Two festivals in our region have announced they are ending: Saranac Lake’s spring Daffest and Burlington’s First Night. Both indicate weather is a key factor.
Former Democratic Governor Philip Hoff, who's credited with starting Vermont's transition from one of the most Republican-entrenched states in the country to one of the most liberal, has died. He was 93.
The Vermont House has failed to override Governor Phil Scott’s first veto of the legislative session. A bill intended to give Vermont more power to regulate children's and consumer products containing unsafe chemicals was drafted following the discovery of PFOA in Bennington water wells. It was passed by the Legislature, but Governor Scott vetoed the measure on April 16th, saying it was duplicative and could make the state less competitive.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued its draft invasive management plan. It includes eight objectives and new strategies to prevent or manage aquatic and terrestrial threats to the ecosystem.
The Ausable River Association has issued its second annual report on Mirror Lake’s water quality. It finds that the Adirondack lake continues to experience high levels of salt – a threat to aquatic life.
On Town Meeting Day in March, Burlington voters passed a resolution that asked city officials to request the cancelation of the basing of F-35 fighter jets at the Vermont Air National Guard base at the Burlington International Airport. Although the mayor refused to sign it, the city council approved forwarding the resolution to the Secretary of the Air Force. In the following weeks, two other city councils passed similar resolutions. On Tuesday, members of the business community were at the airport to warn of what they believe are the negative implications of losing the fighter jets.
In July 2016, the city of Plattsburgh was awarded $10 million through New York state’s Downtown Redevelopment Initiative. Projects are still being planned. One of the most controversial is changing the city’s main parking lot. Councilors held a public comment session last week on 14 recommendations offered by a consultant. But some downtown business owners are skeptical about the plans.
A three-judge panel of the Vermont Supreme Court last week ruled that planning a crime is not the same as attempting one and bail should be granted to the teenager accused of plotting a mass shooting at the Fair Haven Union High School. On Monday, the most serious charges against the teen were dropped.
The Vermont Attorney General’s office announced Monday that the state has received $58.9 million as part of on-going payments from a 1998 settlement with tobacco companies.
Prosecutors have dismissed the most serious charges against a teenager accused of plotting to shoot up his former Vermont high school in a case that has led to changes in state gun laws.
Champlain College recently announced a new initiative to increase online enrollments. The college in Burlington, Vermont will halve tuition for its online learners. President Donald Laackman says the initiative was created after the college assessed several online learning concerns expressed by potential students.
A judge is now open to considering a request to dismiss felony charges — including attempted aggravated murder — against a Vermont teen accused of planning to shoot up his former high school.
The Vermont Department of Public Safety has released a statewide safety assessment of schools ordered by Governor Phil Scott after an alleged shooting plot was discovered and a teen arrested.
The Vermont Senate on Thursday overrode Governor Phil Scott’s first veto of the session. On Monday, the Republican nixed a bill that would regulate toxic materials. As WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley reports, Senate sponsors were rankled over the governor’s move, but industry lobbyists agreed with the governor that the bill is unnecessary.
There are about three weeks left in the Vermont legislative session. Vermont Senate Pro Tem Democrat/Progressive Tim Ashe notes that one of the latest items has come up in the wake of a teenager’s arrest for planning, but not implementing, a mass shooting at the Fair Haven Union High School. Ashe says legislators are looking at whether they should revise criminal statutes to address when someone might attempt a felony. Ashe spoke with WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley.
A report analyzing police traffic stops by race in Burlington, Vermont, finds that white and black drivers are just as likely to receive a warning instead of a ticket when stopped.
Two women who took a life-sized cardboard cutout ad of a Vermont restaurant owner from an airport have sent a check to the bistro to pay for replacement costs.
The Vermont Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, several gun dealers and a state rifle and pistol association have filed a lawsuit over Vermont's new gun law that bans high-capacity magazines.
On Sunday, “60 Minutes” aired a scathing segment on the low-cost carrier Allegiant Air. The airline flies out of the Plattsburgh and Stewart International Airports. Allegiant has been flying out of the Plattsburgh International Airport for 11 years. With the expose on the national news magazine, you might think local officials would be worried about one of the major carriers. But those overseeing operations there say while they were taken aback by the report, it doesn’t reflect what officials and passengers in Plattsburgh have experienced.
In the wake of Burlington city voters approving a resolution asking that the U.S. Air Force cancel plans to base the F-35 fighter jet at the Vermont National Guard base, two nearby city councils this week passed similar resolutions to forward to military officials.
Vermont prosecutors say no criminal charges will be filed against police officers involved in the January fatal shooting of a bank robbery suspect on the grounds of a high school.
State and regional officials were in North Hudson, New York last week for a groundbreaking marking new development at the former Frontier Town theme park.
Saranac Lake and the regional tourism office are working to create a unique marketing brand for the village in the center of the Adirondacks. A meeting is planned this evening to update residents on the effort.
