Money bill redux: Capital spending set for Vermont State Hospital, Montpelier biomass plant
The $153 million capital bill will pay for expanded broadband, a new police barracks, digital equipment for Vermont Public Television, land conservation and affordable housing.
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A handshake deal on taxes, budget and jobs bills
After several days of intense negotiation, leaders of the House and Senate agreed to a tax package last night that the Shumlin administration can apparently live with.
Jobs bill menu is thin fare
Both houses went along with Shumlin’s plan to assist local, sustainable, agriculture with a $100,000 appropriation to support the Farm-To-Plate investment program helping farmers sell their goods directly to local consumers.
Digger Tidbits: Burlington attorney says Osama bin Laden would have faced military tribunal; Food sovereignty expert comes to Vermont
If U.S. forces had captured Osama bin Ladin alive, how would he have been handled?
Plum Creek, take 2: Lawmakers give corporation a pass in jobs bill
The largest private landowner in the U.S. violated its Current Use plan in Vermont and is now in court over $835,000 in penalties.
New video camera debuts this week
Thanks to the generous support of our readers and the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, we raised $1,400 toward a new video camera and external mic.
After late night histrionics, Senate OKs 53 cent cig hike
The headline today is: Senate approves tax bill, hits smokers with an additional 53 cent tax per pack. How they got there? That’s another story.
Senate kerfuffle leads to impasse on tax bill
Senate discipline broke down last night. Instead of voting out a final version of the miscellaneous tax bill out and reading through the health care bill as planned, members engaged in a floor fight and went home early.
Rough waters ahead for Plum Creek
A legislative end run to give Plum Creek, the single largest landowner in the country, a financial break for violating terms of its current use contract on 56,000 acres in northern Essex County is running into opposition from the program’s regulators.
