Vermont news

• Judge rejects another bid by Ariel Quiros to shorten his prison sentence in EB-5 fraud scandal

  26-04-2024 20:41 via vtdigger.org
  
  Ariel Quiros leaves U.S. District Court in Burlington after being sentenced to five years for his role in the EB-5 fraud case on April 29, 2022. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  A bid by former Jay Peak Resort owner Ariel Quiros seeking to reduce his five-year prison sentence in the largest fraud case in Vermont’s history has been denied for a second time.Judge Geoffrey Crawford, who sentenced Quiros in April 2022 for his role in the EB-5 scandal that rocked the state, issued a ruling
  
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• Allen Gilbert: A right is never permanently won

  08-05-2024 13:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Allen Gilbert, a former journalist, teacher and ACLU-VT executive director. He chaired his school board in Worcester when it joined the education funding lawsuit that resulted in the Brigham v. State decision by the Vermont Supreme Court in 1997. Gilbert is the author of “Equal Is Equal, Fair Is Fair,” a book about equity issues in Vermont.A commentary by Tom Evslin published May 3 by VTDigger tried to unwind the education funding conundrum that the state lande
  
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• David Gartenstein: Vermont law at the intersection of the criminal justice and mental health care systems needs to be fixed

  08-05-2024 12:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by David Gartenstein, who works as a deputy state’s attorney in Windham County.
  Vermont’s laws at the intersection of the criminal justice and mental health systems are broken.  The government needs to be able to act when people cause harm to others, but Vermont law does not provide a consistently effective response when people with mental illness and cognitive disabilities commit crimes.Criminal justice is about responsibility and consequences, but there are
  
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• Final Reading: Lawmakers send safe injection site pilot legislation to Gov. Phil Scott

  08-05-2024 01:43 via vtdigger.org
  
  Elissa Johnk, the lead minister at Burlington’s First Congregational Church, describes her experience witnessing Vermont’s opioid crisis.
  Over the past five years, Elissa Johnk, the lead minister at the First Congregational Church of Burlington, has borne witness to Vermont’s overdose crisis. Johnk hosts services as ambulances drive by multiple times an hour. She has found people passed out on church property. She has held burials of overdose victims in front of their chi
  
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• 3 of the session’s largest climate bills face opposition from Phil Scott administration

  08-05-2024 00:15 via vtdigger.org
  
  Rep. Lauren Sibilia, I-Dover, speaks on the floor of the House at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  In the last week, three of the legislative session’s biggest climate bills passed out of their second chamber, and are likely to head to the governor’s desk soon. Those bills include S.213, which would establish a new state permitting system for building in river corridors, S.259, which would require big oil companies to pay for
  
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• A coffee product’s ‘active ingredient’ leads to guilty plea in fraud case

  07-05-2024 23:18 via vtdigger.org
  
  Photo by Brigitte Tohm via Pexels
  An Arizona man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Vermont to a fraud charge for trying to sell a coffee product marketed as a “natural” way to treat erectile dysfunction. Lab tests revealed that the product marketed as “Hard Coffee” contained tadalafil, which is the active ingredient in the erectile medication Cialis.William Jack Powell, 60, of Kingman, Arizona, pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Burlington to a charge o
  
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• In compromise, budget panel agrees to new limits on motel housing program

  07-05-2024 23:05 via vtdigger.org
  
  House and Senate conferees shake hands after agreeing on a budget bill during a conference committee meeting at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. 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.State budget writers have decided against a contentious cap on the number of households that can access Vermont’s motel voucher program for unhoused people during
  
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• Art exhibit documents the Covid-19 vaccine experiences of Black Vermonters

  07-05-2024 21:45 via vtdigger.org
  
  Yanna Marie Orcel accesses a recording available at the “Beneath Our Skin” exhibit at the Clemmons Family Farm in Charlotte on Thursday, May 2, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerCHARLOTTE — Samirah Evans hates needles. So she wasn’t thrilled when she saw on TV the first folks receiving the Covid-19 vaccine in December 2020. “That needle looks long and it made me nervous,” she outlines in an audio account that is now a part of a storytelling project by
  
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• Wild divide: A debate over wildlife management in Vermont runs deep

  07-05-2024 16:14 via vtdigger.org
  
  A sporting goods store display, left, and a posted sign. Photos by Kevin O’Connor and Natalie Williams/VTDiggerThis is the first story in a two-part series that examines the increasingly inflamed debate about wildlife management in Vermont. Part I of the series looks at the voices that are most often heard in the Legislature and in Vermont media. Part II analyzes the opinions of the broader public and asks whether it’s possible to find common ground. 
  MONTPELIER — In earl
  
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• Tom Dalton: Stripping standard protections from sober house tenants is unnecessary and dangerous

  07-05-2024 12:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Tom Dalton of Essex Junction, executive director of Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform. He is a lawyer and a licensed alcohol and drug counselor.
  Housing security has been a big topic in the Legislature thanks to sharp increases in homelessness. But even as lawmakers work to enhance housing protections for most Vermonters, they are considering a bill that would strip away standard tenant protections from those who pay rent to live in a sober house. It’s a da
  
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• Increased reporting on state contracts is back in play in the House

  07-05-2024 02:02 via vtdigger.org
  
  Rep. Mike McCarthy, D-St. Albans City, center, chair of the House Government Operations and Military Affairs Committee, speaks as committee considers a bill pertaining to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday, January 9, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  About a month ago, the Senate voted to water down a bill aimed at making state contracts more transparent, opting instead to study what lawmakers had initially proposed. Now, though, some parts o
  
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• Final Reading: Increased reporting on state contracts is back in play in the House

  07-05-2024 02:02 via vtdigger.org
  
  Rep. Mike McCarthy, D-St. Albans City, center, chair of the House Government Operations and Military Affairs Committee, speaks as committee considers a bill pertaining to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday, January 9, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  About a month ago, the Senate voted to water down a bill aimed at making state contracts more transparent, opting instead to study what lawmakers had initially proposed. Now, though, some parts o
  
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• As UVM starts disciplinary process for protesters, some lawmakers call for amnesty

  07-05-2024 01:43 via vtdigger.org
  
  Students gathered at the Andrew Harris Commons at the University of Vermont campus during a rally on Monday calling for amnesty to be granted to all student protestors. Photo by Corey McDonald/VTDiggerBURLINGTON — University of Vermont is facing pushback from state lawmakers and city councilors as it initiates disciplinary proceedings against pro-Palestinian student protesters. Late last week, university police began ID’ing students at an encampment that was erected on campus e
  
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• Lawmakers send new ‘Bitcoin ATMs’ regulation to Gov. Phil Scott’s desk

  07-05-2024 01:03 via vtdigger.org
  
  A man uses a bitcoin kiosk. Stock photo via Pexels
  In a bid to protect Vermonters from scammers, legislators recently passed what could become the state’s first-ever law regulating cryptocurrency kiosks, which allow people to quickly buy virtual currencies with cash or debit cards.A person holds a physical Bitcoin up in front of a kiosk. Photo by BTC Keychain via Flickr
  Among the provisions included in H.659 are a daily transaction limit, a fee cap on exchanges and a one-year moratorium o
  
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• Stephen P. Adams

  06-05-2024 23:26 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born April 1, 1941Montpelier, VermontDied May 1, 2024Burlington, VermontDetails of servicesThere will be a celebration of Steve’s life to be held at a later date in Stowe. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Steve’s honor to the Mt. Mansfield Ski Club, the Kelly Brush Foundation, or the Michael J. Fox Foundation.Those wishing to express online condolences may do so at www.guareandsons.com.Stephen P. Adams of Stowe passed away on May 1, 2024 at the University of Vermo
  
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• Michael David Samara

  06-05-2024 22:52 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born March 5, 1948Manchester, New HampshireDied April 26, 2024South Burlington, VermontMichael David Samara passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack at his home on April 26th. Extraordinary staff from the South Burlington Emergency Departments and his beloved wife Lucy were by his side.Michael was born on March 5, 1948 to Josephine and Frederick Samara of Manchester, New Hampshire. He grew up in a close-knit Lebanese and Syrian-American family, with his Arabic-speaking grandparents living in
  
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• After reaching agreement with Middlebury College, student protesters take down encampment

  06-05-2024 22:30 via vtdigger.org
  
  Pro-Palestinian protesters established an encampment with close to 40 tents at Middlebury College’s McCullough Lawn on Sunday, April 28, 2024. Photo by Sophia Keshmiri/VTDigger
  Administrators at Middlebury College struck a deal Sunday with pro-Palestinian student protesters, who agreed in response to dismantle an encampment they established on the campus a week earlier. Like their counterparts at college encampments across the country, the Middlebury protesters had issued a series of
  
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• John Bossange: The eclipse traffic and crowds were a warning for Vermonters

  06-05-2024 20:58 via vtdigger.org
  
  Southbound traffic on I-89 in Williston is bumper to bumper as people leave the scene of a solar eclipse on Monday April 8, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  This commentary is by John Bossange of South Burlington, a retired middle school principal.This is a photo of the interstate during the eclipse. It could well represent the reality of rush hour traffic on Interstates 89 and 91, or on other roads like Routes 2, 302, 100, 15, 7, 14 and 9 if we grow the population by another 155,000 peopl
  
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• Mary Jo Kwiatek: Thank you for voting no on Zoie Saunders

  06-05-2024 20:28 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Mary Jo Kwiatek of Bennington, a special educator.
  I would like to thank the senators who listened to their constituents in voting no on Zoie Saunders’ nomination. From what I understand, a vast majority of the emails, calls and conversations at your local stores were from professionals in the field of education, myself included. (I have been an educator for more than 40 years.) Teachers, principals, superintendents and unions were unprecedentedly all in agreeme
  
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• Phil Scott appoints Democrat to fill Emma Mulvaney-Stanak’s House seat

  06-05-2024 18:56 via vtdigger.org
  
  Abbey Duke. Photo courtesy of the governor’s office
  Gov. Phil Scott on Monday appointed Abbey Duke, a Democrat, to fill the legislative seat vacated by former state Rep. Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, who was sworn in as Burlington’s mayor last month. Duke is the founder and CEO of Sugarsnap, a South Burlington-based catering company, and the chair of Burlington’s Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Commission. Vermont’s Democratic and Progressive parties had each sent the gove
  
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• At UVM, a fraught school year ends in protest over destruction in Gaza

  06-05-2024 17:57 via vtdigger.org
  
  A University of Vermont student speaks during a rally at a Palestinian solidarity encampment at UVM in Burlington on Monday, April 29. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerBURLINGTON — Last Monday, hundreds of University of Vermont students gathered around the steps of Howe Library and demanded that the school do more to help the Palestinian people.Interspersed with chants of “free, free Palestine” and “long live Palestine,” protesters reiterated a list of demands for UV
  
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• Bernie Sanders is running for reelection to the U.S. Senate

  06-05-2024 17:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, speaks at a rally at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Sunday, July 31, 2022. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerU.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is running for reelection.The 82-year-old progressive firebrand announced Monday that he will seek a fourth six-year term in the U.S. Senate this November. Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democratic majority, was first elected to the post in 2006 and has served in Congress for more than three decades. 
  
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• Longtime Vermont priest to become new bishop of the state’s Roman Catholic Diocese

  06-05-2024 14:53 via vtdigger.org
  
  Monsignor John McDermott is set to become the 11th bishop of the Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese. Provided photoA 35-year veteran priest who has climbed the leadership ladder of Vermont’s Roman Catholic Diocese is set to become its new bishop.Monsignor John McDermott, who has served as second-in-command to several previous leaders, will become head of the state’s largest religious denomination in July, the Vatican said in a statement Monday.McDermott will succeed former Bishop Christ
  
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• Following father and brothers, Bernie Cieplicki Jr. caps family hoops history with hall of fame entry

  06-05-2024 14:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  Bernie Cieplicki Jr., right, shoots over an opponent during a University of Vermont basketball game in the 1990s. Photo providedJacob Miller-Arsenault is a reporter with Community News Service, part of the University of Vermont’s Reporting & Documentary Storytelling program.For Bernie Cieplicki Jr., being named to Vermont’s high school sports hall of fame means more than the wood-framed parchment he’ll receive next month. The honor caps off his time as the youngest so
  
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• Plan for home-based cannabis business in Rutland leads to fight among neighbors

  05-05-2024 16:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  Fred Watkins appears before the Rutland Development Review Board during a public hearing on Wednesday, May 1. Screenshot
  A proposal to establish Rutland City’s first home-based cannabis cultivation site has become so contentious it could create legal precedent in Vermont’s nascent retail cannabis industry.Rutland’s Development Review Board is reassessing a home business permit that the planning and zoning administrator issued to city resident Fred Watkins in February, after mo
  
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• Young Writers Project: ‘Let the light in’

  05-05-2024 15:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  “Capture This Memory,” by Myra Rocke, 15, of West Rutland.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@youngwritersproj
  
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• Then Again: The minister who sided with John Brown and the abolitionist cause

  05-05-2024 14:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  An etching of John Brown’s funeral appeared in the Dec. 24, 1859 edition of the New York Illustrated News. Image from Wikimedia Commons
  Joshua Young had a train to catch. Aboard it was his hero, the violent abolitionist John Brown, or his body at least. Brown had been executed days earlier, on Dec. 2, 1859, by the State of Virginia, and now his casket was headed home for burial in upstate New York.Young shared Brown’s hatred of slavery and both favored scorched-earth tactics to defe
  
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• David Moats: Searching for solutions and avoiding demagogues

  05-05-2024 13:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  Jerome Kaye grew up on the Lower East Side of New York in the 1920s and ‘30s and became radicalized by the economic injustice all around him. He was a member of the Communist Party in his younger years, and though he quit the party in the 1940s, the FBI continued to harass him for years thereafter.His son, John, became one of my best friends when we were college freshmen in 1965. I remember John telling me how his father had become impatient and disapproving of some of the radical movement
  
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• Up, up and away: Stowe skier aims to log 3 million vertical feet

  05-05-2024 12:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  Under Friday’s bluebird skies, Noah Dines takes a brief break from his daily laps on Mount Mansfield. Not too long, though. Sunny days like that are made for racking up the mileage. Photo by Gordon Miller/Stowe ReporterThis story by Tommy Gardner was first published in the Stowe Reporter on May 2.Four months into the year, Stowe skier Noah Dines has already skied the equivalent of 41 trips up Mount Everest. And he still has 1.8 million more feet to go this year before he rests.Dines, a fo
  
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• Steven Gorelick: Vermonters challenge the supermajority

  05-05-2024 12:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Steven Gorelick of Walden, a member of the Vermont Post-Growth Council.
  More than 100 Vermonters rallied in the statehouse on April 25 to call attention to the failures of the state’s legislative supermajority, which is pushing through bills that are making the state less affordable and leaving the environment less protected. Predictably, some media outlets ignored the rally completely. WCAX covered it, but allowed Kevin Ellis, a lobbyist for energy and land develope
  
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