Property dlvr.it/QP4mZ1 https://t.co/eh0mrkjNrs
  
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• Lake Champlain Basin Program awards more than $1.5 million for Watershed Improvement Grants

  10-04-2018 19:22 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Lake Champlain Basin ProgramApril 9, 2018
  Contact:Eric HoweDirectorLake Champlain Basin Program(802) 372-3213
  Grand Isle, VT – The Lake Champlain Basin Program is awarding $1,599,842 in grants to communities and organizations in Vermont and New York that are implementing projects to improve water quality, reduce impacts from invasive species, and expand interpretation of the culture and heritage of the Lake Champlain watershed. Funding for these grants originates from
  
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• Norwich to hold 23rd Annual Military Writers’ Symposium

  10-04-2018 19:15 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Norwich UniversityApril 9, 2018
  Contact:Daphne E. Larkin, M’17Director of Media Relations & Community AffairsNorwich University158 Harmon DriveNorthfield, VT 05663O:802.485.2886www.norwich.edu
  ~Program to address the topic: “Won the War, Lost the Peace: The U.S. Legacy in Iraq” ~
  NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Norwich University will hold the 23rd Annual William E. Colby Military Writers’ Symposium April 11-12, 2018, on the theme of “Won the War, L
  
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• Kathleen James announces candidacy for Vermont House of Representatives

  10-04-2018 19:06 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Kathleen JamesApril 9, 2018
  Contact:Kathleen [email protected]: kathjamesforstaterep.com
  Kathleen James has announced her candidacy for the Vermont House of Representatives from Bennington-4, a legislative district that comprises Manchester, Arlington, Sandgate and western Sunderland. The chair of the Manchester Democrats, James will challenge incumbent Brian Keefe (R) for one of the district’s two seats.
  “I’ve lived and w
  
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• Sanders statement on CBO budget analysis

  10-04-2018 19:01 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Sen. Bernie SandersApril 9, 2018
  Contact:Josh [email protected]
  WASHINGTON, April 9 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the ranking member of the Budget Committee, issued the following statement Monday after the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the cumulative deficit over the next decade will be $1.6 trillion larger than previously projected largely as a result of the tax cuts for the wealthy and large corporations passed by Republic
  
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• Two-thirds of Vermont schools not E911 compliant

  10-04-2018 15:31 via vtdigger.org
  Windham County police officers make their way through a doorway as they search each room during a training session at Leland & Gray Union Middle High School on Monday. Photo by Kristopher Radder/Brattleboro Reformer
  Only about a third of Vermont schools have installed E911 systems that automatically gives first responders information about the location of a caller inside a building.
  About 100 schools, out of a total of 300, now have the technology in place.
  While all schools have 911 calling
  
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• AT&T expands service to Grace Cottage Hospital

  10-04-2018 03:22 via vtdigger.org
  Ambulances parked outside Grace Cottage Hospital. Photo by Jacki Brown
  Grace Cottage Hospital for years had the unfortunate distinction of being the state’s last hospital without access to cell service. That changed last year. But with the company that finally connected the hospital now on the brink of bankruptcy, a return to landlines looked possible.Until AT&T’s delivery of a “Cell Site on Wheels,” or COW, which will bolster service at the hospital and in the surrou
  
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• As smoking rates stagnate, tobacco fund dwindles

  10-04-2018 03:03 via vtdigger.org
  Cigarette pricing at M&M Beverage in Montpelier. Photo by Roger Crowley/for VTDiggerAfter years of decline, Vermont’s adult smoking rate appears to have stalled and now “lags behind the nation,” advocates say.
  At the same time, state investment in tobacco-related programming is shrinking. A tobacco trust fund that once held $31 million now has no money, and only a small portion of the state’s yearly settlement payments from the cigarette industry go toward Vermont&rsq
  
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• Vermont businesses brace for impact of trade changes

  10-04-2018 02:49 via vtdigger.org
  Rock Art, in Morrisville, expects to see the price of cans increase by 3 cents. But consumers could feel a bigger impact. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  MORRISVILLE — Typically it takes two or three weeks for Marc Cote to hear back on whether his company won a bid for a contract to work on a bridge somewhere in the state.
  These days, steel prices are fluctuating so much — especially after President Donald Trump’s announcement that the US would impose tariffs on foreign stee
  
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• Judge agrees to freeze Quiros properties in Bahamas, Colombia in EB-5 case

  10-04-2018 02:37 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont Assistant Attorney General Kate Gallagher. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  A Vermont judge has sided with the state in its bid to freeze the assets of Jay Peak developer Ariel Quiros, issuing an order Monday that applies to property in Vermont as well as outside the state and country.
  The order against Quiros freezes not only five properties in the state, but others in Florida and Colorado as well as Colombia, the Bahamas and Puerto Rico.RELATED STORIESVermont AG to ‘move on&
  
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• John McClaughry: Reducing future school shootings

  10-04-2018 02:17 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by John McClaughry, the vice president of the Ethan Allen Institute.In the wake of a Florida school shooting and a thwarted attack targeted on Fair Haven High School, the Legislature and governor have enacted into law a bill touted by its advocates as “gun violence prevention.” Its main features are required background checks for firearms transfers among all but immediate family members, a ban on high capacity magazines, and barring the sale of
  
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• Anson Tebbetts: EPA gives Vermont all A’s

  10-04-2018 02:14 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Anson Tebbetts, the secretary of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets.
  The Environmental Protection Agency Boston regional office announced last week that the Vermont Agency of Agriculture has made significant progress toward meeting the state’s water quality goals.
  In a letter to the agency dated April 2, EPA regional administrator Alexandra Dapolito Dunn noted, “Your staff have clearly been working hard to get new programs
  
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• Fed Up Vermont: ‘Hub and spoke’ a flawed approach to opioid addiction

  10-04-2018 02:11 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Wendy Galbraith of Manchester, Geri Gilmore of Arlington, Jo Lambling of Manchester Center, and Gretchen Lima of Dorset, all co-founders of Fed Up Vermont.
  Each of the four of us — founders of Fed Up Vermont — have suffered devastating personal losses as a result of family members having developed addictions to opioids. Among us we have children and siblings who have lost their lives. We have children as well who simply have gone missing, co
  
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• Jeffrey Reel: We don’t drive technology; technology drives us

  10-04-2018 02:06 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Jeffrey Reel, of Lyndon Center, who is the general manager of Natural Provisions in St. Johnsbury, and the former sustainability manager of the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York.
  I moved to the bucolic Northeast Kingdom several months ago and have enjoyed being educated to the region through the information provided by VTDigger. I have noticed in these pages the back-and-forth opinions regarding renewables vs. fossil fuels and the technology requir
  
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• Teachers union pitches statewide health care plan

  10-04-2018 02:03 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont-NEA President Martha Allen, right, with lawmakers at the Statehouse last year. Photo by Erin Mansfield/VTDigger
  As legislators head toward another showdown with Gov. Phil Scott over school spending, the state’s teachers union has pitched a statewide health insurance plan that they say would save taxpayer money and ensure equity for employees.More than 100 delegates at the union’s annual assembly voted on Saturday for the statewide benefit, which would avoid local-level negoti
  
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• Scott to sign gun bills this week as gun rights groups seethe

  10-04-2018 00:42 via vtdigger.org
  Gov. Phil Scott. File photo by Anne Galloway/VTDigger
  Gov. Phil Scott is set to sign a trio of gun bills into law on Wednesday, less than two months after the arrest of a teenager allegedly plotting to shoot up a Vermont high school inspired him to publicly reverse his position on gun control.Having previously said he felt there was no need for new gun legislation, Scott said a thwarted shooting in Fair Haven opened his eyes to the threat facing Vermont’s children, and his own responsibili
  
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• Burlington School Board to discuss release of racial bias report

  10-04-2018 00:14 via vtdigger.org
  Yaw Obeng, superintendent of the Burlington school district, and Stephanie Seguino, who just stepped down as chair of the Burlington School Board. File photo by Cory Dawson/VTDigger
  BURLINGTON – The Burlington School Board is expected to discuss the public release of a report on an investigation of racial bias at its regular meeting on Tuesday.
  Newly-elected School Board Chair Clare Wool said that new board members would be given a chance to read the report, and that there would be a discu
  
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• Looking to capitalize on Vermont’s ‘creative economy’

  10-04-2018 00:12 via vtdigger.org
  The Southern Vermont Creative Meeting on Monday drew 120 local, state and federal attendees to the Next Stage Arts Project in Putney. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger
  PUTNEY — You think because Robert McBride is an artist he simply creates pretty pictures? As someone who restored and runs a downtown Bellows Falls business and apartment block, he knows better.
  “The creative economy is a hidden economic driver,” says McBride, head of the Rockingham Arts and Museum Project.
  
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• Artists look to capitalize on Vermont’s ‘creative economy’

  10-04-2018 00:12 via vtdigger.org
  The Southern Vermont Creative Meeting on Monday drew 120 local, state and federal attendees to the Next Stage Arts Project in Putney. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger
  PUTNEY — You think because Robert McBride is an artist he simply creates pretty pictures? As someone who restored and runs a downtown Bellows Falls business and apartment block, he knows better.
  “The creative economy is a hidden economic driver,” says McBride, head of the Rockingham Arts and Museum Project.
  
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