Pat Bradley

Most people have never heard of the "Chained CPI", a proposal in Congress that would, if approved, reduce benefits to veterans, federal retirees and Social Security recipients.  Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and numerous groups discussed their efforts to stop the Chained CPI during a conference call Friday.

Four people have been charged in the vandalism that caused a quarter million dollars in damage to an electric transmission line and may cost New England rate payers a million dollars.

The Vermont Electric Power Company was forced to buy replacement power while the transmission line, which carries power from Quebec to Massachusetts was shut down.  

Joseph Sargent, a co-founder of Vermont's Killington ski area has died, 56 years after he helped begin the process that led to the opening of the resort that is now the largest ski area in the eastern United States.

Sargent died Wednesday in West Hartford, Conn. He was 83. The cause of death was not released.

In 1956 Sargent worked with Preston Leete Smith to found the Sherburne Corp., which carved the resort out of the Calvin Coolidge State Forest in what was then the town of Sherburne.

Vermont's Liberty Union Party has again joined the ranks of the state's major political parties.

To be recognized as a major party in Vermont, a statewide political candidate must receive at least 5 percent of the votes in a statewide election.

On Tuesday, Liberty Union candidate Mary Alice Herbert won 13 percent in her race against Democratic Secretary of State Jim Condos. The party lost its major party status in 2008.

In 2014 Vermont will have four major parties: Democrat, Republican, Progressive and Liberty Union.

It's full steam ahead for Vermont's push to move the state as close as possible to single-payer health care by 2017.

That word from senior state officials involved in health care reform and it follows the re-election of Gov. Peter Shumlin and the main backer of the federal Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama.

Both Robin Lunge, the state's director of health care reform, and Anya Rader Wallach, chairwoman of the Vermont Green Mountain Care Board, say Vermont likely

The Lake George Park Commission will hold a special meeting next week to discuss a plan to prevent aquatic invasive species from entering the lake.

The meeting on Tuesday follows a summer and fall assessing alternatives for keeping new invasive species out of Lake George. The Lake George Park Commission worked with communities surrounding the basin. It resulted in a recommendation from their consultant that a mandatory boat inspection program be imposed.  Commission Executive Director Dave Wick says the upcoming meeting will examine how such a mandatory program would work.

University of Vermont President Tom Sullivan has recommended that next year's tuition increase be less than 3 percent.

Sullivan's call for a limit was part of a plan he presented to the board of trustees at its meeting Wednesday.

Last fall, interim President John Bramley urged a limit of 3.5 percent on the tuition increase for 2012-2013, which was approved.

Sullivan said an increase of less than 3 percent for the 2013-2014 academic year would be the lowest jump at UVM in 36 years.

An official with the Vermont company that owns the state's electrical transmission grid says vandalism to a line that runs from Quebec to Massachusetts cost New England ratepayers about $1 million.

Vermont Electric Power Company Vice President Kerrick Johnson says that cost was to buy replacement power while the line in the Northeast Kingdom town of Concord was shut down for repairs. Replacing the shot-out insulators cost about $250,000.

The transmission line is capable of carrying 10 percent of the electricity used throughout New England.

A Vermont Superior Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit by a school district against a parent critical of some school decisions who had filed a formal request for documents about why he was being barred from school grounds.

In a decision dated Tuesday, Rutland County Superior Court Judge William Cohen said that allowing the Rutland-Addison Supervisory Union to proceed with the case against Marcel Cyr of Benson, would "subvert the statutory framework" of the state's Public Records Act.

Northeast Kingdom residents near a newly constructed wind-power project on Lowell Mountain have complained to the state about an extremely loud and continuous noise that occurred throughout the weekend.

The noise started early Saturday morning and continued through the weekend until late Sunday afternoon.  Some residents of the Albany, Vermont area say turbines from the Lowell Mountain project sounded like  jet engines or a tornado that would not stop. Don Nelson says he heard it as soon as he got up at 5:30 Saturday morning.