Vermont

Obamacare Uncertainty

Details: Created on Friday, 18 November 2016 17:07; Written by Tyler Hall

VERMONT - This contentious election season brought out issues ranging from Obamacare, immigration, climate change, the conflict in Syria and how to fix the Economy, just to name a few. Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act, has been quite the issue that was raised during this election term. President Elect, Donald Trump, has said countless times that he will repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Willoughby Gets New Ski Trails

Details: Created on Wednesday, 16 November 2016 21:46; Written by Daniel Fenton

WESTMORE - Back country skiers will soon have some new trails this upcoming winter. A meeting was held in Burke to discuss the creation of a back-country ski zone in the Willoughby State Forest. However, this upcoming season, only a small portion of the selected ski zones located on the South side of Mount Hor will be open to ski.

Vermont Attorney General Transition

Details: Created on Friday, 11 November 2016 17:42; Written by Tyler Hall

Vermont - Election Day was this past Tuesday, November eighth and voters got the chance to vote for their next National, State and Local candidates. In Vermont, for the first time in two decades, there is a new Attorney General. T.J. Donovan won the race on Tuesday night after his Republican Rival Deb Bucknam conceded on Election night.

Act 80 Training

Details: Created on Wednesday, 26 October 2016 17:53; Written by Lily Elmore

VERMONT - Across the State of Vermont, law enforcement officers are provided training to help them incase they are responding to a situation where there is a person with mental health or cognation development issues.

Energy Planning Standards Issued

Details: Created on Tuesday, 18 October 2016 19:57; Written by Tyler Hall

VERMONT - The Vermont Department of Public Service issued a public review draft of energy planning determination standards and recommendations called for in Act 174, the state's Energy Development Improvement Act on September 26th, 2016.

Raising Vermont Voices

Details: Created on Monday, 17 October 2016 14:16; Written by Aiden Pichette

LYNDONVILLE - Tired of the two party system? Many students across Vermont feel this way, and today in the Moore Community room on Lyndon State College's campus, students and professors were encouraged to share their opinions and ask questions of Lieutenant Governor hopeful, David Zuckerman.

GMO Labeling Law Causes Controversy

Details: Created on Friday, 06 May 2016 20:09; Written by Dylan Robichaud

Vermont-Companies that use genetic engineering to produce food, and then sell that food to consumers in the Green Mountain State have less than two months to start labeling those products. Carolyn Partridge, who is the chair for the state's Agriculture Committee, says this will allow consumers to make knowledge-based decisions.

¨I think people will just have the option to know what's in their food and make a decision as towards if they want to consume those products or not, Partridge said.

Behind The Vermont State Lottery

Details: Created on Tuesday, 03 May 2016 15:10; Written by Dylan Robichaud

tickets Vermont- Vermonters purchase close to $112 million dollars worth of lottery tickets annually, and many may be wondering where does the money go? Our news seven reporter Ryan Jenot spoke with the director of the Vermont lottery to answer those questions.

Cabot Farms Feature

Details: Created on Friday, 29 April 2016 13:55; Written by Julia Rose

VERMONT-- Visitors who come to this state usually have a bucket list that consists of visiting Stowe, The Von Trapp Lodge, Burlington, Jay Peak and Burke, Ben and Jerry's and of course Cabot Creamery. Even though Cabot is a well-known business many people may still not know certain things about Cabot and how their relationship with the farms really works.

Vermont Restaurant Week

Details: Created on Thursday, 28 April 2016 15:51; Written by Lily Elmore

VERMONT- Vermont Restaurant Week began April 22 and goes through May 1. The 10 day event brings much more to the table than food as a portion of the profits from select restaurants are donated to The Vermont Food Bank.

20-million Grant To Improve Lake Champlain

Details: Created on Tuesday, 26 April 2016 17:25; Written by Dylan Robichaud

Vermont- Scientist from many of the Vermont state colleges, including Lyndon State, will partake in a research study on lake champlain to learn how the climate is changing. The team of researchers will be operating under a 20 million dollar grant from the Nation Science Foundation, to conduct studies to find out what makes major water basins, such as lake champlain resilient to extreme weather.

Potenial Privacy Act Discussed at Legistlative Breakfast

Details: Created on Monday, 25 April 2016 20:54; Written by Morgan Vaudrien

VERMONT- Matters were brought up such as Marijuana Legislation and the current hot spot EB-5 Funding at the Legislative Breakfast, but another controversial topic came into play: the discussion about the Privacy Act, Bill S. 18.
This bill was introduced by Senator Tim Ashe and Senator Joe Benning, and was read for the first time on January 14th, 2015.

"We have one thing we're really working on and that is the Privacy Protection Act, we've got to get that out there." said Marcia Martel a Representative from Caledonia County.
Currently, there are no specific laws requiring the protection of citizens' privacy, excluding the fact that a warrant must be obtained in order for officials to access your phone records. Other than that, residents' personal lives-- medical records, e-mails, text messages, social media networks, and driving records obtained by license plate readers on cop cars-- are pretty transparent in the eyes of the government. But Benning and Ashe are trying to change that with the introduction of Bill S.18

A Day as a Lobbyist

Details: Created on Friday, 22 April 2016 14:44; Written by Alex Pinkham

Montpelier- Lawmakers in Vermont are missing something other states have. That is having a staff all of their own. Due to that, lawmakers must work closely with a group of people that are paid by companies to represent their interests in Montpelier.

Separation of Power: Recycling

Details: Created on Wednesday, 20 April 2016 15:30; Written by Mike Raimondi

NORTHEAST KINGDOM- The Northeast Kingdom Waste Management District is a power house in recycling across the Northeast region of Vermont. So what factors allow one local town to successfully recycle without being part of the district?

Better Safe Than Sorry

Details: Created on Wednesday, 20 April 2016 13:54; Written by Mike Raimondi

fire pic

VERMONT- Only four months into 2016, five Vermonters have been killed in fires, and two have died from carbon monoxide poisoning. These statistics are urging state officials to make sure residents are taking measures to protect themselves.

Stenger, Quiros Face Fraud Charges

Details: Created on Thursday, 14 April 2016 19:27; Written by Ryan Jenot

VERMONT – Fraud charges and an asset freeze against Ariel Quiros and Bill Stenger were announced Thursday by the Securities and Exchange Commission after the case was unsealed in a federal court in Miami. Governor Shumlin, Department of Financial Regulation (DFR) Commissioner Susan Donegan, Attorney General William Sorrell, and Secretary Patricia Moulton announced in a press conference Thursday afternoon that state charges have also been filed. This stems from investigations dating back to as early as 2008.

Vermont Moose Permits

Details: Created on Thursday, 14 April 2016 17:53; Written by Lily Elmore

VERMONT- Avid moose hunters may not be as lucky this coming season compared past years. The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife announced they will only be giving out collectively 160 moose hunting permits this year.

According to Cedric Alexander, the moose project leader, last year the department gave out 285. That's equal to 40% less than this year.

Alexander says that’s because the department is below their goals for the population size.

The goal is they want to grow the population back to a comfortable rate. Over the last 10 years, the moose population in the Green Mountain State has declined. In 2006, the population of moose in the state was at 5,000, but this year it's just over 2,000.

Alexander says the decline in population can be blamed on a number of factors that aren’t related to hunting.

“The heavy winter tick infestation which has been affecting the reproductive rate,” says Alexander. “They’re going to get hit by a car.”

Permits for this years season have not been issued, but applications are on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Departments website.

“Since there’s 10,000 people applying for a limited number of permits, its done through a lottery,” says Alexander.

The drawing for the permits will happen sometime in August.

What to Know on Marijuana Legalization

Details: Created on Friday, 01 April 2016 15:20; Written by Skyler Dixon

VERMONT- An act on the regulation of marijuana has been heard by the Vermont House Committee on Judiciary. Between Wednesday and Thursday, the Committee listened testimony on Bill S.241, which would legalize limited amounts of cannabis for those 21 or older.

Best Places to Work In Vermont

Details: Created on Thursday, 31 March 2016 16:05; Written by Lily Elmore

Vermont- Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce have announced the thirty eight businesses that are considered the best places to work in the Green Mountain State.

Ready for Anything

Details: Created on Wednesday, 23 March 2016 18:37; Written by Mike Raimondi

floodthumbnail SAINT JOHNSBURY- With over 370 mass shootings and 480 weather-related deaths in the United States in 2015, officials in the Northeast Kingdom and across Vermont are training to be prepared for any type of disaster.

Smoking Bill Can't Pass House

Details: Created on Thursday, 17 March 2016 21:39; Written by Alex Paduch

VERMONT - If you turn back the clock 70 years, smoking was a fashion statement. Today, the word carries a whole host of negative connotations; from perception to personal health.

Mild Winter Raises Fire Concerns

Details: Created on Wednesday, 16 March 2016 18:38; Written by Mike Raimondi

VERMONT- Wild fire season has come early after a mild winter, which could leave the area at risk. St. Johnsbury Fire Chief Troy Ruggles explained that the lack of snow could make wild fires more dangerous than normal.

Time To Renew Dog Licenses

Details: Created on Tuesday, 15 March 2016 15:53; Written by Dylan Robichaud

NORTHEAST KINGDOM- If you have a furry friend, then you need to renew their license. Dog licenses are due for every town in Vermont on April 1st, and if you wait untill after that date you will have pay more to license your dog.

Sutton School Budget

Details: Created on Thursday, 10 March 2016 22:52; Written by Lily Elmore

SUTTON- The budget for the Sutton School has been set. Next year's school budget will be less than what it was last year by about $100,000. Principal Ken Hayes showed some concerns for Act 46 and how the bill would affect future budgets and Sutton taxpayers.

Peacham Library Renovations

Details: Created on Friday, 04 March 2016 18:04; Written by Alex Pinkham

Peacham- When the Peacham Town Library started to raise money for their renovations, the goal was the reach $145,000. The community efforts helped them reach even more, a staggering $160,000. According the Library's Director, Becky Jenson this is a thrilling time for the library.