Vermont news

• Springfield man found not guilty by insanity of killing girlfriend

  10-10-2018 22:17 via vtdigger.org
  Charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in the March 2017 killing of Betty Rodriguez in Springfield, Arnaldo Cruz steps up to the defense table to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity through lawyer Dan Sedon in Windsor Superior Court in White River Junction, on Tuesday. Photo by James M. Patterson/Copyright Valley News
  This story by Jordan Cuddemi was published by the Valley News on Oct. 10.
  WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Emotions ran high in Windsor Superior Court on Tuesd
  
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• Restaurateurs hope tipped minimum wage issue will be resolved

  10-10-2018 22:09 via vtdigger.org
   
  The money employers spend on increasing the tipped minimum would be better used to help back-of-house employees, said Eric Warnstedt, an owner of Hen of the Wood Burlington, shown here. Hotel Vermont photo
  Vermont restaurant industry advocates hope to clarify this coming year a secondary minimum wage issue that’s now mixed in with the push for a $15 minimum wage: the tipped minimum wage.
  The general minimum wage in Vermont is $10.50 an hour. Under legislation passed in 2017, it will
  
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• Vermont’s first Target store to open Oct. 21 in South Burlington

  10-10-2018 21:32 via vtdigger.org
  A rendering of design plans for the South Burlington Target store, expected to open Oct. 21. Courtesy image
  The huge retailer Target is opening its first Vermont store in South Burlington Oct. 21, ending Vermont’s reign as the only U.S. state without a Target.
  The South Burlington store will be one of Target’s smaller 60,000-square-foot stores, which “allow Target to open in areas where a full-size Target might not fit,” the company said in a press release.
  The average Ta
  
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• State gets $400,000 in school safety grants

  10-10-2018 21:08 via vtdigger.org
  State agencies applied for grants after an incident at Fair Haven Union High in Poultney last year, when a former student was arrested and accused of planning a mass shooting at the school. File photo by Colin Meyn/VTDigger
  Vermont will receive a little more than $400,000 in federal grants to put toward a new school safety tip line and active shooter trainings.
  The Vermont State Police will receive $173,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice to create a tip line for students, teachers, school s
  
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• Campaign 2018: Bernie Sanders Sets Sights On 3rd Term In U.S. Senate dlvr.it/Qmws73 https://t.co/6SlzC34UEh

  10-10-2018 20:36 via twitter.com
  
  Campaign 2018: Bernie Sanders Sets Sights On 3rd Term In U.S. Senate dlvr.it/Qmws73 https://t.co/6SlzC34UEh
  
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• Enthusiasm mounts as work on Bennington’s Putnam Block begins

  10-10-2018 20:34 via vtdigger.org
  The former Hotel Putnam is one of three historic buildings that would be renovated in the first phase of the $53 million Putnam Block project in Bennington. File photo by Holly Peczynski/Bennington Banner
  BENNINGTON — A financial closing for the first phase of the $53 million Putnam Block project won’t happen until early December, but excitement among Select Board members seemed palpable during a progress briefing on Monday.
  Future Bennington residents are likely to think “in t
  
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• One dead in early morning Guilford fire

  10-10-2018 19:25 via vtdigger.org
  Crews respond to what turned out to be a fatal fire in Guilford on Tuesday. Photo by Kristopher Radder/Brattleboro Reformer
  Editor’s note: This article by Bob Audette and Kris Radder was published in the Brattleboro Reformer on Oct. 10.
  GUILFORD — State authorities are investigating a fatal fire on Autumn Hill Road.
  The fire was reported around 4:14 a.m. Tuesday, according to Guilford Fire Chief Jared Bristol. According to the Vermont State Police, Timothy White, 52, perished in the
  
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• Gov. Phil Scott’s approval rating stabilizes ahead of general election

  10-10-2018 19:11 via vtdigger.org
  Gov. Phil Scott’s signing of gun legislation was seen as a major factor behind a steep drop in his approval rating in the previous Morning Consult poll in July. File photo by Bob LoCicero/VTDigger
  After Gov. Phil Scott’s approval rating took a major hit in the second quarter of 2018, his standing among Vermonters is making a recovery, the latest poll from Morning Consult shows.
  Overall, Scott’s rating has climbed to 50 percent, after it saw a steep fall from 65 percent to 47 pe
  
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• Vermont Catholic Church to share misconduct files with laity

  10-10-2018 17:22 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont Catholic Bishop Christopher Coyne addresses past child abuse by church personnel at a press conference in September at Burlington’s St. Joseph Cathedral. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger
  Vermont Catholic Bishop Christopher Coyne will form a committee of lay men and women to review the statewide diocese’s clergy misconduct files and publicly release the names of abusers.
  “The crimes of the past were horrific and the damage to the victims and their loved ones horren
  
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• We were honored to be the guinea pigs! Have a great time, @kcur @KCURUpToDate! twitter.com/nprstations/st…

  10-10-2018 15:55 via twitter.com
  We were honored to be the guinea pigs! Have a great time, @kcur @KCURUpToDate! twitter.com/nprstations/st…
  
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• Vermont Agency of Natural Resources announces state still in drought

  10-10-2018 05:35 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Agency of Natural ResourcesOct. 3, 2018
  Contact:Elle O’[email protected]
  Despite a Rainy Week, State Still Grappling with DroughtCrowd-Sourcing Tool Helps Public Report Water Shortages
  MONTPELIER, Vt. — According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, approximately 73% of Vermont is experiencing dry or drought conditions. Eight percent of the state, primarily in north central Vermont, is in severe drought while moderate drought conditions ext
  
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• Circle executive director to participate in leadership development plan

  10-10-2018 05:13 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — CircleOct. 3, 2018
  CONTACTDiane [email protected]
  Washington County Domestic Violence Service Provider Selected for National Leadership Program to Build Health Equity:Research to Benefit Survivors of Domestic Violence Struggling with Opioid Use in Vermont
  Barre, VT
  Diane Kinney, MS, the Co-Executive Director of Circle, the domestic violence shelter in Washington County, has been selected to participate in one of the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundati
  
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• Vermont Supreme Court to hear cases at Proctor High School

  10-10-2018 04:51 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Supreme CourtOct. 4, 2018
  Contact:Patricia Gabel(802) [email protected]
  Montpelier, VT – The Vermont Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in four cases at Proctor Jr/Sr High School on Wednesday, October 17, 2018.
  The Court usually holds its monthly term in the Supreme Court building in Montpelier, but each fall the Court goes “On the Road” for a day, historically, to a superior court courthouse. This year marks the seco
  
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• Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce announces board of directors additions

  10-10-2018 04:25 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of CommerceOct. 6, 2018
  Contact: Nicole [email protected] ext. 209
  BURLINGTON, VT – Lake Champlain Chamber Announces Additions to Board of Directors
  The Chamber is pleased to announce that Donald Baker, President, Vermont Market of KeyBank, will serve as Chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors for the next year and that Kurt Gruendling, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development will serve as Vice Ch
  
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• Green Mountain College offers new course

  10-10-2018 04:07 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Green Mountain CollegeOct. 6, 2018
  Contact:[email protected]
  Green Mountain College Offers New Course “Brett Kavanaugh: Boys Will Be Boys” in the #MeToo Era
  Poultney, Vermont – October 2018 – Green Mountain College is offering a new ½ credit Pop Up course titled “Brett Kavanaugh: “Boys Will Be Boys.”
  In this Pop Up course, which started on October 2nd, students and faculty will look at the landscape surrounding sexual a
  
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• Online business registration portal could cost $10 million, Condos says

  10-10-2018 04:05 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  A committee that studied ways of streamlining Vermont’s online business registration process — which could cost upwards of $10 million — will pass its recommendations to the Legislature on Dec. 15.
  While the Secretary of State’s office has an online portal in place now for business owners to use, it was created in 2013 and is limited, said Secretary of State Jim Condos at a press conference Tuesday in
  
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• One-stop business registration portal could cost $10 million, Condos says

  10-10-2018 04:05 via vtdigger.org
  Secretary of State Jim Condos announces plans to launch a one-stop shop portal for businesses seeking state permits. Photo by Anne Wallace Allen/VTDigger
  A committee that studied ways of streamlining Vermont’s online business registration process — which could cost upwards of $10 million — will pass its recommendations on to the Legislature on Dec. 15.
  While the Secretary of State’s office has an online portal in place now for business owners to use, it was created in 201
  
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• After months of threats and friction over City Place, officials say it’s time to act

  10-10-2018 03:41 via vtdigger.org
  The site of the City Place development in downtown Burlington. By Mark Johnson/VTDigger
  City officials are “eager” for work to begin on the massive redevelopment of downtown Burlington, a project plagued for months by rants, threats and friction between the lead developer and key city officials, as well as “problems” and the near firing of the general contractor overseeing construction.
  A month and a half after receiving approval to lay the foundation — a project th
  
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• Vermont delegation backs postal workers in opposing privatization

  10-10-2018 03:35 via vtdigger.org
  Vermont’s members in Congress all oppose President Trump’s proposal to privatize operations of the U.S. Postal Service. USPS photo
  Postal workers in 140 cities across the country rallied this week against a White House proposal to privatize the U.S. Postal Service.
  While members of the American Postal Workers Union did not hold rallies in Vermont cities, protests were held Monday throughout northern New England, including in Concord and Manchester, New Hampshire, as well as in Brockt
  
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• Vermont Agency of Natural Resources seeks proposals for new program

  10-10-2018 03:21 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Agency of Natural ResourcesOct. 8, 2018
  Contact:Deirdra Ritzer(802) [email protected]
  Agency of Natural Resources Seeks Proposals for Electric School and Transit Bus Pilot Program
  The Agency of Natural Resources has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Vermont’s new electric school and transit bus pilot program. The RFP is the next step in launching the pilot program. Results from the program will allow the state to determine whether this t
  
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• National Life Group rated positive by Moody’s Investors Service

  10-10-2018 02:59 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — National Life GroupOct. 8, 2018
  Contact:Ross Sneyd802.229.3866.
  Moody’s Improves Ratings Outlook of National Life Companies to Positive
  Montpelier, Vermont – Moody’s Investors Service has improved the ratings outlook of the insurance companies of National Life Group to positive, reflecting the companies’ “growing market position in life insurance and annuities, strong financial flexibility and good consistent operating profitability.”
  Mood
  
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• Sanders plans 9-state tour ahead of midterm elections

  10-10-2018 02:46 via vtdigger.org
  Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks to a packed hall at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Bennington last August. Photo by Holly Pelczynski/Bennington Banner
  Less than a month before the midterm congressional elections, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is headed on a nine-state tour to campaign for Democrats.
  His road trip will include stops in Iowa, South Carolina, Michigan, Indiana, Nevada, Wisconsin, Arizona, Colorado and California in the run-up to the Nov. 6 election.Get all of VTDigger's pol
  
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• Copley Hospital cuts costs in response to state’s concern

  10-10-2018 02:27 via vtdigger.org
  Copley Hospital in Morrisville. Courtesy photo
  State regulators say they’re worried about the financial health of Copley Hospital, especially if patient numbers continue to decline and expenses continue to rise at the 25-bed facility in Morrisville.
  At the same time, the Green Mountain Care Board, the state’s health care regulator, has slashed the hospital’s requested revenue increases for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. Officials say Copley must focus more on reducing its c
  
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• Biking for the Belly raises money for appendix cancer research

  10-10-2018 02:18 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Biking for the BellyOct. 1, 2018
  Contact:Stephen [email protected]
  $56K Raised to Research Rare Appendix Cancer to Honor Dr. Barrett PetersonBiking for the Belly Brings Friends and Family Together
  Friends and family of Dr. Barrett Peterson gathered in North Hero on Saturday, Sept. 22, to honor his memory and raise more than $56,000 for research to find a cure for a rare cancer, Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (PMP).
  More than 250 people participated in “The
  
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• Northern Vermont University-Johnson to host multiculturalism talk

  10-10-2018 02:02 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Northern Vermont UniversityOct. 1, 2018
  Contact:Sylvia [email protected]
  Talk on Multiculturalism Oct. 18 at Northern Vermont University-Johnson
  JOHNSON, VERMONT — Curtiss Reed Jr., director of the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity, will give the 34th annual Ellsworth Lecture at 7 p.m. Oct. 18 at Northern Vermont University-Johnson.
  The talk, in Bentley Hall Room 207, is free for the public. Reed will discuss a plan to foste
  
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• State blocking two more top EB-5 officials from answering questions under oath

  10-10-2018 02:00 via vtdigger.org
  Attorney Russell Barr, left, and Vermont’s chief assistant attorney general, William Griffin.
  The Vermont Attorney General’s Office is seeking to block the questioning of two more former high-ranking officials associated with the state-run, scandal plagued EB-5 program.
  Chief Assistant Attorney General William Griffin notified attorney Russell Barr late last week that it would be filing motions to quash subpoenas served on Lawrence Miller, former secretary of the Agency of Commerce a
  
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• State blocking two more top EB-5 officials from answering questions

  10-10-2018 02:00 via vtdigger.org
  Attorney Russell Barr, left, and Vermont’s chief assistant attorney general, William Griffin.
  The Vermont Attorney General’s Office is seeking to block the questioning of two more former high-ranking officials associated with the state-run, scandal plagued EB-5 program.
  Chief Assistant Attorney General William Griffin notified attorney Russell Barr late last week that it would be filing motions to quash subpoenas served on Lawrence Miller, former secretary of the Agency of Commerce a
  
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• Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department to host Halloween wildlife festival

  10-10-2018 01:44 via vtdigger.org
  News Release — Vermont Department of Fish and WildlifeOct. 2, 2018
  Contact:Alison Thomas802-371-9975
  Corey Hart802-265-2279
  Halloween Wildlife Festival and Jack-O’-Lantern Hike at Kehoe Education Center on October 26
  CASTLETON, Vt. — Looking for a “wild” family-based adventure for Halloween this year? The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is inviting families to attend the sixth annual Halloween Wildlife Festival and Jack-o’Lantern Hike at the Kehoe Educa
  
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• Joseph Gainza: US policy in Central America

  10-10-2018 01:05 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Joseph Gainza, the founder of Vermont Action for Peace and the producer and host of “Gathering Peace” on WGDR and WGDH. He lives in Marshfield.
  Why are so many people from Central America trying to get into this country? Why don’t they change their own country rather than coming into ours illegally?
  Good questions. In many cases the people have tried to change their country, often by struggling against corrupt governments. In the late
  
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• Peter Berger: Light and liberty

  10-10-2018 01:00 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.
  There is no end, no bottom to the heap of issues that preoccupy public schools. We’re well past Labor Day now, and teachers are engaged and absorbed in learning about their students, fine-tuning their plans based on who those
  
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• Rama Schneider: Lessons learned at the school board

  10-10-2018 00:55 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Rama Schneider, who was until recently a member of the Paine Mountain School District Board, and currently is an appointed Williamstown representative to the Central Vermont Internet Communications Union District.
  I recently stepped back from participation on my local school board, and after giving myself some time to reflect, I have the following thoughts to offer.
  The three most important policy areas, in no particular order, are: the district graduat
  
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• Debates 2018: Turner And Zuckerman, Candidates For Lt. Governor dlvr.it/Qmqtnh https://t.co/4etRdMSFBE

  10-10-2018 00:51 via twitter.com
  
  Debates 2018: Turner And Zuckerman, Candidates For Lt. Governor dlvr.it/Qmqtnh https://t.co/4etRdMSFBE
  
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