Vermont news

• Vermont’s Roman Catholic Diocese faces another wave of lawsuits for past abuse

  11-09-2024 13:51 via vtdigger.org
  
  Changing leaves frame the steeple of St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Brattleboro. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDiggerVermont’s Roman Catholic Diocese, having spent more than $30 million to settle some 40 priest misconduct lawsuits dating as far back as 1950, faces another wave of court cases alleging more past child sexual abuse. The state’s largest religious denomination is the subject of at least 16 more civil actions, records show. Collectively, they could prove eve
  
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• VTDigger launches 2024 general election guide

  18-09-2024 14:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  It’s here! VTDigger has launched its 2024 General Election Guide ahead of the Nov. 5 general election.View the guideThe Vermont secretary of state’s office is preparing ballots this week to mail to registered voters and town clerks across the state.For all statewide offices, incumbents are running for reelection against challengers from at least one other party, though in most cases incumbents have a significant edge in name recognition and fundraising. Down ballot, Vermont Senate an
  
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• Former Rutland, Burlington Rep. Curt McCormack dies at 72

  18-09-2024 02:15 via vtdigger.org
  
  Rep. Curt McCormack, D-Burlington, chair of the House Transportation Committtee, speaks with fellow legislators at the Statehouse in Montpelier on January 22, 2019. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerCurt McCormack, a tireless advocate for the environment whose affable nature won him close friends across the state and during his two-plus decades serving in the Vermont House, died Monday of cancer, his family and former colleagues said. He was 72. McCormack was well-known for choosing to live wi
  
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• Judge finds Panton dairy farmers in contempt of court, orders fines barring major changes to farm

  18-09-2024 01:51 via vtdigger.org
  
  An aerial photograph, used as an exhibit in a six-day trial in Dec. 2021 and Jan. 2022, shows a section of the Vorsteveld Farm in Panton. Photo courtesy of the Addison Unit of the Vermont Superior CourtA judge has found a family of Panton dairy farmers in contempt of court after they failed to stop water from coming out of a drainage system on their farm, washing over their neighbors’ property and flowing into Lake Champlain. Brothers Gerard and Hans Vorsteveld, who operate a large da
  
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• After dustup, Orange County sheriff lost the county courthouse security contract

  18-09-2024 01:30 via vtdigger.org
  
  The Orange County Court House in Chelsea on Thursday, August 22. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe Orange County Sheriff’s Department no longer guards the doors of the Orange County Courthouse in Chelsea. That responsibility now belongs to the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department.And while state judicial officials have been mum on why, emails obtained through a public records request reveal part of the backstory, showing courthouse staff grew frustrated with a deputy sheriff’s
  
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• Stig Albertsson

  17-09-2024 23:49 via vtdigger.org
  
  Born Dec. 13, 1930Lindås, SwedenDied Aug. 22, 2024Shelburne, VermontDetails of servicesA memorial service celebrating his life will be held on October 19, 2024, 11:00 AM at the Charlotte Congregational Church, Charlotte, VT. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Manchester Community Library or United Counseling Service of Bennington County would be greatly appreciated.Stig Lennart Albertsson, 93, formerly of East Dorset, VT, passed away on August 22, 2024, surrounded by family after a short
  
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• Burlington pays out $215K to settle 2019 excessive force lawsuit

  17-09-2024 22:05 via vtdigger.org
  
  Burlington Police Department cruisers parked outside the department in Burlington on Monday, August 26, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe city of Burlington has paid out $215,000 to settle an excessive force lawsuit filed by a man who alleged police brutality, according to the man’s attorney.Mabior Jok, 40, filed the lawsuit in federal court in 2019. He accused Burlington police officer Joe Corrow of causing physical and mental damage and violating his rights after Corrow tackled an
  
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• Support staff at Porter Medical Center approve first union contract

  17-09-2024 20:28 via vtdigger.org
  
  Porter Medical Center in Middlebury. Photo courtesy of Porter Medical CenterRoughly 300 workers at Porter Medical Center ratified their first union contract late Saturday after three months of negotiations.Support staff, licensed practical nurses and technical professionals voted overwhelmingly to join the Vermont chapter of the American Federation of Teachers union in March, almost a decade after nurses at the Middlebury hospital unionized. Together those groups of employees represent about hal
  
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• State police identify Pawlet Selectboard member and family members as victims in triple-homicide

  17-09-2024 17:20 via vtdigger.org
  
  Pawlet Town Hall seen on Sunday, March 14, 2021. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerBrian Crossman at an Aug. 6, 2024, Pawlet Selectboard meeting. Screenshot via PEGTV RutlandUpdated at 9:37 p.m.Days after the bodies of three people were found in a Pawlet home, Vermont State Police identified the victims late Tuesday. They did not, however, name a suspect. Police said in a press release that the deceased were Brian Crossman Sr., 46, a member of the town selectboard; Erica (Pawlusiak) Crossman,
  
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• Pawlet Selectboard mourns one of its own following ‘suspicious deaths’ of 3 in town

  17-09-2024 17:20 via vtdigger.org
  
  Pawlet Town Hall seen on Sunday, March 14, 2021. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThe Pawlet Selectboard on Tuesday morning released a statement mourning the loss of board member Brian Crossman.Vermont State Police have yet to release the identities of three people who were found dead in Pawlet on Sunday, but Crossman has been widely identified as one of the victims, including by the Manchester Journal. Police have yet to name a suspect, nor have they released further details in the case.In its st
  
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• Tulloch requests resentencing in Zantop case

  17-09-2024 16:57 via vtdigger.org
  
  Robert Tulloch departs, left, leaves the Grafton County courthouse in North Haverhill, N.H., following a hearing in 2001. Photo by Tom Retting/Valley News This story by John Lippman was first published in the Valley News on Sept. 16. CONCORD — Robert Tulloch is serving two life sentences without the possibility of parole for his part in the murders of two Dartmouth College professors in 2001.For years, Tulloch, who was 17 years old when he murdered Half Zantop, has been challenging hi
  
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• James Douglas: Bipartisanship on Constitution Day

  17-09-2024 14:45 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by James Douglas, who served as the 80th Vermont governor from 2003-2011.Constitution Day reminds us of our obligation ascitizens to protect and defend our democracy and therule of law. This has been our sacred trust asAmericans since that document was signed in Philadelphia on Sept. 17, 1787. I know this charge well, having led our state as governor. This year, the chief executives of all 50 states and the District of Columbia will have a new and crucial obligation under
  
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• Green Mountain Care Board trims hospital requests for increases to 2025 budget, service charges

  17-09-2024 00:45 via vtdigger.org
  
  Chart by Erin Petenko/VTDiggerA key Vermont health care regulator reduced hospital budgets by millions of dollars for the 2025 fiscal year, setting out financial guardrails for how the facilities can operate over the next 12 months.  The decisions, announced Friday by the Green Mountain Care Board, place caps on how much Vermont hospitals can charge for services and how much revenue they can bring in from those services. Earlier this year, Vermont’s hospitals asked the board
  
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• Welch and Vermont doctors tout new Medicare bill to increase payments to primary care

  17-09-2024 00:23 via vtdigger.org
  
  U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, at a press conference to discuss prescription medicine cost caps in Rutland on January 9, 2023.File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerPrimary care practices across the country are being squeezed by a 35-year old provision in Medicare that has resulted in declining payments for services. In Vermont, where much of the state’s Medicaid fee schedule is based on what Medicare is paying, the impact has been worse, local providers said on Monday. They joined U.
  
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• Peter Welch and Vermont doctors tout new Medicare bill to increase payments to primary care

  17-09-2024 00:23 via vtdigger.org
  U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, at a press conference to discuss prescription medicine cost caps in Rutland on January 9, 2023.File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerPrimary care practices across the country are being squeezed by a 35-year old provision in Medicare that has resulted in declining payments for services. In Vermont, where much of the state’s Medicaid fee schedule is based on what Medicare is paying, the impact has been worse, local providers said on Monday. They joined U.
  
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• VT Coyotes are bringing professional basketball back to Barre

  16-09-2024 23:12 via vtdigger.org
  
  The logo of the VT Coyotes, a new semi-pro basketball team joining the American Basketball Association. Image courtesy of the VT CoyotesAfter a 13-year hiatus, professional basketball is coming back to Barre. The VT Coyotes, a new minor league team under the American Basketball Association (ABA), will begin competing in the 2025-26 season. The team plans to play its home games at the Barre Municipal Auditorium.“We are very excited to be back in Barre,” American Basketball Associ
  
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• VTDigger Fall Member Drive: Why your support matters this fall

  16-09-2024 23:00 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear reader,Have you ever wondered what it takes to produce a single investigative report? It’s not just about writing; it’s about uncovering the truth. Our journalists spend countless hours researching, fact-checking, and sometimes even battling legal challenges to bring you the stories that others might want to keep hidden. At the same time, we’re working around the clock to keep you informed about the latest developments in our state. From breaking news to local events,
  
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• Jury finds former Georgia teacher not guilty of sexually assaulting student

  16-09-2024 21:43 via vtdigger.org
  
  Franklin County Superior Court building in St. Albans. File photo by Peng Chen/VTDigger ST. ALBANS — A Franklin County jury found former Georgia Elementary and Middle School teacher Matthew Toof not guilty of allegations that he repeatedly sexually assaulted one of his students over a period of nearly six years starting in 2016. Toof, who was charged in 2021 with aggravated repeated sexual assault of a child and lewd and lascivious conduct involving a child, was acquited on both count
  
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• A new round of motel evictions began Sunday, leaving residents scrambling 

  16-09-2024 16:18 via vtdigger.org
  
  Julie Whitney follows her husband Chuck Rouille to their room at the Travelodge motel on Shelburne Road in South Burlington on Sunday, September 15, 2024. They are scheduled to lose the room provided by the state’s motel housing program on Thursday but are hoping to get an extension.Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThis story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin and Vermont Public reporter Lola Duffort, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.Ernest
  
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• Plans for long-distance mountain bike route in Vermont take step forward with 1st piece of ‘Velomont’ trail

  16-09-2024 15:12 via vtdigger.org
  
  The ‘Heart of the Greens’ loop opened this summer in Central Vermont. Courtesy of the Vermont Huts Association, photo by Daniel JordanA new multiday mountain bike trail opened this summer in central Vermont — the culmination of almost a decade of work by myriad organizations and volunteers.The ‘Heart of the Greens’ loop runs up to Chittenden Brook Hut in the Green Mountain National Forest as well as through downtown Rochester and Pittsfield. The adaptive trail comes
  
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• Stowe skier breaks uphill record, keeps on skinning

  16-09-2024 14:15 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 courtesy of Gordon Miller/Stowe Reporter This story by Tommy Gardner was first published by The Stowe Reporter on Sept. 12.For Noah Dines, Labor Day was just another day at the office.Dines, a Stowe skier on a quest to ski 3 million uphill feet in a calendar year, last week surpassed the cu
  
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• How to vote in Vermont’s 2024 general election

  16-09-2024 13:29 via vtdigger.org
  
  Vermont’s general election is Tuesday, November 5.There are two ways to vote:Early voting by mail or in person, from Oct. 1 to Nov. 4.In person at your polling place on Nov. 5.All U.S. citizens who are residents of Vermont and will be 18 or older for the general election on Nov. 5, 2024, are eligible to register to vote in the election.Voter registrationTo vote in the general election, you must be registered to vote in Vermont, though you may still register on the day of the election. 
  
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• Tom Pelham: More reform, less taxes

  16-09-2024 12:55 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Tom Pelham of Berlin. He was finance commissioner in the administration of Gov. Howard Dean and tax commissioner in administration of Gov. Jim Douglas. He served as an independent state representative, including on the Vermont House Appropriations Committee.The call for legislators to raise taxes on the “wealthy” next legislative session has begun. In a VTDigger commentary, John Greenberg wrote, “Realistically, the choice that confronts policymakers is not
  
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•  State police investigating ‘suspicious deaths’ at Pawlet residence

  15-09-2024 18:09 via vtdigger.org
  
  Photo courtesy of Vermont State PoliceVermont State Police investigating a report of a “suspicious person” early Sunday morning discovered the bodies of “deceased victims” at a home on Route 133 in Pawlet, according to a state police press release Sunday morning. The release did not indicate how many victims were found.Police said they were in the early stages of the investigation into what they labeled as “suspicious deaths.” “Initial work by detec
  
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•  State police investigating 3 ‘suspicious deaths’ at Pawlet residence

  15-09-2024 18:09 via vtdigger.org
  
  Photo courtesy of Vermont State PoliceUpdated at 8:21 p.m.Vermont State Police investigating a report of a “suspicious person” early Sunday morning discovered the bodies of three “deceased victims” at a home on Route 133 in Pawlet, according to a state police press release on Sunday. Police said they were in the early stages of the investigation into what they labeled as “suspicious deaths.”  “Initial work by detectives indicates this was
  
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• Fall Member Drive: Help us keep uncovering the hidden stories

  15-09-2024 14:09 via vtdigger.org
  
  Dear reader,My name is Erin Petenko and I am the data reporter here at VTDigger. There is less than one week left in our Fall Member Drive and our goal has special significance this year. Recently the Center for Community News at UVM released a study showing that Vermont has lost 75% of its journalism jobs in the past quarter-century. VTDigger is working to fill that gap, and we need your help to raise $75,000 to reinvest in local news for Vermont. Donate todayAs a data reporter, my work lo
  
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• African women find community and healing at knitting group in Burlington

  15-09-2024 14:06 via vtdigger.org
  
  Elize Sikujuwa adds to the conversation during a meeting of a knitting group for New Americans in Winooski on Thursday, September 12. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerBURLINGTON— Fatuma Hussein, 61, had never knitted before she started coming to the third- floor classroom of an Old North End community center. But there she was on a recent Thursday evening, sitting in a beige armchair at the back of the room, working away on a fuzzy green and gray child’s hat.“I like it here,&rdqu
  
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• Resort, academy partner to make early snow in Stowe

  15-09-2024 13:14 via vtdigger.org
  
  An investment in snowmaking by Mansfield Winter Academy and Stowe Mountain Resort should get racers on the hill earlier in the season to train and race.
  Photo courtesy of Gordon Miller/Stowe ReporterThis story by Tommy Gardner was first published by The Stowe Reporter on Sept. 12.
  Mount Mansfield Academy could add an extra month and a half to its ski season as it partners with Stowe Mountain Resort and pumps a bunch of money into increased snowmaking capabilities in the areas the acade
  
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• Ron Jacobs: I am appalled at proposed Green Mountain Transit cuts

  15-09-2024 12:52 via vtdigger.org
  
  This commentary is by Ron Jacobs of Winooski. He is a lifelong public transit rider and currently holds a senior discount pass from Green Mountain Transit.Frankly, I am appalled at Green Mountain Transit management’s proposed cuts to bus service. This decision highlights numerous problems with current policies regarding how Vermonters get to work, school, shopping and elsewhere in their daily lives.First and foremost, the idea that cuts are even considered as a reasonable solution to Green
  
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• Young Writers Project: ‘The Ocean’

  15-09-2024 12:06 via vtdigger.org
  
  “Swans Island, Maine,” by Amelia Van Driesche, 18, of BurlingtonYoung 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&nb
  
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