Thursday, May 24, 2018
Secretary of the U.S. Air Force Heather Wilson confirmed this week that the planes are still on schedule to arrive at Burlington International Airport next year.
The letter dated May 22 from Wilson to Mayor Miro Weinberger came in response to a city council resolution that requested the Air Force find a new mission for the Vermont Air National Guard. The resolution also included a series of questions about the safety and noise of the planes.
The Air Force's response? The basing is a done deal.
Tags: Miro Weinberger , Air Force , F-35 , Heather Wilson , Steven Cray , Image , Web Only
A defense motion to move the trial for Steven Bourgoin, accused of killing five teens in an intentional head-on car crash in 2016, was derailed Thursday because Judge Kevin Griffin couldn't access online stories about the case on the Burlington Free Press website.
Bourgoin's attorneys, Bob Katims and Sara Puls, submitted examples of media coverage of the case to argue that a fair and impartial jury could not be found in Chittenden County. But Griffin said Thursday he could not complete a thorough examination of the evidence because he was stymied by the Free Press' subscription paywall.
Hair and beard long and unkempt, Bourgoin stared down at the table before him during much of the hearing. The defendant, who has gained weight during his time in custody, did not speak to the judge but talked quietly with his lawyers. Bourgoin intends to offer an insanity defense.
Tags: Steven Bourgoin , wrong-way driver , Sarah George , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
If anything, the two sides were a bit further apart than they were a week and a half ago, when the legislature adjourned after approving tax and budget bills that the governor promised to veto. Presentations by administration officials Wednesday were met with a barrage of skeptical questions, and their answers did not satisfy majority Democrats.
The administration is still presenting virtually the same plan it put forward in early May. "I didn't see any changes from what they presented before," said Rep. Janet Ancel (D-Calais), chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, after the House hearing.
Scott's plan still calls for the use of onetime money to keep property tax rates level for the fiscal year starting July 1, although the amount of those funds has shrunk from $58 million to $44 million. Scott says the money would be paid back over five years with some of the savings realized through his proposal to rein in school costs. The administration estimates the savings at $300 million.
Administration projections of those savings are profoundly different than those of legislative analysts — which leaves lawmakers in a state of uncertainty.
"I'm very concerned with these aggressive savings without seeing any analysis behind it," said Rep. Kitty Toll (D-Danville), chair of the House Appropriations Committee. "In early May, I asked the administration for the analysis for some of the proposals, and I didn't receive anything."
Tags: Phil Scott , Adam Greshin , Kaj Samsom , Mark Perrault , Kitty Toll , Tim Ashe , Janet Ancel , Don Turner , Image , Web Only
Lunderville will replace Noelle MacKay, who announced last month that she will step down to take a job at the Regulatory Assistance Project, a renewable energy nonprofit in Montpelier.
He'll start as acting CEDO head at the end of this week and, if the city council approves the appointment, would begin as interim director on July 16. He'd stop working for Burlington Electric at that time, according to a city press release.
Lunderville would serve until December of this year and, according to a memo from Weinberger, does not plan to apply for the permanent CEDO post. The city would conduct a national search to fill Lunderville's old job at Burlington Electric.
Tags: Noelle MacKay , Neale Lunderville , Miro Weinberger , Burlington , mayor , general manager , CEDO , Image , Web Only
Rep. Bill Botzow (D-Pownal), who runs the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee, announced in a letter to constituents that he will not seek a ninth term this fall. The Bennington Banner first reported his decision.
"I thought hard about it. I'm at peace with the decision," Botzow told Seven Days. "Sixteen years. I've got a life. I have responsibilities and hopefully opportunities. I thought hard about it." He added that former representative Martha Heath once told him about retirement, "You just know when you know."
Botzow is the fifth House chair to announce his departure this year, following Rep. Helen Head (D-South Burlington) of the General, Housing and Military Affairs Committee; Rep. David Sharpe (D-Bristol) of the Education Committee; Rep. David Deen (D-Westminster) of the Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife Committee; and Rep. Stephen Carr (D-Brandon) of the Energy and Technology Committee.
Two Senate committee chairs are also stepping down: Sen. Peg Flory (R-Rutland) of the Institutions Committee and Sen. Claire Ayer (D-Addison) of the Health and Welfare Committee.
Tags: Bill Botzow , Nelson Brownell , David Sharpe , David Deen , Helen Head , Stephen Carr , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
"I have mixed feelings," said Rodgers, a resident of Glover. "The governor has disappointed a lot of people. They're looking for an option."
But it won't be him. "I basically decided there was no way I had time to pull it together," he explained. Rodgers owns a construction firm and the spring and summer are his busy seasons. He will run for reelection to the Senate, however.
Tags: John Rodgers , Phil Scott , Keith Stern , Image , Web Only
Gov. Phil Scott on Tuesday vetoed legislation that would have raised Vermont’s minimum wage to $15 and established a paid family leave program.
The high-profile vetoes came as the governor grappled with a midnight deadline to determine the fate of more than three dozen bills. In total, according to a spokesperson, Scott signed 38 bills into law on Monday and Tuesday; he allowed two to become law without his signature, and he vetoed four.
Scott previously vetoed legislation regulating toxic chemicals, and he is expected to do the same to the state budget and tax bills.
The legislature likely won’t be able to override the governor’s vetoes because Democrats in the House lack the two-thirds majority required to do so.
Scott’s decision to veto the minimum wage and paid leave bills came as no surprise. He expressed his opposition to both measures throughout the legislative session. But the move is nevertheless a blow to two signature progressive causes. The vetoes drew immediate rebukes from Democratic lawmakers and advocates.
Tags: Phil Scott , veto , paid family leave , minimum wage , Vermont legislature , vetoes , Image , Web Only
The changes sparked an outcry from some nonprofit leaders who said they were counting on the money. Last Friday, Rita Markley, executive director of the Committee on Temporary Shelter, posted on Facebook that she had not received $57,600 for two programs for the homeless.
"The Daystation is the ONLY daytime shelter in Chittenden County for single adults with nowhere else to turn," Markley wrote. "Just the worst possible news."
Tags: Jesse Bridges , United Way of Northwest Vermont , Committee on Temporary Shelter , Rita Markley , CVOEO , Sara Holbrook Community Center , Steps to End Domestic Violence , Boys & Girls Club of Burlington , Heineberg Community Senior Center , Janet S. Munt Family Room , Image , Web Only
Executive director Conor Casey is leaving his post in June after nearly three years on the job. He’ll become membership organizer for the Vermont-National Education Association, the statewide teachers' union. It’s a return to the labor field for Casey, who was political director of the Vermont State Employees’ Association before signing on with the VDP.
“Given the pending Supreme Court decision, I wanted to get back into labor,” said Casey, referencing Janus v. AFSCME, which contests the right of unions to collect fees from non-members. Labor leaders are bracing themselves for a defeat in the high court, which they see as a potential obstacle to organizing.
"Conor and I started talking about this a few weeks ago," said party chair Terje Anderson. They agreed that if Casey were to make a move this year, he should do it early in the campaign cycle.
"Conor’s been a great executive director,” Anderson added. "I’ve really enjoyed working with him. It’s one of the hardest jobs you can imagine."
Tags: Conor Casey , Rob Hipskind , Terje Anderson , Vermont Democratic Party , Image , Web Only
Monday, May 21, 2018
The group boarded two buses to scope out the route of the Champlain Parkway, the long-planned, 2.3-mile strip of highway that would connect Interstate 189 to downtown Burlington. The journey was part of a necessity hearing, where property owners whose land would be purchased to make way for the project could voice their objections.
The council's "yes" vote later Monday evening took the city one step closer to completing the four-decade-old project. Construction is scheduled to start in spring 2019.
But it wasn't all business for the councilors, Mayor Miro Weinberger, city and state workers, and a couple dozen members of the public who came along for the ride. From one of the two University of Vermont buses, councilors waved cheerily to a family at a barbecue outside a home on Batchelder Street and convened a brief council meeting on the pavement in front of the Department of Public Works.
Tags: Miro Weinberger , Champlain Parkway , Chapin Spencer , Pine Street Coalition , Image , Web Only