Friday, April 29, 2016
The chamber will cast votes on the issue Monday, Smith said, probably on two different proposals. Whether either of them passes is still very much in question.
“People legitimately want to understand what level of support’s out there,” Smith said Friday.
Smith said he expects at least two votes. One will be on a Senate bill that allows sale and possession of marijuana. The other is on a House Ways and Means Committee proposal to legalize home-growing of two marijuana plants.
Tags: Cannabeat , Chris Pearson , marijuana legalization , Shap Smith , Vermont legislature , Image , Web Only
Thursday, April 28, 2016
The legislation sets guidelines for how and when the police may use drones, and it reauthorizes police use of cameras that capture photos of license plates and establishes the procedures that law enforcement agencies must follow to gain access to electronic communications.
“What is important is the balance between protecting individual privacy and enhancing public safety,” said Rep. Maxine Grad (D-Moretown), chair of the committee.
Tags: ACLU of Vermont , drones , Vermont Police Association , House Judiciary Committee , Rep. Maxine Grad , Rep , Willem Jewett , Rep. Gary Viens , Rep. Vicki Strong , Image , Web Only
Among them: Vermont Electric Cooperative, the Johnson-based utility that keeps Jay Peak Resort’s lifts spinning.
“They’re in arrears,” VEC CEO Christine Hallquist said Wednesday.
She declined to reveal how much Jay Peak owes or how long the ski area has owed it. But Hallquist acknowledged that the company has a hefty electric bill: It’s the co-op’s second-largest customer — behind WestRock, a Sheldon boxboard manufacturer.
Hallquist said she has been in contact with federal receiver Michael Goldberg, whom a judge appointed two weeks ago to oversee Jay Peak and the developers’ other assets. Federal and state authorities charged Quiros and Stenger April 14 with misusing more than $200 million raised through the EB-5 investor visa program.
Hallquist said she expects to hear details from Goldberg about a payment plan by Friday. “I’m happy with the response,” she said.
Tags: EB-5 , Bill Stenger , Ariel Quiros , Jay Peak , Q Burke , Vermont Electric Cooperative , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
History suggested their chances of doing better in the more renewable-energy-friendly House were nil.
“Over the past few years I’ve been here, nothing has ever gotten better in the House energy committee until now,” said Mark Whitworth, president of Energize Vermont, an organization that has been fighting large wind projects.
So it was an odd sight this week as wind opponents cheered the unanimous passage of a revised energy bill in the House.
“All seven towns that I represent in my area have had wind impact,” Rep. Vicki Strong (R-Albany), said on the House floor Tuesday. “Their voices are being heard. I appreciate that.”
Tags: wind turbines , Vermont House , renewable energy , Mark Whitworth , Rep. Vicki Strong , Rep. Tony Klein , Rep. Marianna Gamache , Image , Web Only
A day after losing four out of five East Coast primaries, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told the New York Times that he would lay off “hundreds” of presidential campaign staffers and turn his attention to winning California.
“We have had a very large staff, which was designed to deal with 50 states in this country,” Sanders told the Times’ Yamiche Alcindor. “Forty of the states are now behind us.”
The campaign will move many of its remaining employees to California, where the candidate said he planned to hold rallies for “hundreds of thousands” of people. California, which awards 546 Democratic delegates, does not vote until June 7.
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , presidential campaign , Recommended Reading , Image , Web Only
By a 16 to 12 vote, the Senate moved to send its languishing legalization bill back over to the House, where it has stalled in committee for weeks.
“I thought there ought to be at least an opportunity for House members to express their support or opposition,” said Sen. Dick Sears (D-Bennington), who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Sears moved to attach the contents of a previously passed Senate bill to an unrelated House bill, H.858, which makes miscellaneous changes to the criminal code.
“I’m not surprised,” Speaker Shap Smith (D-Morristown) said of the move, adding that it would not necessarily force the full House to vote on legalization.
Tags: Cannabeat , House Speaker Shap Smith , marijuana legalization , Sen. Dick Sears , Image , Web Only
Days after painting a dire picture of Jay Peak Resort’s financial health, federal receiver Michael Goldberg said Wednesday that he had enough money to keep the mountain open until revenues rebound next ski season.
“It’s business as usual. It’s actually better than business as usual,” he said Wednesday morning at the Hotel Jay & Conference Center. “We expect that the hotel will thrive. The only thing we’re praying for is snow [next] winter.”
Goldberg, who was appointed by a federal court two weeks ago to oversee the assets of two Northeast Kingdom developers accused of fraud, made the remarks at a press conference organized by Gov. Peter Shumlin. Earlier Wednesday, Goldberg, Shumlin and Secretary of Commerce Pat Moulton met with Jay employees to reassure them that their jobs remained secure.
“With all the press on this in the last 10 or 12 days, it’s obvious that the public kind of wonders: Is there a business here?” Shumlin told reporters. “Not only is this place alive and well but looking for staff. If you want a job, come and apply.”
Tags: Jay Peak , Q Burke , EB-5 , Michael Goldberg , Peter Shumlin , Pat Moulton , Bill Stenger , Ariel Quiros , Image , Web Only
Almost all officers, from new recruits to veterans, will do regular foot patrols on some of their shifts in an effort to build community relations and discourage both serious and minor street crime.
The focus will be on the Old North End and downtown, especially along Cherry Street near the Rite Aid drug store. During the last year, that area has generated “hundreds of 911 calls” and complaints about public intoxication, public urination, aggressive panhandling and explicit comments being made to passersby, according to Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo.
“It’s drinking to the point of intoxication without consequence,” the chief told Burlington police commissioners at their regular monthly meeting Tuesday night.
Officers have issued many summonses for minor violations on the Cherry Street block between Church Street and South Winooski Avenue, but they are mostly ignored, del Pozo said.
The new foot patrol program will be more than just a 10- or 20-minute stroll, del Pozo said. He wants police to spend most of a full shift hoofing it.
“I’m talking, ‘Welcome to work.’ I’m going to North Street, and I’m getting” out of the cruiser for “six hours until my feet hurt,” del Pozo said.
Officers have already stepped up their foot patrols in some parts of the city, including North Street. Del Pozo said he’s received a good response.
“I get such relentless positive feedback about an officer just walking the beat.... It forces the officers to face citizens and have conversations with them.”
But not all the residents who have noticed the increase in patrols like them. Police Commission Chair Sarah Kenney said she’s already heard complaints from people who say the patrols make them feel that their neighborhoods are “getting targeted.”
Kenney said she supports the increased foot patrols, but wants police to pay attention to the community’s response.
Tags: Burlington police , Brandon del Pozo , foot patrols , Sarah Kenney , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
His new goal, he said, was to arrive at this summer’s Democratic National Convention “with as many delegates as possible to fight for a progressive party platform.”
The statement came after Sanders lost four out of five East Coast states Tuesday to former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. Her double-digit wins in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware — plus a nail-biter in Connecticut — put her ever closer to clinching the Democratic nomination.
Speaking Tuesday night in Philadelphia, which is scheduled to host the convention in July, Clinton praised her enduring rival and reached out to his millions of devotees.
“Because whether you support Sen. Sanders or you support me, there’s much more that unites us than divides us,” she said.
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Hillary Clinton , presidential campaign , Recommended Reading , Image , Web Only
The Shumlin administration has been exploring whether it could save money if it contracted with a private company to process worker compensation claims and advise on work safety. Secretary of Administration Justin Johnson said state officials solicited information about the cost and services that private companies might offer. The responses suggested potential savings ranging from 35 to 55 percent, Johnson said.
The state subsequently requested bids, he said. The binding offers submitted reflected the same levels of savings, he said. The bids are under review.
The state spends $1.8 million to operate the Office of Risk Management, Johnson said. The office has a dozen employees, he said. Privatizing the operation could save the state at least $500,000 a year.
That is the amount of savings that the Senate Appropriations Committee included in its version of the budget to run state government next year.
Tags: Justin Johnson , Sen. Anthony Pollina , Sen. Jane Kitchel , budget , Sen. Rich Westman , Senate President Pro Tem John Campbell , Image , Web Only