Saturday, February 29, 2020
Former vice president Joe Biden, whose campaign had largely been written off after poor performances in Iowa and New Hampshire, trounced Sanders and the rest of the field in South Carolina on Saturday. With more than 90 percent of precincts reporting, Biden had picked up 49 percent of the vote. Sanders trailed with 20 percent and former hedge fund executive Tom Steyer with 11 percent.
Steyer, who had staked his campaign on a win in South Carolina, announced Saturday night that he would leave the race.
Speaking earlier that evening at a campaign rally in Norfolk, Va., Sanders highlighted his past successes in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. "But you cannot win 'em all," he said. "A lot of states out there, and we did not win in South Carolina."
As the crowd booed, Sanders continued. "And that will not be the only defeat. There are a lot of states in this country. Nobody wins them all," he said. "I want to congratulate Joe Biden on his victory tonight. And now we enter Super Tuesday."
Tags: Bernie Sanders , Election , Election 2020 , Joe Biden , Primary 2020 , Senator , Tom Steyer , Web Only , Image
Friday, February 28, 2020
If Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) continues to outperform a crowded field of presidential rivals, he could show up at this summer's Democratic National Convention with a plurality of delegates — but not the majority he needs to claim the party's nomination.
That's prompted some nervous Democrats to consider how they might deny him the nomination and install an alternative, even if he's favored by more voters. In interviews with 93 party officials this week, the New York Times found that many of them would be "willing to risk intraparty damage" to stop Sanders at the convention.
Several top Vermont Democrats, however, think that would be a bad idea.
"You know, we've got to keep our eye on the prize here, and the prize is beating Donald Trump," U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) told Seven Days. "If a candidate, including Bernie, clearly demonstrates the broadest support in the primary and then the convention outcome is different, I think that would be a challenge ... for our success in November."
Said state Rep. Mary Sullivan (D-Burlington): "I think it would be a big mistake."
Tags: Bernie Sanders , Election , Election 2020 , Howard Dean , Mary Sullivan , Patrick Leahy , Peter Welch , Primary 2020 , Senator , Terje Anderson , Tess Taylor , Tim Jerman , Web Only , Image
"I mean, there's a lot of ifs there, obviously, but this conversation is probably much different today than it was a month ago," Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said Thursday.
So what would happen to Sanders' Senate seat if he were to move up Pennsylvania Avenue?
Under Vermont law, the governor has six months from the date a vacancy occurs to hold a special election. The winner would complete Sanders' term, which expires in January 2025. The governor is also empowered to appoint an interim senator to fill the post until the special election took place.
Scott, a Republican, said he would abide by Vermont's tradition of naming a replacement from the same party as the outgoing officeholder — in Sanders' case, an independent. The governor said he would not appoint anyone to the interim position who planned to run in the special election because doing so would give that person "a leg up" in the race.
Tags: Bernie Sanders , David Zuckerman , Election , Election 2020 , Phil Scott , Primary 2020 , Rebecca Holcombe , Senator , Web Only , Image
Thursday, February 27, 2020
More than three decades later, the two found themselves back on the trail — only this time, the campaign signs had a different name.
“I don't think we've been in a more dangerous political time than now. It's easy to get depressed," Kunin said Thursday night before a crowd of roughly 100 people at the Queen City Brewery in Burlington. “But Molly’s a bright spot as we look at the political horizon.”
“She is certainly the best candidate — the most impassioned candidate — to be our next lieutenant governor,” Kunin later added.
Tags: Molly Gray , Madeleine Kunin , lieutenant governor , David Zuckerman , campaign , Tim Ashe , Brenda Siegel , Debbie Ingram , Web Only , Image
The move appears designed to save costs by merging Free Press operations with those of the Portsmouth Herald. Last November, the papers' parent companies, Gannett and GateHouse Media, merged.
"The unfortunate reality of this new partnership is that about two dozen press people will lose their employment," Free Press executive editor Emilie Stigliani wrote in an email. Employees at the press facility declined to comment Thursday.
The fate of 137 South Winooski Avenue, the downtown Burlington property that houses the presses, has not been decided, Stigliani said in an email. It's assessed at $1.5 million, city records show.
The paper announced the plans in an article published Thursday afternoon on its website. As part of the move, the Free Press will switch from its current tabloid format back to a traditional broadsheet. The paper will continue to publish each day and home delivery will not be affected, according to the article. The newsroom and advertising staff will remain in Burlington.
Tags: Burlington Free Press , layoffs , Gannett , Gannett-GateHouse , Web Only , Image
Net tuition revenue decreased 15 percent between fiscal 2015 and 2019, and enrollment declined 20 percent, according to the February 20 downgrade announcement.
Moody's reported a slip from Baa1 to Baa2 bond status. It also warned of a "negative outlook" for the fiscal health of the college, which was founded in 1904 by the Society of St. Edmund Roman Catholic order of priests.
"The negative outlook reflects the possibility of additional credit deterioration if the college is unable to stem enrollment losses and improve financial results,"
the ratings company wrote.
Tags: St. Michael's College , higher education , Moody's Investors Service , Web Only , Image
Rep. Anne Donahue (R-Northfield), who proposed the amendment, told her colleagues on the House floor that allowing cannabis advertisements goes against what she believes is the bill's main intent.
"The purpose of the bill is safety for current users," Donahue said. "If there are more people who start using because they see ads, that means there are more people potentially on the highway driving impaired; there are more children exposed — the negative things that we don't want to see happening."
Tags: Cannabeat , cannabis , S.54 , pot bill , advertising , First Amendment , Web Only , Image
"All three of us are actively door knocking and engaging with constituents and voters. There's a lot of energy and electricity in the ward," said incumbent Sharon Bushor, an independent who has served on the city council for 32 years.
Bushor, a 73-year-old retired medical technician, has often aligned with the Progressive Party but was snubbed in December when it endorsed her challenger — Zoraya Hightower, a 29-year-old environmental and development professional who serves on the city Development Review Board but has never held elected office in Burlington. The third candidate, Democrat Jillian Scannell, is a 22-year-old senior at UVM who is president of the university's Student Government Association.
Each says she is best suited to represent the ward roughly bounded by Willard Street, Main Street, Centennial Woods and the Winooski River. It is home to many student renters, as well as longtime homeowners and renters.
Tags: Town Meeting Day , Sharon Bushor , Zoraya Hightower , Jillian Scannell , housing , University of Vermont , Ward 1 , election , Burlington City Council , Web Only , Image
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
S.54, which passed the Senate last year, will come up for a formal third reading Thursday before heading to a conference committee, where lawmakers from both chambers will reconcile differences between their two versions. Those include varying tax structures, competing philosophies on local control and different approaches to highway safety. The bill will then head back for another vote in both chambers.
Vermont legislators legalized the possession and cultivation of limited amounts of weed in 2018, but not sales. Supporters of S.54 say that creating a regulatory framework will better protect consumers while bringing in tax revenue.
"What we have now in place isn’t working, and this bill is an important step forward for our state," said House Majority Leader Jill Krowinski (D-Burlington), who noted most of her constituents support the measure.
Tags: cannabis , S.54 , Vermont House , tax-and-regulate , Cannabeat , Web Only , Image
“I’m hearing my name mentioned a little bit tonight,” Sanders quipped. “I wonder why!”
Already, former mayor Michael Bloomberg had called him Russian President Vladimir Putin’s preferred candidate. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) had argued that he couldn’t enact his progressive agenda. Former vice president Joe Biden had accused him of plotting to primary former president Barack Obama. And, for good measure, Biden had also blamed a mass shooting on him.
Consider it the frontrunner treatment.
Tags: Bernie Sanders , Election , Election 2020 , Primary 2020 , Senator , Web Only , Image