By Laura Krantz, VTDigger.org Vermont ranks 39th in the nation for gender equality in local, state and national elected office, according to a report published last week by Representation 2020, a national group that promotes women in politics. The state is second highest in the nation for women in the lower house of the Legislature,…

LUDLOW — Friends of Ludlow Auditorium (FOLA) will sponsor a Candidates Forum on Thursday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. at the Ludlow Town Hall Auditorium. The forum will feature candidates for the Windsor County Senate seats in Montpelier as well as the newly-created Rutland-Windsor (RW-2) seat in the House. The RW-2 seat will represent Ludlow, Mt Holly, and Shrewsbury. The…

CAVENDISH — The Cavendish Community and Conservation Association will hold an informational meeting and debate for Cavendish voters on Thursday, Oct. 23, starting at 7 p.m. at the Cavendish Town Elementary School on Main Street in Proctorsville. Since only one local office is contested this year, that of State Representative, the evening will focus on…

The Nov. 1 deadline is approaching for the Vermont Writers’ Prize, an annual competition sponsored by Green Mountain Power and Vermont Magazine that provides an opportunity for Vermont writers to showcase their talent. “Entries are already coming in for this year’s prize,” said Dorothy Schnure, corporate spokesperson for Green Mountain Power. “We are always amazed…

By Tom Brown, VTDigger.org A national Republican political action committee launched a six-figure statewide media campaign during the first week of October in support of GOP legislative candidates in Vermont. The Republican State Leadership Committee is airing television and radio ads, urging Vermont voters to “vote for a brighter economic future” by choosing Republicans in…

By Morgan True, VTDigger.org Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Dan Feliciano says Gov. Peter Shumlin is planning to “take control” of Medicare benefits as part of a single-payer health care program. A Shumlin campaign official called the claim untrue and a “scare tactic.” Feliciano said he is “ringing the alarm bell” on Shumlin’s plan to use a…

GOSHEN—On Wednesday, Oct. 8, State Police at the New Haven Barracks responded to a report of a home burglary in the town of Goshen. Reported missing are two firearms, a Ruger Vaquero and a Springfield Arms AR-15. Due to the active investigation the victim’s information is not being released at this time. Anyone with information…

The Vermont State Police (VSP) began receiving complaints at the beginning of October from businesses statewide that received counterfeit $50 and $100 bills. Upon investigation, detectives learned that the passing of these counterfeit bills has been ongoing for several weeks, and detectives are now actively investigating numerous incidents in Vermont. Most of the instances have…

By Laura Krantz, VTDigger.org Attorney General Bill Sorrell’s office has filed a petition in court to remove the board of directors of an Upper Valley nonprofit, claiming it allowed the organization’s director to inflate her own salary, pad her expense reimbursements and mismanage money for years. The AG’s office responded to a complaint from within…

By Hilary Niles, VTDigger.org Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin and his Republican challenger, Scott Milne, sounded familiar chords Wednesday evening, Oct. 9, in their first one-on-one live debate. None of the other five gubernatorial candidates, including Libertarian Dan Feliciano or Liberty Union Party nominee Peter Diamondstone, was included in the hour-long event televised live by WCAX.…

By Hilary Niles, VTDigger.org About 45,000 Vermonters stand to collect roughly $1 million from a national settlement with AT&T Mobility. The $105-million deal settles allegations that the company improperly charged customers for services they had not authorized. Known as “cramming,” the practice entails third-party companies signing up accounts for text-message services ranging from celebrity gossip…

By Hilary Niles, VTDigger.org Three months into fiscal year 2015, General Fund receipts are about $3.83 million, or 1 percent, behind revenue projections. The $327 million haul, however, exceeds General Fund receipts from the same period last year. “That is positive as an economic barometer,” Secretary of Administration Jeb Spaulding said in the monthly report.…

By Hilary Niles, VTDigger.org Secretary of Education Rebecca Holcombe has received her marching orders for the 2015 legislative session. In a letter dated Aug. 19, Gov. Peter Shumlin laid out his priorities for the state’s public education system and requests specific initiatives from the Agency of Education. Among the directives: promote the benefits of “right-sizing”…

By Hilary Niles, VTDigger.org State agencies are being asked to stick to their strategic plans while drafting budget cuts up to 5 percent for fiscal year 2016, which starts July 1. Instructions from Gov. Peter Shumlin’s administration include notification that departments will be expected to absorb higher payroll costs stemming from the Pay Act. Two…

By Morgan True, www.VTDigger.org A new report prepared for the Green Mountain Care Board confirms wide variations in the price of medical services throughout the state and examines policy approaches to regulate them. Prices that Vermont’s 14 hospitals and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire receive from commercial insurers vary between 72 percent and 132…