Vermont news

• Democrats ditch compromise and pass budget almost unchanged

  23-06-2018 07:28 via vtdigger.org
  House Speaker Mitzi Johnson, left, speaks with Majority Leader Jill Krowinski and Minority Leader Don Turner last month at the Statehouse. Photo by Anne Galloway/VTDigger
  There was a deal, then there wasn’t, and now Vermont’s House could be back to the Statehouse on Monday to vote again on a budget bill that they already passed.After Senate leadership scuttled a budget deal that had been reached by Speaker of the House Mitzi Johnson and Gov. Phil Scott on Friday, House leadership scr
  
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• Scott urged to take action standing up to Trump on immigration

  23-06-2018 05:03 via vtdigger.org
  Phil Scott and Donald Trump. Wikimedia Commons photosLYNDONVILLE – A group of nearly two dozen organizations say Vermont Gov. Phil Scott needs to take a stronger stand against the “zero tolerance” immigration enforcement policies of the Trump administration.
  The groups want the governor to support legislation or sign an executive order to ensure that no state resources will support enforcement of federal immigration policy. Get all of VTDigger's political news.You'll never miss
  
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• Slaughterhouse fights state humane slaughtering violations

  23-06-2018 01:55 via vtdigger.org
  Photo by Bob LoCiceroA Springfield slaughterhouse that prides itself on transparency is contesting three alleged violations of Vermont livestock handling laws following a case of improperly stunning a sheep last January.
  Vermont Packinghouse filed a motion to dismiss the charges, saying the state does not have jurisdiction over the federally inspected slaughterhouse. The matter was before the Agency of Agriculture in a hearing Wednesday.
  On January 22, an on-site US Department of Agriculture ins
  
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• Barre rock crusher granted permit despite neighbor opposition

  23-06-2018 01:18 via vtdigger.org
  Rock crushing operations near Rock of Ages in Barre Town. Photo by John Herrick/VTDigger
  A rock crusher in Barre has been granted a permit under Vermont’s Act 250 land-use law after a six-year battle with neighbors seeking to halt its operation.
  Northeast Materials Group operated a rock crusher at the Graniteville site without a permit for years. After the Vermont Supreme Court required the company to apply for a permit, they turned the crusher off and started up another crusher 3,000 feet
  
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• Spencer Putnam: Republicans need to pressure Scott

  23-06-2018 01:05 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Spencer Putnam, a community activist from Weybridge. Now retired, he is a past operations vice president of Vermont Teddy Bear Co. and former executive director of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility.
  In the current budget impasse in Montpelier the stance taken by the governor and legislators who have voted to uphold his budget vetoes seems to be in conflict with traditional Republican values.
  If you want to preserve local control over our scho
  
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• James Ehlers: Scott’s affordability myth

  23-06-2018 01:00 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by James Ehlers, who is the executive director of Lake Champlain International and a candidate for governor, a U.S. Navy veteran, a water quality and public health advocate, and an environmental and veterans affairs adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders.At the heart of Gov. Phil Scott’s government shutdown threats is a myth.
  It is a myth that pits working people against working people; that blocks reforms to make life easier for low- and middle-income earne
  
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• Kelly Mangan: Seeking freedom is not a crime

  23-06-2018 00:55 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Kelly Mangan, of Burlington, who is a member of Rights and Democracy, the chair of the Burlington Progressive Party, a mother of two, and the wife of an immigrant.
  I’m not an expert on immigration law or activism — there are a great many people far more knowledgeable than me who’ve spent years working on this important issue. But, as a parent I cannot live with the knowledge that our government is quite literally ripping babies from th
  
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• Walt Amses: Shelter from the swarm

  23-06-2018 00:50 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: Walt Amses is a writer and former educator who lives in Calais.
  The black flies seem gone. I almost chortle to myself before the first deer fly hits my forehead with such velocity I flinch, as if dinged by a pellet gun. A mile down the road I’m convinced they’ve mistaken me for a donkey or some other, not particularly astute, barnyard creature as they try to get behind my sunglasses and chew on the soft skin around my eyes, which I assume is either delicious or v
  
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• Montpelier’s mayor not ready to support downtown smoking ban

  23-06-2018 00:38 via vtdigger.org
  Photo by Robin Danehav/Creative Commons
  Montpelier Mayor Anne Watson said she is opposed to an all-out smoking ban in the capital city’s downtown area ahead of a meeting next week with organizers of a campaign to prohibit cigarette smoking and vaping in a half-mile area.The Central Vermont New Directions Coalition has gathered over 1,500 signatures for a petition supporting the ban. Get all of VTDigger's health care news.You'll never miss our health care coverage with our weekly headlines
  
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