500 pounds, 50 hemp plants cut and removed during overnight hours The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food &Markets (VAAFM) was notified of a hemp crop theft that occurred on Pony Farm Road in Moretown. In the early morning hours of Monday Sept. 7, the hemp field of Fancy Plants adjacent to Austin Heights Road was…

Staff report The Vermont House gave final approval to H.688, the Global Warming Solutions Act, in a vote of 102-45 on Sept. 9. The House concurred with the Senate proposal of amendment and the bill was delivered to the Governor on Sept. 10. The Vermont Senate passed its version of the Global Warming Solutions Act on June 25 in…

Attorney General T.J. Donovan has prevailed against a motion to dismiss filed by Clearview AI in the lawsuit to stop the facial recognition company from collecting and selling images of Vermonters. The Court’s ruling means the case, which was filed in April, may now move forward. In its motion, Clearview failed to persuade the Court…

The Vermont House gave preliminary approval to the fiscal year 2021 Budget, H.969 on a vote of 140-4 on Sept. 10. Then final passage on Friday, Sept. 11. Chair of the House Appropriations Committee Rep. Kitty Toll (D-Danville) presented the bill on the floor, saying, “building on priorities from our work at the beginning of the year,…

On Sept. 9, the boards of Vermont PBS and Vermont Public Radio unanimously voted to join together to create a new public media organization, to better serve the community. The new organization will be led by Scott Finn, current president and CEO of VPR. Steve Ferreira, acting Vermont PBS CEO, will serve as COO. VPR…

Vermonters put $425,000 of stimulus money to work purchasing cards for nearly 1,000 businesses The Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) announced Sept. 10  that the BuyLocalVermont program is now fully subscribed and $425,000 is on its way to 959 locally owned businesses. The pilot program, funded through an allocation of the Federal Coronavirus…

By Rep. Jim Harrison Essentially, that was the message to the governor last week when the Legislature sent him H.688, the climate bill that imposes strict greenhouse gas reduction requirements on Vermont. Approved by veto proof majorities in both the House and Senate, Speaker Johnson (D-So Hero) and Senate leader Ashe (D/P-Chittenden County), are putting…

On Wednesday, Aug. 5, advocates for regulating and taxing cannabis touted the release of an economic report which concludes a regulated cannabis market could help Vermont recover from the economic recession. The report, authored by  Andrew Livingston, director of economics and research at Vicente Sederberg, LLP, indicated that previous revenue estimates by the Joint Fiscal Office…

Staff report Governor Phil Scott opened the press conference Tuesday, Sept. 8 saying: “I want to be sure everyone knows the ‘By Local Vermont’ program is now open. This means that Vermonters can now go to thinkvermont.com/local and sign up for a $30 deal for one of more than 1,300 Vermont businesses. This initiative was…

By Rep. Jim Harrison As Victor, one of my favorite brothers-in-law, would say, you need to tee-up the ball properly before attempting your drive in golf. In similar fashion, various legislative committees have been working the past two weeks to tee-up bills for action by the full House or Senate. Only a few bills saw…

The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) recently appointed EMT Christian Ventura as its new state advocacy coordinator for Vermont. The advocacy coordinator is tasked with supporting EMTs, paramedics, and other prehospital providers in the Green Mountain State through grassroots legislative efforts by communicating with senators and house representatives, supporting participation in national EMS…

By Justin Trombly/VTDigger State officials want to start a novice turkey-hunting weekend and introduce an electronic reporting system for big game, changes that could help combat a decline in the number of hunters — and in the state’s revenue from hunting licenses — and make reporting game easier during Covid-19. Hunting license sales have plummeted since the mid-1970s, when the state sold…

Report released on International Overdose Awareness Day to honor lost The Vermont Department of Health has released the state’s first Social Autopsy Report, an in-depth look at how those who died of a drug-related overdose interacted with state agencies, and where improvements in the state’s efforts can be made. The release coincides with the observance of International…

On Sept. 1, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT) board of directors released its Perspectives on Police Reform (vlct.org/VLCT_Perspectives_on_Police_Reform). “We feel it’s important for municipal police departments to reflect the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said board member Elaine Haney, Select Board chair in Essex. “To that end, we are providing leadership…

Executive action advances efforts in seven key areas of law enforcement modernization, sets legislative priorities for 2021 Governor Phil Scott has signed an executive order to accelerate a series of reforms and modernizations of public safety services in Vermont, and to initiate a comprehensive, ongoing discussion with state residents—especially historically marginalized communities—about how law enforcement can best…