Monday, August 7, 2017
Craft brewing is, after all, one of the industries drawing young people to the state, organizers with Rutland Young Professionals said Monday morning at Fiddlehead Brewing’s glistening new brewery in Shelburne. The venue proved effective in luring about a dozen reporters and videographers looking to find out more.
What was really on tap was a somewhat sophisticated pitch by the the group to tout its third annual Young Professionals Summit, scheduled for September 9 in Rutland.
Armed with folders and stickers, and with the professional help of Montpelier-based Leonine Public Affairs, they traveled to the population hub of Chittenden County. They put out the call for young adults to attend the daylong summit intended to help people establish careers in Vermont. Gov. Phil Scott also made an appearance.
Tags: Vermont , Gov. Phil Scott , Rutland Young Professionals , 2017 Young Professionals Summit , Fiddlehead , craft breweries , Image , Web Only
Scott, speaking to reporters after an unrelated event in Shelburne, declined to say who would lead or serve on the commission. Vermont legislators had hoped to create a panel that would make recommendations for how the state might tax and regulate marijuana. Scott said his focus, and the makeup of his panel, will be different.
The commission’s priority will be to look at highway safety, he said. Chief among his legalization concerns is that no convenient roadside test exists to measure a driver’s impairment from marijuana.
Tags: Cannabeat , marijuana legalization , Phil Scott , Vermont legislature , Image , Web Only
Sunday, August 6, 2017
Not so much for his own reelection fund, but for another organization he controls: the Green Mountain Political Action Committee. It's a so-called "leadership PAC," a vehicle for political spending not directly related to a candidate's own campaign. In Leahy's case, much of the proceeds go to help fellow Democrats across the country.
It also serves another purpose: The Green Mountain PAC is a catchment for the special-interest money that flows freely in Washington, D.C. It allows Leahy to collect and spend big bucks — in part, to maintain his year-round political apparatus — without tainting his traditional reelection fund.
Here's how. On July 15, Leahy's reelection committee filed its quarterly finance report. Leahy for Senate collected $32,000 in donations, only $3,000 of which came from PACs. Pocket change by senatorial standards.
On July 31, the Green Mountain PAC reported contributions totaling $253,000 in the first six months of this year. Nearly half of that came from corporate and special interest PACs. And when you scan through the contributions from individuals, nearly half of that total came from the D.C. area, mostly from lobbyists, attorneys and others who seek to influence lawmaking and regulatory processes.
In short, Leahy's PAC benefits greatly from the senator's position of power, swelling its coffers with top-dollar gifts from special interests and wealthy donors.
Tags: Senator , Patrick Leahy , Bernie Sanders , Peter Welch , Jake Carpenter , Donna Carpenter , Green Mountain PAC , Maple PAC , Carolyn Dwyer , Charles Schumer , Tom Perriello , Image , Web Only
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Well, that little boy is Congressman Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and the manure pile is — need I say — President Donald Trump's Washington.
Welch is doing his best to ignore the noise, the chaos, the tweetstorms and that whole Russia thing so he can focus on actual lawmaking.
"This is a very volatile time with this president," says Welch. "But all of us have to do our best to advocate for policies that are going to be beneficial to the American people."
Tags: Peter Welch , Donald Trump , Elijah Cummings , Robert Mueller , Image , Web Only
Animal and plant collections housed in a historic University of Vermont building survived “largely intact” after a fire broke out Thursday morning, the university said.
Construction workers soldering copper material on the roof of Torrey Hall sparked the blaze around 8:10 a.m., UVM said in a statement. By 10 a.m., the fire had been nearly extinguished, though hot spots flared up as firefighters from the Burlington and Malletts Bay departments tore out charred boards.
No injuries were reported, UVM said. The building will remain under “fire watch” for 24 hours.
Tags: University of Vermont , Torrey Hall , fire , Burlington Fire Department , UVM , Pringle Herbarium , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
Developers have until August 18 to respond to a request for proposals that UVM issued June 20. The land is south of Interstate 189, near the intersection of Spear and Swift streets.
The solicitation seeks a buyer "with the intention of developing housing that will be made available to the community."
The undeveloped parcels are about about 1.5 miles from the campus, near the East Woods natural area.
Tags: University of Vermont , South Burlington , Image , Web Only
So says the social worker and advocate for the homeless, after his campaign Twitter account posted a message on Tuesday saying "The Svitavsky Campaign is Terminated."
Svitavsky is a political neophyte who announced last month that he would challenge incumbent Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for the Democratic nomination in 2018.
"I fired my campaign manager," explains Svitavsky. "He ran the Twitter account. I never had a lot to do with it."
Tags: Senator , Jon Svitavsky , Bernie Sanders , David Moore , Organizing for Democrats , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
It appeared suddenly and mysteriously Sunday night: a swing set in about three feet of water in Lake Champlain off the shore of Burlington, north of the Blodgett Oven property.
Right away, people started wading in to try the pop-up playground. They were all smiles and squeals of delight.
Rosanne Whitney of Brewster, N.Y., was one of those to venture out Monday. She spotted the swing while passing by on the city’s bike trail.
“We thought it was something unique and fun,” Whitney said. “It’s just something so different. Once you’re out there, it’s pretty fun to use.”
But just as quickly as the playground appeared, it was gone. Around 11 a.m. Tuesday, workers with the Burlington Parks, Recreation & Waterfront Department disassembled the set.
Tags: Burlington , Blodgett Oven , beach , swing set , Lake Champlain , Image , Web Only