Thursday, May 26, 2016
During an appearance on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump said he would be willing to debate Sanders ahead of the June 7 vote.
"If he paid a sum toward charity, I would love to do that," said Trump, who went on to note that the match up "would have such high ratings."
Sanders quickly responded on Twitter.
Game on. I look forward to debating Donald Trump in California before the June 7 primary.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) May 26, 2016
Tags: Senator , Bernie Bits , Bernie Sanders , Donald Trump , Hillary Clinton , presidential campaign , Image , Recommended Reading , Video , Web Only
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Many aldermen complained that they were shut out of deliberations on the plan, which was hatched by Mayor Chris Louras and the nonprofit Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program.
“I have a big concern about how this has played out … behind the backs of the city of Rutland,” Alderman David Allaire said before a standing-room-only crowd of more than 100 people in the Godnick Adult Center. “How can you come to our city and decide for our citizens what information is to be released and when? How can you ever regain the trust of the citizens of Rutland?”
The plan, which Louras and other supporters say will bring economic and cultural vitality to a city suffering from population loss and abandoned houses, has sparked heated reactions since it was announced in April.
Tags: Rutland , refugee , Chris Louras , Refugee Resettlement , Syrian refugees , Image , Web Only
More than 100 people jammed into a meeting room mostly to express dismay and outrage over a proposal to increase the height limit for a swath of downtown from roughly 105 feet to 160 feet, or about 14 stories, in order to accommodate the $200 million-plus proposed redevelopment of Burlington Town Center.
The Planning Commission members listened but did not vote on a zoning amendment proposed for a special district that encompasses the mall and a few surrounding buildings. The commission is under pressure to make a recommendation on the zoning change to the city council by early July in order to stay on a timeline set for the project in a predevelopment agreement. The council approved the agreement May 2.
During public comments that went on for two hours, some speakers supported the height increase as necessary to make a much-needed mall makeover happen. But they were strongly outnumbered by critics, many of whom carried signs that read: "Our Zoning For Our Community!"
Tags: Don Sinex , Burlington Town Center , Genese Grill , Image , Web Only
Monday, May 23, 2016
Ellis Mills, a Montpelier firm run by Kevin Ellis and Bryan Mills, has started setting up meetings for David Hall, who plans to visit Vermont several times this summer.
Residents reacted with alarm in March, when a local blogger wrote about Hall's proposal to build a futuristic, environmentally sustainable community of 20,000 people at the hilly intersection of Sharon, South Royalton, Strafford and Tunbridge. The plan is based on a Mormon document known as the Plat of Zion.
By the time the news broke, Hall had already purchased about 900 of the 5,000 acres he says he needs. Vermont Public Radio reported in late April that Hall is acquiring another 500 acres.
Amid the outcry, Ellis saw an opportunity. "I called [Hall] up," said the inveterate lobbyist, who previously co-founded KSE. "I said, 'You need a guide.'"
Tags: David Hall , Central Vermont , Ellis Mills , Image , Web Only
On Monday he filed a petition with the Vermont Secretary of State's office to run for reelection.
"I'm assuming the case is going to come out the way I think it should," McAllister said. "If it doesn't come out the way I think it should, well ... I've got to have faith in the system."
McAllister was arrested just over a year ago at the Statehouse. Authorities charged him with three felony counts of sexual assault and three misdemeanor counts of a prohibited act involving a total of three women.
He is scheduled to go on trial June 15 in Franklin County on charges related to one of the alleged victims, a young woman who served as his unofficial legislative assistant. No trial date related to the other charges has been set.
Senate candidates have to collect signatures from at least 100 registered voters in their district to qualify as candidates. The filing deadline for state candidates is Thursday. McAllister, whose name appeared Monday afternoon on the Secretary of State's website, said he didn't have the luxury of knowing how the criminal case would turn out before deciding whether to file for reelection.
He said the reactions of people he approached to sign his petitions were almost all positive."I had a lot of people say, 'Go for it.'"
McAllister will face competition in the August 9 Republican primary for the two-seat Senate district. Rep. Carolyn Branagan (R-Georgia) and Sen. Dustin Degree (R-Franklin) are also running.
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Peter Owens left his post while embroiled in a highly publicized court battle with an elderly woman he tried to evict from an apartment he owns in San Francisco. When he announced his resignation on April 15, Owens said he’d already been planning to step down at the end of June.
Mayor Miro Weinberger tapped Marcy Krumbine, an assistant director at CEDO, to take over as acting director. On May 16, the city council approved his pick for Owens’ permanent replacement: Noelle MacKay will take over in August.
Weinberger is paying Owens $80 an hour to tie up loose ends on the various projects he was leading. The mayor said Owens, who is currently working about 24 hours a week, will likely get a paycheck through the end of August.
Tags: CEDO , Burlington city council , Peter Owens , Miro Weinberger , Image , Web Only
Officials from the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program, which selected Rutland as a relocation site after an aggressive push from Mayor Chris Louras, will brief the board at the Godnick Adult Center meeting.
Many of the aldermen have questioned the plan. They've also criticized Louras. He volunteered Rutland as a host city and spent months planning for the refugees' arrival with no public notice and little input from the aldermen or local legislators. Rival citizen groups supporting and opposing the refugees' arrival have formed.
"I am extremely concerned about the process, or lack of process," Alderman David Allaire said in an interview. "I've got constituents all over this city who are surprised and hurt and have lots of questions that are still not being answered."
Tags: Rutland , refugees , Syria , Chris Louras , Image , Web Only
Sunday, May 22, 2016
The vote captured the tone of the day: It was all about Sanders.
“We love you, Bernie!” a state delegate shouted from the crowd as a videotaped message from Sanders — who was thousands of miles away campaigning in California — was wrapping up.
“As Vermonters, we will be the face of Bernie Sanders,” Vermont Democratic Party chair Dottie Deans told the crowd of 405 state delegates at the Barre Opera House.
Sanders supporters were elected to represent Vermont at the national convention in July. Continuing the Sanders revolution was the talk of the day.
“It’s really Bernie who got me involved in this,” said Maria Rinaldi, 37, of Jericho, who attended her first state convention and won one of 11 coveted delegate seats at the national convention.
This is a political party that the independent Sanders has never embraced, but at least for Sunday he seemed to own it.
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Patrick Leahy , Peter Shumlin , presidential campaign , Image , Web Only
Saturday, May 21, 2016
It started with a campaign flier that arrived in some Vermont Republicans' mailboxes Saturday. In it, Bruce Lisman linked rival Phil Scott to retiring Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin.
"This is D.C. tactics at its worst," Scott said from the stage Saturday, holding up a copy of the flier before tossing it to the floor. "I gave Bruce a pass when he did opposition research on me ... I can't give him a pass on this. At least he's showing me his stripes."
Tags: Vermont Republican Party , Donald Trump , Phil Scott , Bruce Lisman , Image , Web Only
Friday, May 20, 2016
The group of about 30 took part in a mock funeral for their school, which is closing at the end of the month because of severe financial problems.
Two "pallbearers" carrying a "coffin" — a violin case painted turquoise with the words "Burlington College 1972-2016" on it — led the procession on foot from the North Avenue school to the offices of Pomerleau Real Estate, where the chair of Burlington College's board, Yves Bradley, is employed.
Their not-so-subtle message? The school's leaders, and in particular its board of trustees, are responsible for its downfall.
Burlington College has a history of encouraging activism, and in recent years discord between the leadership and students and staff has intensified. A student protest in August 2014, led by some of the same people who attended Friday's mock funeral, prompted then-president Christine Plunkett to resign. Afterward, Bradley criticized the protest, suggesting that it nearly destroyed the school, which angered students even more.
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