Vermont news

• Burlington school officials try to move on from discord over probe

  01-05-2018 23:04 via vtdigger.org
   
  Emails obtained by VTDigger indicate that former Vice Chair Stephanie Seguino, right, was concerned that Superintendent Yaw Obeng, left, might be removed by the incoming school board. File photo by Cory Dawson/VTDigger
  BURLINGTON — The newly formed School Board is trying to move ahead following the release of text messages and emails of current and former members that included speculation that Superintendent Yaw Obeng could be ousted.
  The electronic communications were connected to
  
  Read more

• UPDATED: Scott pitches plan to patch school funding gap

  01-05-2018 21:36 via vtdigger.org
  Gov. Phil Scott. File photo by Anne Galloway/VTDigger
  Editor’s’ note: This story will be updated.The Scott administration proposed a plan on Tuesday to plug a $58 million hole in the education fund with one-time money. Get all of VTDigger's political news.You'll never miss a political story with our weekly headlines in your inbox.Daily
  Sundays only (Weekly Wrap) Email me stories on these subjects... Business News
  Courts & Corrections News
  Education News
  Energy News
  Environment Ne
  
  Read more

• LISTEN: Outgoing CEO Robin Turnau Reflects On 29 Years At VPR dlvr.it/QRQMrr https://t.co/RBlCGxjstQ

  01-05-2018 21:06 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: Outgoing CEO Robin Turnau Reflects On 29 Years At VPR dlvr.it/QRQMrr https://t.co/RBlCGxjstQ
  
  Read more

• The Changing Legal Case Against Jack Sawyer dlvr.it/QRQKp0 https://t.co/boWfQ3tMz5

  01-05-2018 20:56 via twitter.com
  
  The Changing Legal Case Against Jack Sawyer dlvr.it/QRQKp0 https://t.co/boWfQ3tMz5
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Bennington state’s attorney to face primary challenge

  01-05-2018 20:23 via vtdigger.org
  Arnold Gottlieb of Dorset, candidate for Bennington state’s attorney. Courtesy photo
  BENNINGTON — A Dorset resident challenging Bennington County State’s Attorney Erica Marthage in the Democratic primary contends that the office “is being run with a decades-old philosophy” that stresses an inflexible attitude on crime.
  Arnold Gottlieb, a private practice attorney since 1978 in Ohio and Vermont, plans to formally announce his candidacy on Wednesday afternoon outside
  
  Read more

• Northfield Conservation Commission launches campaign to purchase Paine Mountain summit

  01-05-2018 18:03 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Northfield Conservation CommissionMay 1, 2018
  Contact:Deborah [email protected]
  Campaign to fulfill voters’ wish to purchase Paine Mountain Summit
  Northfield, VT, May 1, 2018 — The Northfield Conservation Commission is pleased to announce the “Save Our Summit” campaign to raise funds for purchasing the summit of Northfield’s historic Paine Mountain. The 90-day campaign seeks to raise $10,000 through donations and grants by August 1, f
  
  Read more

• Southern Vermont College students team up with Bennington Area Trail System for trail event

  01-05-2018 17:43 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Southern Vermont CollegeApril 30, 2018
  Contact:Emma Griffith [email protected] or David Payne [email protected]
  3rd Annual BATS Trail Mix to Set the Stage for a Possible 2019 Trail Running Championship
  (Bennington, Vt.)–On Saturday, May 5, from 12 to 6 p.m., Southern Vermont College (SVC) will host the 3rd Annual BATS Trail Mix event. SVC students in the Introduction to Sports Management course will once again put on the event in a partnership with the Bennington Area Tra
  
  Read more

• Vermonters for Health Care Freedom announces new executive director

  01-05-2018 17:39 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermonters for Health Care FreedomApril 30, 2018
  Contact:Meg Hansen603.667.8338
  Montpelier, VT – Vermonters for Health Care Freedom (VHCF), a non-profit organization committed to fostering free market reforms in American health care, is pleased to welcome Meghan M. Hansen as its new Executive Director beginning May 1, 2018.
  “The Board of Directors unanimously selected Meg Hansen to lead the next chapter of our organization. An accomplished writer with a medical e
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Vermont Law School mourns trustee emeritus Phil Hoff

  01-05-2018 17:35 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Law SchoolApril 30, 2018
  Contact:Maryellen Apelquist, Director of Communications, Vermont Law Schooloffice: 802-831-1228, cell: 802-299-5593, [email protected]
  SOUTH ROYALTON, Vt., April 30, 2018—Vermont Law School mourns the passing of Trustee Emeritus Phil Hoff, the groundbreaking former Vermont governor who transformed the state and who also served as a longtime VLS Board of Trustees member, fondly remembered on campus as a protector of the school&rs
  
  Read more

• Gov. Phil Scott discusses education revitalization at Brattleboro Chamber of Commerce

  01-05-2018 17:30 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Office of the GovernorMonday, April 30, 2018
  Contact:Rebecca Kelley, Office of the [email protected]
  Brattleboro, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott today addressed members of the Brattleboro Chamber of Commerce and broader community, highlighting the urgent need to revitalize Vermont’s K-12 education system.
  Since his inaugural address, Scott has highlighted Vermont’s shifting demographics, including student enrollments that have declin
  
  Read more

• VSAC to open college savings accounts for babies born on ‘529 Day’

  01-05-2018 17:12 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — VSACApril 30, 2018
  VSAC Media Contact:Sabina [email protected]
  VAHHS Media Contact:Judy Stermer802-223-3461 [email protected]
  Every baby born at a VT hospital May 29 to receive a $100 VHEIP account
  WINOOSKI (April 30, 2018) – Lucky babies born May 29 in Vermont will receive $100 deposit into a Vermont 529 college savings account opened by the Vermont Student Assistance Corp.
  Plus, one lucky Vermonter – baby or not – will be chosen to rece
  
  Read more

• Independent Bookstore Day celebrated at Phoenix Books

  01-05-2018 17:08 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Phoenix BooksApril 30, 2018
  Contact:Kristen EatonPhoenix Books802.872.7111 (p)[email protected]
  Essex, Vermont – April 30, 2018: Phoenix Books – which has locations in Essex, Burlington, Rutland, and Chester, Vermont – celebrated Independent Bookstore Day along with hundreds of other indie bookstores throughout the country on Saturday, April 28th. In addition to general merriment – including exclusive Independent Bookstore D
  
  Read more

• Burlington Parks, Recreation & Waterfront announces details about Kids Day

  01-05-2018 17:05 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Burlington Parks, Recreation & WaterfrontApril 30, 2018
  Contact:Diana Wood, BPRW Marketing & Outreach Manager, 802.865.7089
  The 33rd annual Kids Day event presented by MVP Health Carewill take place at Waterfront Park on May 5 from 10 am to 3 pm
  Burlington, VT – Burlington Parks, Recreation & Waterfront (BPRW) today announced details about this year’s annual Kids Day Event presented by MVP Health Care. For more than 30 years the City of Burlington has
  
  Read more

• Norwich University announces Vermont Genetics Network research grant funding

  01-05-2018 16:55 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Norwich UniversityMay 1, 2018
  Contact:Daphne Larkin 802-485-2886Follow us on Twitter @[email protected]
  NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Norwich University officials announced that several members of the faculty have secured competitive research grants through the Vermont Genetics Network, which is funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). In addition, Norwich has received funding to award three student fellowships for research during either t
  
  Read more

• Peter Johnke named deputy director of Vermont Center for Independent Living

  01-05-2018 16:50 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Center for Independent LivingApril 26, 2018
  Contact:Sarah Launderville, 802-224-1817 (w)www.vcil.org
  The Vermont Center for Independent Living has named longtime employee Peter Johnke deputy director. He has been involved with assistive technology since first joining the disability rights organization in 1990. For the past few years, he has managed VCIL’s database and computer network. As a non-driver, Peter also advocates for expansion and improvements to publ
  
  Read more

• Paid family leave bill passes out of key Senate committee

  01-05-2018 11:55 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Michael Sirotkin, D-Chittenden, chair of Senate Economic Development. File photo by Erin Mansfield/VTDigger ​A paid family leave bill could come to the floor of the Senate as the legislative session winds down.The Senate Committee on Economic Development passed H.196 on Monday in a 4-1-0 vote.The panel amended the House version of the bill. The new draft expands the length of leave time, while decreasing the amount paid out to employees caring for family members by 10 percent. The pro
  
  Read more

• College of St. Joseph may close in September

  01-05-2018 11:35 via vtdigger.org
  From left, Jessica Griffin, a student at the College of St. Joseph in Rutland; Victoria Pollard, a Castleton University student; and Shara Tarule, a nurse practitioner at Howard Center in Burlington. File photo by Erin Mansfield/VTDigger
  RUTLAND — The College of St. Joseph may close in September because of an ongoing deficit, a failed new academic specialty and declining student enrollment.A meeting of the college trustess that was to be held Monday to discuss the fate of the school was po
  
  Read more

• Feds sending $2M more for state addiction programs

  01-05-2018 04:33 via vtdigger.org
  Senator Patrick Leahy, right, alongside Health Commissioner Mark Levine, speaks at a press conference on Vermont’s response to the opioid crisis on Monday, April 30, 2018. Photo by Mike Faher/VTDigger
  RICHMOND – Vermont’s efforts to combat the opioid epidemic are getting a $2 million boost from the federal government.
  The additional funding, announced Monday by U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., will expand state programs like drug disposal, prevention training and peer coaching f
  
  Read more

• Governor seeks to confirm lottery’s integrity after VTDigger investigation

  01-05-2018 03:59 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont Lottery numbers games are sold at a kiosk in a convenience store. Photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDigger
  Gov. Phil Scott has asked the director of the state’s lottery, to make sure Vermonters can trust the system’s fairness after a VTDigger investigation showed that store owners and clerks are claiming winning with remarkable frequency.
  “The Governor has asked Director Rachek — who has a great deal of experience in investigations — to verify and confirm the integrit
  
  Read more

• Police chief pushes federal prosecution in Sawyer case

  01-05-2018 02:59 via vtdigger.org
  Jack Sawyer talks with his defense attorneys during his bail review hearing on April 25. Pool photo by Robert Layman/Rutland Herald
  Fair Haven Police Chief Bill Humphries says he has tried several avenues to get federal prosecutors to take on the case of the 18-year-old Poultney man accused of plotting to shoot up the town’s high school.
  That includes writing to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.Get all of VTDigger's criminal justice news.You'll never miss our courts and criminal justice
  
  Read more

• Beth Pearce: The financial case to protect Vermont’s water

  01-05-2018 02:43 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Vermont Treasurer Beth Pearce.
  Clean water is the backbone to Vermont’s economy and is vital to the health and wellbeing of all our citizens. Not only is clean water an essential natural resource – it is also an integral part of our character as a state.
  Despite common ground and a consensus from policymakers and citizens that we need to protect and preserve our most precious natural resources, the quality of our waterways has degraded as ph
  
  Read more

• Paul Dame: Ridesharing companies benefit community, economy

  01-05-2018 02:40 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Paul Dame, of Essex Junction, who is the president of Vermont Young Professionals. He was a Republican state representative from 2015-17.
  There’s something in the DNA of Vermonters that comes from our Yankee ingenuity that helps us solve problems using limited resources, and usually in a way that helps benefit our community at large. While a full-time professional squad of firefighters might make sense for larger areas like Burlington – the
  
  Read more

• John Echeverria: Reversing NewVistas transfers not difficult

  01-05-2018 02:37 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by John Echeverria, of Strafford, who is a professor at Vermont Law School and a member of the Alliance for Vermont Communities, which opposes NewVistas.
  The Valley News reports that David Hall “said he would be happy to return the land to the NewVistas Foundation if he could,” and quotes him as stating, “if the citizens in the area can help me to get it reversed back to that, that’s great” (“NewVistas Owner Disputes Cla
  
  Read more

• Art Whitman: Judicious use of neonics appropriate

  01-05-2018 02:35 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Art Whitman, who is president of the Vermont Feed Dealers & Manufacturing Association.
  Bees are an important part of Vermont’s ecosystem and protecting them is a high priority for all of us both for pollinating purposes and production of honey.
  In an effort to protect and promote a healthy pollinator population, a few years ago the Legislature passed a bill to create the Pollinator Protection Committee which was charged with coming up with rec
  
  Read more

• Scott faces gun rights protesters statewide

  01-05-2018 00:54 via vtdigger.org
  Jim and Annette Hazell of Searsburg hold up signs in support of the Second Amendment as they wait for Gov. Phil Scott outsidethe American Legion in Brattleboro on Monday, April 30, 2018. Photo by Kristopher Radder/Brattleboro Reformer
  BRATTLEBORO — When Gov. Phil Scott woke to an unwelcome spring blanket of snow, he figured a scheduled trip south to Brattleboro would bring a warmer climate.
  He arrived to find a pair of protesters in his reserved parking space.Get all of VTDigger's politica
  
  Read more

• Rep. David Deen, advocate for the environment and the vulnerable, to retire

  01-05-2018 00:29 via vtdigger.org
  David Deen, D-Putney, chair of the Fish, Wildlife and Water Resources Committee. File Photo by John Herrick/VTDigger
  Rep. David Deen, D-Putney, announced on Monday that he will retire at the end of his current term — his 15th in the Vermont Legislature.An advocate for the environment and for civil rights, and the second longest serving member of the House, Deen’s name has been linked to landmark legislation, from the 1999 bill granting civil unions to same-sex couples, which he co-sp
  
  Read more

• Senate enters fray over controversial labor board appointment

  01-05-2018 00:03 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Michael Sirotkin, D-Chittenden, heads a committee that will take testimony this week from labor board appointee Karen O’Neill.  File photo by Erin Mansfield/VTDigger ​
  Senators are set to wade into a heated dispute over the governor’s controversial appointment of retired lawyer Karen O’Neill to the Vermont Labor Relations Board.
  Gov. Phil Scott’s spokesperson said it would be “shocking – and clearly political” if the Democratically contro
  
  Read more

Follow @NewsVermont_ on Twitter!