Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has met a mark some are calling historic: He’s raked in more than 1 million online contributions faster than any presidential candidate has before.
Sanders’ campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, emailed supporters Wednesday afternoon touting the fundraising pace, hours before a midnight campaign finance reporting deadline.
“I wanted you to hear it from me first: A short while ago, we flew past our goal of 1 million online contributions to our campaign,” Weaver’s email said. “Let’s. Keep. Going.”
Weaver went on to say: “If we do, we can send an unmistakable message about the size and strength of our political revolution to the political media who have dismissed us for too long.”
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Hillary Clinton , Presidential Campaign , fundraising , Image , Recommended Reading , Web Only
The store at 947 Shelburne Road is closing as part of a cost-cutting effort, according to a corporate spokesman. Some of the store's 66 employees will be offered severance. Some could be offered jobs at other Kmart stores or at Sears, which is owned by the same company.
"Store closures are part of a series of actions we’re taking to reduce ongoing expenses, adjust our asset base and accelerate the transformation of our business model," Howard Riefs, director of corporate communications at Sears Holdings, wrote in an email.
A liquidation sale will start October 25. Kmart's stores in Bennington and Rutland and the company's Sears store in South Burlington will stay open, according to Riefs.
Neighbors have long complained that the Kmart plaza is an eyesore with acres of pockmarked parking, boarded up retail spaces and graffiti. Last summer, fresh concerns arose over truckers who were using the lot as a free, unauthorized campground.
Tags: Kmart , South Burlington , sprawl , mall , retail , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Three Democrats and two Republicans have announced plans to run for the open governor's seat, after three-term Democrat Peter Shumlin announced in June he would not run again. Democrat Shap Smith was the first to hold a formal campaign kickoff. His was in August in downtown Morrisville, his hometown, which is also in the midst of revitalization efforts.
Matt Dunne, a former Democratic state senator, will hold his kickoff in City Hall Park in downtown Barre at noon Monday. Barre is a ways from Dunne’s hometown of Hartland, but is centrally located and just happens to be the hometown of Republican candidate Phil Scott.
Dunne will make the point that Barre is “an inspiring place to look at for Vermont’s future,” said campaign manager Nick Charyk. “It’s a downtown that struggled over the years and is actually doing quite well,” Charyk said.
Sue Minter, a former Democratic state representative and transportation secretary, will hold her campaign kickoff at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at the train station in heart of her hometown of Waterbury. “It reflects a gem of our downtown revitalization in Waterbury,” Minter said.
Tags: Matt Dunne , Sue Minter , Shap Smith , Bruce Lisman , Phil Scott , Image , Web Only
“I’m extremely happy Phil is in the race and I’m supporting Phil in the primary,” Milne said. “I expect I’ll support him in the general election. I think he’s going to beat [retired Wall Street executive] Bruce Lisman in the primary.” Not a big surprise, given that the two graduates of Barre’s Spaulding High School have similar political leanings.
But as is often the case with Milne, the backing comes with some nuances. In some comments to news media he’s left the door open to joining the race — as if he is to Phil Scott as Joe Biden is to Hillary Clinton — possibly ready to run, just in case.
Just last week, Milne was characterizing his own run for governor in 2016 as "unlikely," but he wasn't dismissing it. "Right now, I see me being in the same race with my friend as unlikely," he told Seven Days.
The Woodstock Standard reported last week, “Though Milne hasn’t officially said he won’t be a candidate, he said the likelihood is small because his respect for Scott is too big.” WCAX-TV reported Tuesday that Milne supports Scott, but added: “Milne says he would only get in the governor's race if Scott was to falter.” Wait, does he expect Scott to falter? “No, I expect Phil to win the nomination,” Milne told Seven Days.
Milne said he’s still considering his role in the 2016 election. "Whether it's as a candidate or helping others, I plan to be involved," he said. "People have encouraged me to run for governor, lieutenant governor, U.S. senator and the state legislature."
Tags: Scott Milne , Phil Scott , Peter Shumlin , Vermont politics , Image , Web Only
Monday, September 28, 2015
Documents released last week say that Steven Costantino, who was chairman of Rhode Island’s House Finance Committee at the time, orchestrated a maneuver that helped Schilling's 38 Studios video-game making business secure a $75 million state loan guarantee, the Providence Journal reported. The paper said:
Former EDC Executive Director Keith Stokes testified that it was Rep. Steven M. Costantino, then chairman of the House Finance Committee, who suggested increasing the jobs program funding from $50 million to $125 million to accommodate 38 Studios.
After receiving the state-backed loan, Schilling’s company went bankrupt in 2012. Rhode Island is suing Wells Fargo Securities in hopes of recovering its losses.
The Rhode Island Superior Court released depositions related to that lawsuit Thursday, revealing a greater role for Costantino than had previously been reported.
Tags: Steven Costantino , Vermont , Peter Shumlin , Curt Schilling , 38 Studios , Image , Web Only
Was someone asking after the health of his sex organ? Sort of. The man, presumably circumcised, was responding in loud disagreement to a clutch of roadside activists protesting circumcision. They dressed to stop traffic in all-white clothing with blood-red patches over their crotches and signs showing babies and bearing slogans such as: "How Dare You Cut His Penis!"
Circumcision is performed on males, typically when they are newborns, and entails cutting the foreskin from the penis.
Concern about the practice and shifting recommendations from public health experts contributed to a drop in rates of circumcision in the U.S. between 1979 and 2010. It fell from 65 to 58 percent of male newborns over that time, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Now the rate appears to be climbing back, possibly in response to research showing that circumcision can help reduce the spread of HIV and other STDs. Three years ago the American Academy of Pediatrics revised its position on circumcision to offer stronger support. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also chimed in, saying the benefits outweigh the risks.
The anti-circ squad on the streets Monday remains dead-set against the practice. "It's really barbaric and harmful and babies scream like hell," said Franny Max of Montreal, as she stood in a white outfit waving a sign at traffic.
Tags: circumcision , south , burlington , american academy of pediatrics , centers for disease control , Image , Web Only
The department returned two pairs of night-vision goggles — its last remaining equipment from what is known as the Pentagon's 1033 program — and will not accept any gear in the future, del Pozo said.
The chief cited national concerns about the program, which transfers the Pentagon's excess assault rifles, armored vehicles and cars, and other tactical gear to local cops.
Opponents say the program exacerbates a trend toward the militarization of local police agencies.
“The militarization of local police departments is a genuine concern in our nation,” said del Pozo, who started work earlier this month after leaving the New York City Police Department, in a prepared statement. “There are times when military style equipment is essential for public safety, but they are very rare. Amassing a worst-case scenario arsenal of military equipment results in officers seeing everyday police work through a military lens. When I realized what a small role the military played in equipping our police, I concluded it was better to return the items and let our 1033 program memorandum of understanding expire.”
A Seven Days report in November found that in recent years, Vermont police agencies acquired 158 assault rifles, 14 military Humvees, and scores of scopes, sights and other equipment from the program, often with little public scrutiny. Agencies had requested more than twice as much military equipment than they got.
Tags: Burlington , police , Brandon Del Pozo , Miro Weinberger , Image , Web Only
Bill Sorrell, the longest serving attorney general in the history of Vermont, said Monday he will not seek reelection next year.
"It has been my honor and pleasure to serve the people of Vermont as Attorney General for well over eighteen years," he said in a written statement. "I announce today that I will not be a candidate for reelection in 2016."
Sorrell, who faced a formidable electoral opponent and an independent investigation into his fundraising practices, said he would serve out the remaining 15 months of his term. During that time, he pledged, he would continue working on “the many important issues we confront.” The 68-year-old Burlington Democrat did not say what he planned to do next.
For a man who has spent much of his adult life in public service, Sorrell made his announcement in a remarkably low-key fashion. Rather than hold a press conference, he delivered the news in a terse, five-sentence statement emailed to reporters Monday afternoon.
"I am proud of my office and its many accomplishments," he wrote. "I am deeply grateful for the support I have received and continue to receive from so many Vermonters."
Tags: Bill Sorrell , T.J. Donovan , Peter Shumlin , Eric Lipton , David Cahill , Brady Toensing , Image , Web Only
Friday, September 25, 2015
Normally hallmark indications of an earthquake, these tremors, it turns out, are manmade. They're coming from the construction of the Chittenden County Transportation Authority's new transit center on St. Paul Street.
More specifically, explained CCTA project manager Stephen Carlson, they're caused by a massive hammer that is driving steel piles nearly 30 feet into the ground. The tall strips of steel will prevent dirt from caving in when workers start excavating in preparation for laying the foundation.
The station is being built next to a church, several office buildings and the Burlington Town Center mall. Carlson said he's been regularly visiting people at the surrounding buildings to make sure the noise levels and vibrations aren't too intrusive. He's also placed a seismograph — an instrument generally used to measure the force and duration of earthquakes — in Vermont Health Commissioner Harry Chen's office, which overlooks the construction site, to make sure the vibrations aren't significant enough to impact the structural integrity of nearby buildings.
Tags: CCTA , Burlington Town Center , Image , Web Only
Burlington’s ordinance committee signed off Thursday on rules to govern the raising and slaughtering of livestock within city limits. The full city council is scheduled to vote on the regulations at its next meeting, in early October.
For years, Queen City chicken owners have complained about a city ordinance, created to regulate kennels, that prevents residents from owning more than four of any type of animal without a license. In 2010, after a man was busted for raising 10 chickens at his Old North End residence, city leaders agreed to take up the issue. Burlington didn’t have any rules governing urban livestock, so councilors asked a task force of urban-agriculture experts to come up with some.
Based on the task force's report, and after more than a year of deliberation, the ordinance committee is proposing the city's first-ever urban-agriculture regulations.
Tags: Burlington city council , urban agriculture , Image , Web Only