Discover More from This Category: State News

New England housing market affected by near-historic levels of snowfall, according to one New England housing report

March 5, 2015
The New England housing market felt the effects of historic or near-historic levels of snowfall across much of the region in January. Many states accumulated more than 60 inches of snow in a two-week period, forcing potential homebuyers to put their plans on hold. Month-over-month, home sales reflected the inclement weather with a decrease of…

Vermont Officials Outline Impacts of Department of Homeland Security Shutdown

February 27, 2015
WATERBURY – With continued uncertainty over whether or for how long Congress will approve funding for the Department of Homeland Security, Gov. Peter Shumlin and Vermont public safety officials today outlined impacts of a shutdown for Vermont. If funding is not approved by midnight tonight most divisions of the federal agency will suspend operations. While…

Student-teacher ratios are the focus as House Education Committee hones bill

February 26, 2015
By Amy Ash Nixon, VTDigger.org Attention turned to class sizes and student-staff ratios as the House Education Committee continued to fine tune its education reform bill Monday, Feb. 23. Brad James, education finance manager for the Vermont Agency of Education, showed committee members tables detailing student-staff and administrator-student ratios in Vermont’s schools. “We have extraordinarily…

Tutus, anyone?

February 26, 2015
By Lee Krohn Good times, good friends, great cause. The 13th annual Tubbs Romp to Stomp Out Breast Cancer Snowshoe Series was held Saturday Feb. 21 at Stratton Mountain. Last year, the fundraising and participation numbers exceeded $63,000 and 591 Rompers and this year organizers hoped to top those numbers. The event, a run (or walk) on…

Vermont National Guard to help Massachusetts dig out

February 19, 2015
By VTDigger staff Vermont is sending 12 dump trucks and 40 National Guardsmen to help Massachusetts dig out from record-setting snowfalls. Vermont governor Peter Shumlin on Wednesday authorized 40 Vermont National Guard troops to spend up to 15 days helping remove snow in the Bay State. More than six feet of snow have fallen in…

Public hearing on gun bill draws big crowd to Montpelier

February 18, 2015
By Morgan True, VTDigger.org A public hearing on proposed firearms legislation before the Senate Judiciary and the Senate Health and Welfare committees drew several hundred people to Montpelier Tuesday, Feb. 10. Supporters wearing green Gunsense Vermont T-shirts were outnumbered by opponents wearing blaze orange clothing. S.31 would make it a crime to sell a gun…

Vermont Gas pulls plug on pipeline to New York

February 18, 2015
Decision expected to delay timeline for natural gas to reach Rutland By John Herrick Vermont Gas Systems has abandoned its plan to bring natural gas under Lake Champlain to a New York paper mill after the plant withdrew its financial support. Vermont Gas had proposed building a pipeline from Middlebury to the International Paper facility…

State Legislature takes hard look at suicide in Vermont

February 12, 2015
On Friday, Feb. 13, the public health issue of suicide in Vermont will take center stage at the Vermont State House, during a day of advocacy and recognition of ongoing suicide prevention efforts.  From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. representatives of the Vermont Suicide Prevention Center, Vermont Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention,…

Increased support for non-citizen voting rights in Burlington

February 12, 2015
Voters in Burlington recently voted 11-2 to place an amendment to the state constitution on the March ballot. The proposed amendment would allow non-citizens to vote in municipal and school elections, as well as to work as department heads and serve on city boards. While many citizens are quick to protest that voting is their…

Two x-c skiers rescued just before midnight

February 12, 2015
On Feb. 7, at around 7 p.m., Peter Guy contacted the Vermont State Police in Rockingham and reported that his wife Cindy Guy and her friend, Gail Mann, both in their late 60s from Londonderry, had gone cross-country skiing earlier in the day and had not returned. He reported that at 4:30 p.m., after being in…

Skier dies after hitting tree at Burke Mountain

February 12, 2015
On Feb. 6, around 3:15 p.m., a 27-year-old St. Johnsbury woman died while skiing at Burke Mountain in East Burke. The Vermont State Police responded and and a detective went to the scene. Initial investigation indicates the deceased left the groomed portion of a trail on the upper portion of the mountain and struck a tree. After the…

On one measure of the wage gap, Vermont is #1

February 12, 2015
In several recently released reports on working women from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Vermont’s wage gap was the smallest in the nation. Cary Brown, executive director of the Vermont Commission on Women, which works to advance rights and opportunities for women and girls, applauded news that Vermont’s most recent gender wage gap…

New study highlights the value of Vermont’s dairy industry

February 12, 2015
The Vermont dairy industry brings $2.2 billion in economic activity to Vermont annually, according to a new study funded by the Vermont Dairy Promotion Council. Findings from the study were unveiled last week at the Vermont Farm Show. Recognizing the need for up-to-date data about dairying’s impact on Vermont’s economy, the Vermont Dairy Promotion Council…

Brandon loses two businesses

February 5, 2015
By Lee J. Kahrs BRANDON—The signs said it all. Within two downtown blocks, closing signs signaled the end of an era for two well-known Brandon businesses. Within the span of one week, Sheri Sullivan of Sheri’s Diner on Center Street and Tonya Bonvouloir of Shapiro’s Department Store on Park Street, both announced they would be…

Auditor reports state land leases to ski areas are outdated

January 28, 2015
By Laura Krantz, VTDigger.org Vermont’s ski industry has outgrown the terms of decades-old leases of state land that were designed to help resorts grow and now result in lucrative deals for booming resorts, a state audit  released last week found. By most measures, the public-private partnership between resorts and the state is successful, but the…