Vermont news

• Black Lives Matter flag raised at Brattleboro schools

  04-05-2018 23:37 via vtdigger.org
  Keith Lyman, principal at Brattleboro Area Middle School, lowers the American flag so Mikaela Simms, diversity coordinator for the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union, and eighth-graders Diamond Bedward, Kia Adams and Mya Satchell can raise the Black Lives Matter flag beneath it, during Diversity Day on Friday. Photo by Kristopher Radder/Brattleboro Reformer
  This story by Bob Audette was published by the Brattleboro Reformer on May 4 2018.
  BRATTLEBORO — On Friday morning, the entire studen
  
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• Senate backs changes in care board rules

  04-05-2018 22:38 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Claire Ayer, D-Addison, chair of  Senate Health and Welfare Committee. File photo by Erin Mansfield/VTDigger ​
  Seven years after creating the Green Mountain Care Board, state legislators are taking a closer look at how the regulatory body operates.
  The Senate on Thursday gave preliminary approval to H.912, which modifies the way the care board regulates health care projects; increases the fines the board can impose; and tweaks the manner in which the board is funded.Get all of VT
  
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• Heady Vermont announces voter registration at all events

  04-05-2018 20:22 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Heady VermontMay 4, 2018
  Contact:Monica Donovan, Co-FounderPhone: 802-391-4251Email: [email protected]
  Decision inspired by encounter with Rep. Barney Frank
  BURLINGTON, Vt. – Inspired by a chance encounter with Rep. Barney Frank at the New England Cannabis Convention in Boston, Heady Vermont will now be offering voter registration at all of its upcoming events.
  Asked by Heady staffers to describe his feelings about NECANN, Rep. Frank said, “I am a little wist
  
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• Heady Topper announces voter registration at all events

  04-05-2018 20:22 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Heady TopperMay 4, 2018
  Contact:Monica Donovan, Co-FounderPhone: 802-391-4251Email: [email protected]
  Decision inspired by encounter with Rep. Barney Frank
  BURLINGTON, Vt. – Inspired by a chance encounter with Rep. Barney Frank at the New England Cannabis Convention in Boston, Heady Vermont will now be offering voter registration at all of its upcoming events.
  Asked by Heady staffers to describe his feelings about NECANN, Rep. Frank said, “I am a little wistf
  
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• Prescription Drug Take Back Day yields three tons of unwanted, unused drugs for disposal

  04-05-2018 20:17 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Office of the GovernorFriday, May 4, 2018
  Media Contacts:Rebecca Kelley, Office of the Governor802-828-6403, [email protected]
  Ben Truman, Vermont Department of Health802-863-7281
  Adam Silverman, Vermont Department of Public Safety802-241-5277
  MONTPELIER, Vt – Vermonters turned in more than three tons of unused, unwanted and expired medication at nearly 70 collection sites across the state on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day this past Saturday, April 2
  
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• Planned Parenthood sues Trump-Pence administration

  04-05-2018 20:10 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Planned Parenthood of Northern New EnglandMay 3, 2018
  Contacts:Lucy Leriche, Vice President of Vermont Public [email protected]
  Eileen Sullivan, Communications [email protected]
  Title X Serves 7,800 Patients Annually in Vermont
  Colchester, VT – On Wednesday, three Planned Parenthood affiliates filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Washington, D.C. against the Trump-Pence administration to fight for the four mill
  
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• LISTEN: Rep. Welch On Korean Peace, Regulating Facebook And Progressives Challenging Moderates… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  04-05-2018 20:07 via twitter.com
  LISTEN: Rep. Welch On Korean Peace, Regulating Facebook And Progressives Challenging Moderates… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Carol Conroy named to Southern Vermont College board of trustees

  04-05-2018 20:06 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Southern Vermont CollegeMay 4, 2018
  Contact:Marion Whiteford, SVC Communications, 802-447-6388, [email protected]
  (BENNINGTON, Vt.)—Carol A. Conroy, DNP, RN, CENP, has been named to the Board of Trustees at Southern Vermont College. The appointment was confirmed at the College’s February board meeting.
  As a professional nursing leader, executive, and educator, Conroy has extensive experience in healthcare. She has been recognized and honored for her strong b
  
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• Registration open for VBSR’s annual spring conference

  04-05-2018 19:49 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Businesses for Social ResponsibilityMay 3, 2018
  Media Contact:Samantha Sheehan(802) [email protected]
  Registration Open for “Vermont’s Best Business Networking Event”
  – Leading with Values, VBSR’s 28th Annual Spring Conference May 15 –
  Burlington, VT – The readers of Vermont Business Magazine have named Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility’s annual Spring Conference “Vermont’s Be
  
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• Gov. Phil Scott signs bill making it easier for servicemembers to transition to civilian workforce

  04-05-2018 19:43 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Office of the GovernorThursday, May 3, 2018
  Contact:
  Rebecca Kelley, Office of the [email protected]
  H.906 provides a direct path to civilian licensure for veterans and active duty servicemembers
  Montpelier, Vt. — Vermont distinguished itself Wednesday with the signing of H.906, which allows the automatic licensure of servicemembers in particular fields. This bill is unique, as it establishes direct pathways to civilian licensure in certain
  
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• Why Theresa Murray-Clasen, director of underwriting, believes in the mission of VTDigger

  04-05-2018 19:35 via vtdigger.org
  Thanks to 500-plus readers, we have already raised nearly $115,000 for our spring fund drive so far.We are so grateful for their support and we hope you will make a commitment to support VTDigger, too. We still have $85,000 to raise before Memorial Day! Help us end the fund drive early!
  Theresa Murray-Clasen, our director of underwriting and events, believes our reporting has a positive impact on communities and gives readers the information they need to become more actively engaged in democracy
  
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• Theresa Murray-Clasen, director of underwriting, is bullish on the future of VTDigger

  04-05-2018 19:35 via vtdigger.org
  Thanks to the generosity of our readers, we have already raised nearly $115,000 for our spring fund drive so far. We are grateful to the 500-plus readers who have made a commitment to support VTDigger. But we still have $85,000 to raise before Memorial Day! We would love to meet our goal early and go into the summer with gratitude and a solid foundation of reader support.
  Theresa Murray-Clasen, our director of underwriting and events, is bullish on the future of VTDigger. Like all of us here, sh
  
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• YWP: ‘Me and my pal anxiety’

  04-05-2018 17:45 via vtdigger.org
  Young Writers Project, an independent nonprofit based in Burlington, engages young people to write and use digital media to express themselves with clarity and power, and to gain confidence and skills for school, the workplace and life.Check out the most recent issue of The Voice, Young Writers Project’s monthly digital magazine. Click here.Each week, VTDigger features a writing submission – an essay, poem, fiction or nonfiction – accompanied by a photo or illustration from Yo
  
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• SCOV Law Blog: The Sawyer case

  04-05-2018 17:30 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This piece from the SCOV Law Blog is by Charlie Buttrey.
  State v. Sawyer, 2018 VT 43 (mem.) 
  One day after the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, left 17 people dead, Jack Sawyer was arrested and was charged with four felony complaints for allegedly attempting to cause a mass shooting at Fair Haven Union High School. One count alleged that he attempted to cause bodily injury to another with a dangerous weapon. Another alleged that he attempte
  
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• Margolis: $55 million worth of pennies from heaven

  04-05-2018 16:00 via vtdigger.org
  Finance Commissioner Adam Greshin speaks to reporters during a press conference on Thursday. Photo by Colin Meyn/VTDigger
  Editor’s note: Jon Margolis is VTDigger’s political columnist.
  Isn’t it amazing how state officials discovered – as if by a miracle – $55 million in unexpected revenue just days before the Legislature has to adopt the fiscal year 2019 budget?Get all of VTDigger's political news.You'll never miss a political story with our weekly headlines in your
  
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• Burlington Electric launches electric bike rebate program and test ride lending library

  04-05-2018 15:20 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Burlington Electric DepartmentMay 3, 2018
  Contacts:Mike Kanarick, Burlington Electric Department802.735.7962
  Ross Saxton, Local Motion802.383.8400
  Partners with Local Motion and Burlington Bike Shops to Promote E-bikes as Tools for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Transportation Sector
  Burlington, VT – The Burlington Electric Department, joined by Mayor Miro Weinberger and in partnership with Local Motion and four Burlington bike shops – Old Spokes Home, Nort
  
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• Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences names new dean

  04-05-2018 15:15 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Vermont campusMay 3, 2018
  Contact:Gil ChorbajianExecutive Director of Marketing and CommunicationsWork: (518) 694-7394Mobile: (518) [email protected]
  Jennifer Mathews, PhD, has been named the Associate Dean for the ACPHS Vermont Campus; the campus opened in Colchester in 2009 and remains home to the only Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program in the state.
  As Associate Dean, Dr. Mathews will serve as the Senior Acade
  
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• Vermonters are seeing increased bear conflicts with late spring

  04-05-2018 15:10 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Fish & Wildlife DepartmentMay 3, 2018
  Media Contact:Forrest Hammond, 802-777-7493
  MONTPELIER, Vt. – Black bears have arisen from their winter slumber and are once again roaming the landscape looking for food. The late spring is delaying the growth of bears’ natural food sources, which is likely contributing to a rise in bear-human conflicts this year according to Vermont Fish & Wildlife bear biologist Forrest Hammond.
  Hammond is asking the public
  
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• Lawson’s Finest Liquids expands statewide in Vermont

  04-05-2018 15:05 via vtdigger.org
  News Release – Lawson’s Finest LiquidsApril 30, 2018
  Contact:[email protected]
  Lawson’s Finest Liquids is pleased to announce that we are expanding our Vermont distribution network to cover the entire state! Vermont Beer Shepherd from Waterbury, Vermont will proudly represent Lawson’s Finest Sip of Sunshine IPA and Super Session beers in previously un-served parts of the Green Mountain state.
  VT Beer Shepherd, now in its 3rd year, is an independent, famil
  
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• Vermont Catholic Charities hosts fundraiser on June 6

  04-05-2018 15:00 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Catholic Charities, Inc.May 2, 2018
  Contact:Ellen Kane, [email protected]
  Vermont Catholic Charities Inc. will host its first public awareness/fundraising event, “Vermonters Helping Vermonters,” on June 6 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Dion Center on the campus of St. Michael’s College.
  Vermont Catholic Charities has been filling the gaps for the most vulnerable Vermonters of all faiths since 1929 through emergency aid, counseling and assiste
  
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• Vermont Tech receives Distinguished RRT Credentialing Success award by accreditors

  04-05-2018 04:26 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Technical CollegeMay 2, 2018
  Contact:Amanda ChaulkVermont [email protected]
  RANDOLPH, Vt. — Vermont Tech is pleased to announce that the college is among a select group of Respiratory Therapy programs in the country to be recognized by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC). According to the accrediting body, the College will receive the Distinguished RRT Credentialing Success award, “as a measure of Vermont Tech&rs
  
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• Vermont youth & renowned slam poet headline Voices for Change conference

  04-05-2018 04:22 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Young Writers ProjectMay 2, 2018
  Contacts:Geoffrey Gevalt | (802) 324-9537 | [email protected]
  Susan Reid | (802) 324-9538 | [email protected]
  Young Writers Project & Muslim Girls Making Change present free event May 11, Burlington City Hall
  Burlington, VT (May 2, 2018) – Voices for Change, a free youth conference and performance event May 11, will feature a panel discussion by Vermont youth on identity and voice, and a performance by reno
  
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• Law protecting voter rolls from feds headed to governor

  04-05-2018 02:13 via vtdigger.org
  Rep. Dylan Giambatista. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  The legislature passed a bill this week that would increase protections for Vermont’s voter rolls after a federal commission created by the Trump Administration sought data from the state’s voter rolls last year.
  The bill, H.624, would prevent the state from releasing the the voter checklist to a federal agency or foreign government, or making it public.Get all of VTDigger's political news.You'll never miss a political sto
  
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• Anderson, Morrison & Bohnyak: Saliva test is simple and effective

  04-05-2018 01:27 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Thomas D. Anderson, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Public Safety; Chief Jennifer Morrison, president of the Vermont Association of Chiefs of Police; and Sheriff William Bohnyak, president of the Vermont Sheriffs’ Association.
  Drivers impaired by opioids, cocaine, marijuana and other drugs pose a threat to every Vermonter and visitor that drive our highways. On July 1, Vermont will become the ninth state to legalize recreational marijuan
  
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• Scott insists on staff ratio plan, suggests June adjournment

  04-05-2018 01:25 via vtdigger.org
  Gov. Phil Scott speaks to reporters during a press conference on Thursday, May 3, 2018. Photo by Colin Meyn/VTDiggerDespite aggressive pushback from House and Senate Democrats, Gov. Phil Scott is not backing down from a five-year education plan that he says will level fund property taxes and reverse years of school spending deficits.
  In fact, Scott is willing to keep the Statehouse doors open for as long as it takes to fully vet his proposal and come to an agreement with the Legislature. He has
  
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• Tom Evslin: A good use of one-time funds

  04-05-2018 01:24 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Tom Evslin, an entrepreneur, author and former Douglas administration official. He is a member of the board of the Vermont Journalism Trust, which does business as VTDigger. This post first appeared on his blog, Fractals of Change.Vermont Gov. Phil Scott has proposed using one-time funds from various sources to fill a $58 million gap in the state education budget. Normally using one-time funds to paper over a problem in a spending program which has grow
  
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• Robb Kidd: An obligation to fund clean water programs

  04-05-2018 01:20 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Robb Kidd, who is conservation program manager of the Vermont Chapter of the Sierra Club.
  As the snow and ice disappear for good, I’m looking ahead to the summer months, when locals and tourists alike enjoy swimming and fishing in Vermont’s many streams, lakes and rivers, biking along the shores of Lake Champlain, or simply enjoying a meal by the water. But in the heat of the summer, many beaches will be closed, and Vermonters will be expose
  
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• Emma Greenawalt: UVM fails to foster global perspective

  04-05-2018 01:17 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Emma Greenawalt, who is a senior environmental and global studies major at the University of Vermont.I stepped off the plane into thick humidity with no idea how uncomfortably rewarding my next three months would be. At the time, I was a junior at the University of Vermont hoping to enrich my French minor and my environmental and global studies majors by studying biodiversity and natural resources in Madagascar for a semester. I had to travel 8,500 mile
  
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• Senate sends domestic terrorism bill, with changes, back to the House

  04-05-2018 00:57 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Dick Sears speaks on the Senate floor last year. Photo by Michael Dougherty/VTDigger
  The Senate has volleyed back to the House domestic terrorism legislation after making some changes to the measure approved by that chamber a day earlier.
  And the Senate passed a separate measure Thursday creating a commission to study what constitutes an “attempt” crime in Vermont, a task that proved too complex for lawmakers to advance in the waning days of the session. Get all of VTDigger's cr
  
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• Senate guts House ed finance reform

  04-05-2018 00:23 via vtdigger.org
  ​Sen. Ann Cummings, D-Washington, is the chair of the Senate Finance Committee. File photo by Erin Mansfield/VTDigger
  House education finance reforms have been jettisoned by the Senate.
  The plan, which creates a new school income tax and would have reduced property taxes by 10 percent, didn’t stand a chance in the Senate Finance Committee. Lawmakers came to the conclusion Monday that the proposal wasn’t fully baked. The bill, H.911, was taken up by the Senate Thursday.
  Sen. Ann
  
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• Lottery director to submit review by end of month

  04-05-2018 00:13 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont Lottery scratch tickets. Photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDigger
  Vermont’s lottery director said Thursday that he would submit a review of the system’s integrity to the governor by the end of the month, following a VTDigger investigation that revealed unusual winning patterns by some store owners, employees and family members.
  Both Gov. Phil Scott and senators have moved this week to have the findings in the article — which found that some people working at lottery outlets, or t
  
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