Vermont news

• Vermont remains under tornado watch

  23-06-2024 20:50 via vtdigger.org
  
  Image from National Weather Service of Burlington, VT.Updated at 3:12 p.m.The National Weather Service has placed the entire state of Vermont under a tornado watch until 8 p.m. At around 2 p.m. on Sunday, it issued warnings for parts of Lamoille, Addison, Chittenden and Washington counties — meaning radar activity indicated a tornado could be imminent — but by 3 p.m. the storm had weakened and the warning expired. Marlon Verasamy, a meteorologist with the National Weather
  
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• Nancy Lang

  28-09-2024 01:54 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born Oct. 23, 1938Richlandtown, PennsylvaniaDied Sept. 23, 2024Burlington, VermontDetails of serviceA Celebration of Nancy’s life will be held Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024 from 12 to 3 p.m. at the Garden Barn at Lang Farm, 51 Upper Main Street, Essex, Vermont.  There will be a short service followed by a reception.  Should you wish to make a contribution in Nancy’s honor, please consider Doctors Without Borders or Chef Andres’ World Central Kitchen. Nancy believed
  
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• Judge orders Burlington to impound ‘vicious’ dog owned by county prosecutor

  28-09-2024 00:56 via vtdigger.org
  
  Carol Wheeler and Moose the dog in a photograph taken by Chad Smith after he was allegedly bitten by Moose in Burlington’s Leddy Park on Sept. 16, 2024. Photo via Burlington Police DepartmentA Chittenden County Superior Court judge has ordered the City of Burlington to impound Franklin County prosecutor Diane Wheeler’s dog, Moose, whom the city has described as “vicious.”According to an order issued by Judge Samual Hoar following a hearing on Thursday, Wheeler “is o
  
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• Vermont youths placed at Florida facilities where violent incidents occurred

  28-09-2024 00:46 via vtdigger.org
  
  SandyPines Treatment Center. Photo via the Martin County Sheriff’s DepartmentThe Vermont Department for Children and Families sent multiple youths to two Florida residential treatment centers where violent incidents have occurred in the past two years, one just this past summer, according to the department. Vermont youths were living at the facilities in different regions of Florida — the SandyPines Residential Treatment Center and Brooksville Youth Academy — during the tw
  
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• Residents want more time for permit process of proposed Lyndon biogas plant

  28-09-2024 00:11 via vtdigger.org
  
  Residents and environmental groups have questions and concerns about a proposal to build a biogas facility in Lyndon that would generate electricity through a technology new to the United States. They are asking the state’s energy regulators to slow the approval process down.The technology, called high-temperature fast pyrolysis, involves heating organic woody material to temperatures higher than 800 degrees Celsius (about 1,470 degrees Fahrenheit) in a chamber without oxygen. Two products
  
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• FEMA has given out $6 million in household aid in Vermont for July flooding. Here’s how to apply before the Oct. 21 deadline.

  27-09-2024 21:56 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Federal Emergency Management Agency has already given out $6 million to Vermont individuals and households affected by flooding in early July, with less than a month to go before the application for FEMA aid closes for damage related to that storm.From July 10 to 11, Vermont communities received 3 to 7 inches of rain, flooding homes and damaging local infrastructure. The flooding happened to fall almost exactly one year after another flood in July 2023 that walloped many of the same areas.&n
  
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• FEMA has given out $6 million in household aid in Vermont for July flooding as October 21 deadline nears. Here’s how to apply.

  27-09-2024 21:56 via vtdigger.org
  
  Map by Erin Petenko/VTDiggerThe Federal Emergency Management Agency has already given out $6 million to Vermont individuals and households affected by flooding in early July, with less than a month to go before the application for FEMA aid closes for damage related to that storm.From July 10 to 11, Vermont communities received 3 to 7 inches of rain, flooding homes and damaging local infrastructure. The flooding happened to fall almost exactly one year after another flood in July 2023 that wallop
  
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• FEMA has given out $6 million in household aid in Vermont for July flooding as Oct. 21 deadline nears. Here’s how to apply.

  27-09-2024 21:56 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Federal Emergency Management Agency has already given out $6 million to Vermont individuals and households affected by flooding in early July, with less than a month to go before the application for FEMA aid closes for damage related to that storm.From July 10 to 11, Vermont communities received 3 to 7 inches of rain, flooding homes and damaging local infrastructure. The flooding happened to fall almost exactly one year after another flood in July 2023 that walloped many of the same areas.&n
  
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• Residents appeal Wheeler Park decision to supreme court

  27-09-2024 21:40 via vtdigger.org
  
  Wheeler Nature Park. Photo courtesy of The Other PaperThis story by Liberty Darr was first published in the Other Paper on Sept. 26.The future of a 7-acre slice of land next to South Burlington’s Wheeler Nature Park will be determined by the state’s highest court after residents opposing a housing development on the property appealed a lower court’s decision.The appeal comes after the Vermont Environmental Court ruled in favor of the development in August following a
  
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• Lisa Louise Daniels

  27-09-2024 21:28 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born Aug. 11, 1970Albany, NYDied Sept. 7, 2024Morrisville, VTDetails of serviceAs per Lisa’s request, no service will be held. In her honor, contributions may be made to Spectrum Youth & Family Services or Jenna’s Promise. Lisa’s legacy of compassion, dedication and love will forever be cherished by those who knew her.Lisa Louise Daniels, 54, of Morrisville, Vermont, died Sept. 7, 2024, at the McClure Miller Respite House after a long battle with cancer.
  
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• Judge dismisses senators’ lawsuit over education secretary’s interim appointment

  27-09-2024 18:31 via vtdigger.org
  
  Zoie Saunders, interim secretary of education, listens during Gov. Phil Scott’s weekly press conference held at the Central Vermont Technical Center in Barre on June 11. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerA judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit brought by two Vermont state senators over Gov. Phil Scott’s appointment of Zoie Saunders as interim education secretary.The ruling came a day after Judge Robert Mello heard from both sides and signaled he would issue a speedy decision. Mello and th
  
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• Pawlet wants to foreclose on Daniel Banyai’s Slate Ridge

  27-09-2024 17:39 via vtdigger.org
  
  Daniel Banyai, owner of the Slate Ridge paramilitary training facility in West Pawlet, appears for his contempt hearing in Environmental Court in Rutland on Nov. 4, 2022. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe town of Pawlet wants to foreclose on Slate Ridge, the controversial paramilitary-style gun range run by Daniel Banyai.In court documents filed this week in Vermont Superior Court Rutland civil division, the town’s attorney, Merrill Bent, wrote that Banyai owes more than $226,000 in
  
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• Katie Nolan: Let bears fatten up in peace

  27-09-2024 14:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,If you’re a black bear in Vermont, September means one thing: it’s time to work on your figure by bulking up for winter hibernation. Beechnuts, acorns and berries are in season and ripe for harvesting, providing the critical calories needed to survive a long winter slumber (known as “torpor.”)Unfortunately, bears themselves have also come into season — hunting season, that is. Vermont’s black bear hunting season began this year on Sept. 1 and runs
  
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• John Greenberg: Tom Pelham cites but does not address my tax proposal

  27-09-2024 13:30 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,Tom Pelham cites my commentary, but then doesn’t really address it.His main thrust concerns potential savings in Vermont’s public education system. This issue has been discussed and debated for as long as I can remember, but despite Pelham’s remarks, I still see no realistic possibility that any politically achievable savings would change the need for the kind of tax reform I’ve proposed. I’m more than willing to be proven wrong, but that was not and is
  
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• President Biden approves disaster declaration for late July storms in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom

  27-09-2024 04:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  Extensive damage to Red Village Road in Lyndon is seen on Wednesday, July 31. Photo by Jeb Wallace-Brodeur/VTDiggerPresident Joe Biden has approved a major disaster declaration for the late July storms that inundated Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. The declaration, announced late Thursday by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, opens up aid for damage caused in Caledonia, Essex and Orlean counties from July 29 through July 31.The declaration makes available federal grants and low-cost loa
  
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• Vermont delegation backs short-term spending deal but criticizes lack of additional disaster aid

  27-09-2024 00:44 via vtdigger.org
  
  Kaycen Hedges tries to clear mud from Third Street in Barre on July 11, 2024, after overnight flooding. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerCongress late Wednesday passed a stopgap spending bill to keep the federal government open until late December but declined to inject more funding into the cash-strapped Federal Emergency Management Agency.Instead, according to the office of U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., the emergency response agency has been permitted to begin spending out of its Fiscal Year 202
  
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• Vermont regulators to stop accepting new retail cannabis applications next month

  27-09-2024 00:16 via vtdigger.org
  
  Immature cannabis plants grow under LED lights at one of Devon Deyhle’s Tall Truck indoor grow rooms in Peacham on March 27, 2023. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe state panel that regulates Vermont’s cannabis industry voted Wednesday to temporarily stop accepting applications for new retail licenses, a move that comes amid growing concerns the market has become oversaturated in some cities and towns. The decision, which is set to take effect Oct. 25, marks the first time
  
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• Vermont regulators to stop accepting new retail cannabis applications next mont

  27-09-2024 00:16 via vtdigger.org
  
  Immature cannabis plants grow under LED lights at one of Devon Deyhle’s Tall Truck indoor grow rooms in Peacham on March 27, 2023. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe state panel that regulates Vermont’s cannabis industry voted Wednesday to temporarily stop accepting applications for new retail licenses, a move that comes amid growing concerns the market has become oversaturated in some cities and towns. The decision, which is set to take effect Oct. 25, marks the first time
  
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• Williston contractor lands $191 million contract for air defense system

  27-09-2024 00:08 via vtdigger.org
  
  A Bradley Fighting Vehicle equipped with the Iron Fist Active Protection System. Photo courtesy of General DynamicsA contractor with a facility in Williston was awarded nearly $200 million by the U.S. Department of Defense to supply the U.S. Army and other federal agencies with parts for an air defense system designed to protect armored vehicles from the ground. The award to General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems — which has an engineering and supply chain facility in Willisto
  
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• Vermont has ‘critical missing piece’ in substance use treatment, advocates say

  26-09-2024 23:45 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dawn Tatro, whose daughter Jenna died from an overdose, speaks during a commemoration of International Overdose Awareness Day at City Hall Park in Burlington on Tuesday, August 29. The Tatro family has established Jenna’s Promise to battle opioid addiction. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThere’s a pattern that plays out, over and over again, among Vermonters who need treatment for substance use disorder, advocates in the field say. An individual will enter a residential rehabili
  
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• Shelburne Museum unveils design for new Native American art center

  26-09-2024 22:48 via vtdigger.org
  
  A rendering of the north facade of the Perry Center for Native American Art at Shelburne Museum. Image by Annum Architects and courtesy of Shelburne Museum
  Shelburne Museum on Thursday unveiled the design of a planned building for its Native American art collection. It also announced a new architectural team that replaces a firm it severed ties with last year. The Perry Center for Native American Art is being designed by Annum Architects of Boston and Two Row Architect of Six Nations of the
  
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• Judge signals quick decision in education secretary lawsuit, with Vermont Supreme Court likely to weigh in

  26-09-2024 18:53 via vtdigger.org
  
  Tanya Vyhovsky, left, Zoie Saunders. Photos by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe judge considering a lawsuit over the governor’s reappointment of Interim Education Secretary Zoie Saunders signaled a decision could arrive as soon as today.Sens. Tanya Vyhovsky, P/D-Chittenden Central, and Dick McCormack, D-Windsor, sued Gov. Phil Scott and Saunders in June over the governor’s decision to reappoint the education secretary immediately after the Vermont Senate voted 19-9 not to confirm Saunders.&
  
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• At least 3 Vermont school districts warn parents that lack of staff will prevent adequate special education services

  26-09-2024 13:45 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Barre City Elementary and Middle School seen on August 8, 2023.File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerAt least three school districts are warning parents that due to a lack of staff, their children may not receive the special education services they’re legally entitled to receive. The Barre Unified Union School District, South Burlington School District and Lamoille North Supervisory Union preemptively alerted parents in form letters to expect the services in their kids’ indivi
  
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• Patrick Flood: Finally, a serious plan for health care reform

  26-09-2024 13:30 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Patrick Flood of Woodbury. He is former commissioner of the Vermont Department of Mental Health and the Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living, and former deputy secretary of the Agency of Human Services. Finally, we have a meaningful proposal for health carereform in Vermont. A consultant for the Green Mountain Care Board has provided a plan for health care reform that will better serve Vermonters and reduce costs. Now, the question is, will the gove
  
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• Lee Russ: Who can call this progress?

  26-09-2024 13:30 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear Editor,The Legislature allocated a large sum of money — I believea million dollars — for a consultant to assess the state of Vermont’s healthcare and identify potential solutions.After many months and miles and meetings, the consultant, Dr. Bruce Hamory, released a lengthy report that identified numerous problems. The vast majority of these he could have gleaned from simply reading news headlines (people unable to afford premiums and out-of-pocket costs, wait times too lon
  
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• Man gets at least 20 years in plea deal in Woodbury double murder 

  26-09-2024 00:42 via vtdigger.org
  
  The house on Bliss Road in Woodbury where homicide victim Carol Fradette’s body was found Oct. 31, 2018. Photo by Alan Keays/VTDigger A former Connecticut man has been sentenced to at least 20 years in prison after pleading no contest to two murder charges in the shooting deaths of two people in Woodbury over a drug debt nearly six years ago. Manuel Gomez, 35, pleaded no contest Wednesday in Washington County Superior criminal court in Barre to two charges of second-degree murder as w
  
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• Pressure builds for Phil Scott to intervene on motel program evictions

  25-09-2024 23:36 via vtdigger.org
  
  Frank Knaack, executive director of the Housing and Homelessness Alliance of Vermont, speaks at a Statehouse press conference demanding state action to prevent motel housing voucher evictions on September 25, 2024. Photo by Carly Berlin/ VTDigger and Vermont PublicThis story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.Amidst a wave of evictions from Vermont’s motel voucher program, pressure is mounting on Gov. Phi
  
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• Vermont Conversation: Yale historian Timothy Snyder on freedom and fascism

  25-09-2024 23:17 via vtdigger.org
  
  
  Professor Timothy Snyder and his book, “On Freedom.” Photo courtesy of Timothy SnyderThe 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.Timothy Snyder is the Richard C. Levin Professor of History and
  
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• Vermont Supreme Court hears Human Rights Commission’s lawsuit against St. Johnsbury 

  25-09-2024 22:52 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Vermont Supreme Court building on State Street in Montpelier on Tuesday, June 18. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe Vermont Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments in a discrimination lawsuit filed by the state Human Rights Commission against the town of St. Johnsbury.The case stems from a town Development Review Board decision during the Covid-19 pandemic. The commission told the appeals court that the board discriminated against St. Johnsbury resident Nicole Stone by denying a variance
  
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• Vermonters Stitching It Together: The Deep Ties Between Mental Health, Belonging, and Strong Communities

  25-09-2024 17:36 via vtdigger.org
  
  We live in an era where it’s easy to see division: In news headlines, political polls, and anonymous online debates that too often turn rancorous. At times the discord blares so loudly that it’s difficult to hear the notes of optimism and unity that exist in our communities now and need to be amplified. While our differences may be highlighted in the news, there are strong currents of connection and understanding that offer hope for a better future built by people who can work t
  
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