Pat Bradley

The new firearms limitations passed in New York State include provisions that restrict those with mental illnesses from gun ownership. While mental health advocates don’t have a problem with tightening the state’s gun laws, they are concerned that the mental health clauses could inadvertently create more problems.

About 300 unionized workers and Green Mountain Power have reached a five-year labor agreement that brings all employees under one contract after the company's expansion following its merger with the Central Vermont Public Service Corp.

GMP said Tuesday the contract with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 300 brings all union employees together under a single contract.

A U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel heard arguments Monday in a dispute between Entergy Nuclear and the state of Vermont about continued operations of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant.

A New York federal appeals court has heard arguments but given no indication which way it's leaning in a court case over Vermont's only nuclear plant.

A panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan had questions for both sides Monday in the dispute over the future of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has given the 40-year-old plant a license  extension to operate for another 20 years. However, Vermont has not issued a state license for the plant to operate.

A former Vermont State Police sergeant who pleaded guilty to charges he padded his timesheets is going to prison for up to two years and will repay $202,000 from his state pension.

James Deeghan entered the pleas to four charges Monday as part of an agreement with prosecutors. He was taken into custody at the close of the hearing.
In court, Deeghan said he had been under "tremendous" financial pressures. He also said he hoped people don't hold state police responsible for what he did.

Several mayors in Vermont are banding together to speak out about reducing gun violence.

Mayors Miro Weinberger of Burlington, John Hollar of Montpelier, and Thomas Lauzon of Barre held a news conference at the Burlington Police station. Mayor Chris Louras of Rutland supported the move, but couldn't attend. They want more action from Washington to reduce gun violence and are joining a bipartisan coalition of more than 800 mayors and more than a million grassroots supporters.

Corporate income tax receipts kept Vermont revenues on track in December, while other taxes ranging from those on personal income to motor fuels performed short of their targets.

Administration Secretary Jeb Spaulding says overall general fund revenues are running nearly 2 percent short of their target for the first six months of the current fiscal year.

The personal income tax continued to lag in December, coming in at about $57 million, or nearly 4 percent less than what had been expected when state revenue targets were set in July.

A federal court judge has denied a motion for an injunction by Entergy Nuclear that would have barred the New England Coalition from bringing an enforcement request to the Vermont Supreme Court.

The state of Vermont is getting a $1.8 million federal grant to help businesses, farms, towns and nonprofit groups use online resources to help respond to disasters such as the flooding from Tropical Storm Irene.

Incidents of the flu appear to be rising in Vermont.

As of last week, about 20 percent of hospital visits were for respiratory illnesses and about 5 percent of visits to doctors' offices were for flu-like symptoms. Three adults have died so far, all of them in December.