Category: Vermont

2013 Legislative Wrap: Lawmakers hail productive session

Posted on May 20, 2013 |

• Vermont
• Featured

By John Flowers

MONTPELIER — Addison County lawmakers generally gave good marks to a now-concluded 2013 legislative session that produced a General Fund budget of almost $1.4 billion that did not require the raising of new broad-based tax money, but did produce higher fees at the pump to leverage additional federal aid to repair the state’s roads, bridges and culverts.

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Search and Rescue bill sent to governor

Posted on May 13, 2013 |

• Vermont
• Featured
• search and rescue

By Cindy Ellen Hill

A statewide search and rescue protocol inspired by an Addison County tragedy has passed the Vermont House and Senate and been sent to the Governor’s office to be signed into law.

The effort to restructure the state’s search and rescue practices was launched by Rep. Willem Jewett, D-Ripton, after the hypothermia death of Levi Duclos, a 19-year-old New Haven resident. Duclos died on a Ripton hiking trail after Vermont State Police failed to initiate a ground search for more than 12 hours after he was reported missing on a frigid night in January 2012.

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Fishing derbies on tap for Vermont children

Posted on May 13, 2013 |

• Vermont
• Fish & Wildlife
• Vermont

By Addison Independent

VERMONT — The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department has released a list of upcoming fishing events around the state, most of them intended just for kids.

The department has a “Children’s Fishing Program” which provides kids with the opportunity for a fun and successful fishing experience at locally organized fishing events. Organizers of these events often are charitable, community, or nonprofit groups such as fire departments, fish and game clubs, Rotary, Lions, town recreation committees, 4-H clubs, and scouts.

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Migrant driver's license bill clears House

Posted on May 9, 2013 |

• Vermont

By Addison Independent

MONTPELIER — On Tuesday, the Vermont House passed legislation that would allow farmworkers in the state to apply for driving permits, regardless of their legal status.

The bill, which passed with a decisive 105-39 vote, was largely intended to aid Vermont’s population of 1,500 migrant workers that staff dairy farms across the state. It creates a way for individuals who cannot produce a social security number (or other specific forms of identification like a U.S. passport or green card) to apply for a Vermont driver’s license.

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