Vermont news

• Heather Furman: Hunting & conservation — making room for all

  10-11-2019 23:55 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Heather Furman, the Vermont state director for The Nature Conservancy. It was first published by the Times Argus and Rutland Herald.
  If you recreate in the outdoors and care about the quality of your recreational experience – the vast stretches of green, the opportunity to see wildlife, the health of Vermont’s forests – thank a hunter.  
  Why? Because hunting and conservation have a rich history that has helped shape our lands
  
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• Mike Mrowicki: Keeping it civil

  10-11-2019 23:50 via vtdigger.org
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by state Rep. Mike Mrowicki, a Democrat who represents Windham-4 (Putney, Dummerston and Westminster) in the Vermont House of Representatives.These are times that are testing our faith in ourselves, each other and our democracy — as well as our tradition in Vermont of keeping it civil.While there have been instances where lines were crossed — around civil unions and firearm reforms — for the most part, we have kept it civil.There are faul
  
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• As artificial intelligence grows in Vermont, task force mulls state policies

  10-11-2019 23:09 via vtdigger.org
  
  BRISTOL — For some, artificial intelligence may conjure sci-fi movie plots and fears of sentient robots challenging humanity. Not Bruce Duncan. The greatest threat to the future of AI, he believes, is ignorance. 
  Duncan discussed his concern as he sat only a few feet away from Bina48, a humanoid robot he helped create that’s able to analyze and respond to hundreds of conversation starters. AI algorithms allow her to act, think and respond like a human. 
  Although she’s
  
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• Satire: ‘You first’ standoff enters second day at Barre stop sign

  10-11-2019 21:30 via vtdigger.org
  
  BARRE – Police are asking drivers to avoid the intersection of Hill St. and Liberty St. in Barre, as two cars have been attempting to wave each other through the stop sign for almost 30 hours. The back-up began when two vehicles arrived at the intersection simultaneously, and each driver motioned for the other to proceed.“I was there,” says Montpelier resident Jim Patients. “I was the car directly behind the grey Volvo. That’s the one on Liberty. Anyway, I pulled up
  
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• The Deeper Dig: Sweeping opioid litigation lands in Vermont

  10-11-2019 21:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Deeper Dig is a weekly podcast from the VTDigger newsroom. Listen below, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
  Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan, whose office is pursing three cases against opioid companies, is now recommending cities and towns join a national suit. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  Vermont cities and towns are deciding whether to join the broad-ranging national litigation against companies ac
  
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• State rep wins gold in international skating competition

  10-11-2019 20:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  This article by Madeline Clark was published by the Other Paper on Nov. 7.“Representing the United States of America, Maida Townsend.”At 75, Rep. Maida Townsend won a gold medal in an international skating competition in Lake Placid. Courtesy photoIt was an introduction even Townsend – Chittenden District 7-4 State representative – wasn’t expecting to hear. But sure enough, it’s how she was presented to judges, the audience and her fellow competitors at the In
  
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• Environmental group drops Coventry landfill expansion appeal

  10-11-2019 19:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  Waste is dumped in one area of the landfill every day, then covered with soil to mitigate odors and pests. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDiggerGrassroots organization DUMP has agreed to drop its appeal of the Coventry landfill’s solid waste permit, moving landfill owner Casella Waste Systems one step closer to a 51-acre expansion.
  DUMP LLC — an acronym for Don’t Undermine Memphremagog’s Purity — reached a settlement agreement earlier this month with landfill owner Casel
  
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• Making it in Vermont: Flex-A-Seal’s custom work draws international demand

  10-11-2019 18:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  Nga Tran welds components for mechanical seals at Flex-A-Seal in Essex Junction on Thursday, October 24, 2019.Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThings were getting so crowded at Flex-A-Seal’s Essex Junction factory five years ago that the production workers were doing their jobs elbow-to-elbow and moving carts out of their paths to get around.“You couldn’t get from one end of the building to the other because there were too many people in the way,” said founder Hank Slauson,
  
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• Then Again: Wives’ ‘desertion postings’ were the #equalpay tweets of their time

  10-11-2019 17:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  “Desertion postings,” published notifications that a marriage had fallen apart, offer a glimpse into tensions that married couples sometimes experienced in early Vermont. Wikimedia CommonsEditor’s note: Mark Bushnell is a Vermont journalist and historian. He is the author of “Hidden History of Vermont” and “It Happened in Vermont.” 
  Lucy Martin wasn’t mincing words. Her marriage was failing and she wanted the world to know why. Her husband, sh
  
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• With cyanobacteria blooms into fall, is Vermont doing enough to protect public health?

  10-11-2019 16:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  Three Burlington beaches were closed Friday after blue-green algae was spotted. Photo by Aidan Quigley/VTDiggerAfter yet another summer with headline-grabbing cyanobacteria blooms in Vermont, the state still does not have recreational or drinking water standards for cyanotoxins.
  But state officials say that Vermont has mounted a robust — albeit voluntary — effort to inform the public about risks of cyanobacteria blooms and test drinking water for the toxins those blooms can produce.&
  
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• Early season winter storm watch issued for northern Vermont

  10-11-2019 14:48 via vtdigger.org
  
  The view from the high perch of one of the state’s snowplows reveals a sloppy Route 4. File photo by Andrew Nemethy
  Up to 8 inches of snow could fall in the next few days as an
  early season wintry storm is expected to hit Vermont and the northeast.A winter storm watch has been issued in northern Vermont beginning Monday afternoon and extending into Tuesday, according to an alert from the state Department of Public Safety.The watch region includes Franklin, Grand Isle, Orleans, Essex, Chitt
  
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