Vermont Marble, Granite, Slate & Soapstone Co., a Vermont- and New York-based custom stone manufacturer, has proposed to donate medallions of the world famous Vermont Verde Antique stone, quarried in Rochester, Vt., to “The Border Wall Project.” Owner, Paul Thompson said, “It would be an honor to donate something so very beautiful and God-given to…

By Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Bridgewater, Chittenden, Killington & Mendon It’s that time of the session, where the Senate committees are busy reviewing and amending House passed bills and the House is doing the same with Senate bills. While sometimes both bodies pass the same version of a bill, often there are differences, which will need…

The Vermont Agency of Transportation notifies the traveling public that Route 103 from Rockingham to Clarendon will be resurfaced this spring and summer. This project will proceed through Rockingham, portions of Chester, Cavendish, portions of Ludlow, Mount Holly, Wallingford, Shrewsbury and Clarendon. The contractor, Pike Industries, will begin preliminary construction activities the week of April…

About 89 Stafford Technical Center participated in the SkillsUSA Leadership Conference at various locations in and around South Burlington April 4-5. Students competed to demonstrate personal, workplace and technical skills. Stafford Technical Center garnered 33 medals total in individual and group competitions, including eight gold medals, 18 silver medals, and seven bronze medals, according to…

By Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Bridgewater, Chittenden, Killington & Mendon With six weeks left on the schedule for the 2018 legislative session, we got a glimpse this past week of the potential stumbling blocks prior to conclusion. With new gun legislation largely behind us (S.55 was sent to the governor and two other measures relating to…

By Alison Clarkson, Senator, Windsor County Both bodies of the Vermont Legislature have now passed three major measures to improve firearm safety in our state. These bills: S.221, H.422 and S.55, are designed to keep guns out of the hands of those who intend harm to themselves or others, domestic violence abusers, and those with…

By Katy Savage RUTLAND—Congressman Peter Welch said his constituents are frustrated by the lack of progress in Congress and the apparent lack of agreement between legislators. Welch said he’s also frustrated. Welch, D-Vt., of Norwich, spent Monday, April 2, in Rutland. He took questions from about 25 people at the Phoenix Books for a Congress in…

By Alan J. Keays, VTDigger A landmark bill that would make a series of significant changes to the state’s gun laws has received final approval from Vermont’s General Assembly. Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, says he intends to sign that bill as well as two others that introduce new gun control measures. The passage Friday, March…

By Anne Galloway, VTDigger Hundreds of gun activists swarmed the State House lawn Saturday afternoon, March 31, to protest the passage of S.55, legislation that puts sweeping new restrictions on gun use in Vermont. Republican Gov. Phil Scott has promised to sign the bill into law. During the rally, participants formed two lines on the sidewalk…

By Xander Landen, VTDigger The House passed a $5.84 billion budget proposal Friday, March 23, that lawmakers say addresses the needs of the most vulnerable Vermonters and makes long-term investments without raising taxes or fees. Facing little debate, the budget bill, H.924, passed overwhelmingly in a vote of 122-10. While representatives put four amendments on the table,…

On March 21, the House passed the tri-partisan Education Finance Reform Bill, H.911 on a vote of 85-54. The bill provides a restructuring of the Education Fund, updating the Vermont personal income tax code to streamline it with the federal changes and eliminating taxable Social Security benefits for low and middle-income Vermonters, while preserving funding for Vermont’s…

By Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Bridgewater, Chittenden, Killington & Mendon This past week, the Vermont House voted on a proposal to lower residential property taxes for education. Who could be against that? After careful consideration, I voted against H.911 when it came up for preliminary approval. The legislation does lower the residential property tax rate on…

By Katy Savage RUTLAND—Gov. Phil Scott started a speech before members of the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce and Rutland Economic Development Fund Monday, March 12, by addressing what he called “the elephant in the room.” About a month ago, Fair Haven High School—20 miles from Rutland—was threatened by a shooter. The threat at Fair…

By Kelsey Neubauer, VTDigger The state’s only polling institute is among the casualties as Castleton University seeks to address a $1.5 million budget gap. Two dean positions have also been eliminated. Castleton spokesperson Jeff Weld said Tuesday, March 13, that the university had cut the positions of Dean of Administration Scott Dykman and Dean of Entrepreneurial…

By Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Bridgewater, Chittenden, Killington and Mendon Some of the sessions big issues will be up for votes on the House floor this coming week, including the “must pass” state budget. This is the time of year when committees have passed out bills they have been working on this year to get them…