Monday, August 31, 2020
Board president Debra Stenner announced the inquiry last Friday morning in a letter to staff. The probe seeks "to better understand the full scope of events" surrounding del Pozo's decision to create an anonymous Twitter account that he used last summer to troll Howard Center employee Charles Winkleman.
The Howard Center provides mental health and substance use services and is one of the biggest employers in the state. Del Pozo has served on the organization's board since 2018. His three-year term ends in 2021.
"We believe Brandon brings unique and valuable insight and have supported him in his decision to stay on the board," Stenner wrote. "However, we recognize that there are strong feelings of harm on both sides and gaining a full, unbiased understanding of all that has happened, or continues to happen, is in the best interest of Howard Center and we believe is an imperative in order to move forward."
Tags: Brandon del Pozo , social media , Burlington Police Department , Jan Wright , Twitter , Howard Center , Charles Winkleman , Web Only , Image
Thursday, August 27, 2020
Vail Resorts, the Stowe slope’s Colorado-based parent company, announced the measure on Thursday, along with other changes to riding the lifts, hanging out in lodges and buying tickets during what will be an unprecedented ski season.
The new rules affect the company’s 34 North American resorts, including Stowe, Okemo and Mount Snow in Vermont.
“I realize not everyone will agree with our approach — [with] some feeling we are being too conservative or aggressive,” Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz said in a statement. “And I recognize the changes we are implementing will be an inconvenience. But I ask for your understanding and patience.”
Tags: Stowe Mountain Resort , Epic Pass , reservations , Vermont , skiing , winter , COVID-19 , Web Only , Image
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
High-profile office seekers, such as Republican Gov. Phil Scott and his challenger, Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, a Progressive/Democrat, aren't budging from the lines that they clinched on the ballot.
Candidates are still being added, though, including those who won long-shot write-in campaigns or replaced last-minute dropouts.
Republican Meg Hansen is one candidate who will appear on the general election ballot for a race other than the one she originally entered. Hansen came in second for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor. Soon afterward, the Manchester Center resident said, she was recruited to run for state Senate.
Republicans in Bennington County didn’t mount a strong primary field, due in part to the dominance of the Democrats in the district, Hansen said. She noted that Sen. Dick Sears (D-Bennington) has represented the district since 1993, and Sen. Brian Campion (D-Bennington) since 2014.
Tags: 2020 primaries , ballot , Election 2020 , general election , Meg Hansen , Web Only , Image
A St. Albans police officer told a disabled student that he was "acting retarded" for not obeying the officer's commands during an altercation inside Bellows Free Academy high school last year.
The City of St. Albans and the Maple Run Unified School District agreed this month to pay the student's family a total of $30,000 to settle a human rights complaint alleging that they discriminated against the 17-year-old student on the basis of his disability. Officer David French, who worked at BFA as a school resource officer, was reassigned to a street patrol unit in June 2019, after the school year concluded.
The city released some information about the case on Wednesday in response to a public records request Seven Days filed on July 16. The city and school did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement, which includes a $8,750 payment from the city. Insurers are paying the remainder.
Tags: City of St Albans , St. Albans police department , David French , Maple Run Unified School District , School Resource Officers , Marilyn Mahusky , Vermont Legal Aid , Web Only , Image
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
In a brief video posted to his personal Facebook account on Tuesday, Sheriff Peter Newton criticized Donovan for clearing Vergennes Police Chief George Merkel of any wrongdoing related to allegations that Merkel had falsified time sheets so that he could make more money.
The sheriff accused Merkel of the misconduct in a report to the Vermont State Police earlier this year. But Donovan said last week that the VSP investigation revealed discrepancies of only 15 hours over a two-year period, with no evidence to suggest anything more than "clerical mistakes."
Tags: George Merkel , Vergennes , Police , Sheriff Peter Newton , T.J. Donovan , Web Only , Image
Burlington city councilors gave Mayor Miro Weinberger their blessing early Tuesday to sue CityPlace developers Don Sinex and Brookfield Asset Management if negotiations over the long-stalled project sputter out.
The council voted 10-1 to “pursue all legal remedies” should talks with Sinex and Brookfield fail. The vote, taken just after midnight Tuesday, authorized the city to make all "necessary budget allocations to accomplish these ends." Councilor Ali Dieng (I-Ward 7) cast the lone no vote; Councilor Franklin Paulino (D-North District) was absent.
"The city is really wanting to take strong action against Sinex to make him live up to his promises," Council President Max Tracy (P-Ward 2) told Seven Days later Tuesday morning. "It's looking increasingly likely that we will pursue legal action," he added.
Tags: CityPlace , Burlington , Burlington City Council , Don Sinex , Brookfield , Web Only , Image
Monday, August 24, 2020
June Heston, a nonprofit consultant from Richmond in her first-ever political race, came just 46 votes shy of securing a Democratic nomination for one of the six Senate seats representing the state’s most populous county.
Incumbent Sen. Chris Pearson (P/D–Chittenden) of Burlington received 11,764 votes to Heston’s 11,719, according to the official tally from the Vermont Secretary of State.
On August 14, Heston filed a motion in Chittenden Superior Court demanding a recount. Statewide and Senate candidates within 2 percent of the total votes cast divided by the number of seats in the district can request a recount. Heston was less than 0.5 percent behind Pearson.
Judge Helen Toor held a conference call with elections officials last Thursday and issued her ruling on the recount Monday morning.
Tags: recount , COVID-19 , Chittenden County , Chris Pearson , June Heston , Senate , Vermont , coronavirus , Web Only , Image
Friday, August 21, 2020
Scott plans to press lawmakers to spend another $133 million in federal coronavirus relief dollars to support Vermont employers in direct and indirect ways, including by offering $150 gift cards for residents to use at local businesses.
"We need to focus like a laser on helping these businesses, and the jobs they provide, survive," Scott said at a press conference.
Tags: Phil Scott , CARES Act , coronavirus relief , emergency business grants , Tim Ashe , tourism industry , buy local campaign , Web Only , Image
Thursday, August 20, 2020
The measures, very similar to those proposed on Tuesday by Mayor Miro Weinberger, are intended to reduce the risk of coronavirus outbreaks once university and K-12 classes resume.
Three councilors were not present for the final vote, but the nine who were unanimously passed the emergency resolution over objections from some downtown bar owners who said their businesses were being unfairly targeted.
"We have been completely compliant, and it's not fair to scapegoat the bar industry," said Sean McKenzie, beverage director at the Archives arcade bar on College Street, adding that he would need to lay off employees as a result.
Tags: COVID-19 , coronavirus , City of Burlington , gathering size limits , alcohol sales , Miro Weinberger , Brian Pine , Sarah Carpenter , The Archives , Sean McKenzie , Ruben James , college reopening , superspreader events , Kelly Devine , Burlington Business Association , Web Only , Image
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
“For 30 years, the Burlington community has been dreaming and imagining great uses of this unique ... structure,” Mayor Miro Weinberger told an assembled crowd of dozens at Water Works Park, which adjoins the Moran property. “Today, we have found a way to achieve many of the city’s long-held goals for this site.”
Crews have already begun stripping the five-story building’s interior and were busy in the background during Wednesday’s event. Workers will gradually strip the entire brick-encased building, leaving just the steel framework standing amid what will eventually be a city park.
The ceremony included no actual groundbreaking, though gleaming shovels leaned against a nearby chainlink fence surrounding the old coal-fired power plant. Instead, the city gave attendees old bricks from the building, adorned with a label designed by Burlington City Arts commemorating the event.
Tags: Moran Plant , Burlington , redevelopment , FRAME , park , waterfront , Web Only , Image