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Regional Offices
There are 356 Government and Politics links for you to choose from!
Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization
is the transportation planning agency for the greater Burlington, Vermont, region and its 18 municipalities.
They Work across municipal and community lines, the CCMPO advises decision-makers on regional transportation policy and funding issues and uses its expertise to plan and coordinate a diversity of projects.
Their goal is to satisfy the broadest constituency possible by fostering cooperation among member governments, private sector organizations, and our region's citizens.
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Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission
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Chittenden Solid Waste District
mission is to provide efficient, economical, and environmentally sound management of solid waste generated by residents and businesses within its seventeen member towns and cities. Each member municipality appoints a representative and alternate to serve on the Board of Commissioners. This Board sets policy and makes major decisions for CSWD. Chittenden Solid Waste District is divided in to five main departments: Administration, Finance, Facilities, Unregulated Hazardous Waste, and Waste Reduction. There are 33 CSWD employees in a wide variety of full time and part time positions.
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Chittenden Solid Waste District's
mission is to provide efficient, economical, and environmentally sound management of solid waste generated by residents and businesses within its seventeen member towns and cities. Each member municipality appoints a representative and alternate to serve on the Board of Commissioners. This Board sets policy and makes major decisions for CSWD.
Chittenden Solid Waste District is divided in to five main departments: Administration, Finance, Facilities, Unregulated Hazardous Waste, and Waste Reduction. There are 33 CSWD employees in a wide variety of full time and part time positions.
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Coast Guard Station in Burlington Waferfront
Burlington's Waterfront happens to be home to a Coast Guard Station on Lake Champlain. Their primary mission of Station Burlington is Search and Rescue (SAR). The station averages over 200 search and rescue cases a year. Other missions include Aids to Navigation (ATON), law enforcement, and "environment" protection.
Lake Champlain is a considered a federal waterway for two reasons. First, the lake crosses the border between two states, New York and Vermont. Second, the lake crosses the national border between the US and Canada. Because Lake Champlain is a federal waterway, Coast Guard presence is required on the lake to enforce maritime law.
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Vermont State Government Agencies and Offices
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18 candidates are converging in Chittenden Senate race.
Marge Gaskins of Essex knows her way around Chittenden County and the political world, but the mob scene called the Chittenden state Senate ballot stymies even the Vermont president of the League of Women Voters.
... The Nov. 5 ballot asks Gaskins to choose six state senators, a number that makes the district (Chittenden County minus Colchester) the largest of its kind in the nation -- and a nightmare for voters and candidates alike.
With 18 names on the ballot, most voters don't have the time or inclination to study up on the race.
With 60,000 households in the district, candidates can't reach voters through the sort of retail, knocking-on-doors politics that is common in the rest of Vermont.
Voters such as Gaskins end up picking only the three or four names most familiar to them. Or "they vote by party without knowing the candidates, or they'll just go down the list and check the first six names," Gaskins said, citing a theory shared by frustrated Senate candidates.
Vermont Telecom Advancement Center
(VTAC) was formed when a study by the Vermont Business Roundtable showed a wide gap between the telecommunications technology that is available, and the level of understanding (and use) of it by small businesses, individual entrepreneurs, government, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations. VTAC is dedicated to providing the education necessary to close that gap. ... A primary purpose of VTAC is to make Vermont more attractive for these existing small businesses as well as startups in less-populated areas, by assuring adequate use of telecommunications facilities. In a rural-dominated state like Vermont, economic well being rests on sustaining small businesses in less populated areas and attracting new employers. This eventually will result in increased employment opportunities. Telecommunications development makes this possible but only insofar as the public knows when and how to use it.
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Attacks bring many changes
The lights are always on now at the Vermont Air National Guard base. Some of the Guard's F-16 fighter planes are always in the air patrolling the northeastern United States. Other fighters are ready to go at a moment's notice. Across the runway at the civilian terminal of Burlington International Airport, Army National Guard soldiers patrol the hallways and the parking garage, checking trunks for threats and making sure no one parks what could be a car bomb in front of the terminal.
Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission is seekin
a new director. Commission members hope to hire the new leader by the middle of March.
A previous director, Michael Crane, announced his resignation in December, 2001. Crane had replaced Arthur Hogan, who had been director for 29 years.
An interim director, James Tolley, resigned recently to become the Vermont Agency of Transportation deputy commissioner.
The director would lead eight staff members and 24 commissioners. The new director must be able to work well with member towns, have good communication skills, have an extensive land use planning background and be able to budget well, said Mark Lords, the commission chairman.
The new director must also work with the Metropolitan Planning Organization. The organization sets transportation goals in Chittenden County. The two groups recently moved into the same building in South Burlington.
Lords said the two organizations are working on new ways to cooperate....
Chittenden Superior Court
is the largest civil court in Vermont with an annual caseload of over 3300 civil cases, 1600 of which are Small Claims involving damages of ,500 or less. The Court hears predominantly civil cases which involves the private rights of individuals and organizations.
Chittenden, like all other counties in Vermont, has two elected Assistant Judges who are responsible for County affairs in addition to their court responsibilities.
Chittenden Superior Court also handles all passport processing for Chittenden County and houses Probate Court which is responsible for wills, settlement of estates, adoptions, guardianships, name changes and uniform gifts to minors.
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Congressman Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
was sworn in as Vermont's at-large member in the House of Representatives...On January 3, 1991...(and) became the first Independent elected to Congress in 40 years. He has since been re-elected five times. He is the longest-serving Independent in the history of the House of Representatives.
... During his years in Congress, Sanders has approached his responsibilities from several important perspectives. First, as Vermont's only representative in Congress, he and his very capable staff have worked hard to protect the interests of the people of his state. Secondly, in a Congress heavily dominated by corporate interests, he has attempted to force discussion on issues that the monied interests would prefer to ignore. Thirdly, he has worked successfully to pass legislation that is improving the lives of millions of Americans and people throughout the world.
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County sheriffs serve four-year terms.
They are the elected law enforcement officers in every county. By state law, they are required to serve summonses and transport prisoners.
Beyond that it's up to the sheriff to contract towns or other groups that need law enforcement services such as speed or traffic control. In some counties, the sheriffs provide almost all the law enforcement services of state or local police departments.
Washington County Sheriff Donald Edson, who was first elected in 1986, said it's a position that rarely changes.
Dean Picks Diane
Another Snelling will take a seat in the Statehouse. Diane Snelling will fill the vacancy left by her mother. Former Senator and Lt Governor Barbara Snelling resigned from the Senate last week because of health reasons.
Governor Howard Dean today appointed the younger Snelling to the job. Her name was NOT on a list of nominees given to the Governor by Chittenden County Republicans. But after interviewing those three nominess and Ms. Snelling -- the Governor said Diane best represented her mother's values.
Diane Snelling has served on the Hinesburg Selectboard -- and has helped both her parents run campaigns. She told Channel 3 News: "I hope that I will be able to make a difference and that I'll be working for the people in a way that can improve the quality of life in Vermont."
Snelling says she hopes to build bridges with the Chittenden County Republicans who chose other nominees for the vacant senate seat. -- end --
Dean taps Snelling's daughter to fill Senate seat
Gov. Howard Dean on Thursday appointed Diane Snelling of Hinesburg to take her mother's place in the state Senate, overlooking all three candidates selected by Republican delegates of Chittenden County.
"Diane is a bright, thoughtful woman who will serve Chittenden County well as a member of the Senate," Dean said. "She is also moderate, and her views on many key issues are in line with Barbara Snelling's views. She's a good fit to serve the remainder of her mother's term."
County Republican Chairman Rep. Michael Quaid, R-Williston, said Dean's pick was expected and even correct in one way, given the Snelling family political pedigree. He said he was disappointed, however, the governor didn't "follow the process."
Diane Snelling is an artist and a former New York City designer. She is a former member of the Hinesburg Select Board, and numerous community organizations. She is also the daughter of the late Gov. Richard Snelling.
Diane Snelling
calls herself "an ethnic Republican." Maybe so, but she is also one of the least partisan members of the Vermont Senate. Part of one of the state's most distinguished political families, Snelling has a profound love of Vermont and a clear understanding of the problems facing the Legislature over the next few years. Selected by Gov. Howard Dean to succeed her ailing mother in the Senate, Snelling established a reputation for thoughtfulness and independence. "I found the Senate familiar," she said. "I already had a sense of politics and I knew a lot of the players." A Hinesburg resident, Snelling would reform Act 250 by getting rid of redundant permitting. She would raise the state block grant for education, but scrutinize school costs to ensure that taxpayers were getting academic value for their money. On the budget, she says "no more taxes" and wants the Legislature to set tough spending priorities. "It will be painful," she noted.
Donald Brunelle
has an impressive record of public service, including two terms in the Vermont House of Representatives and three terms as mayor of Winooski. He also is a retired major general in the National Guard. An IBM retiree, Brunelle worries that Vermont has become inhospitable to business and wants the state to become more friendly to employers. He points to IBM's restructuring over the past decade as a model for the kind of changes government should make to become more efficient and responsive to citizens. "Let state workers improve the system," he said. A Republican, Brunelle supports the Circ highway and would set a strict timeline for permitting under Act 250. On education, he said Vermont "has spent a lot more on schools, but I wonder whether we've gotten quality in return." He favors public school choice and construction of the proposed Chittenden County technical academy.
Election Results 2002
Winners of the election 2002 include
Bernie Sanders, (i) @ 65%;
Jim Douglas, GOP @ 45%;
Jeb Spaulding, Dem @ 57%;
Deb Markowitz, Dem @ 59%;
Elizabeth M. Ready, Dem @ 51%;
William H. Sorrell, Dem @ 56%;
Bill Aswad, Kurt Wright,
Mark Larson,
Steve Hingtgen, John Patrick Tracy,
Bob Kiss, David Zuckerman,
Johannah Leddy Donovan, Bill Keogh,
Kenneth W. Atkins, George C. Cross,
Frank M. Mazur,
Ann Pugh,
Albert ‘Sonny’ Audette,
Jim Condos, James Leddy, Virginia ‘Ginny’ Lyons, Janet S. Munt, and Diane Snelling.
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Feds Plan New Courthouse
US Court clerk Richard Wasko says that recent expansions and renovations just aren't enough -- a new courthouse is a must. The Criminal and Civil caseload has grown at about 4 percent a year over the last few decades -- and projections are that it will keep on growing.
17 folks work in the clerk's office -- there's authorization for five more -- but Wasko says there's no place to put them. ... Wasko says the new courthouse will be just that -- a courthouse -- with only judges, clerks, US marshals for protection and probably federal prosecutors. No other government agencies.
"It should look like a courthouse. it should be different from a regular federal building, just brick and mortar". Wasko says the plan is in the earliest stages and calls for 125 thousand square feet of space -- 4 courtrooms -- and 6 judges chambers. But the halls of justice come with a 55 million dollar pricetag ....
Ginny Lyons'
resume reflects her deep commitment to her community. A one-term Senate incumbent, Lyons also has served on the Williston school board and as chair of the Williston Selectboard. A biology professor at Trinity College for 27 years, she is especially strong on educational issues and helped develop the state's science and math standards. Lyons, a Democrat, would move from the property tax to the income tax to finance schools and advocates consolidation of school districts and a more regional approach to education. On fiscal matters, she would spare programs for the disabled and chronically ill, but would put everything else on the table. Her key legislative concerns include preserving Vermont farms and open spaces.
Guard members deployed overseas
A squad of Vermont Air National Guardsmen are scheduled to leave today for deployment somewhere in or near the Afghanistan war zone, Maj. Gen. Martha Rainville said Friday.
The members of the 158th Security Forces Squadron will protect U.S. Air Force personnel, planes and equipment, Rainville said.
Rainville said she does not know specifically where the squad is to be deployed, how long the men will remain overseas or to which particular missions they'll be assigned. She said she cannot disclose exactly how many people would be deployed today, but a squad typically consists of at least 13 people. ... Vermont Guard members are patrolling the skies over the Eastern Seaboard, on security detail at Vermont airports and working in Vermont armories. The deployment announced Friday is the first instance where Vermont Guard members will go overseas since the campaign against terrorism began.
Hinda Miller's
successful career as an entrepreneur and business leader makes her the type of person in short supply in the Vermont Senate. Co-founder of Jogbra, a board member of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and the New England Culinary Institute and the first chairwoman of the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce, Miller has the real-world savvy to help promote economic development in Vermont. "We need to expand the tax base, make the system more efficient and serve the people," the Burlington resident said. She is more than business; she also is a yoga instructor, a practice she says offers her balance in life. A self-described moderate Democrat, Miller wants to promote startup enterprises and develop a strategic plan for Vermont's economic growth. She would reduce the number of school superintendents and try to link educational spending to classroom performance.
In 1987, the Vermont Legislature passed Act 78,
which allowed towns to form districts to share the responsibility of planning for solid waste. Since then, 12 solid waste districts have formed across Vermont, providing regional solutions to solid waste disposal problems. In 1993, the Chittenden Solid Waste District, the state's largest, was the first to establish an ordinance making recycling mandatory for all residents and businesses. ... First-time fines for violating the Chittenden Solid Waste District recycling ordinance can be as much as , but McArdle says the solid waste district's intent is not to fine businesses but to educate them on recycling practices and help them to comply. ... When recycled paper started to be mass marketed a decade ago, the quality was poor and the price was unreasonable...a packet of recycled paper is going to be higher than virgin paper. (still is more expensive, just not so bad.)
Click here to read more.
In a stunning reversal, Republicans lost their majority
in the Vermont House early Wednesday, touching off a battle for control of the 150-member body.
The count stood at 73 Republicans, 70 Democrats, four Progressives and three independents, with at least one recount in the offing.
House Speaker Walter Freed, R-Dorset, and Democratic leader John Tracy of Burlington immediately announced they would both be candidates for speaker. Both began to court Progressives, independents and potential supporters in the other party. At least one other representative, Democrat George Cross of Winooski, said entering the race had "crossed my mind."
... Vermonters chose divided government Tuesday, handing the governorship to Republican Jim Douglas but reinforcing Democrats' hold on the Senate. Democrats held a 16-14 edge when they Senate adjourned in June. They'll enjoy a 19-11 advantage when they convene in January.
Jim Condos
wears two electoral hats, as a first-term state senator and a veteran member of the South Burlington City Council. The combination gives him a unique perspective on government from both the grassroots and state levels. Public affairs manager for Vermont Gas Systems, Condos helped forge the compromise over stormwater legislation in the 2002 session. A Democrat, Condos has an impressive grasp on some of the most complicated issues pending before the Legislature, including land-use policies, transportation and solid waste disposal. He describes himself as non-partisan, pragmatic, a consensus-builder. His record bears him out. Among his legislative goals are better coordination between the local and Act 250 permitting processes, more focus on small businesses to create jobs and encouraging "niche" farms to help preserve Vermont's rural lifestyle.
Kate Purcell's
academic background in organizational psychology would seem to be an ideal preparation for the Vermont Senate. Her experience in the high-tech industry as a corporate executive could help her push Vermont into a new economic era. Her volunteer work with the United Way, Edmunds Middle School and the Committee on Temporary Shelter shows her strong belief in community. "We need greater diversity in the Legislature," she said. "We need a true citizen Legislature." Citing high income taxes and high worker compensation costs, she said Vermont is perceived as anti-business, an image she would work to overcome. A Republican who lives in South Burlington, Purcell advocates a detailed review of the state budget to seek out administrative duplication. She would like the state to define what it means by a good education and fund it accordingly. She favors public school choice as a way to get parents more involved in their children's education.
Legislature to address pollution issue
A state senator from South Burlington will introduce legislation within the next few days to allow "responsible" developers to build near polluted streams and rivers.
Sen. Jim Condos, D-Chittenden, said state law, as recently interpreted by the state Water Resources Board, actually penalizes builders who use state-of-the-art technology to prevent dirty rainwater from running into streams.
Condos' action comes in response to a blockbuster controversy that erupted last summer. The water board ruled in a case involving Lowe's Home Improvement Center in South Burlington. The board said Vermont state law prohibits discharge of additional polluted rainwater into impaired streams.
Officials from Lowe's and the Chittenden business community said the ruling amounted to a virtual moratorium on development in the county. Most streams in the area are polluted by federal standards.
Micro Business Development Program
(MBDP) is a statewide program of the Vermont Community Action Agencies. Our mission is to provide technical assistance and training to low to moderate income Vermonters who own or intend to start a small business. ... Our services are free to moderate-to-low income Vermonters.
Rep. Bernie Sanders sailed to a seventh term in Congress
on Tuesday, burying Republican lawyer William Meub.
Sanders, an independent, captured 61 percent to William Meub's 37 percent with 18 percent of precincts reporting. Sanders touched his customary themes in his victory speech, vowing to represent the interests of working people and "not just the wealthy and the powerful."
To a packed crowd at Sweetwaters, a downtown Burlington restaurant, Sanders vowed to fight the export of U.S. jobs to foreign countries that "pay 20 cents an hour," work for less expensive prescription drugs, affordable health care and Vermont's family farms.
"What we have got to do is rally the American people to stand up and fight for the rights of ordinary people," Sanders exhorted.
Throughout the campaign Meub portrayed Sanders as a political extremist with a loud bark and zero clout in a Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
Scofflaw motorists in Vermont are finding out the hard way
that the state will eventually collect unpaid traffic fines-- even if it takes up to fifty years.
The state started a new push for old fines after the Department of Motor Vehicles re-discovered old paper records when the state began up-dating its database for a new computer system.
DMV Commissioner Bonnie Rutledge says the state has already collected ,000 from the scofflaws.
... Drivers who owe the money are denied license renewal until the fines are paid in full. And the DMV says hundreds of Vermonters may learn about their old fines when they get new licenses.
Click here to read more.
Snelling steps out of the spotlight
SHELBURNE -- Barbara Snelling admits with characteristic frankness that her farewell visit to the Legislature on Tuesday was emotionally draining and physically tiring.
She had a stroke in July and is still bothered by fatigue and unsteadiness when she walks. That's why the 73-year-old widow of Republican Gov. Richard Snelling concluded just days before the opening of the new legislative session that she should give up her Senate seat and end her political career.
"While it is not unheard of for people to sit there in their Senate seats sound asleep," she said, "I didn't want to be one of those."
Illness robbed Snelling of her energy, but not her interest or insight into the challenges facing Vermont this year and in the future.
Some Burlington residents who have requested absentee ballots
find their mailboxes full of campaign literature the same day their ballots arrive. ... Such is the state of elections as more Vermonters choose to vote early.
... The rise in early voting is due to a change in election law that took effect before the 1998 general election. The Legislature eliminated a requirement that people who wanted to vote early provide a reason they needed an absentee ballot, such as being out of town on Election Day. The Legislature wanted to encourage more people to vote early and therefore increase participation in elections by appealing to voters who have trouble getting to the polls, said Eric Davis, a professor of political science at Middlebury College. Candidates also promote early voting, which allows them to go into Election Day with votes already in the ballot box. ... This year, 20 percent of Vermont voters will cast their ballots before Election Day, Secretary of State Deb Markowitz said. Most people who vote early now do so for convenience.
The Burlington office of the U.S. Secret Service has high-tech
computer equipment, a wire-mesh-reinforced interrogation room, lake views and, on Friday, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., stopping by to welcome the agents to their new digs.
Two Secret Service agents will call Burlington home. They are the first agents based in the state in five years -- the last Vermont agent was promoted to San Francisco and was not replaced.
Probably best known for protecting presidents, the Secret Service also investigates financial crimes, such as credit-card fraud and counterfeiting. The Secret Service are agents of the Treasury Department.
Leahy said he requested Secret Service presence in Vermont in mid-2001 after a sophisticated counterfeiting operation was discovered in Bennington. The Secret Service posted agents in Vermont a year ago. They worked out of a small office in Essex Junction before moving three months ago into their new space on the fourth floor of a St. Paul Street office building.
The Chittenden Solid Waste District wants to simplify recycling
in the county, but the cost and logistics of the new programs remain complicated.
Instead of separating different types of material into separate bins, residents and business owners would dump a mix of plastic, paper, cans, glass and cardboard into one bin or cart. Machinery would separate the material later. The concept is called single-stream recycling.
Making it easier to recycle could prompt more people to comply with Chittenden County's mandatory recycling law, said CSWD spokeswoman Wendy McArdle.
Residents would be less confused over how to recycle. Businesses would have more space to store recycled material for pickup, no longer needing separate bins.
All this means that less trash will end up in costly landfills and more would be recycled into new consumer products, a primary district goal.
Click here to read more.
The city of Burlington once had a dropoff center
for household garbage and waste, but that center closed about five years ago. Now a proposal to open a new one has generated opposition from neighbors -- and a defense of the project from supporters.
Drop off centers are the modern alternative to the old dump. The Chittenden Solid Waste District operates seven around the county. A privately-owned dropoff in Burlington, Casella's facility off Lakeside Avenue, was closed to the public several years ago. Now the district plans to open a temporary Burlington dropoff on Pine street, near the current hazardous waste collection site at the former street department lot. The prospect raised a red flag with at least one opponent who distributed an anonymous flyer. ... The flyer contains what dropoff center supporters call erroneous information, but it caught city officials off guard. "First of all, the city did not do a good job in publicizing this temporary dropoff center," city councilor Bill Keogh (D-Ward Five), said.
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The laws for selling alcohol and tobacco in Vermont are clear
but numbers show as many as 30% of untrained store clerks sell to minors.
John D'Esposito works for Vermont's Department of Liquor Control and trains employees who sell tobacco and alcohol. He lead a seminar Saturday at the Vermont Grocers Association annual convention. "When folks attend a seminar like this they are much more successful,"said Desposito. "And actually we have numbers to indicate they are five times more effective than if they werent trained at all."
Saturday's seminar detailed the ins and outs of spotting fake ids. "We can reduce incidents of sales at stores, " said D'Esposito.
Desposito says although employees who sell tobacco and alcohol products are more effective when trained, many are not, even though state law requires it.
The penalty for a store that does not train employees is a one day liquor license suspension.
Joan Ritchie - Channel 3 News
The naming of a prominent housing developer to lead
the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission has drawn divergent reviews.
Critics are calling it a case of the fox minding the chicken coop, while supporters laud the new appointee for his integrity and expertise.
Mark Lords, the executive vice president of the Snyder Companies in Essex Junction, was installed last month as chairman of the commission, a public board that guides land-use policies in the county. ... The appointment is allowable under Vermont law, according to Secretary of State Deborah Markowitz. The volunteers who serve on the commission voted overwhelmingly to give Lords the position and several of them said last week that they foresee no conflict of interest.
... Lords, who has served on the commission for at least four years, said in an interview last week that he would remove himself from any commission dealings that might pertain directly to a Snyder Companies project.
The regional planning commission that recently voted a prominent
home builder into the chairman's seat also this year rejected a prospective commissioner who works for the Vermont Forum on Sprawl.
Instead, the commissioners chose a real estate agent who works for Wal-Mart developer Jeff Davis.
Critics say the episode raises questions about fairness at the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission.
Sarah Judd, associate director of the Vermont Forum on Sprawl, was nominated for a slot by outgoing commissioner Ellen Kahler. Instead the commission in February chose Sandy Wynne of J.L. Davis Realty in Williston. ... In explaining why Judd was passed over, then-commission chairman Roger Schoenbeck told Judd that several commissioners had a problem with the fact that she worked at the forum. ... They worried that Judd might be "too much aligned toward the environment," Schoenbeck said.
The Vermont National Guard is activating about 30 Army Guard
members to provide support and relief for Air Guard forces taxed by homeland defense operations.
The soldiers are being mobilized to supplement the Air Guard's 158th Security Forces Squadron. The soldiers will provide security for aircraft and personnel for the 158th Fighter Wing, which is based at Burlington International Airport.
Operation Noble Eagle, the name given to America's homeland defense initiative, has kept Air Guard security forces busy. Guard members are providing security at U.S. Air Force installations worldwide and several squads from Vermont have been deployed overseas. One Vermont squad remains deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the overseas component of the United States' war on terrorism.
Two Democrats vying to unseat Progressives Bob Kiss and David
Zuckerman in the Chittenden 3-4 House district say their views are similar to the incumbents'. But Anthony "Tony" Gierzynski and Nancy Kirby said their major-party status would allow them to accomplish more in the Legislature.
The two-seat House district is one of six representing a portion of Burlington.
Zuckerman is seeking his fourth term. He counts among his achievements getting a medicinal marijuana bill passed out of the House and opposing a Fletcher Allen Health Care proposal to move its psychiatric ward from Burlington to Colchester, an idea the hospital eventually dropped.
Kiss is seeking his second term. He said he wants to continue his work on housing and energy conservation issues.
... The halls of the Statehouse need diverse opinions to create debate, Zuckerman said. Democracy benefits from contested political races, he said, but Democrats would better spend their energy fighting Republicans' foothold in Montpelier than fighting with Progressives.
Vermont Housing Finance Agency
was created in 1974 by the Vermont State Legislature. VHFA's mission is to finance and promote affordable housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income Vermonters. VHFA assists Vermonters without using state tax dollars.
Since 1974, VHFA has provided financing for approximately 23,000 homeowners and almost 4,900 affordable apartments. In addition to offering mortgage financing programs, VHFA offers many other financing opportunities to address a wide spectrum of housing needs in Vermont. Much of this effort has been directed at assisting nonprofit an private developers to provide permanently affordable housing in their communities. VHFA operates our homeownership programs with the cooperation of banks, mortgage companies and credit unions throughout Vermont. In addition, VHFA collaborates with other state and federal agencies to provide affordable housing opportunities.
Click here to read more.
Vermont's Air National Guard is getting new jets.
A new F-35 landed in at Vermont's Air National Guard Wednesday afternoon.
The new jet symbolized the start of the air guard's conversion to the next generation of F-16s. This jet is about five years newer than existing F-16s and is considered to be more powerful than the older units.
"What it really means is we have basically the same aircraft capability wise," said Lt. Col. David Baczewski, of the Vermont National Guard. "It does have more powerful engine, which is good for all pilots, we like to have as much thrust as possible. They have more up and go to them, but the big picture is we have more flying time on them."
The Vermont Air Guard is also hoping to the Green Mountain Boys will be one of the first bases in the country to replace all of their F-16s with the new F-35 -- which are designed to have both bombing and air-to-air combat capabilities. The South Burlington base is reportedly one of among five or six bases in the running for the new jets.
Votes are added up no matter how they're marked.
... Kathy DeWolfe, director of elections at the Office of the Secretary of State, says manufacturers and suppliers of vote-counting machines have assured her that marks made with pencils, pens and markers can be read and counted by their equipment. That wasn't always the case, DeWolfe said. "Years ago, these machines were much more sensitive."
Still, DeWolfe notes that some town clerks report their machines are finicky, so they supply the marking devices they believe work best. Voters should ask if they find nothing to mark their ballots with when they enter the voting booth.
DeWolfe said voters shouldn't worry that their votes won't be counted, even if they use a pen. "If a machine fails to read it," she assured, "it is counted by hand."
Workers from the Chittenden Solid Waste District are working overtime
to clean up a Christmas mess. The facility is processing record amounts of recyclable trash this week. That's partly due to new changes which went into affect this past October. Now folks can recycle plastic packaging containers.
Most all of your Christmas waste can be recycled. The center accepts wrapping paper, plastics, and all cardboard boxes. Styrofoam and plastic bags are about the only Christmas packaging items that can't be recycled.
"We're seeing a lot more material every month. Every month we seem to be setting a new record. The last three working days we've been over 200 tons a day and that's just unusual for us," says the CSWD's Tom Moreau.
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Youth center gets two-month reprieve
The Vermont National Guard agreed Thursday to extend the deadline for a youth center to move out of a Burlington armory. The New North End Youth Center faced a Sunday deadline to move its equipment out of the Vermont Army National Guard Burlington Armory on Gosse Court. Center director Kathy Olwell said the National Guard called Thursday to say it had accepted her request to extend that deadline by 60 days. "It gives us more time to try to figure out what we're going to do," Olwell said. The New North End Youth Center began its after-school programs at the armory in April 1995. The center shut down shortly after Sept. 11, when the National Guard said it needed the space. The center had 1,580 visits from youths in the seven months it was open in 2001.
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