Vermont news

• Justice Department threatens subpoena over ‘sanctuary’ documents

  16-04-2018 23:37 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont Public Safety Commissioner Tom Anderson maintains the state is not violating federal policies. File photo by Anne Galloway/VTDigger
  WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice is seeking more documents from the state of Vermont about policies the federal government believes may be in conflict with immigration laws.
  If the state Department of Public Safety does not turn over the documents, the DOJ warned in [a letter last week] that it would subpoena the material.https://www.justice.gov/
  
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• Revisiting VTDigger’s community guidelines

  16-04-2018 23:08 via vtdigger.org
  VTDigger is changing its commenting platform to Talk, a tool created by The Coral Project. Learn more about the transition and sign up before our posts switch over later this week.
  Along with our new commenting platform, VTDigger is working to rethink the way we host reader responses on our site.
  Our goal is always to engage readers in a constructive conversation about how to address the issues faced by our community. But in order to succeed in that, we need your help.
  We strive to be fair and
  
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• Margolis: Vermont Republicans love talking about the carbon tax

  16-04-2018 23:06 via vtdigger.org
  Rep. Sarah Copeland-Hanzas, D-Bradford, is chief sponsor of the carbon tax bill. File photo by Mike Polhamus/VTDigger
  Go to the Republican State Committee website and you will be greeted by a “Stop the Carbon Tax Petition,” which reads as though it might be the last bastion against the designs of “Vermont Democrats and their radical friends.”
  Wander the corridors of the Statehouse and it is hard to find a Republican who will not mention the carbon tax and point out that r
  
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• Vermont author aims to erase financial gender gap

  16-04-2018 22:01 via vtdigger.org
  Rickey Gard Diamond is a Montpelier writer, editor and teacher. Courtesy photo
  Rickey Gard Diamond is a successful writer, editor and teacher. But the Vermonter can tell you about the day in 1979 when, struggling to budget for herself and three children on low wages and child support of $25 a week, she landed in a welfare office.
  “At the time, I didn’t think monetary policy mattered to me,” the Montpelier resident says. “I assumed my ignorance of the difference between ma
  
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• LISTEN: How Are You Reacting To Vermont's New Gun Laws? dlvr.it/QPlHqX https://t.co/BnxQZ8ilDS

  16-04-2018 21:50 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: How Are You Reacting To Vermont's New Gun Laws? dlvr.it/QPlHqX https://t.co/BnxQZ8ilDS
  
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• Although cleared of bias, questions remain for Burlington School Board

  16-04-2018 20:05 via vtdigger.org
  School Superintendent Yaw Obeng, left, and former board member Stephanie Seguino, were both interviewed as part of the investigation. File photo by Cory Dawson/VTDigger
  BURLINGTON — Although a lengthy investigation into possible racial discrimination by the Burlington School Board determined there was no evidence of bias, questions remain about discussions between officials that led to the complaint.
  Daniel K. Troidl, a former Vermont State Police officer, conducted the investigation and a
  
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• $33M dairy plant could bring 46 jobs in next two years

  16-04-2018 19:44 via vtdigger.org
  This article by Chris Mays was published in the Brattleboro Reformer on April 15.BRATTLEBORO — Town officials are involved in talks about developing a $32.5 million dairy processing plant at the Exit One Industrial Park.“The project will create 46 new jobs in the next two years at this facility, with no less than 51 percent made available to households of low or moderate income,” Assistant Town Manager Patrick Moreland wrote in a memo last week, noting that such a description w
  
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• Washington Electric Co-op Community Fund gave $38,465 in grants to 74 local causes in 2017

  16-04-2018 15:40 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Washington Electric Cooperative, Inc.April 13, 2018
  Contact:Patty Richards802-223-5245
  East Montpelier – Washington Electric Co-op (WEC) is happy to announce a record year in 2017 for charitable giving. WEC’s Community Fund exceeded its 2016 donations by more than $10,000. The member-owned utility’s charitable giving fund contributed $38,465 to 74 local and worthy causes in Central Vermont.
  Dollars come from WEC members’ voluntary contributions and al
  
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• Members of The Hive to discuss alternatives to 911, April 20

  16-04-2018 15:30 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — The HiveApril 12, 2018
  Contact:Jennifer AnsartInclusion [email protected]
  Brattleboro – On Friday, April 20, 12:30 pm, members of The Hive, a grassroots mutual support network dedicated to creating spaces for people to support each other to survive and thrive outside of systems and services, will discuss alternatives to calling 911 when handling emotional and mental distress. This is part 1 of a 2-part program being held at Inclusion Center.
  The Hive grew out
  
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• Sanders statement on Trump review of postal service

  16-04-2018 15:25 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Sen. Bernie SandersApril 13, 2018
  Contact:
  Josh Miller-Lewis [email protected]
  Burlington – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Friday after President Donald Trump signed an executive order demanding an evaluation of the Postal Service’s finances:
  “President Trump is right that it would be useful to take a serious look at the United States Postal Service. He is dead wrong, however, if he believes the ultimate s
  
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• Secretary of State Jim Condos hosts ‘Defending Our Democracy: A Conversation about Election Cybersecurity’

  16-04-2018 15:20 via vtdigger.org
  News Release –Vermont Secretary of State’s OfficeApril 13, 2018
  Contact:Eric CoveyVermont Secretary of State’s Office802-828-2148
  Montpelier – On Thursday, April 19th from 4pm to 6pm Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos will be hosting a forum on election cybersecurity at the Pavilion Auditorium, located at 109 State Street in Montpelier.
  “Elections are the core of our democracy, and ensuring the security and integrity of our elections is a top priority” said
  
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• Craftsbury hosts “must-see” visual presentation of current climate degradation

  16-04-2018 15:15 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Craftsbury Energy CommitteeApril 13, 2018
  Contact:Craftsbury Energy [email protected]
  Craftsbury Common – In recognition of Earth Day, Sterling College, Craftsbury Energy Committee and WonderArts will host Michael Billingsley with a presentation on climate change, including the most recent “Cyclone Bomb” storms this past 2018 winter. Using satellite data visualisations, weather radar images and other technologies through NOAA, Nat
  
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• Solid waste hauler agrees to pay $49,500 for environmental permit and reporting violations

  16-04-2018 15:10 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Office of the Attorney GeneralApril 13, 2018
  Contact:Megan R.H. Hereth, Assistant Attorney General802-828-3186
  Montpelier – The Vermont Attorney General’s Office announced that it has reached a settlement with a Vermont solid waste removal business for violations of Vermont’s Waste Transportation Rules. Through the court-approved settlement, County Waste and Recycling Service, Inc., doing business as Ace Carting (Ace Carting), resolved claims that it had vi
  
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• Manchester Community Library hosts Poetry Salon

  16-04-2018 15:05 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Manchester Community LibraryApril 12, 2018
  Contact:Cindy Waters, Adult Services Librarian and Programming CoordinatorManchester Community [email protected]
  Manchester Center – The Poetry Salon celebrates its 3rd National Poetry Month Anniversary at Manchester Community Library’s Café Commons on Friday, April 27, at 6:30 p.m. Writers, listeners, and lovers of poetry are all welcome. Please bring a poem or two of your own work to read, and
  
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• Green Mountain College receives top score for sustainability achievements

  16-04-2018 15:00 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Green Mountain College
  Contact:Carla SnookGreen Mountain [email protected]
  Meghan Fay Zahniser, Executive [email protected]
  Poultney – Green Mountain College (GMC) has been recognized as the top Baccalaureate performer by the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). GMC’s 2018 STARS score of 81.82 is the highest score any baccalaureate institution has achieved. STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessm
  
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• Scott Milne: $15 minimum wage is bad policy

  16-04-2018 01:05 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Scott Milne, a businessman who was the Republican candidate for governor in 2014.Henry Ford, speaking of the automobile, mass production, and all that was changing because of his life and work, allegedly quipped, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”
  The “Fight for 15” — a precursor to Vermont’s $15 law — popped up in the last presidential campaign, promoted by many politi
  
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• Jay Craven: Will politicians act on data mining?

  16-04-2018 01:00 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Jay Craven, of Peacham, a filmmaker who is the director of Kingdom County Productions. He teaches at Sarah Lawrence College. This piece first aired on VPR.
  Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony this week before Congress reminds me of a conversation I had, some 40 years ago, with my part-time neighbor, the late Richard Barnet, who worked in JFK’s State Department and co-founded Washington’s Institute for Policy Studies.
  I ran into Barnet one Augu
  
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• Green Mountain Power crews ready to respond after predicted wind storm

  16-04-2018 00:56 via vtdigger.org
  NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
  April 15, 2018
  Media Contact:
  Kristin Kelly, (802) 318-0872
  GMP CREWS READY TO RESPOND, WARNING CUSTOMERS WIDESPREAD OUTAGES POSSIBLE TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY
  Forecasters Predicting High Winds and Gusts Topping 65 MPH
  COLCHESTER, Vt. – Green Mountain Power is positioned to respond to outages as the National Weather Service forecasts high wind gusts and widespread damage that could rival the severe October 2017 wind storm that knocked out power to 130,000 customers.
  
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• Paul Manganiello: The faulty reasoning of arming teachers

  16-04-2018 00:55 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 who is president of the GunSense Vermont Education Fund.
  On Wednesday, April 11, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a gun-owning Republican, took a politically courageous stand to sign three legislative bills, which will reduce gun violence. Not every proposal to address gun violence has been well thought out, oftentimes ignoring e
  
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• Vermont Libertarian Party Resolutely Condemns Bill Signing by Governor Scott

  16-04-2018 00:53 via vtdigger.org
  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:April 13, 2018
  View full release here: http://bit.ly/2vn7QMW
  ** Vermont Libertarian Party Resolutely Condemns Bill Signing by Governor Scott
  Gun control in the Green Mountains destroys centuries of Vermont tradition.
  As a freshly sworn-in Governor a year and a half ago, Governor Scott promised:
  I’m going to do everything I can to protect the rights of all Vermonters and the human rights of all people — that includes standing up to executive orders from Washingto
  
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• John Killacky: Dance journalism in the 21st century

  16-04-2018 00:50 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by John R. Killacky, executive director of the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts. It was first published in the Burlington Free Press.
  Sharry Underwood has been a seminal figure in Vermont’s dance community as a dancer, enthusiast and journalist since moving here in 1952. Now retired, she sent me some of her dance writing published in the Burlington Free Press decades ago. How I wish for this kind of art criticism today.
  It is such a luxury to rea
  
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• Vermont Emergency Management: High winds predicted for Monday

  16-04-2018 00:49 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont Department of Public Safety
  VT Emergency Management
  Press Release
  April 15, 2018
  5:00 p.m.
  Contact:
  Mark Bosma, 802-839-6717
  Potentially damaging winds forecast for Vermont
  WATERBURY – The National Weather Service has issued a High Wind Warning for areas of Vermont on Monday.Power outages and damage caused by downed trees and tree limbs are likely in the warning area.
  The strongest winds will occur along the western slopes of the Green Mountains, impacting communities in Western Wi
  
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