Hearings begin on sex crime penalties

The probation officer who supervised the man accused of abducting 12-year-old Brooke Bennett says he felt compelled to recommend the release of Michael Jacques from probation on an earlier conviction.

Texas landfill search for computer fruitless

Texas authorities have stopped looking in a landfill for a computer allegedly containing child pornography and other evidence connected to the abduction and killing of a 12-year-old Vermont girl.

VPR Evening News July 31st, 2008

Governor Jim Douglas is leading the race for campaign cash; Prosecutors in the Brooke Bennett case get more time t make their case ; State Police warn of a false Amber Alert text message; Douglas Administration unveils a plan to supply low-income Vermonters with wood; The first-ever Vermont Barn Census is this weekend; and commentator Tom Slayton on the compost controversy.

Morning Newscast: July 22, 2008

Here are the top stories at 7:30 a.m.: It’s unlikely the governor will call a special session in the wake of the Brooke Bennett case;  Police are searching for about two dozen convicted sex offenders who couldn’t be found during a recent sweep of Chittenden County; Progressive Party candidate Anthony Pollina says he’s decided to run as an Independent candidate this fall…

VPR Evening News July 16th, 2008

Still no decision on a special legislative session on the Brooke Bennett murder case; The state is cracking down on two large-scale composting operations; Schools team up with a high-tech science program; Shrewsbury’s town clerk has died; and commentator Deborah Luskin with chicken wisdom..

VPR Evening News July 15th, 2008

Senate Democrats announce public hearings relating to the Brooke Bennett murder case; Prosecution rests in the Christopher Williams murder case; Vermont dairy farms sell cow embryos to Argentina; New Hampshire’s unemployment rate stays the same; Ben and Jerry’s creates ice cream for Elton John; and commentator Ruth Page on the shrew.

Symington calls Douglas to task in Bennett case

The Democratic candidate for governor, Gaye Symington, is calling for an investigation of why the Vermont Department of Corrections recommended that convicted sex offender Michael Jacques be released from probation seven years early and without supervision.

Midday Newscast: July 14, 2008

Here are the top stories at noon: Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie wants the governor to call a special legislative session to consider a series of legislative reforms; The Nuclear Regulator Commission is sending experts to investigate a cooling tower leak at Vermont Yankee; Progressive gubernatorial candidate Anthony Pollina is proposing a new credit card…