Thursday, June 6, 2019
Gov. Phil Scott has asked Attorney General T.J. Donovan to review the decision to dismiss charges in three major cases involving insanity defenses, two of which involved gruesome murders in broad daylight in Burlington.
Scott said he was “at a loss as to the logic or strategy” behind the decision by Chittenden County State's Attorney Sarah George not to prosecute the defendants in the three cases, all of whom claimed they were insane at the time of their crimes.
“These cases are among the most violent crimes committed in Vermont in recent memory, and with their dismissal, there is no longer a possibility of supervision by the Department of Corrections or conditions of release to protect Vermonters,” Scott wrote in his letter.
Tags: Sarah George , Burlington , Phil Scott , TJ Donovan , cleaver , stabbing , insanity , Miro Weinberger , Brandon del Pozo , Web Only , Image
Scott praised Gobeille for two signal accomplishments: straightening out the troubled Vermont Health Connect, which was a mess inherited from the administration of governor Peter Shumlin, and holding the line on the Human Services budget.
Gobeille will return to Gobeille Hospitality, the Burlington restaurant business he operates with his wife, Kim. "I'll be making creemees and washing dishes," he joked.
Gobeille said the decision had been in the works "for the last few weeks." When asked why now, Gobeille said, "There is no good time to leave, but it's not good to leave during an election year or legislative session, or when the agency is developing a budget. That leaves June and July."
Scott mentioned that he expected "a return to public service" by Gobeille at some point in the future, which prompted a question about plans to run for elective office. "Not against him," Gobeille said, pointing to Scott.
Tags: Al Gobeille , Phil Scott , Martha Maksym , Web Only , Image
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
A defendant in the suit, R.L. Vallee, sought last November to compel the aide, Daniel McLean, to turn over a wide range of legislative, legal and political documents involving Sanders' Senate office. R.L. Vallee, which operates the Maplefields chain of gas stations, later alleged in a court filing that the documents were necessary to show that the senator had ginned up the lawsuit to exact retribution against the company's CEO, Rodolphe "Skip" Vallee, a longtime political nemesis of Sanders'.
In a 22-page ruling issued Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge William Sessions III sided with McLean and quashed R.L. Vallee's subpoena.
A lawyer for McLean, who was represented by the Office of Senate Legal Counsel, argued at an April hearing that he was shielded from the subpoena by the doctrine of sovereign immunity, which generally protects the federal government from being sued. McLean's attorney also argued that the speech and debate clause of the U.S. Constitution protect most congressional documents from disclosure, and he said that the subpoena would impose an undue burden on Sanders' office.
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Daniel McLean , Skip Vallee , price-fixing , gas prices , Web Only , Image
The increased noise is a factor both of the basing of F-35 fighter jets at BTV and an anticipated increase in commercial flights arriving at and departing the airport. Nearby residents got a preview the F-35s' volume late last week, when four jets on their way overseas were diverted to the airport. Homeowners within these high-noise zones could be eligible for soundproofing grants. Airport officials say they will apply for funds to protect housing values in the coming years. Use the map below to examine the estimated noise exposure zones and to find out what addresses fall within the zones. (And don't worry: We won't log any data you enter here.)
Projected Noise Impact of the Burlington International Airport in 2023
Data: btvsound.com • Locations of addresses are based on Google estimates, and may not be exact.
Tags: F-35s , BTV , Burlington International Airport , Winooski , South Burlington , jet noise , Web Only , Image
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
All three defendants were involved in unrelated, high-profile cases including a deadly stabbing on Burlington's Church Street and a fatal meat cleaver attack in the city's Old North End.
George announced Tuesday that she had concluded the defendants were legally insane at the time of the crimes and would not be found guilty of the charges against them at trial. She filed to dismiss the charges last Friday.
Tags: Burlington , crime , Aita Gurung , Church Street , Louis Fortier , meat cleaver , Veronica Lewis , Sarah George , Chittenden County State's Attorney , insanity defense , Steven Bourgoin , murder , charges dropped , Web Only , Image
Three Progressives — Perri Freeman (Central District), Jack Hanson (East District) and Max Tracy (Ward 2) — introduced a resolution that essentially reiterated the demands made by Black Lives Matter of Greater Burlington at a community meeting last month. The measure failed, 3-9, with only its sponsors voting in favor.
Another resolution — which created a special police oversight committee — passed 11-1.
Tags: Burlington , police , Brandon del Pozo , chief , Perri Freeman , Ali Dieng , Miro Weinberger , Joan Shannon , Jack Hanson , Kurt Wright , Max Tracy , Sharon Bushor , Franklin Paulino , Chip Mason , Black Lives Matter of Greater Burlington , body camera , violence , use of force , Web Only , Image