Monday, December 15, 2014
Power outages affected more than 100,000 households, and according to the Shumlin administration, public and private utilities have collectively spent millions of dollars repairing the damage.
Vermont Public Radio reported that 1,700 homes were still without power as of Monday morning. More than a foot of wet, heavy snow has continued to hinder repair efforts.
For FEMA to agree to foot part of the bill, there needs to be at least $1 million worth of damage statewide, and counties need to meet individual thresholds. Shumlin's request identifies four counties in need of help: Chittenden, Franklin, Lamoille and Orleans.
In a statement, Shumlin expressed confidence Vermont would qualify — "We believe FEMA will agree that the state and public utilities meet the thresholds for assistance.” If the federal agency concurs, it could cover up to 75 percent of costs.
State officials want FEMA to make their "preliminary damage assessment" soon — this Tuesday or Wednesday — before another storm, expected late Wednesday, confuses the evidence.
Tags: Governor Shumlin , FEMA , Chittenden County , Image , Web Only
Sunday, December 14, 2014
The Senate passed the measure, which funds much of the government through next September, by a vote of 56 to 40. Sanders joined 21 Democrats and 18 Republicans in opposing it. Vermont's third delegate, Congressman Peter Welch (D-Vt.), also voted against the bill when it passed the House Thursday night.
Like many liberals, Sanders and Welch took issue with two policy riders attached to the spending bill that would roll back regulations governing Wall Street banks and dramatically increase the amount of money donors can give to political parties. In a statement released ahead of Saturday's vote, Sanders also faulted the legislation for failing to invest in infrastructure improvements and environmental programs.
“At a time when the middle class continues to disappear, and the gap between the very rich and everyone else grows wider, this bill comes nowhere close to reflecting the needs and priorities of America’s working families," he said.
Tags: Senator , Cromnibus , Patrick Leahy , Bernie Sanders , Peter Welch , Image , Recommended Reading , Web Only
Saturday, December 13, 2014
At separate meetings in Montpelier, the Senate and House Democratic caucuses met to discuss their priorities for the coming legislative session and to elect those who will lead them through it.
The proceedings were largely free of drama. Though races emerged after Election Day for House Democrats’ No. 2 and 3 positions — majority leader and majority whip — both were settled before lawmakers descended upon Montpelier.
Meeting at the Statehouse Saturday morning, House Dems unanimously elected five-term Rep. Sarah Copeland Hanzas (D-Bradford) to replace Rep. Willem Jewett (D-Ripton) as majority leader. Nominating her was Rep. Kesha Ram (D-Burlington), who waged a spirited campaign against Copeland Hanzas, but who dropped out of the running on Tuesday.
“We know that a rising tide floats all boats, but I think that we as Democrats are keenly aware that part of our job is to throw a lifeline to the Vermonters who’ve been swept overboard in our great recession,” Copeland Hanzas told her colleagues. “And that’s going to be [House Democrats’] central focus.”
Tags: Vermont House , Vermont Senate , Shap Smith , Sarah Copeland Hanzas , Kesha Ram , Kate Webb , John Campbell , Phil Baruth , Claire Ayer , Dick Mazza , Image , Web Only
The event came a day before larger demonstrations were planned across the country — from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., to New York City — to protest police brutality and the recent killings of unarmed black men, including Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner in New York City.
Vicki Garrison, the event’s organizer, read names of those who she said have been “lynched by our justice system,” following each name with, “We love you.” Those gathered then stood in silence, candles held in gloves and mittens. Protesters held aloft signs reading “Black Lives Matter,” “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot,” “White Silence Is Violence” and “I Can’t Breathe.”
Speakers trudged up city hall’s steps to use a megaphone to address the crowd, telling of personal struggles with racism in Vermont and elsewhere, and reflecting on issues of race, education and the legal system in America today.
One speaker, an American history teacher living in Vermont for more than 25 years, urged parents to “teach your children the truth of history … Teach your children how to care for people.”
Tags: Burlington , Black Lives Matter , Burlington City Hall , Image , Web Only
Friday, December 12, 2014
The legislation, which will fund the government through next September, narrowly survived a procedural vote Thursday afternoon as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) spoke out against it. After President Obama joined House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) in personally lobbying for the bill, it passed by a vote of 219 to 206 — just hours before a midnight deadline to avert a government shutdown.
The Senate is expected to vote on the measure Friday or Saturday.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told national news outlets Thursday that he, too, would oppose the bill. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) helped negotiate portions of it as the most senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. In a floor speech Thursday, Leahy called it "a balanced, bipartisan bill."
Tags: Senator , Peter Welch , Bernie Sanders , Patrick Leahy , Cromnibus , Image , Recommended Reading , Web Only
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Races for two House Democratic leadership positions have been settled ahead of this weekend's caucus.
Rep. Sarah Copeland Hanzas (D-Bradford) is expected to become the party's next majority leader in January. Barring any last-minute maneuvering, she'll succeed Rep. Willem Jewett (D-Ripton), who announced plans on Election Day to relinquish the leadership post.
“I am honored to be chosen by my House colleagues to help lead us through this next biennium,” Copeland Hanzas says. “I’m humbled by that support, but also energized to help ensure that we are communicating together not only across the wide range of ideas from within our caucus, but with independents, Republicans and Progressives in the House to do good work for Vermonters.”
The five-term legislator has spent the past month competing with Rep. Kesha Ram (D-Burlington) for the House's No. 2 post. Ram informed her colleagues by email Tuesday evening that she'd dropped out of the race. Instead, she'll seek to become "caucus election chair," a position House Dems expect to create during their organizational meeting on Saturday.
Ram called the contest "a very close race," which she left "on [her] own terms."
"I was becoming increasingly sensitive to the number of people from Chittenden County in the race for other leadership positions," she explains.
Tags: Sarah Copeland Hanzas , Willem Jewett , Kesha Ram , Image , Web Only
Monday, December 8, 2014
The second-place finisher in last month's gubernatorial election called on the legislature Monday to name him governor in January.
Emerging from a month out of the limelight, Republican Scott Milne called his near-victory over Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin a rebuke of the incumbent's four years in office. He told reporters during a morning press conference at the Statehouse that he would press on in his bid to become governor, despite falling 2,434 votes short.
Since no candidate received a majority of the votes cast in last month's election, Vermont's constitution dictates that the legislature choose a governor from among the top three contenders. Shumlin won 46.4 percent, Milne 45.1 percent and Libertarian Dan Feliciano 4.4 percent.
Milne told reporters he believes legislators “will place the best interests of Vermont ahead of what is good for themselves or their political interests.”
"If I were one of them,” he continued, “I would very seriously consider a vote for Scott Milne."
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Progressives also selected city council candidates at their caucus. They're fielding four candidates for the 12-member council.
In a rapidly delivered 20-minute speech that would have gone longer if Progressive city chair Kyle Silliman-Smith hadn't cut him short, Goodkind said he's encountered widespread dissatisfaction with Weinberger. He told the roomful of Progs that he'd scrutinize large development projects more thoroughly and would promote "small organic development" rather than large-scale projects.
Tags: Progressive party , Steve Goodkind , Miro Weinberger , Image , Web Only
Friday, December 5, 2014
Former public works director Steve Goodkind, who's planning to run for the city's top seat, will seek the Progs' endorsement. Goodkind said he also plans to discuss his platform — which he has not yet revealed — at Sunday's gathering.
Burlington activist and writer Greg Guma, who has been mulling running as an independent, announced Thursday that he's decided against that. "I haven't attracted sufficient support to build a successful independent campaign at this time. Although many people urged me to run, others want just a Progressive Party candidate or have different, non-electoral priorities," he wrote on his blog.
Tags: Burlington , Miro Weinberger , Progressives , Image , Web Only
Duke, who will remain a minority shareholder, announced the news in a column in Thursday's Reporter. His departure takes effect December 18.
The sale will complete a process that formally began in October 2013, when Bob Miller and Norb Garrett bought a 49 percent stake in the papers. Miller, of New York, and Garrett, of California, own a trio of weekly newspapers in Southern California. Duke remained publisher at the time and his family remained majority owners.
"I was looking for not only a financial exit, but also the right thing, because I think newspapers need to continue to thrive," he says. "Bob and I and Norb have spent the last 14 or 15 months feeling each other out. We've become great friends. They're great partners and it's been really great."