Vermont news

• Green Mountain Power employee dies during windstorm

  06-12-2022 23:40 via vtdigger.org
  
  Green Mountain Power in Colchester on Monday, December 30, 2019.Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerA Green Mountain Power employee died last Thursday in Halifax while working to restore power during a windstorm, according to Vermont State Police.Luke Donahue, 41, of Colrain, Massachusetts, “was working in the field to serve customers during last week’s windstorm when a tree fell,” Kristin Carlson, a Green Mountain Power spokesperson, told VTDigger. He was pronounced dead at the sce
  
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• Recounts affirm election winners in Grand Isle-Chittenden and Bennington-1 House races

  06-12-2022 23:22 via vtdigger.org
  
  Voters cast their ballots at the Bennington firehouse polling place on Election Day, Aug. 9. File photo by Tiffany Tan/VTDigger
  Recounts confirmed the winners in two races for Vermont House seats.In Grand Isle-Chittenden, a two-member district covering Alburgh, Isle La Motte, Milton, North Hero and South Hero, Rep. Michael Morgan, R-Milton and Democrat Josie Leavitt prevailed over Republican candidate Andy Paradee and Democratic candidate Karin Ames, according to a judgment signed this month by
  
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• Madeleine Kunin: The specter of antisemitism still elicits a small tremor

  06-12-2022 21:55 via vtdigger.org
  
  Madeleine M. Kunin, who was a three-term governor of Vermont, is the author of “Coming of Age: My Journey to the Eighties.”Antisemitism is like an old scar on the body politic that I had thought had been healed over. But recent events made the scab fall off, exposing ugly, raw skin.Antisemitism — whatever form it takes — is abhorrent and frightening. President Trump’s recent dinner guests at Mar-a-Lago were an antisemite and a white supremacist; he bestowed legitima
  
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• Neighbors need facts and food; Help us reach our goal of 250 members by Friday

  06-12-2022 21:14 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Reader,We know that strong local journalism contributes to more accountable governance, greater civic engagement and a shared sense of community. Nonprofit newsrooms like VTDigger can’t do this work without member support. We also know the public health and economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic have exacerbated existing societal issues, throwing more people than ever into precarious circumstances. Before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, about one in ten Vermonters reported str
  
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• Gov. Phil Scott sets a voluntary paid leave program into motion

  06-12-2022 20:52 via vtdigger.org
  
  A paid family and medical leave program announced Tuesday by Gov. Phil Scott would reimburse up to 60% of a person’s wages for at least six weeks. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThree years after Gov. Phil Scott first signed a contract with state employees that would provide them with paid family and medical leave and anchor a voluntary program for other employers in Vermont, the Republican governor has announced that his administration has found an insurer to make good on the deal.Ad
  
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• Following a petition and a lawsuit, Agency of Natural Resources begins new public process for state lands

  06-12-2022 13:24 via vtdigger.org
  
  A cleared area in Groton State Forest. Photo courtesy of Zack PorterThe Vermont Agency of Natural Resources is embarking on a new process to create rules that will guide the agency’s public land management procedures. The move, announced last week by Julie Moore, who leads the agency, follows a petition — and more recently, a lawsuit — filed by the environmental group Standing Trees. Each asks the agency to engage in a rulemaking process that would allow the public to weig
  
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• Dr. John Dunn: An urgent care view on primary care, and what needs to change

  06-12-2022 13:10 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by John Dunn, M.D., a resident of Jeffersonville and a doctor at the UVM Urgent Care Center. He has practiced in Vermont for about 30 years.Dr. Fay Homan wrote a great commentary that appeared here on Dec. 1 about the need for more primary care here in Vermont. At the UVM Urgent Care Center, I see people every day who use our facility because they either don’t have a primary care provider or their provider can’t see them for weeks. We often provide patients wi
  
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• Geoffrey Pizzutillo: Cannabis law fails to protect tourists, communities impacted by Prohibition

  06-12-2022 13:07 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Geoffrey Pizzutillo of Burlington, cofounder and executive director of the Vermont Growers Association.Vermont legalized small amounts of cannabis to grow at home, possess, and consume for adults 21 and older with Act 86 in 2018, two years before lawmakers legalized commercial cannabis with Act 164 in 2020.Yet, it remains one of the least friendly states for legal consumption. Who is most impacted by Vermont's cannabis consumption law, why is New York earning recogniti
  
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• Jackie McGrath: Changing the tax system could help solve Burlington housing woes

  06-12-2022 13:04 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Jackie McGrath, who lives in Burlington and is a senior at the University of Vermont, majoring in environmental studies. Housing is one of the most important human needs, yet it’s nearly impossible to find an affordable apartment recently. Vermont rental vacancy rates are now the lowest in the country. In 2019, Burlington and Winooski’s rental apartment vacancy rate was at 1.8% and it’s only been getting worse. Walking through the Old North
  
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• Michael Shank: Posting property against hunting should be a one-and-done deal

  06-12-2022 13:01 via vtdigger.org
  This commentary is by Michael Shank, a resident of Montpelier.Here’s the only time I’ll ever utter the following phrase: Vermont should be more like Alabama and Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas, and Missouri and Montana. All these states, and nearly a dozen more, have a law in place that I wish that Vermont would institute.They all have what’s called a “purple paint law.”. And that purple paint, marked around the border of one’s property, lets people know that th
  
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• Bread and Puppet Theater adds 23 acres to its Northeast Kingdom farm

  06-12-2022 12:17 via vtdigger.org
  
  An aerial photo of Bread and Puppet's new barn. Photo by Don R. WhippleBread and Puppet Theater has acquired a 23-acre property that borders its farm in Glover, enabling the Northeast Kingdom institution to expand in the coming months. The land, which includes a four-bedroom home and a massive steel barn, had belonged to Erik Porter, who grew up next door to the theater and later bought the 23-acre property down the road from his boyhood home.“We’re thrilled that it was something the
  
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• Burlington City Council advances redistricting proposal

  06-12-2022 05:44 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Burlington City Council approved this redistricting map during its Monday meeting. Courtesy of the Burlington City CouncilBURLINGTON — Though no members would call it a perfect map, the City Council on Monday night approved a plan to redraw its own districts, making adjustments to boundaries while maintaining the current eight-ward, four-district configuration.The resolution heads next to the city attorney’s office for review before the council has a chance to sign off on th
  
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• PHOTOS: Carols, cookies and cider warm hearts at the Statehouse tree-lighting ceremony

  06-12-2022 02:50 via vtdigger.org
  
  The 2022 State Christmas tree is seen after a lighting ceremony at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Monday, December 5, 2022. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerMONTPELIER — A bright blue star and thousands of tiny, brilliant multi-colored lights adorn a 40-foot balsam as it beckons passersby to the Statehouse steps.Cheers filled the chilly air Monday evening as children of all ages helped Gov. Phil Scott light the Statehouse Christmas tree.The tree was donated by Richard Cowart and Anne Winche
  
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• Rutland mayor seeking a 4th term with public safety, housing in mind

  06-12-2022 00:56 via vtdigger.org
  
  Rutland Mayor David Allaire, who battled cancer two years ago, is the second person to declare his candidacy to lead Vermont’s fifth-largest municipality. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerTwo years after battling cancer, Rutland Mayor David Allaire is seeking a fourth term in office on a platform that includes public safety and housing.Allaire said he decided to run again as chief executive of Vermont’s fifth-largest municipality to continue some “unfinished business,”
  
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• Jill Krowinski nominated to serve 2nd term as Vermont House speaker

  06-12-2022 00:37 via vtdigger.org
  
  Rep. Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, addresses her colleagues after being elected Speaker of the House on the opening day of the Legislature at the Statehouse in Montpelier in 2021. Krowinski was nominated to serve a second term on Saturday.File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerRep. Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, is poised to lead the state’s largest-ever Democratic majority in her second biennium as House speaker.House Democrats nominated their slate of leaders at a party caucus meeting Saturd
  
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• Become a member and support local news for all of Vermont

  06-12-2022 00:13 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Reader,At VTDigger, we strive to bring you timely, relevant and in-depth news every single day of the year. But we can’t do that without reader support.We are only 300 member contributions away from meeting our Friday goal and staying on track during our annual membership drive. If you value the service that VTDigger provides, will you join us with a member gift at the level that is right for you today?
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