Monday, July 23, 2018
The poll, commissioned by Vermont Public Radio and Vermont PBS, is the first conducted by in-state media organizations since the 2016 election. For that reason, according to Castleton University professor Rich Clark, it's difficult to determine how and why Scott's popularity has waxed and waned during his first term.
“This is what we miss by not having some regular polling in the state,” said Clark, who ran the Castleton Polling Institute until the university shut it down in March.
The public media poll surveyed 603 Vermonters on landlines and cell phones between July 6 and July 16. Its margin of error is plus or minus 4 percent, though the margin is greater for sub-groups of data, such as political party affiliation. VPR and Vermont PBS hired Clark to craft the questions and analyze the data; New Jersey-based Braun Research made the calls.
The poll suggests that Scott has little to fear in the August primary. Seventy-two percent of those surveyed had never heard of his sole Republican opponent, Springfield grocer Keith Stern. Among Republican voters, 10 percent said they had a favorable opinion of Stern, while 2 percent said they had an unfavorable opinion.
The four Democratic gubernatorial candidates on the ballot are also largely unknown. Fifty-nine percent said they had never heard of former Vermont Electric Coop CEO Christine Hallquist. More than 70 percent were unfamiliar with her primary-election rivals: Southern Vermont Dance Festival director Brenda Siegel, Lake Champlain International executive director James Ehlers and 14-year-old Ethan Sonneborn of Bristol.
Tags: Senator , poll , Vermont Public Radio , Vermont PBS , Phil Scott , Christine Hallquist , James Ehlers , Brenda Siegel , Ethan Sonneborn , Peter Welch , Patrick Leahy , Bernie Sanders , minimum wage , marijuana , firearms , gun control , gun legislation , Election 2018 , Image , Web Only
This gift won't legally keep giving.
Selling an item or offering a service that comes with some "free" cannabis is illegal under Vermont's new recreational marijuana law, Attorney General T.J. Donovan declared in an advisory Monday.
The interpretation of the law, which went into effect July 1 and is known as Act 86, comes after several businesses cropped up offering cannabis, edibles and vape cartridges in exchange for a delivery fee. Some entrepreneurs were also selling an overpriced item such as a sticker, T-shirt or bracelet and would throw in a "gift" of marijuana on the side. That kind of transaction is considered a marijuana sale, according to Donovan.
"Any transfer of marijuana for money, barter, or other legal consideration remains illegal under Vermont law," Donovan wrote in the advisory. He added: "Individuals may gift pursuant to the parameters set forth in the law."
Tags: Cannabeat , marijuana , weed , cannabis , Vermont , gifting , gray market , T.J. Donovan , Image , Web Only
Thursday, July 19, 2018
Devine worked with Manafort on the 2006 and 2010 campaigns of Viktor Yanukovych for president of Ukraine. Yanukovych won in 2010, but he was forced from power in 2014 after concerns about his pro-Russian policies sparked a popular uprising. Yanukovych fled to Russia; he is wanted in Ukraine on charges of high treason.
Manafort faces trial in federal court starting July 24 on bank fraud and tax-related charges. The office of special prosecutor Robert Mueller released a list of more than 500 potential exhibits Thursday; the list includes 16 emails, email chains, memos and invoices involving Devine, Manafort and others in the years 2006, 2010-12 and 2014.
Tags: Tad Devine , Paul Manafort , Rick Gates , Konstantin Kilimnik , Robert Mueller , Viktor Yanukovych , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Commissioner Kaj Samsom said that about 5,000 taxpayers were affected. In an interview, he emphasized that local officials were not responsible for the situation and said his department is working overtime to send corrected information to municipalities.
“We dropped the ball, frankly,” Samsom said. “I can’t put any better spin on it than that.”
Tags: tax , property tax , Department of Taxes , Kaj Samsom , homestead declaration , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
The Burlington City Council decided to move forward with a resolution promoting opiate treatment, but inserted key language saying that safe injection sites won’t happen anytime soon.
The council voted 9-3 to endorse buprenorphine treatment and appoint two councilors to the CommunityStat opiate study committee but will not take concrete steps toward establishing a safe injection facility "until the city council affirmatively votes to do so" in a separate vote.
It took two hours of debate and nine proposed amendments Monday night before the council issued its "yes" vote to the altered measure.
Tags: Brian Pine , Burlington , heroin , Jane Knodell , Karen Paul , opiates , Opioid Crisis , safe injection site , Selene Colburn , Image , Web Only
Monday, July 16, 2018
That was the Burlington City Council's message to the University of Vermont Medical Center administrators and nurses who are divided on wages and working conditions.
The council unanimously passed a resolution Monday urging the two sides to find common ground after the nurses' union went on strike for two days last week. The nurses returned to work on Saturday without a contract, but have not yet returned to the bargaining table, much less come to an agreement with the hospital.
The nurses' union could strike again, though it would need to provide a 10-day notice to the hospital.
Tags: Eileen Whalen , University of Vermont Medical Center , hospital , labor , union , strike , nurses , Image , Slideshow , Web Only
The Sara Holbrook Community Center and Greater Burlington YMCA got $150,000 and $130,000, respectively, for capital campaigns as the YMCA buys a new building and Sara Holbrook prepares for a renovation. Those two programs will create at least 58 new preschool slots, according to the proposal approved by the council.
The Burlington Children’s Space, the Janet S. Munt Family Room, Pine Forest Children’s Center, Robin’s Nest Children’s Center, and Ohavi Zedek Full Circle Preschool also got awards, ranging from $5,000 for Full Circle to $75,000 that the Children's Space will use to purchase its building.
Tags: Miro Weinberger , Burlington , Early Learning Initiative , childcare , Vermont Birth to 5 , Sara Holbrook Community Center , Greater Burlington YMCA , Burlington Children’s Space , Janet S. Munt Family Room , Pine Forest Children’s Center , Robin’s Nest Children’s Center , Ohavi Zedek Full Circle Preschool , Image , Web Only
In his latest Federal Election Commission filing, which covers April through June, Sanders' senatorial campaign fund, "Friends of Bernie Sanders," reported $1.43 million in donations and $749,000 in expenditures, lifting its cash-on-hand total to $7.58 million.
The donations came entirely from individuals; he took no money from corporations or political action committees. Most of the expenditures were for Sanders' extensive travel and public appearances, and for staffing. His campaign has five paid staffers, including longtime Sanders ally Jeff Weaver, whose twice-monthly salary is just under $8,000 — an annualized rate of roughly $190,000.
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Peter Welch , Jeff Weaver , Patrick Leahy , Folasade Adeluola , Jon Svitavsky , Brad Peacock , Jasdeep Pannu , Lawrence Zupan , Rocky de la Fuente , Dan Freilich , Ben Mitchell , H. Brooke Paige , Anya Tynio , Election 2018 , Statewide 2018 , Image , Web Only
A "yes" vote on a resolution before the council would endorse a menu of opiate treatment options for the Queen City, including distribution of buprenorphine in emergency rooms, supporting opiate treatment for inmates across the state, and offering low-cost or free Narcan to reverse overdoses.
The most controversial item would be a safe injection site, which the resolution refers to as an overdose prevention site. It would provide a place for addicts to consume drugs and would also provide access to medical service, treatment options and clean needles — without legal repercussion.
The resolution does not create a safe injection site. It only encourages the city to move forward with discussions about such a facility. Creating one would involve a lengthy process, "possibly years," before it came to fruition, the resolution acknowledges, and would require a "full community vetting."
The council doesn't actually have authority to enact some of the proposed policies around buprenorphine and Narcan. Still, the resolution is a step in the right direction, said Councilor Karen Paul (D-Ward 6), who's been working on the measure since March.
"The council being on the record supporting and endorsing an overdose prevention site is meaningful," Paul said.
Tags: Burlington , drugs , epidemic , heroin , Karen Paul , Max Tracy , needles , Opioid Crisis , opioids , safe injection site , Sarah George , Image , Web Only
Sunday, July 15, 2018
Perhaps the most surprising development was a poor showing by incumbent Republican Phil Scott. He took in $93,000 in the past three months, bringing his total campaign haul to $214,000. He has already spent $177,000, so his cash on hand was less than $40,000. (He also had $19,000 in surplus funds from his 2016 campaign.) On the same date two years ago, Scott's campaign had raised $764,000, so he was well behind his 2016 pace.
His GOP challenger, Keith Stern, had not filed an update as of late Sunday.
Turning to the Democrats, former utility executive Christine Hallquist reported a three-month total of $89,000 in donations, and $132,000 for her campaign to date. She has spent most of her take and had about $23,000 on hand.
Tags: Phil Scott , Christine Hallquist , James Ehlers , Brenda Siegel , Ethan Sonneborn , Sue Minter , Matt Dunne , Peter Galbraith , Cameron Russell , Election 2018 , Image , Web Only