Vermont news

• Eyeing consumer prices, fuel dealers push for timeline on clean heat standard

  02-05-2024 12:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  Hunter Leveille, of Enfield, New Hampshire, brings the propane line back to his truck after filling a homeowner’s tanks on the Quechee-West Hartford Road in Hartford, in February 2021. Photo by Geoff Hansen/Valley News
  Fuel dealers in Vermont have asked the Public Utility Commission to specify the date at which they would be required to comply with a potential clean heat standard if the measure clears the Legislature next year. At issue, they say, is the pricing for pre-buy fuel deli
  
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• How do you choose a student loan? With eyes wide open!

  22-05-2024 18:05 via vtdigger.org
  
  For many students, attending college or training after high school likely involves taking out an education loan to help cover tuition bills, along with room, board, books, supplies, and transportation costs. Seven out of ten Vermont families need to borrow to help pay education costs. So, if your family is considering borrowing for college expenses, you’re not alone. Borrowing money to pay for education can feel overwhelming. But with a bit of background and some tips, you can go thr
  
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• Patrick Leahy: The Leahy law should be applied to Israel

  22-05-2024 13:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Patrick Leahy. He served as a U.S. senator from Vermont for 48 years.
  In the 1980s and ’90s, the United States gave training, weapons and ammunition to Latin American security forces with a long history of violating human rights. In Guatemala and El Salvador, soldiers trained and equipped by the United States killed hundreds of thousands of civilians with near-total impunity. I conceived and introduced the Leahy law in 1997 because our Latin partners, and security fo
  
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• Eve Frankel: Biodiversity is nature by another name 

  22-05-2024 12:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Eve Frankel of Waitsfield. She is the state director for The Nature Conservancy in Vermont. 
  Growing up as part of an immigrant family in Queens, New York, my childhood could be categorized as “nature deficient.” Aside from walks in the park or the special day trip to Jones Beach on a hot summer day, there was no camping, boating or hiking. When we moved to the suburbs, a sign of upward mobility that my parents strived for, I truly thought we were in the g
  
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• Mary Louise Sayles

  22-05-2024 02:03 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born Jan. 26, 1935Boston, Massachusetts
  Died May 16, 2024Lebanon, New Hampshire
  Details of servicesA visitation will be held Friday, May 24, 2024, at the Knight Funeral Home in Windsor from 4-6pm. A memorial service will be held On Saturday June 15, 2024, at Cedar Hill Community in Windsor at 11am. A private interment will follow in the Ascutney Cemetery in Windsor.Windsor, VT- Mary Louise Sayles died Thursday, May 16, 2024, at the Jack Byrne Palliative and Hospice Center in Lebanon, NH followin
  
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• Dozens of layoffs at former Vermont Teddy Bear distribution center due to start Thursday

  22-05-2024 00:37 via vtdigger.org
  
  A Vermont Teddy Bear worker uses a die and press to cut through multiple layers of fur to create the fabric pieces that will be sewn into bear parts. File photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  Roughly 30 people will lose their jobs at a distribution center for the former apparel brands of the Vermont Teddy Bear Company, according to a letter the new owner sent to the Vermont Department of Labor. The first round of layoffs are expected to begin Thursday and proceed in stages until June 5, accord
  
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• Unhoused Vermonters get extra help in bitter cold but must largely manage extreme heat on their own

  21-05-2024 23:29 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Fletcher Free Library has served as a cooling site in Burlington available for people to seek relief from the heat. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.As Vermont sees temperatures spike for the first time this year, unhoused people who lack stable access to shelter face limited options as they try to stay cool.Amid a rise in homelessness, the state’s sh
  
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• State trooper receiving care for ‘severe’ traumatic brain injury from March crash

  21-05-2024 22:33 via vtdigger.org
  
  Vermont State Police Cpl. Eric Vitali. Photo courtesy of Vermont State PoliceA Vermont State Police trooper seriously injured in March when his cruiser slammed into a fire truck that had stopped at a crash scene is undergoing treatment for a “severe traumatic brain injury.”Mike O’Neil, executive director of the Vermont Troopers’ Association, provided an update on Cpl. Eric Vitali’s condition in a statement issued late last week. O’Neil said he did so at the r
  
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• Dartmouth faculty censures college president over response to protest

  21-05-2024 21:46 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dartmouth College President Sian Beilock takes selfies with students during a lunch event on campus in Hanover, N.H., on Wednesday, July 12, 2023. Photo by James M. Patterson/Valley NewsThis story by Frances Mize was first published in the Valley News on May 20.HANOVER — Members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences have voted to censure Dartmouth College President Sian Leah Beilock, publicly rebuking her handling of a pro-Palestinian protest on campus earlier this month.The resolution pass
  
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• Gov. Phil Scott appoints Andy Julow to former Sen. Dick Mazza’s seat

  21-05-2024 18:15 via vtdigger.org
  
  Gov. Phil Scott on Tuesday appointed North Hero resident and former Democratic candidate for the Vermont House Andy Julow to the state Senate seat previously held by former Sen. Dick Mazza. Julow is the executive director of the Lake Champlain Islands Economic Development Corp. He’ll serve the Grand Isle Senate district, which includes the five towns on the Champlain Islands as well as parts of Colchester on the mainland. Andy Julow. Courtesy photo.
  Mazza resigned from the Senat
  
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• Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale: It’s time for the Vermont Kids Code

  21-05-2024 13:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale, D-Chittenden Southeast.
  As a Vermont senator and the mother of a toddler with a new baby on the way, I feel a deep personal responsibility to make sure the digital world our children grow up in is as safe and nurturing for them as the physical one. That’s why I’m grateful our Legislature came together at the end of this session to pass the Vermont Kids Code. I’m proud to have sponsored this bill, not only as a lawmaker but al
  
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• With prescription drug bills, Vermont lawmakers hope to lower pharmaceutical prices  

  21-05-2024 12:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  Stock photo via Pexels
  Vermont lawmakers are hoping that new legislation headed to the desk of Gov. Phil Scott will help patients afford prescription drugs, as rising pharmaceutical prices push up health care costs across the state. As legislators scrambled to wrap up the legislative session earlier this month, they passed two bills that aim to reform how prescription drugs are priced and distributed. “We’ve known about the impact that skyrocketing prescription drug costs
  
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• Lisa Jablow: Does the truth matter anymore?

  21-05-2024 12:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Lisa Jablow of Brattleboro. She is a longtime animal advocate and a board member of Protect Our Wildlife and the Windham Disaster Animal Response Team.
  The wildlife advocacy movement has never been stronger in Vermont. Over the past few years, the Statehouse has been bustling with bills seeking to improve wildlife protection and conservation, thanks to a completely dysfunctional, intractable and self-serving Fish & Wildlife Board. At this point, the only route to
  
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• Gov. Phil Scott signs bill limiting prior authorization, other health insurer practices

  21-05-2024 00:56 via vtdigger.org
  
  Gov. Phil Scott listens during a meeting at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Thursday, January 18, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  Gov. Phil Scott on Monday evening signed H.766, a bill that takes aim at health insurance company practices such as “prior authorization” and seeks to free health care practitioners from burdensome paperwork. “The intent of this bill is to improve the health care outcomes of Vermonters — which could lower overall healthcare costs &m
  
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• Scott vetoes bill that would ban some uses of pollinator-harming pesticides

  21-05-2024 00:22 via vtdigger.org
  
  The yellow-banded bumble bee (Bombus terricola) nectars joe pye weed. Photo courtesy/copyright K.P. McFarland/Vermont Center for EcostudiesGov. Phil Scott has vetoed a bill which would ban the use of seeds treated with neonicotinoid pesticides in most instances.Many environmentalists and beekeepers have supported the legislation, H.706, because of research that shows the deadly impact of neonicotinoids on native pollinators and honeybee colonies.In his letter to lawmakers explaining his veto, S
  
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• Phil Scott vetoes bill that would ban some uses of pollinator-harming pesticides

  21-05-2024 00:22 via vtdigger.org
  
  The yellow-banded bumble bee (Bombus terricola) nectars joe pye weed. Photo courtesy/copyright K.P. McFarland/Vermont Center for EcostudiesGov. Phil Scott has vetoed a bill which would ban the use of seeds treated with neonicotinoid pesticides in most instances.Many environmentalists and beekeepers have supported the legislation, H.706, because of research that shows the deadly impact of neonicotinoids on native pollinators and honeybee colonies.In his letter to lawmakers explaining his veto, S
  
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• Vermont to see ‘unseasonably’ warm temperatures in coming days, weather service reports

  20-05-2024 20:42 via vtdigger.org
  
  High temperature predictions from the National Weather Service. Map from the National Weather Service
  Vermont is forecast to hit temperatures in the upper 80s in the next two days, far above normal for this time of year, the Burlington branch of the National Weather Service reported on Monday. Parts of the state, particularly the Champlain Valley and Connecticut River Valley regions, could see a high of 90 degrees on Wednesday, according to weather service meteorologist Brooke Taber. That&
  
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• UVM halts plans to build housing near Centennial Woods

  20-05-2024 20:19 via vtdigger.org
  
  A 2023 rendering of a proposed undergraduate housing project near Centennial Woods, which University of Vermont officials have said they are no longer pursuing. Image courtesy of the University of Vermont.
  The University of Vermont is stopping plans for a new undergraduate housing complex that would have accommodated about 540 students, citing soaring construction costs and a lack of available labor.“With interest rates where they are, and the competition for labor in the Burlington area
  
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• Brian Campion, Bennington state senator, won’t seek reelection

  20-05-2024 19:17 via vtdigger.org
  
  Sen. Brian Campion, D-Bennington, speaks on the Senate floor in the Statehouse on Tuesday, April 30. Photo by Natalie Williams/VTDiggerSen. Brian Campion, D-Bennington, won’t seek reelection.The chair of the Vermont Senate Education Committee has spent 14 years in the Legislature, first in the House before being elected to the Senate in 2014. “I’m proud to have made a real difference for the people from Bennington County and look forward to continuing to be involved in my
  
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• Rep. Larry Satcowitz: Gov. Phil Scott should sign the Flood Safety Act

  20-05-2024 17:45 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Rep. Larry Satcowitz, D-Randolph. He is a member of the House Committee on Environment and Energy.
  The Flood Safety Act, S.213, makes changes to Vermont’s statues to help Vermont become more resilient to future flooding. The massive flooding of recent years caused billions of dollars in damage, destroying homes, businesses, roads and other infrastructure. This bill is a response to those events by addressing flood management in our river corridors, floodplains a
  
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• Reps. Michael Marcotte, Stephanie Jerome and Monique Priestley: The Data Privacy Act balances Vermonters’ personal privacy with business operations

  20-05-2024 16:42 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Rep. Michael Marcotte, R-Coventry; Rep. Stephanie Jerome, D-Brandon and Rep. Monique Priestley, D-Bradford — chair, vice chair and clerk of the Vermont House Committee on Commerce & Economic Development.
  Everything we do and say online is cataloged every moment of every day of our lives. Sometimes we know what’s being collected and tracked, but we decide to trade permission for convenience. Most of the time, we don’t even realize what is being collect
  
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• Howard Dean will not run for governor of Vermont

  20-05-2024 15:46 via vtdigger.org
  
  Former Governor Howard Dean announces he will not be a candidate for governor at a press conference in Waterbury on Monday, May 20, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  He’s out.After toying with the prospect of running for governor again, former Gov. Howard Dean said Monday morning that he would not challenge Republican Gov. Phil Scott this November.
  Dean announced his intentions at a press conference at the Waterbury town offices. Until he began speaking, it was unclear whether he woul
  
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• Howard Dean, Miro Weinberger rule out runs for governor of Vermont

  20-05-2024 15:46 via vtdigger.org
  
  Former Gov. Howard Dean, left, in May 2024 and former Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger in September 2023. Photos by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerUpdated at 12:41 p.m.Two prominent Vermont Democrats who had floated the prospect of challenging Republican Gov. Phil Scott this November have decided against it. Former Gov. Howard Dean and former Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger both announced Monday that they would not run for office this fall. With just 10 days remaining before the deadline to appear
  
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• Chittenden County forester taps into new path

  20-05-2024 12:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  Ethan Tapper stands on his property, Bear Island, in Bolton, reminiscing on the years it took to shape the 175 acres into what it is now. Photo by Liberty Darr/The Other PaperThis story by Liberty Darr was first published in The Other Paper on May 16.Ethan Tapper hopped out of his truck and pointed his binoculars to the sky, scanning the tops of the trees on his 175-acre property in Bolton.“I’m not a birder, but I love birds,” he said, a smile spreading across his face as he w
  
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• Tenant protections failed to gain traction in the Statehouse

  20-05-2024 11:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  A sign solicits renters on Colchester Avenue in Burlington in July 2022. File photo by Anna Ste. Marie/Vermont Public
  This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.As Vermont faces a razor-thin rental vacancy rate, an ever-tighter home-buying market, and an uptick in homelessness, lawmakers focused this year on clearing the way for more housing development.But when it comes to Vermonters who already have a hom
  
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• Young Writers Project: ‘My mother: the Earth’

  19-05-2024 14:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  “Florida Fisherman,” by Elise Ryan, YWP Media Library
  Young Writers Project is a creative online community of teen writers, photographers and artists, which has been based in Vermont since 2006. Each week, VTDigger features the writing and art of young Vermonters who publish their work on youngwritersproject.org, a free, interactive website for 12- to 18-year-olds. To find out more, visit youngwritersproject.org, or contact Executive Director Susan Reid at sreid@youngwritersproject.
  
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• In Charlotte, fencers find their Yoda in Viveka Fox

  19-05-2024 14:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  Viveka Fox, right, spars during a practice session of the Vermont Fencing Alliance in Charlotte. Photo by Catherine Morrissey
  Noah Diedrich is a reporter with Community News Service, part of the University of Vermont’s Reporting & Documentary Storytelling program.The two opponents faced each other on the strip inside the Charlotte Central School gym, glinting blades held upright in front of their stone-still bodies. Suddenly the fencers advanced, and the duel began. Lunge. P
  
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• Then Again: Vermont and New Hampshire, a long rivalry

  19-05-2024 13:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  New Hampshire’s colonial governor Benning Wentworth started a feud with New York when he issued grants to scores of towns in what is today Vermont. Wentworth’s goal had been to raise money to repay his colony’s debts — and enrich himself in the process. Image from Wikimedia Commons
  Just examine a map, and you’ll see that Vermont and New Hampshire should get along. They look like two peas in a pod, or better yet, a yin-yang symbol.Or perhaps we should think of them
  
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• 88 piano keys, 252 places: Why this Vermonter is hitting the high notes from Alburgh to Vernon

  19-05-2024 13:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  University of Vermont music professor David Feurzeig is aiming to perform a free concert in every one of the state’s 252 municipalities in his “Play Every Town Project.” Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger
  University of Vermont music professor David Feurzeig once prided himself on such worldly feats as attending the premiere of his “Songs of Love and Protest” in Dresden, Germany, and serving as a two-time featured guest at the International Composers Festival in
  
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• ‘There was no right vote’: Why a controversial wildlife bill died in the Vermont House

  19-05-2024 12:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  Rep. Katherine Sims, D-Craftsbury, speaks during a meeting at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  Over the last several years, a debate over how to manage wildlife has become a symbol of a broader cultural divide in Vermont. During the recently concluded legislative session, that debate culminated in S.258, a bill that would have changed the state’s wildlife management structure. Many supporters of the measure saw it as a pathway
  
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