Friday, October 30, 2015
There’s a wrinkle, though, which has gotten little attention. The tax isn’t happening. Not next year and perhaps not ever, unless other states do the same.
“Even those who are advocating for a carbon tax know this is a multi-year effort,” said Rep. Tony Klein (D-East Montpelier), chair of the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee, whose panel would have to approve the bill. “Whatever happens in the future, Vermont can’t go it alone.”
A recent article about the proposed tax on the news website VTDigger.org didn’t mention the bill’s prospects, but did emphasize that such a tax could raise gas prices by 88 cents a gallon.
Klein said legislative leaders have been clear with advocates of the tax that it would be premature for Vermont to pass the proposed legislation. If they do pass such a tax, the goal will be to lower other taxes by an equal amount, he said, with the intention of reducing people's use of fossil fuels. No other states have such a tax, and Klein maintains Vermont could only manage it if neighboring states also adopted the tax.
Tags: carbon tax , 2016 Vermont governor's race , Phil Scott , Bruce Lisman , Shap Smith , Tony Klein , Image , Web Only
Voters in Essex, Essex Junction and Westford will decide whether to merge their three districts into one. Morrisville and Elmore residents will vote on merging their two districts.
In each case, one of the towns would have to give up the long–standing tradition of paying tuition to send children to any non-religious high school they choose. Voters will decide if potential tax savings outweigh their desire to retain that option.
Their decisions could offer an indication of how the school choice issue will play out in other Vermont towns. A new state law requiring all school districts to consider consolidation has sown confusion over whether towns that lack their own schools must give up the choice option if they pair with towns that have their own schools.
Tags: Vermont , school consolidation , Act 46 , Essex , Essex Junction , Westford , Morristown , Elmore , Image , Web Only
According to Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs, the two met for an hour Thursday at Biden's official residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory. Briggs said in a statement released by Sanders' presidential campaign that the two discussed their shared support for campaign finance reform and expanded public education, among other topics.
“Under the leadership of President Obama and Vice President Biden, this country has come a long way economically since President Bush left office and we were losing 800,000 jobs every month and the world economy was on the brink of financial collapse,” Sanders said in the statement. “Nevertheless, we still have a long way to go to create the kind of economy that works for all Americans and not just the top 1 percent."
Sanders added that he looked forward to working with Obama and Biden "to tackle some [of] the major issues facing our country."
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Presidential Campaign , Joe Biden , Image , Web Only
Thursday, October 29, 2015
In a paper notice left on nearby residents’ doorsteps this week, the Burlington development and real estate company informed neighbors that it plans to construct a six-story apartment building — two levels of parking and four stories of housing — on what is currently a parking lot and a steep forested slope.
“It’s a phenomenal location,” said Redstone partner Erik Hoekstra. “It’s no secret that Lakeview Terrace is one of the most desirable addresses in the city of Burlington.”
The current inhabitants of the quiet residential street will likely have more conflicted feelings about another large building going up nearby. Last year, residents raised concerns about the Committee on Temporary Shelter’s (COTS) planned expansion, which will include a new day station and 12 apartments across the parking lot from the Redstone site. Two years earlier, the Packard Lofts, a 25-apartment project at the other end of the street, met with prolonged resistance from residents living close by.
Tags: Redstone , Burlington , Lake Champlain , Image , Web Only
But he did tell them that he feels their right to burn — marijuana, that is.
For the first time, the Vermont independent urged the federal government to remove pot from its list of controlled substances, calling such a move "long overdue." Sanders did not go so far as to call for nationwide legalization of marijuana, but he said that states should be free to regulate the drug as they do alcohol and tobacco.
"In the year 2015, it is time for the federal government to allow states to go forward as they best choose," he said. "It is time to tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol. It is time to end the arrests of so many people and the destruction of so many lives for possessing marijuana."
Tags: Bernie Sanders , Cannabeat , marijuana , Presidential Campaign , race , Senator , Recommended Reading , Image , Video , Web Only
Activists have asked the high court to hear their appeal of a March Vermont Supreme Court ruling, which said the airport did not need to obtain state land use permits to base the new jets at the airport.
The case is a long-shot to be argued in Washington, D.C.: The U.S. Supreme Court accepts about 1 percent of appeals annually.
But James Dumont, the Bristol attorney who represents the anti-F-35 activists, said the appeal was worth filing. "We respectfully disagree with the [Vermont] Supreme Court's opinion, and if possible, we'd like the nine justices of the Supreme Court to disagree."
The appeal was drafted by D.C. attorney David Frederick, along with a professor and students at the University of Texas School of Law.
Tags: F-35 , Burlington International Airport , James Dumont , Vermont Supreme Court , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Shortly after the press conference, a trio of park hangers-on weighed in on the plans for a new splash fountain, performance stage, walkways and outdoor cafe. They were drinking and smoking on the back steps of City Hall in a cold, late-afternoon drizzle and looking out at the square of green that serves as downtown's outdoor living room.
A new fountain would be great, said George Josler, but "you have to have a sign that says: 'No Bums Bathing.'"
He and two friends, all of them formerly homeless, but now with secure housing, didn't disagree with the subtle yet clear sentiments city leaders expressed at the announcement, revealing hopes that the renovation will bring wholesome activity to the park and discourage fights, drunkenness and drugs.
The park habitues liked the idea of more events and more police presence. The current scene at the park isn't as bad as some might think, though, they said. "Nobody's injecting things here," Josler said. "Nobody's snorting."
The big redo is scheduled to start in summer 2017.
Tags: Burlington , Tony Pomerleau , City Hall Park , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Should the state’s new school-consolidation law be repealed, revised or lauded? All those views emerged as the issue gained attention in the fledgling 2016 governor’s race.
Monday night, as the five candidates for governor met for a forum otherwise focused on entrepreneurial issues, they were asked if they consider the new law, Act 46, a success or a failure.
Several candidates criticized aspects of the law. Then House Speaker Shap Smith, one of three Democrats running and the only one involved in passing the law, came out firing in its defense. He said the law will help ensure that all students have equal access to education, no matter what side of a town line they live on. “In 2015, can we say that every student has equal access to educational opportunity? I say no,” Smith said. “I don’t think that’s right.”
Students in Morrisville have fewer course choices than their neighbors in Stowe, he noted. He added that if the two districts merge, then a Morrisville student could take the Chinese class Stowe offers.
His defense came after fellow candidates peppered the law with criticism. Most dismissive was Republican Bruce Lisman, who called the law “generally a bad piece of legislation” with “unfair” spending caps. “I favor repealing it,” Lisman said.
Tags: Act 46 , school consolidation , Vermont politics , election 2016 , Bruce Lisman , Phil Scott , Shap Smith , Matt Dunne , Sue Minter , Image , Web Only
According to the Monmouth University Polling Institute, 65 percent of likely caucus-goers support Clinton, while just 24 percent back Sanders. That 41-point spread is far wider than the single-digit leads Clinton has held in many other recent polls.
“We now have a two-person race, but one of those competitors has just pulled very far ahead,” says Patrick Murray, who runs the Monmouth institute and conducted the poll.
So what accounts for Clinton's surge? The Monmouth poll is among the first conducted after Vice President Joe Biden announced last Wednesday that he'd sit out the 2016 presidential race — and it was almost entirely conducted after Clinton performed well in front of a U.S. House committee hearing on the Benghazi attacks.
But the New York Times's Nate Cohn has another explanation: The poll is flawed.
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Presidential Campaign , Monmouth Poll , Image , Recommended Reading , Web Only
They touted Ben & Jerry’s, IDX, MyWebGrocer, Dealer.com, Seventh Generation, Concept 2, Alchemist Brewery, Lost Nation Brewery, (and all of Vermont's world-class beer) and Skida ski hats. Each candidate tried harder than the next to talk up Vermont's entrepreneurial spirit.
What would they do to help launch the next Ben & Jerry's? The three Democrats and two Republicans tried to persuade an audience of about 100 at the Flynn Center in Burlington that they have the answers. Each was a little nervous and a little brash while ushering in the start of what promises to be a long campaign for the open seat.
More than a year before an election in which Vermonters will choose a new governor, this marked the first time all five declared candidates shared the stage for a campaign forum. The occasion was Gov Pitch 2016, an event sponsored by FreshTracks Capital and the United Way of Chittenden County.
Tags: Vermont politics , election 2016 , Shap Smith , Matt Dunne , Sue Minter , Bruce Lisman , Phil Scott , Image , Web Only