Vermont news

• Steve May: In support of an imperfect option

  23-06-2017 01:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  Editor’s note: This commentary is by Steve May, who is a clinical social worker specializing in addiction medicine and has previously worked in multiple capacities for bleeding disorders health advocacy organizations; he resides in Richmond, where he is also on the town Selectboard.The Vermont Legislature will consider paid family leave legislation next year, a measure that is overdue by a factor of decades. I hope our legislators will enthusiastically vote for it. After all, every First W
  
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• Final Reading: Senate passes annual capital bill — with new Statehouse furniture in the mix

  04-05-2024 02:31 via vtdigger.org
  
  Legislators gather in the cafeteria on the opening day of the Legislature at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Wednesday, January 3, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  The Senate was talking about construction on Friday. Specifically, the chamber passed their version of this year’s capital bill — legislation that is both large, and contains multitudes.While the crux of H.882 is in funding bonded state infrastructure projects, the bill also includes a handful of policy proposals, so
  
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• Vermont Senate passes Act 250 reform bill after whirlwind debate

  04-05-2024 01:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale, D-Chittenden Southeast, speaks as the Senate Finance Committee takes testimony on a proposed wealth tax bill at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday, January 30, 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.After a flurry of last-minute deliberations, the Vermont Senate passed a mammoth bill on Friday afternoon that makes sweeping reforms to th
  
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• UVM commencement speaker out as pro-Palestinian protest continues

  04-05-2024 00:42 via vtdigger.org
  
  Protesters attend a rally at a Palestinian solidarity encampment at UVM in Burlington on Monday, April 29, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerLinda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, will no longer speak at the University of Vermont’s commencement ceremony, the university announced Friday evening.The cancellation appears to be a victory for a nearly week-old encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters on UVM’s Burlington campus. Protesters had demanded that
  
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• Linda Thomas-Greenfield will not speak at commencement, UVM announces

  04-05-2024 00:42 via vtdigger.org
  
  Protesters attend a rally at a Palestinian solidarity encampment at UVM in Burlington on Monday, April 29, 2024. Among the protesters demands is the cancellation of this year’s graduation commencement speaker U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerLinda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, will no longer speak at the University of Vermont’s commencement ceremony, the university announced Friday evening.T
  
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• Through flames and floodwaters, Charlie O’s returns to downtown Montpelier 

  04-05-2024 00:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  Charlie O’s barstools for the first time in six months on Thursday, May 2. Photo by Juan Vega de Soto/VTDiggerMontpelier has its gritty heart and soul back. That was the feeling among the regulars who crowded Charlie O’s on Thursday as it opened its doors to the public for the first time in more than six months. “It feels wonderful. It’s still the dive for nice people,” regular Dave Rapacz said, referencing the bar’s slogan.  Floodwater an
  
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• Vermont, federal officials plan rabies bait drop as wildlife cases rise

  03-05-2024 21:48 via vtdigger.org
  
  A raccoon. Photo via Adobe Stock
  Federal and state agencies will be bait-dropping oral rabies vaccine doses throughout northwest Vermont counties to counter a growing outbreak among wildlife.In a press release this week, officials with the Vermont Department of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s wildlife services program said they plan to distribute more than 250,000 doses of an oral rabies vaccine in parts of Chittenden, Lamoille, Franklin and Grand Isle counties.It’s
  
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• Dispute over Abenaki identity in Vermont grows more entrenched

  03-05-2024 20:15 via vtdigger.org
  
  Darryl Leroux, associate professor at the University of Ottawa, left, and Gordon Henry, professor emeritus at Michigan State University, speak to a crowd during a panel at the University of Vermont on Thursday, April 25. Photo by Natalie Williams/VTDiggerBURLINGTON — For the third time in as many years, a crowd filed into a conference room at the University of Vermont last Thursday evening for a panel about Indigenous belonging. The focus, once again, was on Vermont’s four state-rec
  
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• Tom Evslin: The magical mythical equalized pupil

  03-05-2024 15:12 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Tom Evslin, of Stowe, a retired high-tech entrepreneur. He served as transportation secretary for Gov. Richard Snelling and stimulus czar for Gov. Jim Douglas.
  The Vermont Legislature is playing an expensive shell game — and planning worse. The “equalized pupil” is the shell under which the pea is hidden.There are only two ways to avoid gargantuan property tax increases 
  Raise other taxes and create new taxes to support education. But there are many
  
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• Middlebury College president Laurie Patton to depart for American Academy of Arts & Sciences

  03-05-2024 14:03 via vtdigger.org
  
  Middlebury President Laurie Patton. Photo courtesy of Middlebury College
  This story by Katie Futterman, Maggie Reynolds and Ryan Mcelroy was first published by the Middlebury Campus on May 2, 2024. After almost a decade at the helm of Middlebury College, president Laurie Patton has announced her intention to leave her post in January 2025. As the 17th president and first woman to hold the position, Patton leaves a legacy of leadership and expansion at an institution that has faced unpreced
  
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• Don Keelan: Vermont institutions are disappearing

  03-05-2024 12:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Don Keelan of Arlington, a retired certified public accountant.
  There seems to be a rash of closings of Vermont’s longtime institutions. The latest is in Plainfield, where it was announced that the nearly 90-year-old Goddard College will close at the end of the semester. Other institutions, such as churches, stores, fire/rescue facilities, schools and companies, are closing, too. Organizations are operating at or close to the margin of being unable to exist &mda
  
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• Michael Merwin Chater

  03-05-2024 04:21 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born Feb. 11, 1948Bronxville, New York
  Died April 21, 2024Hanover, New HampshireMichael Merwin Chater, 76, of Terrace Street in Montpelier passed away suddenly at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center on 4/21/24.Mike was born on February 11, 1948 to William Guy and Janet M. (Conklin) Chater in Bronxville, NY. He attended public schools in Bronxville through middle school and attended Northfield Mt. Hermon, in Gill, MA. He received his Bachelor’s degree at Union College, Schenectady, NY in 196
  
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• Final Reading: Amid avian flu outbreak in herds elsewhere, Vermont tries to protect its dairy farms 

  03-05-2024 01:32 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dairy cows feed at Sprague Farm in Brookfield on Wednesday, September 7, 2022. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  There have been no positive test results for avian flu in Vermont cows, State Veterinarian Kristin Haas assured members of the House Agriculture committee Thursday morning.The good news seemed slightly tempered by the admission, immediately following, that the state had not actually tested for it in any animals yet. H5N1, or highly pathogenic avian influenza, is a virus deadl
  
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• From dirt patch to a gateway garden, a Randolph volunteer cultivates community 

  03-05-2024 01:08 via vtdigger.org
  
  For 13 years, resident Rosalind Burgess has been volunteering her time  to beautify a once vacant, neglected lot in Randolph. On April 23, 2024 she pointed out some of the features and spring buds at the two-acre plot that the town has renamed Rosalind Park in her honor. Photo by Auditi Guha/VTDigger
  RANDOLPH — On a sunny afternoon in late April, a woman with a shock of white curls was hunched over a corner of a park, digging intently in the dirt.Local resident Rosalind Burgess, 75,
  
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• Vermont changes the way it reports Covid-19 data in response to CDC rules

  02-05-2024 22:53 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Vermont Department of Health has been forced to find new ways to report Covid-19 data after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped requiring hospitals across the country to report their Covid admission counts. For nearly two years, the health department has shared the number of new hospital admissions for the virus in its weekly surveillance report, along with metrics such as wastewater testing, case counts and deaths. Before two years ago, the department would rep
  
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• David Zuckerman is seeking reelection to lieutenant governor’s office

  02-05-2024 18:06 via vtdigger.org
  
  Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman announced his bid for reelection to the state’s second-highest executive office on Thursday. File photo by Riley Robinson/VTDigger
  Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman wants to hold onto his gig.The Hinesburg Progressive/Democrat announced his bid for reelection to the state’s second-highest executive office in a press release Thursday morning, writing that he is “not done fighting for Vermonters.”“This is a critical moment for our state,” the lo
  
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• Police break up pro-Palestinian protest at Dartmouth College, dozens arrested

  02-05-2024 15:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  Police and protestors face off during a demonstration on the Dartmouth Green on May 1, 2024. Photo by James M. Patterson/Valley NewsThis story by Frances Mize was first published by the Valley News on May 1.HANOVER — Authorities in tactical gear arrested about 90 demonstrators who refused to leave the Dartmouth College Green on Wednesday night, as a result of a six-hour protest against the ongoing war in Gaza.The arrests began shortly before 9 p.m., after police — including those fr
  
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• Police break up pro-Palestinian protest at Dartmouth College, 90 arrested

  02-05-2024 15:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  New Hampshire State Police and Lebanon and Hanover Police cross the Dartmouth College Green to remove students protesting the Israel-Hamas War on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Photo by James M. Patterson/Valley NewsThis story by Frances Mize was first published by the Valley News on May 1. It was republished by VTDigger the following morning, and updated at 8:09.HANOVER — Dartmouth College administrators acted swiftly on Wednesday night when faced with a protest encampment similar to those esta
  
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• Harmony Belle Devoe and Pat LaClair: Equity is not an initiative

  02-05-2024 13:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Harmony Belle Devoe of Warren and Pat LaClair of Fairfax. Harmony is a 9th grader at Harwood Union High School. She is mixed Filipino, white and Indigenous Nipmuc, and is a member of multiple clubs and organizations striving to achieve equity, including Vermont’s inaugural State Youth Council. Pat is a program director at UP for Learning, a Vermont-based non-profit with the mission of empowering youth and adults to reimagine and transform education together. With
  
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• 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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• Dr. Stephen Leffler: Outpatient surgery center is a big piece of the access puzzle

  02-05-2024 12:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Dr. Stephen Leffler, president and COO of the University of Vermont Medical Center.
  Every week I get calls and letters from patients who say they are waiting too long for care, especially surgical care. Often, they are right — no question. There are several reasons behind the wait times and it’s going to take work to make a dent in our access challenges, but serving our patients and ensuring they get great care is why I became a physician, so I’m deeply c
  
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• Vermont Conversation: Campus protesters speak out in solidarity with Gaza

  02-05-2024 03:15 via vtdigger.org
  
  
  A protester rallies fellow activists at a Palestinian solidarity encampment at the University of Vermont in Burlington on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  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
  
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• Final Reading: Advocates speak out against bill that would charge more youth as adults

  02-05-2024 01:37 via vtdigger.org
  
  Rep. Joe Andriano, D-Orwell, speaks on the House floor at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  As the House this week approved one of the major crime bills to come out of the Senate this biennium — S.58 — some Progressive lawmakers and advocates have raised alarm over concerns that the bill could do more harm than good for many vulnerable Vermonters.Among other measures, S.58 would add three offenses to the list of those that coul
  
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• Mulling a gubernatorial comeback, Howard Dean outlines a potential campaign message

  02-05-2024 00:39 via vtdigger.org
  
  Former governor Howard Dean speaks at a press conference in Burlington on Monday, July 13, 2020. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  In his first public remarks on why he might seek a return to the state’s top office, former Gov. Howard Dean said Wednesday he was “deeply alarmed by the coming fiscal crisis in Vermont” and “dismayed … by the current poisonous atmosphere in Montpelier.”The Burlington Democrat shared those views in an email to reporters days a
  
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• Advocates decry proposed cap on emergency motel vouchers, brace for other limits

  01-05-2024 23:32 via vtdigger.org
  
  Sarah Russell, special assistant to end homelessness for the city of Burlington, and co-chair of the Chittenden County Homeless Alliance, speaks at a Statehouse press conference on May 1, 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.Homelessness advocates and service providers are sounding the alarm that a last-minute Senate proposal to put a lid on the
  
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• Phil Scott doubles down on Zoie Saunders’ interim appointment as education secretary

  01-05-2024 23:18 via vtdigger.org
  
  Gov. Phil Scott speaks during his weekly press conference at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
  Gov. Phil Scott on Wednesday defended his decision to appoint Zoie Saunders interim education secretary despite the Senate’s historic vote to reject her permanent appointment to the role.“I think this was a partisan political hit job,” Scott told reporters at his weekly press conference, adding that he might reappoint Saunders
  
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• Sarah Copeland Hanzas launches bid for second term as secretary of state

  01-05-2024 23:01 via vtdigger.org
  
  Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas announces her decision to run for reelection at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Photo by Sarah Mearhoff/VTDigger
  Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas wants another two years in office.The Bradford Democrat announced her bid for reelection at a press conference Wednesday in the Statehouse. She was flanked by dozens of legislators who called her a colleague during her 18 years as a state representative.“I am so pro
  
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• Seth Brunell set to stand trial in July on murder charge in Fern Feather’s death

  01-05-2024 22:50 via vtdigger.org
  
  Seth Brunell. Vermont State Police photo
  A man held without bail in the murder of Fern Feather, a transgender woman from Hinesburg who was stabbed to death two years ago, is set to stand trial in July.Seth Brunell, 45, was arrested April 12, 2022, on a charge of second-degree murder several hours after Feather was found dead in Morristown. During a hearing Wednesday in Lamoille County Superior criminal court in Hyde Park, Judge Mary Morrissey told attorneys in the case to be ready for tria
  
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• UVM discloses investments as pro-Palestinian protests continue on campus

  01-05-2024 19:22 via vtdigger.org
  
  Protesters occupy a Palestinian solidarity encampment at the University of Vermont in Burlington on Tuesday, April 30. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe University of Vermont said Wednesday that it publicly disclosed its endowment investments this week as pro-Palestinian student protesters continue their encampment on the Burlington campus.UVM provost and senior vice president Patricia Prelock met with a group of 12 students on Tuesday evening and told them that the university had disclosed it
  
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• UVM agrees to disclose investments in response to pro-Palestinian protesters

  01-05-2024 19:22 via vtdigger.org
  
  Protesters occupy a Palestinian solidarity encampment at the University of Vermont in Burlington on Tuesday, April 30. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe University of Vermont will publicly disclose its endowment investments by the end of the week, school officials said Wednesday. The decision comes in response to demands made by pro-Palestinian student protesters, who have staged an encampment on the Burlington campus since Sunday.UVM provost and senior vice president Patricia Prelock met with
  
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