Vermont news

• Donate now to support VTDigger’s gavel to gavel legislative coverage. We have $63,000 to go.

  14-05-2018 23:15 via vtdigger.org
  Front row: Mike Faher, Xander Landen, Mike Polhamus, Tiffany Danitz Pache; back row: Alan Keays, Jim Therrien, Jon Margolis, Elizabeth Gribkoff. Missing: Kelsey Neubauer, Mark Johnson, Dave Gram and Kevin O’Connor. Photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDigger
  Dear Readers:
  This past Saturday five VTDigger reporters and editors gave up a beautiful spring day to spend 14 hours in the Statehouse. They covered all of the twists and turns of the last day of the session, keeping tabs on the fate of the budget
  
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• Donate now to support VTDigger’s gavel to gavel legislative coverage. We have $62,000 to go.

  14-05-2018 23:15 via vtdigger.org
  Front row: Mike Faher, Xander Landen, Mike Polhamus, Tiffany Danitz Pache; back row: Alan Keays, Jim Therrien, Jon Margolis, Elizabeth Gribkoff. Missing: Kelsey Neubauer, Mark Johnson, Dave Gram and Kevin O’Connor. Photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDigger
  Dear Readers:
  This past Saturday five VTDigger reporters and editors gave up a beautiful spring day to spend 14 hours in the Statehouse. They covered all of the twists and turns of the last day of the session, keeping tabs on the fate of the budget
  
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• The Debate Over How The Minimum Wage Bill Would Impact The State dlvr.it/QSrpxM https://t.co/hH9eeMPiQM

  14-05-2018 23:06 via twitter.com
  
  The Debate Over How The Minimum Wage Bill Would Impact The State dlvr.it/QSrpxM https://t.co/hH9eeMPiQM
  
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• UPDATED: School safety bill fails after chambers cannot agree on provision

  14-05-2018 22:35 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Dick Sears. Photo by Michael Dougherty/VTDigger
  A bill with a provision inspired by a what police say was a foiled school shooting plot in Fair Haven didn’t make it out of the Legislature this session.
  It’s unclear if the bill can, or will be, revived in a special legislative session where the budget and tax bills approved during a marathon session Saturday are expected to be taken up following the certain vetoes of them by Gov. Phil Scott.Get all of VTDigger's criminal justice
  
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• UPDATED: School safety bill fails after chambers cannot agree

  14-05-2018 22:35 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Dick Sears. Photo by Michael Dougherty/VTDigger
  A bill with a provision inspired by a what police say was a foiled school shooting plot in Fair Haven didn’t make it out of the Legislature this session.
  It’s unclear if the bill can, or will be, revived in a special legislative session where the budget and tax bills approved during a marathon session Saturday are expected to be taken up following the certain vetoes of them by Gov. Phil Scott.Get all of VTDigger's criminal justice
  
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• Vermont delegation pans Trump’s plan on prescription drug costs

  14-05-2018 21:16 via vtdigger.org
  Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., with Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, called last Thursday for President Trump to include their initiatives in his prescription drug plan. The president’s plan announced the next day did not do so. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  Though President Donald Trump on Friday promised “the most sweeping action in history” to lower prescription drug prices, Vermont’s congressional delegation was not impressed.
  Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt.; Sen.
  
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• Margolis: Scott’s epistemological view sells short local voters

  14-05-2018 20:28 via vtdigger.org
  Gov. Phil Scott fields questions about his school finance proposal last Thursday. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  Could Gov. Phil Scott have raised an epistemological question the other day?
  Yes, that Phil Scott. The practical, business-oriented Republican who loves to race cars and not raise taxes, not a description of your stereotypical dabbler in epistemology — “the branch of philosophy that studies the nature of knowledge,” according to the dictionary.Get all of VTDigger's
  
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• LISTEN: Author, Russian, Exile, Vermonter: The Life And Writing of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn dlvr.it/QSr4Ry https://t.co/snLgqEWYTT

  14-05-2018 20:15 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: Author, Russian, Exile, Vermonter: The Life And Writing of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn dlvr.it/QSr4Ry https://t.co/snLgqEWYTT
  
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• Vermont could become the second state to ban coyote killing contests​

  14-05-2018 19:59 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Protect Our WildlifeMay 10, 2018​
   
  Contact:Brenna [email protected], 802.768-9862
  Stowe, VT – ​A passionate and persistent coalition of landowners, biologists, farmers, hunters, wildlife enthusiasts, and others overcame opposition from paid lobbyists and Vermont’s own Fish and Wildlife Department to ban coyote killing contests for prizes. Vermont will be​ only the second state in the country to do so.
  Last year, Protect
  
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• Vermont looks to preserve Gettysburg war site from development

  14-05-2018 19:44 via vtdigger.org
  A group of soldiers, some in uniform and some with crutches, pose in front of the woods at the hospital at Camp Letterman in Gettysburg. Library of Congress photo
  Vermont is taking a leadership role in a new battle to preserve a CivIl War historic site, this one on the spot where a Waterbury doctor ran a tent hospital to care for the wounded at Gettysburg.
  Dr. Henry Janes is connected to two historic sites: His 19th century home; which now is the Waterbury municipal building; and Camp Letterman,
  
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• Fish & Wildlife warns to keep an eye out for nesting turtles

  14-05-2018 19:38 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Fish & Wildlife DepartmentMay 14, 2018
  Media Contacts:Steve Parren 802-371-7142; Jim Andrews 802-352-4734
  MONTPELIER, Vt – It’s springtime and Vermont’s turtles on are on the move. The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is asking for the public’s help in keeping them safe. Female turtles are looking for places to deposit their eggs, sometimes choosing to lay along the shoulders of roads, which can end tragically.
  “Turtles often c
  
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• Flexible Capital Fund invests $300,000 in Vermont kombucha company, Aqua ViTea

  14-05-2018 19:31 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Leonine Public AffairsMay 14, 2018
  Contact:Alexandra MacLean, [email protected]
  Cort Boulanger, [email protected]
  Montpelier, Vt., – The Flexible Capital Fund (Flex Fund) announced a $300,000 investment in Aqua ViTea, LLC, to support the continued growth of the Company’s Vermont operations today. Aqua ViTea employs 34 Vermonters, producing Kombucha, a handcrafted, tea-based, functional health beverage.
  Flex Fund’
  
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• Northeast Kingdom Collaborative Regional Group launches a pair of targeted task forces

  14-05-2018 19:25 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Northeast Kingdom CollaborativeMay 14, 2018
  Contact:Katherine Sims, (802) 673-7376Executive Director, Northeast Kingdom Collaborative
  — New Effort Focuses on Keys to NEK’s Economic Future —
  Hardwick — A diverse set of leaders from across Caledonia, Essex and Orleans counties will be meeting monthly through the fall. They were convened by the non-profit Northeast Kingdom Collaborative to tackle challenges in two crucial areas: developing the next
  
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• Sanders to host Iran deal town hall tonight

  14-05-2018 19:18 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Sen. Bernie SandersMay 14, 2018
  Contact:Josh [email protected]
  WASHINGTON, May 14 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will host a town hall at 7 p.m. ET tonight to examine the consequences of Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. The town hall will be live streamed on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter in partnership with The Guardian, The Intercept, NowThis, The Young Turks, Act.tv and MoveOn.org.
  Sanders will be joined by
  
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• New Orleans Mayor Landrieu speaks at Saint Michael’s College commencement

  14-05-2018 19:07 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Saint Michael’s CollegeMay 13, 2018
  Contact:Mark [email protected]
  Vermonters earning undergraduate degrees are listed at the end of this press release.
  Diversity is our strength, Landrieu tells St. Mike’s graduates
  In his Commencement remarks to Saint Michael’s College 2018 graduates on Sunday, May 13, Mitch Landrieu, the recent mayor of New Orleans, essentially invited their promising generation to join in knocking racism off pedesta
  
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• Norwich University graduates over 500 students

  14-05-2018 18:59 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Norwich UniversityMay 12, 2018
  Contact:Daphne [email protected] us on Twitter @NorwichNews
  NORTHFIELD, Vt. – On Saturday, May 12, 2018, Norwich University graduated over 500 students from 33 undergraduate academic programs and the Master of Architecture program. The Class of 2018 hailed from 33 U.S. states and 10 different countries abroad. The largest numbers of graduates were in the following majors: Criminal Justice, Management, Nursing, Me
  
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• Southern Vermont College holds 91st commencement

  14-05-2018 18:35 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Southern Vermont CollegeMay 12, 2018
  Contact: Marion Whiteford, SVC Communications, 802-447-6388 or [email protected]
   
  (BENNINGTON, Vt.) – Southern Vermont College (SVC) recognized 84 degree candidates and 2 certificate recipients at its 91st Commencement exercises on Saturday, May 12, on the Greystone Lawn of the Everett Mansion. An Honorary Degree of Humane Letters was awarded to Nicholas T. Pinchuk, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Snap-on Incorpor
  
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• Mobius to convene third annual Vermont Mentoring Symposium on June 4

  14-05-2018 18:16 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — MobiusMay 11, 2018
  Media Contact:Benji [email protected]
  Waterbury, VT—Mobius is excited to convene the 2018 Vermont Mentoring Symposium at the Waterbury State Office Complex on Monday, June 4, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This day-long conference is the only professional development and networking opportunity of its kind focused on youth mentoring in Vermont, and will bring together more than 60 youth mentoring program staff, board members, and
  
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• Eileen O’Rourke named human resources VP at Saint Michael’s College

  14-05-2018 18:13 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Saint Michael’s CollegeMay 11, 2018
  Contact:Mark [email protected]
  COLCHESTER, VT — Saint Michael’s College has hired an alumna as its Vice President of Human Resources. Eileen O’Rourke will start in August, Saint Michael’s President Jack Neuhauser announced this week.
  The president said O’Rourke is “an accomplished administrator with over 30 years of experience in Human Resources.” Since 2007, she has bee
  
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• Vermont Democrats set sights on 2018 vote

  14-05-2018 18:03 via vtdigger.org
  BURLINGTON — For Vermont Democrats, spring’s David W. Curtis Leadership Awards Dinner is supposed to be the social event of the season. So why were state legislative leaders missing and everyone else focused on summer and fall?Get all of VTDigger's political news.You'll never miss a political story with our weekly headlines in your inbox.Daily
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• Vermont Foodbank aims to serve up social equity

  14-05-2018 17:00 via vtdigger.org
  The Vermont Foodbank is promoting diversity and inclusion at such events as its recent Hunger Action Conference at the Killington Grand Resort Hotel. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger
  KILLINGTON — The Vermont Foodbank’s mission of “diversity and inclusion” used to mean providing a varied menu for all. But with socioeconomic divisions increasing, the state’s primary supplier for community cupboards, soup kitchens and shelters now views that call differently.
  &ld
  
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• Why did the chicken cross the compost heap?

  14-05-2018 15:00 via vtdigger.org
  Compost Only. VTD/Josh Larkin
  When is a chicken farm not a chicken farm? When it is a composting facility, which according to an Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets memo from March also should be considered a solid waste facility, and be permitted as such.For years, it has been a practice of compost producers in Vermont to allow chickens to feed on the food scraps that are part of the mix of organic materials that go into compost — coffee grounds, tea bags, vegetable and fruit peelings
  
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• Gov. Phil Scott’s public schedule May 12-18, 2018

  14-05-2018 14:56 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Gov. Phil ScottMay 11, 2018
  Contact:Ethan LatourAsst. Director of Policy and CommunicationsGovernor Phil [email protected]
  Governor Phil Scott’s Public Schedule: 5/12/18 – 5/18/18
  Saturday, May 12
  No public events scheduled
  Sunday, May 13
  No public events scheduled
  Monday, May 14
  12:00 – 12:45 PMVermont Fuel ConferenceKillington Grand Hotel, 228 East Mountain Road, Killington, VT
  2:00 – 3:00 PMVermont Law Enforcement Officers’ Memori
  
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• Budget passed under loom of veto threat

  14-05-2018 03:20 via vtdigger.org
  Rep. Kitty Toll, D-Danville, speaks on the House floor about the fiscal year 2018 budget. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  Paving the way for late night adjournment, the Legislature passed a $5.86 billion budget Saturday that makes investments in the state’s fiscal health and boosts spending on social services.While the budget passed unanimously in the Senate and with broad support in the House in a vote of 117-14, Gov. Phil Scott will likely veto the proposal. Get all of VTDigger's poli
  
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• Business owners, members of Congress mingle at Taste of Vermont

  14-05-2018 03:09 via vtdigger.org
  Joe Buley of Screamin’ Ridge Farm in Montpelier at Taste of Vermont in D.C. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  WASHINGTON — The din from the crowd spilling out from the marble-columned room hosting the Taste of Vermont in a Senate office building Thursday evening echoed down to the basement, four floors below.
  In the days before Vermont food and drink producers set up for an evening in a Senate office building, more than one person on Capitol Hill referred to the evening as the &ldqu
  
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• Business owners, congressmen mingle at Taste of Vermont

  14-05-2018 03:09 via vtdigger.org
  Joe Buley of Screamin’ Ridge Farm in Montpelier at Taste of Vermont in DC. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  WASHINGTON — The din from the crowd spilling out from the marble-columned room hosting the Taste of Vermont in a Senate office building Thursday evening echoed down to the basement, four floors below.
  In the days before Vermont food and drink producers set up for an evening in a Senate office building, more than one person on Capitol Hill referred to the evening as the &ldquo
  
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• Don Keelan: Vermont schools get a D in financial literacy

  14-05-2018 01:05 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 evaluating the quality of teaching financial literacy in Vermont’s high schools, a D grade was handed out. According to a recent editorial in the Rutland Herald, the Center for Financial Literacy at Champlain College ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia in how they were preparing high school
  
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• Jeffrey Reel: Beneath genealogical lines, we are all one family

  14-05-2018 01:00 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Jeffrey Reel, a writer/lecturer living in Lyndon Center, and general manager of Natural Provisions, in St. Johnsbury. He was previously sustainability manager at the Omega Center for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, New York.
  A great-great-great-great-grandmother of one of my friends arrived on the Mayflower. Another friend boasts he is distantly related to John Adams, and yet another claims to be a direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson (but, as it turns
  
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• Bill Schubart: Language, fear and leadership

  14-05-2018 00:55 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Bill Schubart, a regular commentator for Vermont Public Radio and a former board member of the Vermont Journalism Trust, the umbrella organization for VTDigger.org. This piece was first aired on VPR.
  Without notice or comment, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services recently removed from its mission statement a century-old introductory phrase … “America’s promise as a nation of immigrants …”
  At the same time, it add
  
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