Monday, September 7, 2020
A last-ditch effort by Gov. Phil Scott to convince lawmakers not to give citizens the right to sue the state if it misses its greenhouse gas emissions targets appears to have failed.
That means the bill, H.688, would be sent to Scott’s desk for a signature that looks unlikely. Scott has said he supports the intent of the law but has also steadfastly opposed key provisions, including the right to sue. He reiterated several such concerns in a letter to legislative leaders on August 12.
Environmental Conservation Commissioner Peter Walke noted that the Senate never responded to the letter and House leaders merely replied to the administration that they weren’t interested in the governor’s points.
Tags: climate , greenhouse gas emissions , Phil Scott , veto , Web Only , Image
Friday, September 4, 2020
They blocked portions of Main Street twice during their march and laid in the street in front of the mayor's personal residence while a speaker recited the names of Black Americans killed by police.
The names of the dead were also displayed on coordinated cardboard signs, each scrawled in dripping red strokes. Dozens of other marchers held up black-lettered signs that spelled the names of three Burlington police officers whose dismissal from the department is the protesters' most immediate demand.
It made for a stark spectacle during the dinner hour, as orange-vested volunteers stepped across Main Street and rerouted vehicles without police assistance. Protesters, many of whom were college-aged, walked from the University of Vermont campus to Summit Street, where the mayor lives.
Tags: Burlington , Black Lives Matter , Miro Weinberger , The Black Perspective , Die-in , Protest , Racial Justice , Burlington Police Department , Battery Park encampment , Web Only , Image , Slideshow
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Jordan Atwood, 25, is not allowed to carry firearms as part of court-imposed restrictions for an unrelated pending criminal case. He was booked for violating those terms, police said.
Tags: Burlington , Burlington Police , Jordan Atwood , Black Lives Matter , Protests , Racial Justice , Battery Park , open carry , 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
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
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
Tuesday, August 18, 2020
The mayor on Tuesday proposed limiting outdoor residential gatherings to 25 people, indoor ones to 10, and to end all alcohol sales at 10 p.m. The indoor gathering limit would be 15 if at least five of the attendees are household members.
He's requested an emergency city council meeting for Thursday to approve the new rules.
Tags: Mayor Miro Weinberger , City of Burlington , University of Vermont , Suresh Garimella , coronavirus , covid-19 , gathering size limits , Web Only , Image
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
On Monday, university president Suresh Garimella reiterated his confidence in UVM's current approach in a written response to a slate of concerns raised last week by Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger.
"I am proud to say that it not only meets the Governor’s standards, it exceeds many of them, and is one of the most stringent plans of any university in the nation," Garimella wrote.
Tags: University of Vermont , Suresh Garimella , City of Burlington , Burlington City Council , Miro Weinberger , Jane Stromberg , Karen Paul , coronavirus , covid-19 , college reopenings , surveillance testing , Web Only , Image
Thursday, August 6, 2020
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger asked University of Vermont leaders to reconsider key aspects of their plan to bring students to campus later this month, suggesting that it may not protect Burlington from a COVID-19 outbreak.
"Despite weeks of coordinated planning and multiple discussions with your team, I continue to have concerns with UVM’s current plan in a number of key areas," Weinberger wrote.
City officials posted the letter publicly on Thursday afternoon.
Tags: University of Vermont , Mayor Miro Weinberger , Suresh Garimella , COVID-19 , coronavirus , Web Only , Image