Vermont news

• Siegel, ‘low income single mom,’ seeks to turn adversity into action

  25-07-2018 23:55 via vtdigger.org
  Brenda Siegel, self-described “low income single mom” and founder of Brattleboro’s Southern Vermont Dance Festival, is one of four Democrats running in Vermont’s Aug. 14 primary. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDiggerEditor’s note: This is the second of a series of candidate profiles that VTDigger will publish in the weeks leading up to Vermont’s 2018 primaries and general elections.
  Growing up, Brenda Siegel had great expectations and much to live up to, with
  
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• Senate Dems launch election security funding effort, following failure in House

  25-07-2018 23:45 via vtdigger.org
  From left, Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon and DHS official Matt Masterson testify on election security in Congress in June. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
  Democrats are launching a bid to increase federal funding to bolster election security in a Senate appropriations package.
  An amendment to a suite of spending bills on the floor this week would make $250 million in federal money available to states t
  
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• Brattleboro senior residential facilities’ correction plan accepted

  25-07-2018 23:12 via vtdigger.org
  Cindy Jerome, then-executive director at The Bradley House, looks over plans for facilities expansion in April 2017. Photo by Kristopher Radder/Brattleboro Reformer
  This story by Chris Mays was published by the Brattleboro Reformer on July 25.
  BRATTLEBORO — A state licensing agency has accepted a Brattleboro senior residential facility’s “plan of correction,” making clear that its employees may not solicit for gifts from residents, including gifts benefiting the facility.
  
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• State tests 10 schools’ water supplies for PFAS in pilot program

  25-07-2018 22:49 via vtdigger.org
  This story by Patricia LeBoeuf was published by the Bennington Banner on July 25.
  BENNINGTON — Results on the first tests of a state pilot program analyzing levels of a group of human-made, potentially harmful chemicals in school water sources are expected next month.
  Ten schools were tested for five per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS.
  “We’re really doing this out of an abundance of caution,” said Chuck Schwer, director of the waste management and preventi
  
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• Vermont's Bhutanese Community Among Refugee Groups Seeing Alarming Spike In Suicides dlvr.it/QcmD6j https://t.co/NU6SufNRrD

  25-07-2018 22:13 via twitter.com
  
  Vermont's Bhutanese Community Among Refugee Groups Seeing Alarming Spike In Suicides dlvr.it/QcmD6j https://t.co/NU6SufNRrD
  
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• 10th annual Vermont Cheesemakers’ Festival is Aug. 12 at Shelburne Farms

  25-07-2018 22:08 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Cheesemakers FestivalJuly 16, 2018
  10TH ANNUAL VERMONT CHEESEMAKERS’ FESTIVAL CELEBRATES LOCAL CHEESEMAKERS AND ARTISAN FOOD PRODUCERS
  The Vermont Cheesemakers Festival will mark its Tenth Annual appearance on the shores of Lake Champlain at the historic Coach Barn at Shelburne Farms on August 12, 2018 from 10 AM to 4 PM to celebrate the art of cheesemaking in Vermont. Attendees can meet cheesemakers and taste the cheeses of Vermont, enjoy the creations of arti
  
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• Von Trapp Brewing wins 2 beer medals at US Open Beer Championship

  25-07-2018 22:04 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Von Trapp BrewingJuly 11, 2018
  Contact:Michael WhittyDirector of Sales and Marketingvon Trapp [email protected]
  Stowe, Vermont- The 2018 U.S. Open Beer Championship awarded von Trapp® Brewing a gold medal in the German Kölsch category and a bronze medal in the Bock category.
  This year’s competition, held in Oxford, Ohio, included breweries from South Carolina to South Korea with over 6,300 beer entries, and more than 110 different beer
  
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• Third video in ‘Stay Savvy Vermont’ scam awareness partnership – Internet Scam Awareness

  25-07-2018 21:59 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Department of Disabilities, Aging & Independent LivingJuly 16, 2018
  Media Contacts:Monica White, Director of Operations, Department of Disabilities, Aging & Independent [email protected]
  Kristin Clouser, Chief of Human Services Legal Division, Office of the Attorney [email protected]
  Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan and Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living Commissioner Monica Caserta Hutt
  
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• Saint Michael’s Playhouse presents ‘See How They Run’

  25-07-2018 21:50 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Saint Michael’s PlayhouseJuly 24, 2018
  Contact:Chuck TobinProducing Artistic Director802-654-2617
  Classic British Farce See How They Run to open with Hilarious Hijinks and Madcap Mayhem
  (Colchester, Vermont) Saint Michael’s Playhouse announces the August 1 opening of Philip King’s classic British farce See How They Run. “In times like these we can all use a couple hours of non-stop laughter and See How They Run offers exactly that. Audience members la
  
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• Northeast Kingdom Collective announces leadership summit dates

  25-07-2018 21:40 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Northeast Kingdom CollaborativeJuly 17, 2018
  Contact:Katherine Sims(802) 673-7376
  NEK Leadership Summits Coming Up Next Week
  Hardwick – What should be done right now to encourage and support community leadership in the Northeast Kingdom? How can we reach out to inspire more and different kinds of people to become leaders?
  Northeast Kingdom Collaborative is seeking answers to these questions and other ideas about how to broaden leadership and strengthen leaders in the r
  
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• Keeping Your Kids' Education From Sliding This Summer dlvr.it/QclzSt https://t.co/O8G7e3OkaK

  25-07-2018 21:19 via twitter.com
  
  Keeping Your Kids' Education From Sliding This Summer dlvr.it/QclzSt https://t.co/O8G7e3OkaK
  
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• Gov. Scott: State to award grants for school safety

  25-07-2018 21:15 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Gov. Phil ScottJuly 16, 2018
  Contact:Rebecca [email protected]
  Mark Bosma802-839-6717
  THE STATE OF VERMONT TO AWARD $4 MILLION IN SCHOOL SAFETY GRANTS TO STRENGTHEN SECURITY INFRASTRUCTUREFunding proposed by Governor Scott and passed by Legislature in response to averted threat at local high school
  Montpelier, Vt. – More than 250 Vermont schools have applied for funding to make security upgrades to their facilities. The State will award $4 mi
  
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• Northeast Kingdom Fund accepting grant applications

  25-07-2018 21:11 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Community FoundationJuly 16, 2018
  ContactChelsea Bardot Lewis802-388-3355 ext. [email protected]
  Funding Available for Organizations in the Northeast Kingdom through the Northeast Kingdom Fund
  Funding is now available for organizations and projects in Orleans, Essex, and Caledonia Counties through the Northeast Kingdom Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation. The fund awards mini-grants ($500 – $1,000) and development grants ($1,001 – $5,000) in su
  
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• Chroma Technology announces new chief engineering officer

  25-07-2018 20:58 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Chroma TechnologyJuly 16, 2018
  Contact:Paul MillmanPhone: 802 428 2532Email: [email protected]
  In a dramatic restructuring that will allow employee-owned Chroma Technology Corp. to take advantage of rapidly expanding international markets, the company announced today that former IBM/GlobalFoundries leader Janette Bombardier has accepted the newly created position of Chief Engineering Officer.
  Bombardier is a dynamic leader and manufacturing expert and licensed professional
  
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• Secretary of State Jim Condos named president of national organization

  25-07-2018 20:54 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Secretary of State Jim CondosJuly 16, 2018
  Contact:Eric Covey802-828-2148
  Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos Named Head of National Organization
  Montpelier, VT – Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos was sworn in today as the President of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), at their summer conference in Philadelphia. NASS is the nation’s oldest, non-partisan professional organization for state officials. Condos will serve the one year-term
  
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• Scott’s approval rating topples after signing gun control bills

  25-07-2018 20:48 via vtdigger.org
  Gov. Phil Scott signs gun legislation on April 11 at the Statehouse. File photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDigger
  Gov. Phil Scott saw a sharp drop in approval in the second quarter of 2018, the latest Morning Consult poll shows, a plummet that political analysts are attributing to his decision earlier this year to tighten the state’s gun laws.
  Two other recent polls have shown Scott struggling with his own political base, but unlike those polls, Morning Consult conducts regular polling showing chan
  
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• LISTEN: Campaign 2018: Bristol's Ethan Sonneborn Brings A New Generation Into Vermont Politics… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

  25-07-2018 20:27 via twitter.com
  LISTEN: Campaign 2018: Bristol's Ethan Sonneborn Brings A New Generation Into Vermont Politics… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
  
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• UVM hospital, nurses report progress, but no deal in contract talks

  25-07-2018 18:34 via vtdigger.org
  UVM Medical Center nurses begin a 48-hour picket earlier this month. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  University of Vermont Medical Center administrators and the hospital’s unionized nurses reported some progress after contract talks resumed Tuesday evening, the first round negotiations following a two-day strike earlier this month.The union and management reached “tentative agreements” on two issues related to pay. But union leaders said there’s still no overall agreemen
  
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• Libertarians bring anti-tax, pro-gun message to state Senate race

  25-07-2018 04:18 via vtdigger.org
  Seth Cournoyer and Loyal Ploof, Libertarian Party candidates for Chittenden County state Senate seats.The Chittenden County state senate race got a bit more crowded this week, with the entrance of two candidates running on the Vermont Libertarian Party ticket.Seth Cournoyer, a high school student, and Loyal Ploof, who runs a dog walking service, are hoping to inspire voters fed up with politicians from the state’s major parties. Both candidates say they will fight to make Vermont affordabl
  
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• Recycling costs rise as glutted global markets get picky about U.S. recyclables

  25-07-2018 03:38 via vtdigger.org
  Employees of Casella Waste Systems sort plastic recyclables. Photo by Elizabeth Gribkoff/VTDigger
  Vermonters are starting to see the costs of changes in the global recycling market, and in the state’s own recycling laws, reflected in the bills they receive from trash haulers.Operators of recycling sorting facilities have had to increase the “tipping fees” they charge trash collectors to make up for the declining revenue from the sale of recyclables and slumping markets of some
  
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• Leahy leads call for Kavanaugh’s White House records

  25-07-2018 03:27 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., speaks at a Senate Democratic caucus press conference Tuesday.
  Sen. Patrick Leahy and other top Senate Democrats are calling for a release of records from Supreme Court justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s time serving in the White House.
  Kavanaugh served as staff secretary for President George W. Bush before he was confirmed to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2006.Get all of VTDigger's political news.You'll never miss a political story with our weekly headline
  
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• Feds start Medicare card switch in Vermont to protect against fraud

  25-07-2018 03:13 via vtdigger.org
  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is issuing new Medicare cards to help protect against fraud. Officials began mailing the cards to Vermonters this week. Courtesy photoFederal officials are issuing new Medicare cards to more than 141,000 Vermonters in an effort to better prevent fraud.
  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services began mailing the cards this week to Vermont recipients as part of an incremental rollout nationwide.Get all of VTDigger's health care news.You'll ne
  
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• No gifting, no problem. Pot entrepreneurs still see opportunity

  25-07-2018 03:00 via vtdigger.org
  Marijuana. Photo by Andrew Kutches/VTDiggerFrom private clubs to growing gear, pot-focused entrepreneurs still see opportunity despite advice from Vermont’s top prosecutor clamping down on businesses based on marijuana gifts.In a guidance issued Monday, Attorney General TJ Donovan said that his office considers business models that involve gifts of marijuana along with purchases of another item or a service to be against the law.
  While the guidance is likely to chill plans for businesses b
  
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• Teachers union pitches plan to eliminate education property tax

  25-07-2018 02:32 via vtdigger.org
  Members of the Vermont NEA rally at the Statehouse in 2017. Photo by Michael Dougherty/VTDiggerThe state’s teachers union and two nonprofit groups are planning a push to eliminate Vermont’s most hated levy — the residential education property tax — in favor of shifting the school funding burden onto the income tax.
  “We firmly believe that a family’s ability to pay needs to be of paramount concern when it comes to funding our schools,” said VT-NEA spokesp
  
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• Vermont’s second-largest mobile home park up for sale; residents on the clock

  25-07-2018 01:46 via vtdigger.org
  A mobile home in Westbury Park being advertised for sale online.
  The owners of the biggest mobile home park in Chittenden County, and the second-largest park in the state, announced their intent last week to sell the property, giving those residing on the 250 lots six weeks to decide if they want to band together and buy it.Even if the tenants match the $11.5 million asking price, the owners of Westbury Park are under no obligation to accept the offer. An outside buyer would have to give residen
  
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• Michael Shank & Matt Cartwright: The water crisis

  25-07-2018 01:05 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Michael Shank and U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright. Shank, of Brandon, is the communications director for the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. Cartwright represents Pennsylvania’s 17th congressional district and serves on the House Appropriations Committee.
  Most Americans take water for granted. It’s a resource that people assume will always be accessible, available, and consumable. For most people in t
  
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• Don Keelan: Bring back personal responsibility

  25-07-2018 01:00 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.
  I was appalled when I found out that our local elementary school was utilizing a non-environmentally friendly laundry detergent in their laundry room. Also, the soap is costly, so a more generic brand would have sufficed.
  If the school’s personnel are going to be washing the clothes of children who arrive with dirty, smel
  
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• Ron Krupp: Helping the birds

  25-07-2018 00:55 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Ron Krupp, who is the author of “The Woodchuck Returns to Gardening.” It originally aired on Vermont Public Radio.
  One of my favorite activities is to go on bird watching trips and hang out with knowledgeable folks who can identify birds before seeing them – simply by their calls.
  I recently took a trip to Little River State Park in Waterbury where we were looking for warblers. Richard Foye, a longtime birder from South Newfane, said h
  
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