Wednesday, October 7, 2020
Scott revealed his decision Wednesday night, writing in a letter to lawmakers that he hopes they will take more testimony from “all impacted communities” and improve the bill before it goes into effect on July 1, 2021.
This year has served as a reminder that systemic racism is “deeply rooted in our nation’s institutions," Scott wrote, adding that although Vermont has recently passed other police reform measures, it is not immune from instances of racial discrimination and disproportionate use of force witnessed around the country.
“We must do more,” Scott wrote.
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Scott, who has long been reluctant to support the creation of a legalized cannabis market, wrote in a letter to lawmakers that he believes they made “substantial progress” addressing his concerns. But, he noted, “there is still more work to be done” on issues of road safety, misuse prevention and racial equity, the Republican governor urged lawmakers to revisit the law next session.
“I believe we are at a pivotal moment in our nation's history which requires us to address systemic racism in our governmental institutions,” Scott wrote. “We must take additional steps to ensure equity is a foundational principle in a new market.”
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Tuesday, October 6, 2020
The council initially voted in August to end alcohol sales early each evening in an attempt to prevent returning college students from spreading the coronavirus around town. The order did not apply to retail alcohol sales.
But in the subsequent weeks, Burlington has seen no spike in cases tied to kids on campus. And city staff recommended the council reevaluate the order this month given the negative impacts on local businesses. The Church Street Marketplace has recently seen a significant dip in visitors, according to a memo from Chief Innovation Officer Brian Lowe.
"We've all heard from the bar owners and restaurant owners who are legitimately expressing frustration about lost business," Councilor Chip Mason (D-Ward 5) said. "We've also heard from the science that says ... the COVID numbers are not there to justify these continued [hours]."
Limits on crowd sizes — approved as part of the original order — remain in place. Indoor crowds are limited to 10 people and outdoor gatherings to 25. The council will consider extending or repealing those provisions on November 9 — after Halloween, which presents "a continued elevated risk from large group activity," Lowe wrote.
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Monday, October 5, 2020
Gov. Phil Scott on Monday evening vetoed a bill he said failed to deliver on the legislature’s long-promised makeover of the state’s signature land-use law.
Instead, he issued an executive order suspending certain reviews of trail networks under Act 250 until an alternate program for assessing impacts of trail construction can be established.
“Nothing in this bill modernizes or improves the Act 250 process — something that is widely agreed to be necessary after fifty years of existence,” Scott wrote in his veto message to lawmakers.
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Starting in August, racial justice activists had occupied the park for 35 days to demand the firing of three Burlington cops accused of using excessive force. One of those officers, Sgt. Jason Bellavance, was offered a $300,000 buyout on September 22. The protesters ended their 24-7 park encampment on September 30, but about a dozen tents, garbage and other items remained five days later.
Some tents appeared to belong to homeless folks who were drawn to the encampment during the protests. One young woman, who said she had participated in the protests but otherwise declined to comment, wore a mask and vinyl gloves as she cleaned up Monday.
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Champlain Orchards in Shoreham closed its shop and popular pick-your-own operation to the public over the weekend after a worker tested positive on Friday. Douglas Orchards, a nearby operation that Champlain Orchards acquired earlier this year, also closed for the weekend.
As of Monday, testing had revealed 26 cases among workers at the two orchards, according to health commissioner Mark Levine, who spoke at an afternoon briefing on the outbreak.
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Friday, October 2, 2020
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) has no coronavirus symptoms after attending a 90-minute hearing on Thursday with a Republican colleague who later tested positive, a spokesperson said Friday.
And amid a worsening COVID-19 outbreak on Capitol Hill, Leahy supports top Democratic leaders who are calling for a delay to the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, according to the senator's spokesperson, David Carle.
Among those with confirmed cases are President Donald Trump, one of his top aides and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee with Leahy. The two senators sat several seats away from each other during Thursday's hearing, the same day Lee came down with "symptoms consistent with longtime allergies." Lee, Leahy and a handful of other senators did not wear masks as they spoke at the hearing.
Carle said in an email that the 80-year-old senator has not been tested for the virus since Lee's diagnosis. Carle said that Leahy would follow the guidance of the Capitol physician, who suggested that the senator potentially be tested next week as a "precaution." Health experts say it usually takes a few days after exposure to produce a positive COVID-19 test result.
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A new Queen City proposal would allow backyard blazes in “fire safe receptacles” from November through April of next year. The resolution, which the Burlington City Council will consider on Monday, would temporarily change an effective ban on outdoor fires that’s been on the books since 1977.
This is the year for such a change, said Councilor Joan Shannon (D-South District), who wrote and introduced the resolution, which is cosponsored by three Democratic colleagues.
She referred to them as “COVID fires” and noted that a warm outdoor gathering place would encourage healthy socialization habits during the cold winter months of the coronavirus pandemic.
“This is not going to endorse every existing fire pit out there,” Shannon said. “But it creates a legitimate process for you to go through and get an approved outdoor fire.”
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Scott's opponent, Progressive/Democratic Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, and Milne's, Democratic nominee Molly Gray, each continue to find broad financial support. And all four candidates have ramped up spending ahead of the campaign's homestretch, posting more than $415,000 in combined receipts over the last month.
Those were some of the key takeaways from the most recent campaign finance reports submitted to the Secretary of State's Office ahead of the October 1 filing deadline, weeks before the November 3 election.
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Thursday, October 1, 2020
Daniel Zorzi, a shift supervisor at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility, had been accused of wide-ranging misconduct, including drug use on the job and having sex with women while they were under supervision of the Department of Corrections.
But in a letter to Corrections Commissioner Jim Baker on Thursday, George wrote that she had determined that a Vermont State Police investigation into Zorzi had not uncovered "sufficient evidence" to prove “beyond a reasonable doubt" that he had committed a crime.
George, however, left the door open for future prosecution, emphasizing that her decision was based on the information available "at this time."
"If further information is provided to the Vermont State Police, we will review that evidence and re-evaluate the strength of our case," George wrote.
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