New England News

The Vermont Public Service Board has  rejected an appeal by the AARP for a $21 million ratepayer refund in the wake of the merger of the state's two largest utilities.

    The Massachusetts Gaming Commission, Thursday, will start accepting applications from companies that want to vie for casino licenses..WAMC’s Paul Tuthill reports.

       For a $400,000, non refundable fee, gaming companies can become certified applicants in Massachusetts.  Gaming Commissioner Bruce Stebbins says only companies that are certified will be permitted to contact state agencies to discuss traffic, environmental and other aspects of their projects.

The Vermont Public Service Board has once again rejected arguments that ratepayers should get a $21 million refund when the state's two largest utilities merged.

Vermont Public Radio reports the board this week upheld a key provision of its June order that allowed Green Mountain Power to merge with Central Vermont Public Service Corporation.

The deal was panned by the consumer group AARP, which had raised an alarm over a payback provision for extra money CVPS customers were ordered to pay the company a decade ago to pull it back from the brink of bankruptcy.

Federal prosecutors in Vermont say a Virginia pastor worked with a number of other people to help a woman flee the United States with her daughter rather than share custody of the girl with the mother's former lesbian partner.

The trial of 46-year-old Kenneth Miller of Stuarts Draft, Va., opened Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Burlington. In his opening statement, Miller's lawyer said he will prove his client believed Lisa Miller had full custody of daughter Isabella.

Great Barrington and Richmond are two of the latest cities and towns in Massachusetts to be designated Green Communities by Governor Deval Patrick’s administration. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard attended the designation event and filed a report…

The Green Communities program recognizes cities and towns that promote renewable energy and have cut their energy use by 20% over five years. In this latest round of designations, 17 new cities and towns are eligible for 2.75 million in competitive state grants to fund local green energy projects.