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Archive of Vermont on Thursday May 08, 2008
Douglas vetoes decommissioning fund for Yankee
Gov. James Douglas rejected a bill Wednesday that would have required the owners of Vermont Yankee nuclear plant to put up money or guarantees to ensure there would be enough money to dismantle the plant when it stops operating. Read More
Phone ban for driving teens goes nowhere
A bill that would have banned cell phone use by teenage drivers had nearly unanimous support in Montpelier this year. Read More
Hall to leave post as head of Housing
Commissioner John Hall, a main force behind Gov. James Douglas' housing proposal, will leave his post next week as the head of the Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Read More
Court upholds DNA sampling
The Vermont Supreme Court has upheld a 2005 law that allows the state to collect genetic samples from nonviolent felons. Read More
Vt. teachers union head to remain
The longtime executive director of the state teachers union will stay on the job. Joel Cook and the Vermont-NEA board of directors have concluded discussions and the board has offered him another contract, set to begin in September, according to statements released this week by the union. Read More
Vermont National Guard to forge relationship with Senegal
COLCHESTER, Vt. ? The Vermont National Guard will be working closely with the military from the Republic of Senegal as part of a U.S. effort to have closer diplomatic ties with nations from Africa. Adjutant General Michael Dubie said a contingent of Vermont National Guard members would be traveling travel to Senegal later this month to begin the relationship. Read More
At-risk gubernatorial seats increase
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Silver Alert helps rescue lost seniors
(Updated 9:30 a.m EST, May 8, 2008) When an elderly person with dementia is lost, eight states can trigger an alert to let the community know. Proposals in Congress would expand the successful missing persons program to all 50 states. Read More
CVPS Corp. chief -- Vt. at 'crossroads'
Saying that Vermont is at an energy "crossroads," the head of the state's largest electric utility said Tuesday that he fully expects a new long-term power contract with Hydro-Quebec by the end of the year. Read More
Graduating students urged to get health insurance now
Vermont health officials have a message to students graduating from college this year: Get health insurance. Read More
Report -- Vt. ranks #1 for overall child well-being
A nationwide report released last month by the Washington, D.C.-based Every Child Matters Education Fund (ECMEF) has ranked Vermont first in the country for overall child well-being, state officials said today. Read More
Douglas vetoes Yankee decommissioning bill
Gov. Jim Douglas vetoed a bill that could have required Vermont Yankee to boost its commitment to the nuclear power plant?s decommissioning fund, saying he was protecting Vermont?s electric costs. Read More
Gas prices have some thinking they can drive 55
ALBANY, N.Y. - As other cars zipped by at 70 mph or more, Mike Papin and his wife, Joann, kept rolling along just below the 65 mph limit as they made their way from their winter home in Florida to a summer place in Vermont. Read More
Mural tests Vermont law that forbids billboards
BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. - It was meant to be a throwback to the days of romantic Sunday drives - a mural painted on the side of a red barn urging passing drivers to "See Bellows Falls," a town whose Main Street conjures up bygone days. Read More
Will states fix 2012 primary process?
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Oh say, is that banner made in the U.S.A.?
Lawmakers in 10 states have taken steps to require that American flags bought with state funds be manufactured in this country. While not all the legislation has passed, one state’s new law even bans the sale of foreign-made American flags in that state. Read More
WORTH NOTING: Voters' guide promotes phone sex
An Oregon voters’ guide lists a very wrong number. California’s governor insults rural legislators. And Pennsylvania considers selling wine in vending machines. In case you missed those stories this week, “Worth Noting” fills you in. Read More
Parents turn to states for autism help
(UPDATED 4 p.m. EDT, Thursday May 1) One of the toughest problems facing autism patients, their families and policymakers is paying for treatment. Families are increasingly relying on states to help them cope with the financial, medical and educational needs. Read More
Fairness of death-penalty panels questioned
Death-penalty supporters are raising questions about the fairness of state commissions charged with studying how capital punishment is carried out in Maryland and Tennessee, claiming the panels will issue reports that ignore their views. Read More
Legislators prod Congress on Medicaid, Real ID
As some states tumble into what they fear is a recession, state lawmakers from across the country are pushing Congress for relief from impending federal rules that would force states to pick up more Medicaid costs and spend billions to make drivers’ licenses more secure. Read More
With justices' OK, voter ID moves ahead
A decision Monday (April 28) by the U.S. Supreme Court to let Indiana demand photo identification from voters paves the way for other states to do the same during November’s presidential election, experts say. Read More
More states offer choice in long-term care
More states are poised to offer a successful alternative to traditional Medicaid plans that allows elders and the disabled to avoid moving to a nursing facility by hiring friends, neighbors or family members to look after them in their own homes. Read More
Will Democrats grow legislative edge in '08?
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Gay marriage decisions ripe in Calif., Conn.
More than four years after its historic court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, Massachusetts stands alone in blessing gay marriages — more than 10,000 to date — and its example has spurred no imitators but lots of backlash. All eyes now are on the highest courts in California and Connecticut. Read More
'Purple' states turn a little more 'blue'
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Governors pitch ambitious programs
Billion-dollar deficits in California, New York and Arizona haven’t stopped governors there and elsewhere from proposing big-ticket items for 2008. Stateline.org looks at proposals from governors’ 2008 "state of the state" speeches and provides an exclusive summary of all the addresses so far.
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Summary of the State of the State Address
Gov. Jim Douglas (R) called for tax reforms and environmental measures and asked the Democratic-controlled Legislature to make affordable health care its top priority in his Jan. 9 speech. For the most part, the governor proposed tweaks to current programs, rather than new initiatives. Read More
Commentary: Govs beat White House hopefuls as agents of change
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AG contests attract serious attention
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Iraq casts shadow on 2008 state races
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Democratic mid-term gains affecting policy
So complete was the Democratic rout in the 2006 midterm elections that the party even gained legislative influence in Alaska, Idaho, North and South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming – states long dominated by the Republicans. And those gains, though small, are translating into policy achievements. Read More
WORTH NOTING: Illinois gov runs up travel tab
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s commuting costs start to add up. South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds settles a dispute with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over a cranky game warden. Read More
Embryonic stem cell research divides states
President Bush’s second veto of a bill to allow federal funding of stem cell research puts the ethical issue squarely in states’ hands. So far, seven states have moved to fund the research, six have banned it, three have affirmed its legality but do not fund it and a handful of others continue to debate the issue. Read More
States outpace feds on minimum wage
When the new federal minimum wage takes effect July 24, 30 states will require employers to pay hourly workers more than federal law requires. Read More |
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