Vermont news

• State pushes ahead with mental health expansion

  24-06-2018 17:29 via vtdigger.org
  ​Al Gobeille, the secretary of the Agency of Human Services. VTDigger file photo
  State officials and hospital administrators have begun moving forward with a major expansion of Vermont’s mental health system, less than a month after Gov. Phil Scott signed two bills supporting the projects.
  Officials say planning is “well under way” for the upgrade’s centerpiece – an acute inpatient psychiatric facility to be built University of Vermont Health Network in Berlin
  
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• Last year’s veto session set a single-day record for override votes. On Monday, legislators could break it.

  14-06-2024 23:29 via vtdigger.org
  
  From left: Gov. Phil Scott, Rep. Jill Krowinski, and Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Baruth. Photos by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  Last June, the Vermont Legislature’s Democratic supermajority conducted a record number of veto override votes in a single day, marking a turning point in Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s relationship with the House and Senate leadership.Come Monday, they’ll have an opportunity to set a new record.Having adjourned the 2024 legislative session last month,
  
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• Vermont’s bump stock ban stands despite US Supreme Court ruling throwing out federal prohibition

  14-06-2024 23:12 via vtdigger.org
  
  Bump stocks allow a rifle to be modified to fire as an automatic weapon.File photo courtesy of Creative Commons
  A Vermont legal scholar and the state’s top prosecutor said a ruling Friday by the U.S. Supreme Court overturning a federal ban on bump stocks won’t result in throwing out a separate state ban in Vermont on the devices that allow semi-automatic rifles to fire more rapidly. The 6-3 decision by the nation’s highest court struck down the bump stock ban enacted by t
  
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• Berlin takes owner of manufactured home park to court over floodplain construction

  14-06-2024 22:59 via vtdigger.org
  
  A new concrete pad appeared to have been recently poured near the entrance to the Berlin Mobile Home Park on June 11, 2024. Photo by Carly Berlin/VTDigger and Vermont Public
  This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.////The town of Berlin has taken legal action against the owner of a manufactured home park hit by catastrophic flooding last summer, asking a judge to halt construction currently underway at t
  
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• It’s getting hot in here: $70K Statehouse cooling bill surprises speaker ahead of veto session

  14-06-2024 22:36 via vtdigger.org
  
  A temporary air conditioning system is installed at the Vermont Statehouse on Thursday, June 13 ahead of next week’s veto session. Photo by Shaun Robinson/VTDigger
  When Vermont lawmakers come back to the Statehouse next week for a marathon special session to attempt to override some, if not all, of Gov. Phil Scott’s recent vetoes, they’ll find a building that — at least from the front — looks like a construction site.That’s because it is: Crews are in the pro
  
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• Vermont Supreme Court says ‘fried chicken’ comment did not merit termination of prison supervisor

  14-06-2024 21:47 via vtdigger.org
  
  Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility. File Photo by Cory Dawson/VTDigger
  The Vermont Supreme Court affirmed a state labor relations board decision that a supervisor at Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility should not have been fired for making a comment perceived as racist. But two justices, including Chief Justice Paul Reiber, dissented from three of their colleagues. Reiber and Associate Justice Nancy Waples argued the impact — not the intent — made the comments disc
  
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• Vermont organizations: DCF was right to update policy to prohibit discrimination against queer youth

  14-06-2024 18:23 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by a group of Vermont organizations. They are listed at the end of the commentary.
  As organizations working with or on behalf of children and youth in Vermont, we wholeheartedly support the decision by The Vermont Department of Children and Families (DCF) to update Policy 76 to “prohibit licensed foster parents from discriminating against foster children based on sexual orientation or gender identity, as well as other personal characteristics.” When children come
  
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• Extreme heat and rising humidity headed to Vermont early next week

  14-06-2024 13:03 via vtdigger.org
  
  A map of extreme heat expected to hit Vermont. Image via National Weather Service
  A warm, humid air mass from the Gulf of Mexico is moving north across the country — and is aimed squarely at Vermont, according to Eric Myskowski, a meteorologist from the Burlington branch of the National Weather Service.  Starting Tuesday, maximum temperatures are expected to surpass 90 degrees in most of the state, according to the NWS, with rising humidity making temperatures feel even warmer.&
  
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• Rev. Elissa Johnk: Overdose prevention centers save lives; they must be tried

  14-06-2024 11:58 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Rev. Elissa Johnk. She is lead minister at First Congregational Church in Burlington.
  I currently serve as minister in a beautiful spot in downtown Burlington. Our front doors open to a view of Lake Champlain that is breathtaking, and speaks of the charm of this historic town. Yet it is not uncommon for me to arrive at work to find blood trickling down the front steps. To see folks sleeping open-mouthed, with wounds that are purple and oozing from their bandages.R
  
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• A lawmaker was caught on tape dumping water into her colleague’s bag. He says it’s part of a yearslong pattern of bullying.

  14-06-2024 01:54 via vtdigger.org
  
  A game camera set up by state Rep. Jim Carroll in a Statehouse corridor repeatedly caught fellow Bennington Rep. Mary Morrissey in the act of pouring water from a cup into his bag of personal belongings, from April 2024. Screenshot from a video Carroll released to media this week.
  A Vermont lawmaker who has admitted to and apologized for repeatedly dumping water into a colleague’s bag at the Statehouse described her behavior as “out of character,” while the targeted legislator
  
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• Despite broad support in the Legislature, Phil Scott vetoes data privacy legislation

  14-06-2024 01:32 via vtdigger.org
  
  Members of the House of Representatives work on legislation at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Friday, May 10, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  Gov. Phil Scott on Thursday vetoed a sweeping data privacy bill that won broad support this year in the Vermont Legislature. The bill, H.121, was a subject of fierce debate throughout the legislative session. The final deal struck between House and Senate negotiators marked a compromise between those who wanted to see strict limitations on the
  
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• Tanya June Tarshis

  14-06-2024 00:13 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born July 18, 1956Stanford, CaliforniaDied May 29, 2024Toronto, OntarioDetails of servicesThere will be a committal service at Robinson Cemetery in Calais at a later dateTanya June Tarshis, 67, of Toronto Ontario, died at Toronto General Hospital on Monday, May 27, 2024 after years of deteriorating health.  She was the daughter of Inga Rappaport Tarshis and Lorie Tarshis, both of whom predeceased her.  Tanya grew up in California and moved to Toronto in the 1980s.&n
  
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• Phil Scott vetoes bill that would make sweeping changes to Act 250

  14-06-2024 00:07 via vtdigger.org
  
  Gov. Phil Scott speaks during his weekly press conference on Tuesday, June 11, 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.Gov. Phil Scott has vetoed a major housing and land-use bill that would make sweeping reforms to Act 250, a law that has governed and guided development in Vermont for over half a century.One of lawmakers’ landmark pieces of legislation this ye
  
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• After Vermont bear video goes viral, officials warn that such encounters aren’t harmless 

  13-06-2024 23:45 via vtdigger.org
  
  Officials from the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife are warning that a viral video showing two black bears in a Waitsfield backyard — one of which appears to be relaxing on a hammock — isn’t as cute as it looks. Instead, it’s an example of increasingly common human-bear encounters in Vermont, which can turn dangerous for both bears and people. In May, a game warden euthanized a bear in Underhill after it repeatedly displayed aggressive behavior toward a per
  
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• Emerson Warner Shedd

  13-06-2024 22:07 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born March 11, 1934North Ferrisburgh, VTDied June 9, 2024Berlin, VTDetails of servicesNo memorial services are planned at this time. Memorial contributions may be made to Palliative Care at CVMC, PO Box 547, Barre, VT 05641.Emerson Warner Shedd, “Warner” to all who knew and loved him, died peacefully on June 9th. He was 90 years old. He was born on March 11, 1934, to Emerson and Eleanor Shedd of North Ferrisburgh, and spent his early years on the family farm, where he learn
  
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• Officials alarmed by apparent rebuilding of manufactured home park in floodplain

  13-06-2024 21:45 via vtdigger.org
  
  Several new-looking manufactured home units were staged in a parking lot next to the Berlin Mobile Home Park on June 11, 2024. Photo by Carly Berlin/VTDigger and Vermont Public
  This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.Construction activity at a manufactured home park in Berlin that flooded catastrophically last summer is raising alarm bells among state and town officials, who have hinted at possible legal
  
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• Experience Pendeza, a Swahili name for “beautiful”

  13-06-2024 19:21 via vtdigger.org
  
  Pendeza is a new online boutique specializing in jewelry handcrafted by Maasai artisans in Kenya. Owned and operated by Burlington resident Tony Tukai and his business partner Peggy Nderi in Kenya, the spirit of Pendeza is grounded in cultural appreciation, sustainability and empowerment. Choose from our gorgeous collection of handmade bracelets, earrings and necklaces and we’ll ship your selection straight to your doorstep. Every purchase supports women artisans and their children&r
  
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• Barre man drowns in Moretown while carrying child on his back

  13-06-2024 18:16 via vtdigger.org
  
  A 34-year old Barre man drowned Wednesday evening at the Big Rock swimming hole in Moretown, according to Vermont State Police.Witnesses told police that the man, later identified as Anthony Goddard, was swimming in the Mad River around 5:25 p.m.Wednesday with his young daughter on his back. As he attempted to cross the river, he began to struggle before eventually going underwater, police said in a press release.Onlookers entered the water and were able to rescue the child, but were unable to f
  
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• Michael A. Powers: Independent schools are not responsible for out-of-control education costs

  13-06-2024 17:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,In her commentary, “Vermonters deserve affordability, but Gov. Scott has no ‘grand plan’,” Rep. Rebecca Holcombe repeats her claim that independent schools are one of the culprits in the huge deficit in financing education in Vermont.This is a false premise for which she offers no proof. The approximately 3,500 students served by independent schools are not responsible for the out-of-control cost of education in Vermont. It would appear that Rep. Holcombe
  
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• State police say struggle over shotgun preceded fatal police shooting in Orange

  13-06-2024 16:26 via vtdigger.org
  
  A Vermont State Police cruiser. Photo courtesy of Vermont State Police
  Vermont State Police said the trooper who shot and killed a man in Orange on Wednesday afternoon was in a struggle with the man to secure sawed-off shotgunThe name of the man who was killed is expected to be made public on Thursday following an autopsy at the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington to confirm his identity and determine his cause and manner of death, according to a press release issued lat
  
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• Matthew LeFluer: Override the veto of the Renewable Energy Standard

  13-06-2024 13:04 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Vermont State Legislature should override Gov. Phil Scott’s veto of H.289, the Renewable Energy Standard. We need to act now to make sure Vermont’s electricity is clean, reliable and affordable. Investing in local renewable energy makes sense for our state economy and for generations of future Vermonters. The effects of climate change are already costing our state millions of dollars (for example, in flood cleanup). It is irresponsible not to do what we can to redu
  
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• UVM plans to nearly double its graduate student population as it nears ‘top-tier’ research designation

  13-06-2024 12:57 via vtdigger.org
  
  Ira Allen Chapel on the University of Vermont campus in Burlington on Sept. 20, 2023. File Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  Holger Hoock admits his most recent job change was a “slightly unusual” move. Leaving the University of Pittsburgh, a school with the highest level of research classification and a member of the American Association of Universities, he joined the University of Vermont as its first full-time graduate college dean in June 2023.Vermont’s flagship public resea
  
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• Vermont State Police arrest suspect in Massachusetts fatal stabbing

  13-06-2024 02:55 via vtdigger.org
  
  Vermont State Police say they have arrested a suspect wanted in Massachusetts on murder and other charges related to a stabbing that occurred there on Monday. Police arrested Kevin Digregorio, 33, of Randolph, Massachusetts, on Wednesday morning in Lunenburg, Vermont, after being notified by Massachusetts State Police that Digregorio was thought to be in the area of Waterford, according to a press release issued by Vermont State Police.Authorities found Digregorio sleeping in a vehicle on U
  
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• Prospects dim for property tax compromise after sour meeting between administration and lawmakers

  13-06-2024 01:31 via vtdigger.org
  
  From left: Gov. Phil Scott, Rep. Jill Krowinski, and Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Baruth. Photos by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  Negotiations between Gov. Phil Scott’s administration and legislative leadership soured after a Wednesday afternoon meeting to discuss the executive branch’s property tax and education finance proposal. The meeting and subsequent fallout followed Scott’s veto of the annual property tax legislation last week. If enacted, the legislation would incr
  
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• Margaret Anne Nourse

  13-06-2024 01:18 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born Feb. 9, 1944Cleveland, OhioDied April 20, 2024Richford, VermontDetails of servicesA mass of Christian Burial in Margaret’s honor will be held at Christ the King Church at 3001 Belmont Blvd, Nashville, Tennessee at 10 am on Friday, June 21.  In keeping with her wishes, smaller events to celebrate her life will be held by her daughters in California, Florida, Vermont, and Denmark in the future. Margaret Anne Nourse, (aged 80), a resident of Richford, Vermon
  
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• After more than a century, sturgeon return to Bellows Falls

  13-06-2024 00:39 via vtdigger.org
  
  A sign at Riverfront Park in Bellows Falls warns anglers to be on the lookout for sturgeon and to return them to the river if they inadvertently catch them.This story by Robert F. Smith was first published in The Commons on June 12.BELLOWS FALLS — It has taken two years since researchers first began accumulating evidence, but on June 7, scientists announced that shortnose sturgeon are living in the Connecticut River as far north as the hydroelectric dam in Bellows Falls.Sturgeon exist in
  
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• Vermont Conversation: How Rob Mermin ran away with the circus and spent a life under the Big Top

  12-06-2024 23:39 via vtdigger.org
  
  
  Rob Mermin and his new book “Circle of Sawdust: A Circus Memoir of Mud, Myth, Mirth, Mayhem and Magic.” Courtesy photos
  The Vermont Conversation with David Goodman is a VTDigger podcast that features in-depth interviews on local and national issues with politicians, activists, artists, changemakers and citizens who are making a difference. Listen below, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify to hear more.
  In 1969, with the country i
  
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• Vermont Supreme Court ruling reinstates murder charge against former Orleans County man

  12-06-2024 23:09 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Vermont Supreme Court in March 2020. Photo by Mike Dougherty/VTDigger
  A divided Vermont Supreme Court has reversed a lower court ruling that threw out a murder charge against a former Orleans County man whose daughter died in 2016 from what police described as complications from an intentional injury he inflicted on her as a 1-month-old in 2001.The high court’s 3-2 decision, issued Friday in the case against Jason Roberts, stems from prosecutors’ appeal of the dismissal of the m
  
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• Authorities probe death of man shot and killed by state police trooper in Orange

  12-06-2024 22:57 via vtdigger.org
  
  A Vermont State Police cruiser. Photo courtesy of Vermont State Police
  Vermont State Police say they are investigating the death of a man shot and killed Wednesday afternoon by a state trooper in Orange. Few details related to the shooting were immediately available late Wednesday afternoon, including the identity of the man who was killed. State police said in a press release that the shooting took place around 1:25 p.m. outside a home on Spencer Road, and the man was pronounced dead
  
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• What happens if Vermont school districts can’t pass budgets by July 1?

  12-06-2024 19:18 via vtdigger.org
  
  High school student Aubrey Fadden of Enosburg Falls works with third-graders at the Richford Elementary School on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerMore than 100 school district budgets in the state have passed this year, but at least six still need voter approval, according to the Vermont Superintendents Association and the Vermont School Boards Association. Those half-dozen are quickly approaching a July 1 deadline, at which point districts face a slate of rarely used
  
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