Discover More from This Category: State News

Libertarians, and Republicans, question Feliciano’s bid for GOP nomination

August 13, 2014
By Tom Brown, VTDigger.org Libertarian candidate for governor Dan Feliciano fell 220 signatures shy of qualifying to appear on the Republican ballot. Now he is appealing to GOP voters to write him in at the polls on primary election day. On Thursday Aug. 7, Feliciano criticized the Shumlin administration’s policies on several issues and faulted…

Shumlin lays out $31 million in budget cuts

August 13, 2014
By Anne Galloway, VTDigger.org The Shumlin administration proposed $31 million in budget cuts for fiscal year 2015 to a panel of lawmakers Monday, Aug. 11. The reduction in state spending is a response to a revised revenue outlook for the coming year. Most of the $31 million in savings is achieved through cuts to external…

Vt. celebrates National Farmers’ Market week, Aug. 3-9

July 31, 2014
VTFMA and NOFA-VT host selfie photo contest With over 70 farmers’ markets in the state, Vermont has good reason to mark National Farmers’ Market Week. From Aug. 3-9, 2014, the Vermont Farmers’ Market Association (VTFMA) and the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) will be joined by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture and farmers’…

Harpoon Brewery transitioning to employee ownership

July 23, 2014
By Morgan True Harpoon Brewery recently announced that it would become an employee-owned company starting in August. The Boston-based craft brew maker was founded in 1986 and now has 187 full-time employees, with 26 at its brewing facility in Windsor, making it the 12th-largest craft beer maker in the U.S., according to a news release.…

Bitten by a tick? Save it and ship it!

July 16, 2014
This time of year is full of reports of ticks bites, rashes, and worries about diseases. As is becoming more and more evident by the day, ticks are very active and very hungry for their blood meal at this time of year. The Lyme Action Network offers some common tips, and some little known facts,…

Hospital CEO’s memo suggests commercially insured will continue to shoulder more cuts

July 16, 2014
By Morgan True, VTDigger.org Vermont’s second largest hospital says its rates are likely to grow by 8.4 percent next fiscal year, because payments from government programs that cover health care services aren’t keeping up with inflation. In a letter to the 1,100 employees of Rutland Regional Medical Center, CEO Tom Huebner said the hospital board…

$100 million in Vermont highway projects stalled

July 16, 2014
By Anne Galloway, VTDigger.org The Vermont Agency of Transportation will have to put $100 million worth of bridge, road and rail projects on hold if Congress does not shore up the federal highway trust fund by Aug. 1. In all, 38 projects could be affected. The agency was counting on $195 million from the trust…

$100 million in Vermont highway projects stalled

July 16, 2014
By Anne Galloway, VTDigger.org The Vermont Agency of Transportation will have to put $100 million worth of bridge, road and rail projects on hold if Congress does not shore up the federal highway trust fund by Aug. 1. In all, 38 projects could be affected. The agency was counting on $195 million from the trust…

Gov. Shumlin signs new law cracking down on abuse of prescription and other drugs

July 14, 2014
posted Jun 13, 2013 On June 5, Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law a comprehensive package of legislation designed to crack down on drug addiction and the crimes linked to abuse of prescription and other drugs, including methamphetamines. In addition, another new law provides limited immunity from liability for people who report an overdose to…

Shumlin calls for $10.10 minimum wage by 2017

July 14, 2014
By Hilary Niles, VTDigger.org updated Wed, Mar 12, 2014 06:18 PM Vt. is joined by three other New England governors echoing Obama's call Gov. Peter Shumlin wants to increase the state's minimum wage from $8.73 per hour to $10.10 per hour, by 2017. Shumlin's pitch matches that of President Barack Obama, who's calling for the…

Heroin addiction: Potential solutions explored at “Vermont’s Heroin Addicts—Handcuffs or Hospitals”

July 14, 2014
updated Thu, Feb 27, 2014 07:29 PM SOUTH ROYALTON - Heroin addiction is making headlines in Vermont and across the nation, from an Oscar-winning actor's recent death after an apparent overdose to the Boston Globe's reports of the drug's "deadly foothold in Vermont" and strings of apparent heroin being reported in nearly every state. It's…

Deluge renders a veritable ‘who-dun-it’ of Irene Storm, rescue, and recovery

July 10, 2014
By Karen D. Lorentz updated Wed, Aug 28, 2013 06:43 PM Chances are you will know some of the people in the book; perhaps you are even in the book! I live on a mountain 2,230 feet above sea level along the spine of the Green Mountains. To get anywhere we descend about 430 vertical…

Act 250 permits: Reactions and progress

July 9, 2014
By Karen D. Lorentz posted Oct 23, 2013 Editor's note: This is the third article in a series on the new Act 250 permits issued Oct. 7 for Phase 1 of Killington Village. The previous two articles by Lorentz covered the details of each permit, this week she gets reactions on conditions and timelines from…