Vermont news

• Updated: Police issue warrant for husband in fatal Orleans shooting

  16-05-2018 23:40 via vtdigger.org
  A selfie Randall Swartz posted on his public Facebook page.
  Vermont State Police issued a warrant on Wednesday for the arrest of Randall Swartz on suspicion of second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of his wife, Thea, in their Orleans home on Tuesday night
  Swartz, 58, is being treated at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, where he was taken on Tuesday night with a gunshot wound. He is reported in stable condition and is expected to survive. Get all of VTDigger's c
  
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• Orleans shooting leaves woman dead, husband hospitalized

  16-05-2018 23:40 via vtdigger.org
  A selfie Randall Swartz posted on his public Facebook page.
  Vermont State Police are investigating a domestic shooting on Tuesday that left an Orleans woman dead and her husband seriously wounded.
  Thea Swartz, 54, was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting. Her husband, Randall Swartz, 58, was taken to North Country Hospital in Newport, and then transferred to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center where police said he was being treated for an apparent gunshot wound.Get all of VTDigger's crimi
  
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• Panel hears how data firm exploited vulnerabilities of 2016 voters

  16-05-2018 23:05 via vtdigger.org
  Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie, middle, and two other panelists are sworn in at a Senate Judiciary hearing. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  WASHINGTON — The man who blew the whistle on a private firm’s collection and retention of millions of people’s personal data through Facebook warned lawmakers about the use of data to influence the public at a hearing Wednesday.
  Christopher Wylie, a former contractor with the firm Cambridge Analytica, revealed earlie
  
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• Determining When To Take Your Social Security (It's Complicated) dlvr.it/QT5N5k https://t.co/27FxuuCU7P

  16-05-2018 22:28 via twitter.com
  
  Determining When To Take Your Social Security (It's Complicated) dlvr.it/QT5N5k https://t.co/27FxuuCU7P
  
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• UVM appoints new dean of engineering

  16-05-2018 21:55 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — UVMMay 15, 2018
  Contact:Jeff Wakefield, UVM (802) 578-8830
  Linda Schadler, currently the vice provost and dean of undergraduate education and the Russell Sage Professor in Materials Science and Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), has been appointed dean of the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences at the University of Vermont.
  “We are fortunate to have attracted Dr. Schadler to our academic community,” said UVM President Tom Sullivan
  
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• LISTEN: Mapping Montpelier's Next Steps On The Budget dlvr.it/QT56hw https://t.co/nr5732PGNj

  16-05-2018 21:27 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: Mapping Montpelier's Next Steps On The Budget dlvr.it/QT56hw https://t.co/nr5732PGNj
  
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• Tomorrow, May 17, is Vermont Gives Day. Support VTDigger!

  16-05-2018 20:39 via vtdigger.org
  Dear Readers,
  Tomorrow, May 17, is Vermont Gives Day – a day when all Vermonters are encouraged to support their communities by making charitable gifts to their favorite community organizations. And, of course, since Vermont Gives Day falls squarely in the middle of our spring fund drive, we want to encourage you to support VTDigger!
   
  Donate on Vermont Gives Day!
   
  To sweeten the pot, the first 100 donations of $75 and above made after midnight tonight to VTDigger will receive a
  
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• It’s Vermont Gives Day. Support VTDigger!

  16-05-2018 20:39 via vtdigger.org
  Dear Readers,
  May 17, is Vermont Gives Day – a day when all Vermonters are encouraged to support their communities by making charitable gifts to their favorite community organizations. And, of course, since Vermont Gives Day falls squarely in the middle of our spring fund drive, we want to encourage you to support VTDigger!
   
  Donate on Vermont Gives Day!
   
  To sweeten the pot, the first 100 donations of $75 and above made after midnight tonight to VTDigger will receive a free gift
  
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• Vermont's #marijuana laws change July 1. Will you be growing your own? Since buying or selling cannabis remains i… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  16-05-2018 17:11 via twitter.com
  Vermont's #marijuana laws change July 1. Will you be growing your own? Since buying or selling cannabis remains i… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Vermonters for Health Care Freedom statement on drug import plan

  16-05-2018 15:40 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermonters for Health Care FreedomMay 13, 2018
  Contact:Meg Hansen, [email protected]
  VT Legislature Approves Whack-A-Mole Game with Canada Drug Reimportation
  Montpelier, VT – By approving the wholesale reimportation of U.S. prescription drugs from Canada, the Vermont Legislature passed an illegal measure that will not lower drug prices. Instead, it will subject Vermonters to public health risks and new taxes to defray an inevitable federal lawsuit.
  
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• Law prohibiting inquiries about salary history enacted

  16-05-2018 15:35 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Commission on WomenMay 11, 2018
  Contact:Lilly Talbert | Vermont Commission on Women (VCW)802-828-2841
  (Montpelier) – Today at one o’clock Governor Scott signed H.294, a new law prohibiting inquiries about salary history.
  It prohibits employers from requesting salary history of prospective employees or their current or former employers, requiring the prospective employees’ prior salary history meet minimum or maximum criteria, and determining whether
  
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• Rick Darby receives Revitalizing Waterbury’s Kathy O’Dell Community Service Award

  16-05-2018 15:30 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Revitalizing WaterburyMay 14, 2018
  Contact:Karen Nevin, 793-6029, [email protected]
  Revitalizing Waterbury named Rick Darby the recipient of the Kathy O’Dell Community Service Award at the Grand Re-Opening of the RW Community Room at the Waterbury Train Station on Saturday, May 12, 2018. First awarded in 2003, the Community Service Award honors local individuals and businesses who have contributed to the continued revitalization of Waterbury, and especial
  
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• Vermont Women’s Fund announces $102,900 in competitive grants

  16-05-2018 15:25 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — The Vermont Women’s FundMay 14, 2018
  Contact:Meg SmithThe Vermont Women’s [email protected] ext. 301
  Suggested Social Media PostThe @VTWomensFund announces $102,900 in grants to support young women & girls across #VT – http://ow.ly/a2KC30jZDqu
  The Vermont Women’s Fund, a component fund of the Vermont Community Foundation, awarded $102,900 through its competitive grant program to 12 organizations that work to improve the economic
  
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• LaunchVT Final Pitch Competition is May 17

  16-05-2018 15:15 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of CommerceMay 14, 2018
  Contact:John AntonucciExecutive Director of LaunchVTDirector of Entrepreneurship at [email protected] ext. 212
  BURLINGTON, VT.- Eight Vermont startups will compete in the LaunchVT Final Pitch Competition on Thursday, May 17 from 5 to 8 pm at the Film House at Main Street Landing. The event is FREE and the public is invited to attend and asked to register in advance at www.launchvt.com.
  Come see the 2018
  
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• Sterling College appoints new dean of advancement & alumni relations

  16-05-2018 15:10 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Sterling CollegeMay 14, 2018
  Media Contact:Katie Lavin, Sterling College802.586.7711 x111 • [email protected]
  Sterling College Alumna, Christina Goodwin ‘02, has joined College’s Leadership Team
  May 14, 2018 • Craftsbury Common, VT • Sterling College has appointed alumna Christina Goodwin ‘02, of Worcester, as its Dean of Advancement & Alumni Relations. In her new role, Goodwin will provide the effective leadership and administra
  
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• Bishop Thomas Ely calls for moral revival at Statehouse

  16-05-2018 15:05 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — The Episcopal Church in VermontMay 14, 2018
  Contact:Maurice L. HarrisDiocesan Communications [email protected]: (802) 451-0249
  Episcopal Bishop Lends Voice and Commitment to Poor People’s Campaign
  Montpelier, Vermont – To follow is a statement by the Right Reverend Thomas C. Ely, bishop of the Episcopal Church in Vermont, delivered today at the Vermont Poor People’s Campaign rally on the steps of the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier. I
  
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• Moms Demand Action, Everytown applaud Vermont Legislature

  16-05-2018 15:00 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Everytown for Gun SafetyMay 14, 2018
  Media Contact:[email protected] or 202-897-1876www.everytown.orgwww.momsdemandaction.org
  VERMONT MOMS DEMAND ACTION, EVERYTOWN APPLAUD VERMONT LEGISLATURE FOR PASSING GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION LEGISLATION THIS SESSION
  Legislation Included a Requirement for a Background Check on all Gun Sales and Creation of a Red Flag Law
  Vermont Became the 20th State to Go Beyond Federal Law by Closing Background Check Loophole
  MONTPELIER, Vt.– The
  
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• Underhill elementary school may close

  16-05-2018 12:14 via vtdigger.org
  Chittenden East Superintendent John Alberghini speaks at a bill signing at the Smilie School, where he served as principal. Alberghini is now superintendent of the Mount Mansfield Union School District. VTDigger photo
  Gov. Phil Scott has been talking about closing schools and reducing the number of adults in classrooms for six months, but the conversation became a reality for the Chittenden East Supervisory Union last week.
  The superintendent has recommended that the school board close the Under
  
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• CCV adjunct faculty protest low wages

  16-05-2018 11:48 via vtdigger.org
  Jeb Spaulding (left), chancellor of Vermont State Colleges. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  MONTPELIER — About 50 people, including teachers and gubernatorial candidate James Ehlers, picketed outside the Vermont State Colleges office in heavy rain on Tuesday, calling for higher wages for Community College of Vermont faculty.The faculty at CCV formed a union last fall and has been in negotiations with the college administration. The union is seeking a new contract for part-time adjunc
  
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• CCV adjunct faculty call for higher wages, job security

  16-05-2018 11:48 via vtdigger.org
  Jeb Spaulding (left), chancellor of Vermont State Colleges. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  MONTPELIER — About 50 people, including teachers and gubernatorial candidate James Ehlers, picketed outside the Vermont State Colleges office in heavy rain on Tuesday, calling for higher wages for Community College of Vermont faculty.
  The faculty at CCV formed a union last fall and has been in negotiations with the college administration. The union is seeking a new contract for part-time adjun
  
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• Scott to call lawmakers back for special session next week

  16-05-2018 03:48 via vtdigger.org
  Gov. Phil Scott fields questions about his finance proposal on Thursday. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  Gov. Phil Scott told lawmakers Tuesday that he plans to call them back to Montpelier for a special session next week, mainly to settle a $33 million disparity in their education funding proposals.In a letter to Speaker of the House Mitzi Johnson, D-Grand Isle and President Pro Tem Tim Ashe D/P-Chittenden, Scott said he intends to call a session that would start on May 23 and wrap up by the 2
  
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• Scott to call lawmakers back for special session May 23

  16-05-2018 03:48 via vtdigger.org
  Gov. Phil Scott fields questions about his finance proposal on Thursday. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  Gov. Phil Scott told lawmakers Tuesday that he plans to call them back to Montpelier for a special session next week, mainly to settle a $33 million disparity in their education funding proposals.
  In a letter to Speaker of the House Mitzi Johnson, D-Grand Isle and President Pro Tem Tim Ashe D/P-Chittenden, Scott said he intends to call a session that would start on May 23 and wrap up by the
  
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• Vermont officials decry EPA effort to suppress contamination study

  16-05-2018 02:59 via vtdigger.org
  EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. Environmental Protection Agency photoBENNINGTON — Vermont officials reacted strongly Tuesday to a report the federal Environmental Protection Agency under controversial Administrator Scott Pruitt tried to suppress a public health study on PFOA/PFOS contamination.
  Politico reported that emails had revealed an effort to prevent publication of the study after a Trump administration aide warned that would result in a “public relations nightmare.”
  &ld
  
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• Northfield town leader, officer accused of soliciting prostitution

  16-05-2018 02:28 via vtdigger.org
  A part-time law enforcement officer who works full time as an EMT and also serves on the Northfield Selectboard has been cited into court on charges of obstructing justice and solicitation of prostitution.
  Lynn Doney, 57, of Northfield, is scheduled to appear for an arraignment on the charges Thursday in Chittenden County Superior criminal court, according to Shelburne Police.Get all of VTDigger's criminal justice news.You'll never miss our courts and criminal justice coverage with our weekly he
  
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• Casella sued over pollution from New Hampshire landfill

  16-05-2018 01:37 via vtdigger.org
  A landfill run by a Casella subsidiary in Bethlehem, NH. Photo courtesy Environmental Action for Northern NHVermont waste management behemoth Casella is being sued for polluting a scenic river in the White Mountains.
  Toxics Action Center and Conservation Law Foundation filed a citizen suit Monday in the US District Court of New Hampshire against Casella Waste Systems and a subsidiary, North Country Environmental Services,for violating the federal Clean Water Act.
  The groups claim that a drainage
  
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• Stephen Ellis & Christina Rainville: Get ready for new marijuana law

  16-05-2018 01:05 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Stephen D. Ellis and Christina Rainville, of Ellis Boxer & Blake law firm of Burlington and Springfield.
  When Vermont’s new marijuana law (Act 86) goes into effect on July 1, anyone in Vermont over the age of 21 will be able to possess and cultivate small amounts of marijuana and hashish without risking criminal prosecution. The stated intent of the new law is “to eliminate all penalties for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana a
  
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• Jean O’Sullivan: Uber says ‘Jump’ and Republicans say, ‘How high?’

  16-05-2018 01:00 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Rep. Jean O’Sullivan, a Democrat who represents Burlington in the Vermont House. She is a member of the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development.
  Uber, known for its abrasive and bullying tactics in other states, has set its sights on Vermont. The Vermont House and Senate worked for two years on a bill that would regulate Uber and other transportation network companies’ insurance obligations to the state, as 46 other states have
  
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• Peter Berger: Our national virtue

  16-05-2018 00:55 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Peter Berger, an English teacher at Weathersfield School who writes “Poor Elijah’s Almanack.” The column appears in several publications including the Times Argus, the Rutland Herald and the Stowe Reporter.
  I’m one of those people who watched the White House correspondents’ dinner. I found the hired entertainer occasionally funny and at other intervals gratuitously vulgar.
  It’s not that I’m utterly opposed to pr
  
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• Burlington school superintendent gets residency waiver

  16-05-2018 00:16 via vtdigger.org
  Burlington School Superintendent Yaw Obeng received a hardship exemption to the city residency requirement. File photo by Morgan True / VTDigger
  BURLINGTON — The City Council has agreed to grant School Superintendent Yaw Obeng an indefinite exemption to the city’s residency requirement.
  In a 6-3 vote Monday night, the council adopted a resolution proposed by the School Board to allow Obeng to continue to live in South Burlington provided he remain in his current home.
  Burlington requ
  
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