Wednesday, June 13, 2018
The board voted 7-3 in support of a resolution that directed Obeng to stop spending money and stop developing plans for the proposed South End and North End preschool centers after parents and taxpayers complained that the projects were pushed forward without voter approval.
Supporters, including Obeng, had countered that the buildings were within the scope of a $19 million school improvement bond, framed largely as funding for deferred maintenance, that voters approved at the polls in 2017.
The resolution mirrored the view of critics who said they want more time to consider the addition of two new structures to the district’s already large real estate portfolio, which includes 10 school buildings.
Tags: Burlington , Yaw Obeng , superintendent , schools , preschool , Burlington School Board , bond , voters , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Jackson took his chance to set his record straight on Tuesday, when Chittenden County State's Attorney Sarah George held an Expungement Day at the Edward J. Costello Courthouse on Cherry Street. Lawyers at the event walked attendees through the process of filing a petition to get misdemeanor marijuana possession convictions wiped off their records.
"I appreciated all the help they are giving me to get this off, so I can have a fully clean record, back to where I started when I was born," Jackson grinned as he spoke with Seven Days.
Tags: Cannabeat , cannabis , Sarah George , law enforcement , records , Image , Web Only
The tragedies, both involving refugees from the African nation and occurring just blocks away from each other, took place less than a week before the Islamic holiday of Eid, which Muslims celebrate to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
Lul Ali Gure, 29, was killed in a car crash around 1 p.m. Saturday near the Burlington-South Burlington line. She was the passenger in a car driven by Sadio M. Ali, also 29.
Tags: South Meadows , Lul Ali Gure , Said Elmi , Noor Duale , Trevor Whipple , Aden Haji , Asha Abdille , Abdirashid Hussein , Champlain Housing Trust , Image , Web Only
Monday, June 11, 2018
The surviving combatant, 20-year-old Joshua Granger of Winooski, is now charged with second-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty Monday morning in Vermont Superior Court and remains held in custody without bail.
Granger told police that he'd arranged to fistfight Jared Streeter, 20, on Saturday night at what's known as the Blue Bridge, a span off Intervale Road. The two men had "an ongoing dispute ... regarding a girl they were both interested in," Granger told detectives, according to an arrest affidavit.
Tags: Burlington , Blue Bridge , fight , homicide , murder , Jared Streeter , Joshua Granger , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
The passenger train isn't scheduled to pull into the Queen City before 2021, but
hands shot up with complaints and concerns throughout the presentation at the Department of Public Works building on Pine Street. No public comments supported the report’s suggestion that downtown Union Station, between King and College streets, is the most suitable location for overnight train storage.
Once the train begins service to Burlington, it must be housed overnight from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. City officials requested the planning commission study five locations as potential storage sites. Union Station scored poorly for train visibility, noise impacts and proximity to residential areas, but scored well for ease of property acquisition, electrical power availability and crew convenience.
Tags: Amtrak , train , Burlington , Ethan Allen Express train , Image , Web Only
Friday, May 25, 2018
The Chittenden Solid Waste District increased the tipping fee — the charge for haulers who bring recycling to its Williston facility — on May 1. Another increase is likely soon, possibly in the next few months. Some haulers have already decided to pass the increase on to consumers.
The hikes come in response to the plummeting value of paper recyclables as China, which had been the world's largest consumer of recycling, ushers in strict new environmental regulations and stops accepting most mixed paper. The shift has put recycling programs around Europe and the U.S. into disarray. Vermont is also feeling the pinch.
Tags: Recycling , Burlington , environment , Chittenden Solid Waste District , mixed paper , Chapin Spencer , Sarah Reeves , China , Image , Web Only
Thursday, May 24, 2018
The city will close the public jetty into Lake Champlain as early as next week when construction begins on the 160-slip Burlington Harbor Marina.
The long-planned project will snug in just south of the pier and around the point from the U.S. Coast Guard station on the northern section of the Burlington waterfront. Bulldozers are already in place near the site off Penny Lane, next to the Burlington Water Resources Department and just south of the Moran Plant.
The pier will likely be closed for the entire summer.
Tags: Burlington , pier , marina , Burlington Fishing Pier , U.S. Coast Guard , Lake Champlain , Image , Web Only
Secretary of the U.S. Air Force Heather Wilson confirmed this week that the planes are still on schedule to arrive at Burlington International Airport next year.
The letter dated May 22 from Wilson to Mayor Miro Weinberger came in response to a city council resolution that requested the Air Force find a new mission for the Vermont Air National Guard. The resolution also included a series of questions about the safety and noise of the planes.
The Air Force's response? The basing is a done deal.
Tags: Miro Weinberger , Air Force , F-35 , Heather Wilson , Steven Cray , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Lunderville will replace Noelle MacKay, who announced last month that she will step down to take a job at the Regulatory Assistance Project, a renewable energy nonprofit in Montpelier.
He'll start as acting CEDO head at the end of this week and, if the city council approves the appointment, would begin as interim director on July 16. He'd stop working for Burlington Electric at that time, according to a city press release.
Lunderville would serve until December of this year and, according to a memo from Weinberger, does not plan to apply for the permanent CEDO post. The city would conduct a national search to fill Lunderville's old job at Burlington Electric.
Tags: Noelle MacKay , Neale Lunderville , Miro Weinberger , Burlington , mayor , general manager , CEDO , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
The changes sparked an outcry from some nonprofit leaders who said they were counting on the money. Last Friday, Rita Markley, executive director of the Committee on Temporary Shelter, posted on Facebook that she had not received $57,600 for two programs for the homeless.
"The Daystation is the ONLY daytime shelter in Chittenden County for single adults with nowhere else to turn," Markley wrote. "Just the worst possible news."
Tags: Jesse Bridges , United Way of Northwest Vermont , Committee on Temporary Shelter , Rita Markley , CVOEO , Sara Holbrook Community Center , Steps to End Domestic Violence , Boys & Girls Club of Burlington , Heineberg Community Senior Center , Janet S. Munt Family Room , Image , Web Only