Thursday, January 31, 2019
The guest of honor was House Majority Leader Jill Krowinski (D-Burlington). Multiple Democrats praised her work as a party builder — and talked of her as a future candidate for U.S. Congress. Clearly, Krowinski is seen as a rising star in Vermont Democratic circles.
Proceeds from the "Speaker's Soiree" went to the state party, not to lawmakers or their political action committee.
In 2015, the legislature passed a bill prohibiting lawmakers from seeking lobbyist contributions during sessions. The following year, House Democrats dissolved their political action committee. Their fundraising events continued, but the proceeds went to the Vermont Democratic Party.
The invitation to the ninth-annual soiree included a small-print disclaimer to display compliance with the law: "House Democrats are not soliciting funds from lobbyists or lobbyist employers for this event."
Tags: Jill Krowinski , Gaye Symington , Mitzi Johnson , Justin Johnson , Vermont , Speaker's Soiree , Statehouse , Image , Web Only
On Thursday, Gov. Phil Scott, Vermont Secretary of Administration Susanne Young and Human Resources Commissioner Beth Fastiggi announced a new Infants in the Workplace program for state employees. The policy, which takes effect on February 1, will allow state workers to bring their infant children, ages 6 weeks to 6 months, to work.
In an announcement, Fastiggi cited research on early childhood development showing that keeping parent and child together during the first few months of life is linked to healthier brain development for the baby, an improved sense of wellbeing for the parent and diminished time lost from the workplace.
Tags: babies , state workers , diapers , childcare , Infants in the Workplace , Image , Web Only
“We have to have a regulated market,” T.J. Donovan told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday morning.
The state's top law enforcement officer said his “position has evolved” since last year, when he supported a measure that legalized adult possession and home cultivation of weed but didn’t allow sales.
That policy hasn’t worked, according to Donovan, who now supports S.54, a bill that would allow legal pot sales.
“We’ve seen that we can’t tell Vermonters that they can possess marijuana and be silent about how to obtain it because capitalism exists and is only going to grow in this area,” Donovan said.
Tags: Cannabeat , cannabis , marijuana , T.J. Donovan , tax and regulate , S.54 , attorney general , Statehouse , Image , Web Only
The same Department of Corrections probation and parole staff member answered the phone both times, according to Vermont Buildings and General Services Commissioner Chris Cole.
Employees immediately called 911, Cole said, then followed the directions of a designated emergency coordination manager "whose role and responsibility is to be a liaison between the state employees in the incident … and the first-responders, whoever they may be."
Once Springfield police arrived, officers asked for volunteers from among the state workers to enter the building with police for a search, according to Cole.
“This is standard protocol for law enforcement agencies, because they don’t work in the building, they don’t know what’s out of place in the building,” Cole said.
Tags: Department of Corrections , Vermont State Employees' Association , Steve Howard , Mike Touchette , Department for Children and Families , St. Albans , Springfield , Chris Cole , Department of Buildings and General Services , Phil Scott , Rebecca Kelley , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Authorities seized a loaded handgun, five ounces of marijuana and more than $11,000 in cash during a Tuesday raid on a Church Street business, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
U.S. Attorney Christina Nolan alleged in a two-count criminal complaint that Good Times Gallery owner Derek Spilman possessed a firearm while distributing marijuana. In court papers, authorities said that Spilman had sold pot to minors, including a young woman who allegedly became ill after consuming a bag of edible gummies.
Spilman was released on conditions Wednesday after an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Burlington. Speaking to the press after the hearing, Nolan said the presence of firearms in the store was “a very significant factor” in the feds’ decision to take action, as was the store’s location on a prominent pedestrian thoroughfare.
Nolan noted that marijuana remains a controlled substance under federal law. And though she acknowledged that Vermont legalized the personal possession and cultivation of pot last summer, she said, “This conduct is not even close to legal under state law.”
Tags: Cannabeat , Good Times Gallery , Derek Spilman , marijuana , cannabis , Image , Web Only
During a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting Wednesday morning, Levine said that data show an alarming increase in youth marijuana use in recent years and urged lawmakers to fund programs that would nip the problem in the bud.
The commissioner told lawmakers there is a “growing consensus” among scientists that weed is harmful to developing brains. He said youth use of the drug has been shown to cause “both acute and chronic forms of psychosis.”
“The relationship is quite firm now, and the rates are alarming,” he said.
Levine issued his warning as the committee considers S.54, a bill that would establish a state regulatory authority to oversee the cultivation, processing and retail sale of cannabis to adults. Under a timeline laid out in the measure, the first retail licenses would be issued by April 1, 2021.
Fifteen of the Senate's 30 members are listed as sponsors of the bill.
Tags: Cannabeat , Mark Levine , Dick Sears , Vermont Department of Health , S.54 , Dave Silberman , Laura Subin , marijuana , cannabis , tax and regulate , Tom Anderson , weed , pot , Vermont , legalization , Statehouse , Image , Web Only
When asked if he had a preference in the next election, Scott replied, "I do not have a candidate I favor for 2020."
Asked if he would like to see a competitive Republican primary, Scott said, "It wouldn't bother me." When asked if a contested primary would be a good thing, he said, "From my standpoint, I think it would be." He would not suggest any alternative candidates.
Scott refused to endorse Trump in 2016. Since then, Scott has repeatedly distanced himself from the president, sometimes drawing the ire of VTGOP loyalists for doing so.
Scott's criticism has often focused on Trump's style. "Leaders should unite, not divide," Scott said, during the final debate of his reelection campaign. He has drawn a contrast between the rough-and-tumble of national politics and his own efforts to maintain an atmosphere of civility in Montpelier. He has differed with Trump on numerous issues as well.
In 2017, Scott signed a bill that set limits on state or local law enforcement agencies' participation in federal immigration-enforcement actions. He has been critical of Trump's hard line on the issue and opposed the separation of immigrant families at the border with Mexico. He also slammed Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accords. And he refused to sign a Republican Governors Association letter endorsing Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to serve as a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Tags: Phil Scott , Donald Trump , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
The board of trustees for the private liberal arts college unanimously voted to divest January 26 as part of a sweeping sustainability plan dubbed Energy2028, according to a Tuesday press release.
Trustees had previously rejected students' divestment demands. The college's resistance was notable because scholar-in-residence Bill McKibben is a leading proponent of the international movement, as is the organization he and a group of Midd students founded in 2008, 350.org.
Tags: Middlebury College , divestment , climate change , fossil fuels , Laurie Patton , Divest Middlebury , Bill McKibben , Image , Web Only
The school board voted unanimously to support the flag-raising back in June. It will fly at the school during February in honor of Black History Month. School officials expect to hoist it in future years to mark the month.
Partly in response to concerns about potential disruptions and safety, school district leaders have limited public access. Only students and employees will be able to attend the 3 p.m. event. Other observers, including members of the news media, will only be allowed to watch from across the street from the school, on the west side of Dorset Street, in the parking lot by South Burlington's municipal building.
"Keeping the Black Lives Matter flag-raising assembly and outside ceremony limited to students and staff enhances student safety," superintendent David Young said in a public statement. "Additionally, the student leaders' and their advisers' goal for both the assembly and ceremony is to raise awareness, deepen learning and inspire further dialogue within their school community."
Tags: Black Lives Matter , Rebel Alliance , South Burlington High School , Image , Web Only
Queen City voters will not get a chance to weigh in on the future of City Hall Park.
The Burlington City Council declined on Monday night to put a question on the Town Meeting Day ballot that would have asked whether voters wanted to cancel the $4 million project to renovate the downtown green space.
The 6-6 vote was a defeat for the citizen group Keep the Park Green, which has fought the park plans for nearly three years. Under council rules, a tie vote means the measure fails.
The vote means the future of the park is decided. Construction on the current plan, which includes a splash park, wider pathways and more seating, is slated to begin in the spring.
Tags: Keep the Park Green , Burlington City Council , Miro Weinberger , Kurt Wright , Town Meeting Day , Image , Web Only