Vermont news

• Group begins laying groundwork for individual mandate

  19-06-2018 23:45 via vtdigger.org
  Addie Strumolo, far right, speaks Tuesday as other members of the Individual Mandate Working Group look on. From left to right, they are Mike Fisher, chief health care advocate; Doug Farnham of the state Tax Department; Emily Brown of the Department of Financial Regulation; and Robin Lunge, Green Mountain Care Board member. Photo by Mike Faher/VTDigger
  A group of seven people has less than five months to figure out how mandatory health insurance might work in Vermont.
  On Tuesday morning, members
  
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• Lawmakers review report on Clinton email probe

  19-06-2018 23:16 via vtdigger.org
  FBI Director Christopher Wray, left, and Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz are sworn in before testifying on a report reviewing the probe of Secretary Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  WASHINGTON — Days after the release of a much-anticipated review of Department of Justice and FBI conduct during the 2016 election, the findings have come under scrutiny from a Senate panel.
  During a Judiciary Committee hearing Monda
  
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• Poor People’s Campaign concludes series of Statehouse sit-ins

  19-06-2018 22:46 via vtdigger.org
  Avery Book speaks at a May 30 Poor People’s Campaign protest at the Statehouse. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  The Vermont Poor People’s Campaign has wrapped up a series of “days of action” at the Statehouse in Montpelier, with nine more protesters arrested Monday, bringing the total of those charged to 40 in the series of three sit-ins.
  After an hour-long discussion among the 53 members taking part in the demonstration inside the vestibule of the Capitol building, nine
  
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• Attorney banned from Statehouse as Poor People’s Campaign concludes

  19-06-2018 22:46 via vtdigger.org
  Avery Book speaks at a May 30 Poor People’s Campaign protest at the Statehouse. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  The Vermont Poor People’s Campaign has wrapped up a series of “days of action” at the Statehouse in Montpelier, with nine more protesters arrested Monday, bringing the total of those charged to 40 in the series of three sit-ins.
  After an hour-long discussion among the 53 members taking part in the demonstration inside the vestibule of the capitol building, nine
  
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• LISTEN: Cow Teats & How To Say 'Calais': Reflecting On The 1998 Tuttle-McMullen Debate dlvr.it/QXrgdx https://t.co/bJ5HFRwYTN

  19-06-2018 22:02 via twitter.com
  
  LISTEN: Cow Teats & How To Say 'Calais': Reflecting On The 1998 Tuttle-McMullen Debate dlvr.it/QXrgdx https://t.co/bJ5HFRwYTN
  
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• Vermont not meeting renewable energy goals, report says

  19-06-2018 19:40 via vtdigger.org
  Electric cars, such as this one hooked up to a charging station in Burlington, are seen as a key element of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Courtesy photo
  Vermont is falling short of its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate renewable energy, according to the Energy Action Network.
  The group said in its annual report released Tuesday that only 20 percent of the energy consumed in Vermont is from renewable sources, even though 43 percent of the state’s elect
  
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• When math lessons at a goat farm beat sitting behind a desk

  19-06-2018 19:01 via vtdigger.org
  Wess Wheeler (left), an independent learning opportunity student at Randolph Union High School, and Miles Hooper, manager and co-owner of Ayers Brook Goat Dairy farm, among the goats. Photo by Kelly Field for the Hechinger Report
  This story is by Kelly Field for The Hechinger Report.
  RANDOLPH — Miles Hooper, the 26-year-old manager of Vermont’s largest goat farm, remembers what it’s like to be 16 and not want to be in a classroom. Just 10 years ago, he was kicked out of his Ver
  
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• Connecticut River report weighs ecological benefits against flood risk

  19-06-2018 17:52 via vtdigger.org
  People spend an afternoon canoeing on the Connecticut River in Brattleboro. Brattleboro Reformer file photo
  Editor’s note: This story by Bob Audette was published in the Brattleboro Reformer on June 19.
  BRATTLEBORO — All things considered, said Katie Kennedy, an applied river scientist with the Nature Conservancy, the Connecticut River is being managed in an effective manner.
  “Right now, the dams are being managed optimally within the constraints we looked at,” she told t
  
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• Highland Center for the Arts presents new comedy

  19-06-2018 17:47 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Highland Center for the ArtsJune 18, 2018
  Media Contact:Robin Allen [email protected] x1009
  Hilarious Two-Man Play Jerry & Ed brings Garden Acres Retirement Community to Highland Center for the Arts
  Greensboro, VT: Highland Center for the Arts presents the hilarious two-man comedy Jerry & Ed on Highland Center for the Arts’ Main Stage on June 23 at 7:30 PM and June 24 at 3:00 PM. Featuring the side-splitting words of playwright and pe
  
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• A Freed Slave's Journey From South Carolina To Vermont dlvr.it/QXqLdd https://t.co/chBENgAEsT

  19-06-2018 17:27 via twitter.com
  
  A Freed Slave's Journey From South Carolina To Vermont dlvr.it/QXqLdd https://t.co/chBENgAEsT
  
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• Sterling College to offer food writing class

  19-06-2018 17:17 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Sterling CollegeJune 19, 2018
  MEDIA CONTACT:Katie Lavin802.586.7711 x [email protected]
  Food Writing Class Offered at School of the New American Farmstead
  Craftsbury Common, VT — June 19, 2018 — The School of the New American Farmstead at Sterling College is offering a new session of its popular course, Food Writing: Intersections Between Place, Identity, and Cuisine. Participants will explore these connections within the context of their own experien
  
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• Attorney general warns of GoFundMe scam

  19-06-2018 16:35 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Office of the Attorney GeneralJune 18, 2018
  CONTACT:Chris Curtis(802) 828-5586
  ATTORNEY GENERAL WARNS OF SCAM USING GOFUNDME
  A new scam is targeting Vermont attorneys. The Attorney General’s Office warns that a fake “GoFundMe” campaign purports to raise money for a child with a rare disease using GoFundMe.com. According to the Vermont Bar Association, the phony campaign referenced its organization and requested that VBA members make contributions. GoFundMe.
  
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• Sen. Sanders and Rep. Welch announce new funds to combat opioids

  19-06-2018 16:27 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Sen. Bernie SandersJune 18, 2018
  Contact:Dan McLean (Sanders)802-862-6695
  Kate Hamilton (Welch)202-440-3340
  Sanders, Welch Announce $4 Million in New Funds for Vermont to Combat the Opioid Epidemic
  BURLINGTON, Vt., June 18 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced Monday that Vermont is set to receive $4 million through the State Opioid Response Grants program to help fight Vermont’s opioid epidemic.
  In 2017, Vermont saw opioi
  
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• Vermont to receive increased funding to fight opioids

  19-06-2018 16:21 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Sen. Patrick LeahyJune 18, 2018
  Press Contact:David Carle(202) 224-3693
  Vermont Receives Increased Opioid Funding Through New Leahy-Negotiated Omnibus Formula. . . $4 million to fight opioid epidemic announced for Vermont thanks to new program and increased state minimum funding
  (MONDAY, June 18, 2018) — Senator Patrick Leahy welcomed the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Monday announcement that Vermont will receive an allocati
  
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• Winooski Police Department joins “Creemee from a Cop” campaign

  19-06-2018 16:10 via vtdigger.org
  News release — Winooski Police DepartmentJune 18, 2018
  Contact:Chief of Police Rick [email protected] 655 0221
  Officer Jason Ziter802 655 [email protected]
  Scott Waterman802 828 [email protected]
  The City of Winooski(802) 655-6410winooskivt.org
  Winooski Police Department Joins the “Creemee from a Cop” Campaign City of Winooski Monday, June 18th, 2018
  The Winooski Police Department is proud to announce the “Creemee from a Cop&rdqu
  
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• Layoffs expected at GlobalFoundries in Essex this week

  19-06-2018 11:42 via vtdigger.org
  GlobalFoundries in Essex Junction. File photo by Sam Heller/VTDigger
  Employees at GlobalFoundries in Essex Junction are bracing for another round of layoffs this week.
  The semiconductor manufacturer, which makes chips for cell phones and other electronic devices, acquired the site from IBM in 2015.GlobalFoundries announced plans last week to begin a worldwide workforce reduction of 5 percent, with the goal of minimizing redundancies from prior mergers.Spokesperson Steve Grasso declined to specif
  
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• Traffic stop data still shows racial disparity, but gap is closing

  19-06-2018 05:24 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont State Police command staff from across the state attend a report presentation in 2016. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  SOUTH ROYALTON – The latest figures are in from Vermont State Police for traffic stop data, showing that racial disparities still exist, though that gap is narrowing.
  The data was released Monday evening during a meeting of the Fair and Impartial Policing Committee on the campus of Vermont Law School in South Royalton.Get all of VTDigger's criminal justice news.
  
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• Ratings agencies: Government shutdowns not a ‘rating driver’

  19-06-2018 03:59 via vtdigger.org
  State Treasurer Beth Pearce testifies before the House Appropriations Committee. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  Major credit rating agencies say that state government shutdowns in isolation don’t usually lead to bond rating downgrades, complicating a narrative that’s been coming from Vermont’s state treasurer and Democratic lawmakers for weeks.
  As an impasse over property taxes now encroaches upon the July 1 deadline for a new spending package, alarm is growing over the shutd
  
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• Vermont League of Cities and Towns: Tax impasse will be costly

  19-06-2018 03:49 via vtdigger.org
  An association of Vermont municipalities says if the government is shut down on July 1, there will be a ripple effect across cities and towns across the state.
  Property tax bills would not be issued, municipalities would have to borrow money to operate and interest rates for municipal bonds could go up, according to Karen Horn, the director of government relations for the Vermont League of Cities and Towns.Get all of VTDigger's political news.You'll never miss a political story with our weekly h
  
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• Republicans have no votes to spare in bid to uphold Scott’s veto

  19-06-2018 03:20 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
  House Republicans are missing at least two members heading into a Tuesday vote to override the governor’s budget veto, putting them on the brink of losing their ability to prevent a Democratic-led effort to negate the veto and pass the budget into law.
  Minority Leader Rep. Don Turner, R-Milton, said the GOP would have at most 51 members, the
  
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• New project could relieve pressure on Vermont Yankee

  19-06-2018 02:29 via vtdigger.org
  An aerial photo of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant in Vernon. Photo courtesy of Vermont Yankee
  Two companies are moving forward with a project that could create a destination for Vermont Yankee’s radioactive spent fuel.
  Orano USA and Waste Control Specialists – jointly doing business as Interim Storage Partners – have submitted an application asking federal regulators to approve a Texas facility that could accept spent nuclear fuel as soon as 2022.
  It’s the second such a
  
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• Sam Young: Legislature fulfilling its constitutional duty

  19-06-2018 02:21 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Rep. Sam Young, of Glover, who represents the Orleans-Caledonia District in the Vermont House of Representatives.
  People must be wondering what the Legislature is still doing in session, and every beautiful day in late May and early June that I drive to Montpelier I ask myself the very same question.
  It seems easy enough: all the Democrats in the Legislature have to do is agree that we won’t increase tax rates and we can all go home. Wait …
  
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• Paul Ralston: End the budget standoff

  19-06-2018 02:18 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Paul Ralston, of Middlebury, a local entrepreneur who is the owner of Vermont Coffee Company and a former Democratic member of the Vermont Legislature.
  It’s time to end the budget standoff between the Legislature and the executive.
  It is the constitutional duty of the Vermont House to present a bill (a budget) regardingappropriations of revenue of the state of Vermont.
  It is the constitutional duty of the governor to agree to such a bill and sign
  
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• Neil Odell: What do I do now, Gov. Scott?

  19-06-2018 02:16 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Neil Odell, of Norwich, who is a member of the Norwich School Board and the Dresden Interstate School board (serving the towns of Norwich, Vermont, and Hanover, New Hampshire). He is also a member of the Vermont School Boards Association Board of Directors.Dear Gov. Scott,
  I think we got off on the wrong foot. We haven’t met before so I don’t think it was anything that I said; perhaps something I did? I am a school board member, so perhaps t
  
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• Welch condemns family separations on border visit

  19-06-2018 00:29 via vtdigger.org
  Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and other Democratic lawmakers in front of Casa Padre, a shelter for unaccompanied immigrant youth in Brownsville, Texas. Photo courtesy of Welch’s office
  In a facility not far from the Mexican border in Texas, Rep. Peter Welch saw three young boys — brothers, he assumed — lying on thin mattresses under tinfoil-like Mylar blankets on Sunday.
  “The three of them were holding onto each other for dear life,” the Vermont Democrat later described
  
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