University of Vermont president Tom Sullivan and other top administrators resisted calls to expel the student who took down a Black Lives Matter flag — one of several demands made by students pressing the administration to address diversity issues.

"The student involved in the Black Lives Matter Flag theft was afforded a due process procedure and was sanctioned," the administrators said in a written response Friday to demands from the students. "The student cannot under law be charged or sanctioned again for the same incident that has been adjudicated."

Nor does Sullivan believe that the name of the late professor George Perkins should be removed from a building on campus — another of the students' demands.

Although George Perkins was the father of Henry Perkins, the UVM biology professor who directed the Vermont Eugenics Survey from 1925-1936, there is no evidence that the senior Perkins was involved in the eugenics program, Sullivan wrote.

The movement is "recognized now as dehumanizing, painful, and discriminatory," but "it would not be appropriate to remove Dean George Perkins’ name from Perkins Hall due to the actions of his son, Henry," the statement reads.

To strip his name from the building would be a mistake and could represent "guilt by association" and a return to the "regressive era of Senator Joseph McCarthy," according to Sullivan.

The president emailed the statement to the entire UVM community. It responded point by point to demands made by a group of students who marched to Sullivan's office in the Waterman building Monday and called for progress on a host of issues.

Sullivan met with some of the students Wednesday. The statement Friday morning was written by Sullivan and three other top administrators.

Last spring UVM student newspaper the Vermont Cynic broke the news that J.T. Reichhelm, an undergraduate at the school, had been quietly disciplined for taking down a Black Lives Matter flag flying next to the Davis Center. The incident last September upset many in the campus community. UVM authorities quickly learned who had taken the flag down but did not disclose who was responsible.

After the Cynic article, UVM leaders acknowledged that a student had been disciplined through the campus process, and that no criminal charges were pursued.

This week students said they considered the removal of the flag to be a hate crime.

"The University of Vermont once again showed students of color that our wellbeing means nothing and that we do not matter," their written demands state.

Sullivan's response seems to question the characterization of the incident as a hate crime.

"Hate Crimes are specifically defined by Vermont state law, determined by the State’s Attorney, and adjudicated through the court system," it reads. "It is important to note that under Vermont law hate crime is based upon a person’s intent/motivation and not on the impact of the crime. However, we are in full agreement that certain incidents have an injurious impact on members of our community, even if they do not meet the legal definition of a hate crime."

The statement also addressed many other demands, from increasing students and faculty of color to improving diversity education.

Harmony Edosomwan, one of the leaders of the student protest and the president of the UVM Black Student Union, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. The union Facebook page said a student forum on race issues would take place at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Livak Ballrooom at the Davis Center.

Read the students' demands and the response below:

Governor Phil Scott's Marijuana Advisory Commission held its first meeting Thursday and got a very clear charge: Assume that Vermont will legalize cannabis in some way or other, and devise the best and safest way to get there.

"We're going through these meetings with the assumption that some form of legalization is going to happen," said Public Safety Commissioner Tom Anderson. "The question is, how do we address it?"

Other states that legalized cannabis through voter referenda were forced to "build the plane while flying it," said Jaye Pershing Johnson, the governor's legal counsel. "We have the opportunity to build the plane and avoid the unintended consequences that other states have encountered."

The governor created the commission via executive order in August after he vetoed a bill that would have created a legislative commission and established a pathway to legalization. Scott's panel is charged with investigating three primary areas: taxation and regulation, education and prevention, and highway safety.

The fourth bidder for Burlington Telecom is out — and he confirmed Wednesday night that he isn't coming back.

"I have withdrawn," Faisal Nisar told Seven Days. Nisar, a private equity investor from New Jersey who runs ZRF Partners, had submitted a bid for an undisclosed amount.*

"I'm extremely disappointed; I was a huge supporter of ZRF," said Dave Hartnett (D-North District). "I'm not really quite sure where this leaves us."

The council now must decide between the three remaining bids: The co-op Keep BT Local has put forward a $12 million offer and two out-of-state companies, Ting and Schurz Communications, have bid $27.5 million and $30.8 million, respectively.

Updated at 1:05 p.m.

Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sue Minter has landed a job as president and CEO of Special Olympics Vermont.

The Waterbury Center resident, who lost the governor’s race last November to Republican Phil Scott, announced the news Thursday morning on her Facebook page.

“So excited to be launching my next adventure and joining the amazing team of Special Olympics Vermont!” she wrote. “I look forward to being a part of an international movement that grows pride, self esteem and health for Special Olympic athletes and families, and builds diversity and inclusion in our communities.”

Burlington residents came out en masse Tuesday night to advocate for the preservation of Memorial Auditorium.

More than 70 people filled City Hall for a public forum on the shuttered building, which organizers hope to see renovated. Many in attendance waxed nostalgic on concerts and events at the city's old community center.

Neighborhood planning assemblies from across Burlington organized the event after city officials expressed hesitance to move forward with a public dialogue, said Jim Holway, a New North End resident and chair of the organizing committee. "The community is saying we want to have a conversation," he said.

That message came loud and clear from attendees who want to keep Memorial publicly owned. "We can make Memorial Auditorium really special and useful, a gift to our next generation, and I'd like to see that happen," said James Lockridge, who has launched a campaign to restore the 242 Main teen center that once called the building home.

Construction workers are busy putting the final touches on the Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center's new building. But the project on the Burlington waterfront hit rough water earlier this month.

On September 15, the Center issued an SOS for donations to help cover a $1.7 million funding gap for the nearly complete, 22,180-square-foot building. It's located a five-minute walk north of the center's current dilapidated digs, next to the shuttered Moran Plant.

The shortfall is the result of an "unforeseen and unpredictable wrinkle,"
the center's executive director, Owen Milne, and board chair Karen Marshall wrote in the letter to donors and community supporters.

Specifically, the center had banked on equity from New Market Tax Credits to fund the final construction payment of $1.7 million. Its leaders believed the new building at 505 Lake Street fell in a qualifying U.S. Census tract for the federal program, according to the letter.

Updated on September 26, 2017.

The Vermont Department of Public Safety on Friday approved a license for the state's fifth medical marijuana operation, which plans to open dispensaries in Bennington and St. Albans.

PhytoScience Institute, led by University of Vermont professor William Cats-Baril, beat out four other applicants vying for a state license. For the last two years, the Waterbury-based Institute has offered consulting services and conducted testing and research on marijuana products.

While Gov. Phil Scott vetoed the Vermont legislature’s attempt to legalize marijuana last session, he did sign a bill that allows for a fifth state medical marijuana dispensary license.* The legislation also permits each of the five licensees to operate a satellite location.

After a long search for the right buyer, Ken Squier found his man working right there next to him.

In a Friday afternoon press release, Squier announced the sale of the Waterbury-based Radio Vermont Group, which includes WDEV-AM and FM, to the firm’s director of sales, Steve Cormier.

“I am thrilled that after 87 years [of Squier family ownership] the station will remain among Vermonters,” said Squier in the release.

Squier’s father, Lloyd, founded WDEV in 1931, and the station continues to offer predominantly local programming. Ken Squier, 82, has worked at the station since he was 12 years old; he also achieved national fame as a NASCAR broadcaster, and he is a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

In addition to WDEV, the Radio Vermont Group also operates 101 the One, which plays classic hit songs, and country station WLVB-FM in Morrisville.

Squier had been quietly looking for a buyer for a couple of years. His search was first reported by Seven Days in June. At the time, he said he was looking for “a Vermonter or some Vermonters who are interested in and dedicated to local programming.”

Cormier would seem to be a good fit. Before joining the Radio Vermont Group in 2015, he was station manager at WTSA Radio in Brattleboro. And that followed a 26-year run in Burlington broadcasting, most famously as cohost of the “Corm and the Coach” morning show.

“Local radio, there’s nothing like it!” Cormier said. WDEV’s local-heavy format, he added, “ain’t going anywhere.” That includes Squier, who does weekday sportscasts on WDEV and the renowned “Music to Go to the Dump By” show Saturdays at 9 a.m.

“I want him there every day,” said Cormier of Squier, who will serve as an advisor as well. “‘The Dump’ show, sports, until he decides he doesn’t want to do it anymore.”

Cormier also plans no changes at WLVB-FM, and minimal changes, if any, at 101 the One.

Cormier professed a personal commitment to maintaining WDEV’s emphasis on local programming. “I’ve worked for Clear Channel,” he said of the nation’s biggest radio conglomerate, now known as iHeartMedia. “I saw what they did. They didn’t care about their communities.”

The sale is subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission, which is expected to take a few months. Cormier would not discuss the sale price, referring inquiries to Squier, who did not respond to requests for comment.

There will be one departure from Radio Vermont. Eric Michaels, vice president, general manager and cohost of WDEV’s “Morning News Service,” is resigning. Cormier noted that Michaels has “done wonderful things” in bolstering the company over the years.

“For 30 years, Eric has managed to maintain and grow the Radio Vermont Group as a relevant broadcasting voice in Vermont,” Squier’s press release said.

Cormier promised no changes, but he realizes that the broadcasting industry is constantly evolving. And WDEV itself has changed — slowly, deliberately — over time. He plans a collaborative approach to the future.

“There are a lot of bright people at those stations,” he said. “Any major decision I make, I’ll talk to Ken about.”

President Donald Trump on Friday nominated Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Nolan to serve as Vermont's U.S. Attorney.

Nolan, a native Vermonter who graduated from the University of Vermont and Boston College Law School, would become the first woman to hold the top federal prosecutor's job in Vermont if the U.S. Senate confirms her.

Both U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Republican Gov. Phil Scott recommended Nolan in June, calling her a "fair and tough" prosecutor.
In a joint statement Friday, Leahy and Scott pledged to advocate for her confirmation.

"Christina is a tough and well-respected prosecutor who is uniquely familiar with the challenges of our state’s opioid crisis," they said. "We were both impressed by Christina’s passion for the state of Vermont and for the mission of a prosecutor — to seek justice and improve our communities — as well as her thoughtfulness and leadership."

A Georgia Elementary & Middle School substitute teacher was fired Thursday after demonstrating the Nazi salute for a group of third grade students, according to a district official.

Franklin West Supervisory Union Superintendent Ned Kirsch wrote to parents Thursday night that the incident involved a "long-term substitute" interacting with students who were walking to the cafeteria.

"The children were standing with their arm out in front of them and the teacher was modeling the position," Kirsch wrote. "She then raised her arm slightly and said, 'And now we say, Heil Hitler.'"

"I'm at a loss on the whole thing," Kirsch told Seven Days on Friday. "People are shocked. People I've spoken to are at a loss for words." He declined to identify the teacher.

The teacher admitted she uttered the words and made the gesture, Kirsch wrote. She was "immediately relieved," Kirsch wrote, and will not return to the school of about 650 students.

She was subbing for a teacher on maternity leave who was scheduled to return on Monday, Kirsch said in an interview. The teacher had taught as a substitute at the school regularly for years and had not been the subject of any complaints, Kirsch said.

"It's not a pattern; [I] never had a report about her, nothing," Kirsch said. "No one can quite understand what happened."

The school's principal and a guidance counselor were scheduled to visit the class Friday morning, Kirsch wrote to parents.

"We are dedicated to ensuring a safe learning environment for our students and families," Kirsch wrote. "This incident was completely unacceptable and I apologize."