Vermont news

• Margolis: Politicians need to get on with it, or hire a better drama coach

  31-05-2018 23:13 via vtdigger.org
  Following last year’s budget battle, Senate President Pro Tem Tim Ashe, along with Gov. Phil Scott and House Speaker Mitzi Johnson, announce the deal reached between the Legislature and the administration. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  It’s all just “dirty politics” said one Republican House member to another on their way to the cafeteria after yet another meaningless meeting.
  If only it were that interesting.Get all of VTDigger's political news.You'll never miss
  
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• Vermont’s spelling champion completes three rounds of national bee in D.C.

  31-05-2018 22:51 via vtdigger.org
  Raghav Dhandi with his father Hari Dhandi and mother Janaki Kasiviswanathan after winning the Vermont spelling bee in March, qualifying him for the national bee in D.C.
  Vermont’s spelling champion Raghav Dhandi made it through three rounds of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. before being eliminated on Wednesday.
  Dhandi, 12, of Montpelier, competing with the best spellers in the country, correctly spelled perionychia (definition: “the tissue bordering the root and
  
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• Bid to require medical representation on care board fails

  31-05-2018 22:22 via vtdigger.org
  Kevin Mullin is the chair of the Green Mountain Care Board. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  Though the Green Mountain Care Board has broad authority over health care matters in Vermont, none of its members are required have any medical experience.
  And that will remain the case for the time being: A legislative effort to change the regulatory board’s membership requirements failed as the 2018 session adjourned.Get all of VTDigger's health care news.You'll never miss our health care coverag
  
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• Bid to change care board membership fails

  31-05-2018 22:22 via vtdigger.org
  Kevin Mullin is the chair of the Green Mountain Care Board. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  Though the Green Mountain Care Board has broad authority over health care matters in Vermont, none of its members are required have any medical experience.
  And that will remain the case for the time being: A legislative effort to change the regulatory board’s membership requirements failed as the 2018 session adjourned.Get all of VTDigger's health care news.You'll never miss our health care coverag
  
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• Christine Hallquist backs Democratic leadership on budget plan

  31-05-2018 21:41 via vtdigger.org
  Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Christine Hallquist backed legislative plans to address state finances at a press conference Thursday. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Christine Hallquist called on Gov. Phil Scott to sign a new budget proposal legislative Democrats hope to pass in the coming days.
  At a press conference at the Statehouse Thursday, Hallquist slammed the governor for his handling of the state finance legislation.Get all of VTDigger's political ne
  
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• Reporter Roundtable: Kicking Off Campaign 2018 (While Still In A Special Session) dlvr.it/QVm8nr https://t.co/6swBNNJLuS

  31-05-2018 21:27 via twitter.com
  
  Reporter Roundtable: Kicking Off Campaign 2018 (While Still In A Special Session) dlvr.it/QVm8nr https://t.co/6swBNNJLuS
  
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• Vermont aims VW settlement funds at boosting electric vehicles

  31-05-2018 21:12 via vtdigger.org
  An electric vehicle hooked up to a charging station in Burlington. Courtesy photo
  Vermont plans to use its $18.7 million share of the national Volkswagen “clean diesel” fraud settlement for an electric bus pilot program and to install vehicle charging stations.
  The state Agency of Natural Resources plan, submitted to the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust on Monday, must be approved by the trustee before the state can receive the money. It calls for purchasing and installing e
  
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• LISTEN: To Stop Domestic Violence, Counselors Strive To Make Abusers See 'What’s Underneath The Anger’… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

  31-05-2018 21:08 via twitter.com
  LISTEN: To Stop Domestic Violence, Counselors Strive To Make Abusers See 'What’s Underneath The Anger’… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
  
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• Bid for governor, U.S. Senate out for Scott Milne

  31-05-2018 20:35 via vtdigger.org
  Scott Milne, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks to reporters on Tuesday at the Vermont GOP’s election night party after his loss to incumbent Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy. Photo by Erin Mansfield/VTDigger
  Scott Milne issued a statement to the press on Thursday thanking 317 supporters who encouraged him to run for U.S. Senate or the governorship.
  Milne, a Republican, has previously run for statewide office twice: Once for governor in 2014 and for U.S. Senate in 2016. In both inst
  
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• Vermont Tech launches new forestry degree program for fall 2018

  31-05-2018 19:04 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Technical CollegeMay 24, 2018
  Contact:Amanda ChaulkVermont [email protected]
  Now Recruiting Associate of Applied Science Forestry Students
  RANDOLPH, Vt. – Vermont Technical College is announcing a new degree program that will start in the fall of 2018. The program expand Vermont Tech’s connection to workforce development needs and changes in Vermont. The college’s Certificate in Forestry was broadened and expanded to an Associate o
  
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• Bestselling author to give talk on Connecticut River at BMAC, June 6

  31-05-2018 19:01 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Brattleboro Museum & Art CenterMay 23, 2018
  Contact:Erin [email protected], ext. 113
  BRATTLEBORO, VT — New York Times bestselling author Michael Tougias will give a free slide presentation entitled “400 Miles Down the Connecticut River” at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) on Wednesday, June 6 at 7 p.m.
  Tougias will present slides from his 400-mile kayak journey down the Connecticut River, which he chronicled in
  
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• Northern Vermont University-Lyndon coworking space gets credit union funding

  31-05-2018 18:57 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Northern Vermont University-LyndonMay 30, 2018
  Contact:Sylvia [email protected]
  LYNDON, VERMONT — The Northern Vermont University-Lyndon coworking initiative in downtown Lyndonville is moving forward to stimulate the local economy with the support of a $125,000 gift over five years from NorthCountry Federal Credit Union.
  NorthCountry CEO Bob Morgan will present NVU President Elaine Collins with a check at an event 3-4 p.m. Thursday at th
  
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• LaunchVT awards $135,000 in cash and services

  31-05-2018 18:49 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — LaunchVTMay 30, 2018
  Contact:John AntonucciExecutive Director of LaunchVTDirector of Entrepreneurship at [email protected]
  802-863-3489 ext. 212
  BURLINGTON, VT.- Burlington Code Academy and Northview Weather won the LaunchVT Final Pitch Competition on Thursday, May 17. The startups competed against six other teams to take home the top cash prizes.
  LaunchVT provides early stage acceleration programs and resources for business to prep, launch, and soar in Vermont. The annu
  
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• Google: Vermont businesses generate $1.89B in economic impact due to Google search and ads tools

  31-05-2018 18:44 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — GoogleMay 31, 2018
  Contact:Peter [email protected] / 646-832-6785
  Charlie [email protected] / 617-894-6905
  In One Year, Google Helped 10,000 businesses in Vermont Grow
  VERMONT — On Thursday, Google announced that 10,000 in Vermont businesses, publishers and nonprofits used Google search and advertising tools to connect with the people and communities they serve — generating $1.89 billion in economic activity. By using Google products
  
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• Vermont State Labor Council AFL-CIO endorses Ehlers for governor

  31-05-2018 18:39 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — James Ehlers for Governor of VermontMay 31, 2018
  Contact:Communications Director Sarah [email protected]
  Winooski, VT — The Vermont State Labor Council AFL-CIO proudly endorsed James Ehlers for Vermont governor today, citing his powerful commitment to fairness and justice for all Vermonters. The Vermont State Labor Council AFL-CIO sought to get involved early in the gubernatorial primary process because of the strength of support for James Ehlers an
  
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• Tighter budget approved for patient-record database operator

  31-05-2018 18:37 via vtdigger.org
  The Green Mountain Care Board hears testimony on VITL in early May. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  The Green Mountain Care Board has signed off on a slimmed-down, $5.9 million budget for the state’s troubled health information exchange.
  Care board members on Wednesday gave unanimous approval to the proposed fiscal 2019 budget for Vermont Information Technology Leaders, also known as VITL.Get all of VTDigger's health care news.You'll never miss our health care coverage with our weekly hea
  
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• Chittenden state senators running as a slate

  31-05-2018 18:35 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Chittenden County State Senate delegationMay 31, 2018
  Contacts:Tim Ashe at 318-0903Phil Baruth at 503-5266Debbie Ingram at 879-0054Ginny Lyons at 863-6129Chris Pearson at 860-3933Michael Sirotkin at 999-4360
  BURLINGTON, VT – The entire Chittenden County State Senate delegation announced they are running for re-election as a slate. Senators Tim Ashe, Phil Baruth, Debbie Ingram, Ginny Lyons, Chris Pearson, and Michael Sirotkin have all filed petitions for the Democratic
  
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• Fish & Wildlife advises to delay mowing to conserve grassland birds

  31-05-2018 18:30 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Fish & Wildlife DepartmentMay 31, 2018
  Media Contact:John Buck, VT Fish & Wildlife, 802-777-5773;
  Mark LaBarr, Audubon Vermont, 802-434-3068
  MONTPELIER, Vt. – Summer in Vermont is greatly enriched by the state’s many grassland birds, from bobolinks flushing up from a grassy field to the beautiful song of an eastern meadowlark. But many of these species are in decline due to the loss of appropriate grassland habitat.
  The Vermont Fish & Wildlife
  
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• Mobius executive director elected vice chair of National Mentoring Partnership Advisory Council

  31-05-2018 18:25 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — MobiusMay 31, 2018
  Media Contact:Benji [email protected]: 802-658-1888Cell: 802-249-8316
  Burlington, VT—Mobius is excited to announce that its executive director, Chad Butt, has been elected as the 2018 vice-chair of the Mentoring Affiliate Advisory Council (MAAC) for MENTOR (The National Mentoring Partnership). Butt is one of eight members on the council, which is made up of leaders from state or regional affiliates of MENTOR across the country.
  &ld
  
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• Bronx man sentenced following alien smuggling trial

  31-05-2018 18:22 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — United States Attorney for the District of VermontWednesday, May 30, 2018
  Contact:Tim AtkinsonUnited States Attorney’s Office, District of [email protected]
  The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Denny Reyes, 28, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced on May 29, 2018, in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont, to serve concurrent terms of thirty-six and ten months in federal prison after his
  
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• South Burlington man sentenced to 92 months in prison for heroin trafficking

  31-05-2018 18:19 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — United States Attorney District of VermontMay 30, 2018
  Contact:Tim AtkinsonUnited States Attorney’s Office, District of [email protected]
  The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on May 29, 2018, Adam Jankowski, 33, was sentenced to 92 months in federal prison after his guilty plea to the charge of conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. United States District Court Judge Geoffrey W. Crawfo
  
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• Law enforcement to increase presence in Safety Corridors this summer

  31-05-2018 18:14 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Agency of TransportationMay 31, 2018
  Contacts:Bruce Nyquist, VTrans Office of Highway Safety [email protected], 802-498-7125.
  Lt. John Flannigan, Vermont State Police Safety Programs [email protected], 802-872-4045 desk, 802-999-7685 cell
  May 31, 2018 / Montpelier, Vt. – Motorists will see increased enforcement this summer in four designated “safety corridors:” on I-89 between South Burlington and Colchester; at the
  
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• Vermont Law School plans faculty cuts

  31-05-2018 17:05 via vtdigger.org
  The campus of Vermont Law School in South Royalton. File photo by Roger Crowley/for VTDigger
  This story by Matt Hongoltz-Hetling was published by the Valley News on May 30.
  ROYALTON — As part of an ongoing campaign to right itself financially, the Vermont Law School is working out the details of a cost-saving “faculty restructuring” that will result in a reduction of the workforce.
  “Our target is maximum programmatic efficiency and value,” President Thomas McHenry s
  
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• Filmmaker John O’Brien running for Vermont House

  31-05-2018 16:40 via vtdigger.org
  John O’Brien, right, works with fellow selectboard members Mike McPhetres, left, and Gary Mullen during Town Meeting in Tunbridge in 2016. Photo by James M. Patterson/Valley News
  This story by John P. Gregg was published by the Valley News on May 30.
  TUNBRIDGE – Tunbridge Selectman John O’Brien, the filmmaker who catapulted dairy farmer Fred Tuttle into Vermont political lore, is running for the Vermont House.Get all of VTDigger's political news.You'll never miss a political st
  
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• Filmmaker John O’Brien running for House seat

  31-05-2018 16:40 via vtdigger.org
  John O’Brien, right, works with fellow selectboard members Mike McPhetres, left, and Gary Mullen during Town Meeting in Tunbridge in 2016. Photo by James M. Patterson/Valley News
  This story by John P. Gregg was published by the Valley News on May 30.
  TUNBRIDGE – Tunbridge Selectman John O’Brien, the filmmaker who catapulted dairy farmer Fred Tuttle into Vermont political lore, is running for the Vermont House.Get all of VTDigger's political news.You'll never miss a political st
  
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• Francis Brooks to retire from state Senate

  31-05-2018 16:34 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Francis K. Brooks. VTDigger photo
  Sen. Francis Brooks, D-Washington, will not seek another term this year.
  After more than three decades under the golden dome, the long-time Montpelier resident plans to call it quits.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
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• Norm McAllister, former state senator, asks high court to overturn prostitution conviction

  31-05-2018 11:23 via vtdigger.org
  Former state Sen. Norm McAllister during his sexual assault and prostitution trial in St. Albans. Pool photo by the County Courier
  A lawyer for former state Sen. Norm McAllister found guilty last summer of prostituting a past tenant who worked on his farm argued before the state’s highest court on Wednesday to overturn that conviction.
  Attorney Robert Katims, representing McAllister, told the five-member Vermont Supreme Court that the jury that convicted his client heard little testimony a
  
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• McAllister asks high court to overturn prostitution conviction

  31-05-2018 11:23 via vtdigger.org
  Former state Sen. Norm McAllister during his sexual assault and prostitution trial in St. Albans. Pool photo by the County Courier
  A lawyer for former state Sen. Norm McAllister, who was found guilty last summer of prostituting a past tenant who worked on his farm, argued before the state’s highest court on Wednesday to overturn that conviction.
  Attorney Robert Katims, representing McAllister, told the five-member Vermont Supreme Court that the jury that convicted his client heard little t
  
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• GOP stalls proposal to prevent shutdown, fearing loss of leverage

  31-05-2018 04:54 via vtdigger.org
  Minority Leader Don Turner, R-Milton, speaks to House Republicans during a caucus at the Statehouse on Wednesday, May 30. Photo by Colin Meyn/VTDigger
  Seeking to maintain leverage in high-stakes budget negotiations, House Republicans voted to stall a proposal that would prevent a government shutdown if lawmakers and Gov. Phil Scott don’t iron out a budget deal by July 1.Refusing to suspend rules and allow House members to take up the proposal ahead of schedule, Republicans blocked a bill t
  
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• House sends seven special session bills to Senate

  31-05-2018 04:25 via vtdigger.org
  Members of the House of Representatives in session on Wednesday, May 2, 2018. Photo by Colin Meyn/VTDigger
  With all eyes on a festering fiscal dispute between the Republican governor and Democrats controlling the Legislature, seven unrelated bills sailed through the House on Wednesday — beneficiaries of a special session now in its second week.Most of the bills had only minor changes after moving through conference committees formed in the final days of the regular session, and are expecte
  
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• Gibbs continues offensive against Legislature’s financial analysts

  31-05-2018 04:08 via vtdigger.org
  Jason Gibbs is Gov. Phil Scott’s chief of staff. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  Gov. Phil Scott’s top aid is continuing his offensive against the Joint Fiscal Office after they poked holes in administration’s education funding plan in their initial review during a special session that started last week.Scott’s chief of staff, Jason Gibbs, accused the JFO earlier this month of being partisan in their critique of the plan, which projects $300 million in future saving
  
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• UVM reaches new 3-year contract with faculty union

  31-05-2018 04:06 via vtdigger.org
  Old Mill at the University of Vermont. File photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDigger
  BURLINGTON — After more than a year of difficult negotiations the University of Vermont and its faculty union have reached an agreement that will boost salaries 8.5 percent over the course of the new three-year deal.
  Pay levels were the only sticking point when UVM and the union, United Academics, entered the fact-finding process in March. The final salary rate was described as roughly the midpoint between what each
  
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• Regulators consider CoverageCo Catch 22

  31-05-2018 03:34 via vtdigger.org
  CoverageCo microcell devices expanded cellular service to rural parts of Vermont. Courtesy photo
  The state Public Utility Commission has set deadlines of Friday and Tuesday for lawyers to file arguments on whether Vermont’s largest landline phone company should be required to reconnect the troubled cellular phone company CoverageCo despite more than $100,000 of unpaid bills.
  The deadlines – legal briefs by Friday and reply briefs four days later – were set after a four-hour eme
  
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• High court hears arguments, and claims of racial profiling, in pot ‘sniff test’ case

  31-05-2018 02:41 via vtdigger.org
  A Vermont State Police trooper made the initial traffic stop because he said the license plate was obscured by snow. File photo by Dan Schwartz/VTDigger
  The Vermont Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments on Wednesday in a lawsuit that may decide the legality of the “sniff test” — whether a state police trooper legally could order the search of a motor vehicle he had pulled over because he caught a whiff of marijuana.
  The lawsuit pits the Vermont chapter of the American Civi
  
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• House minority leader to run for lieutenant governor

  31-05-2018 01:21 via vtdigger.org
  House Minority Leader Don Turner speaks at a press conference earlier in the legislative session. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  House Minority Leader Don Turner had planned to leave his seat in the Legislature this year. Now, he’s eyeing a return to Montpelier only this time in a new office.
  Turner, a Milton Republican, confirmed Wednesday afternoon that he will run for lieutenant governor.Get all of VTDigger's political news.You'll never miss a political story with our weekly head
  
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• Jack Hoffman: School taxes will increase with governor’s flat rate

  31-05-2018 01:05 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Jack Hoffman, who is a policy analyst for Public Assets Institute, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in Montpelier.Vermonters know there’s a difference between taxes and tax rates. Especially when it comes to property taxes, a lower rate doesn’t mean lower taxes if the grand list value of a property goes up. It’s important to distinguish between taxes and rates as the administration and the Legislature seek a compromise on ed
  
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• Jen Kimmich: Scott out of touch with small businesses, working families

  31-05-2018 01:00 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Jen Kimmich, who is board chair of Main Street Alliance of Vermont, a statewide small business organization and the co-founder of The Alchemist.
  Gov. Phil Scott’s letter explaining his veto of the paid family leave bill showed Vermonters just how out of touch he is with the needs of small businesses and working families. The statewide paid family leave program, as proposed in H.196, would create a universal, portable benefit for working Vermonters
  
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• Catherine Bock: Canceling Korea summit a mistake

  31-05-2018 00:55 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Catherine Bock of Charlotte. She is a member of the Burlington Friends Meeting and part of an advocacy group with Friends Committee on National Legislation that has been working on preventing war with North Korea since January.
  President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel the planned June 12 meeting with Kim Jong Un in Singapore is a huge mistake that increases the risk of war. The open allusions to the use of nuclear weapons by both the North Kore
  
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• 10 protesters face court date for refusing to leave Statehouse

  31-05-2018 00:39 via vtdigger.org
  Avery Book speaks at Tuesday’s Poor People’s Campaign protest at the Statehouse. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  Ten anti-poverty protesters have been ordered into court following their arrests during a sit-in Tuesday evening at the Statehouse in Montpelier.
  A group called the Vermont Poor People’s Campaign held a rally earlier in the afternoon on the Capitol steps protesting what it said was increased militarism at home and abroad. Then, about 40 protesters marched into the S
  
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• VTDigger Minute: Averting shutdown, Holcombe won’t run, SunCommon takes NY

  31-05-2018 00:02 via vtdigger.org
  VTDigger Minute is a weekly news digest from Vermont PBS. Tune in every Wednesday and Thursday at 6 p.m. to hear about the week’s top stories.
  This week on the Minute:
  House lawmakers move to prevent government shutdown
  Legislators are resuming the special session to resolve a budget disagreement with Governor Phil Scott. Their latest proposal is meant to avert a government shutdown in July — it ensures the state will be funded for the next fiscal year, but it doesn’t add
  
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