Here are the top stories at 7:30 a.m.:
More Vermonters have turned to food stamps to help them make ends meet, and
at the same time, the price for that food has risen faster than it has in 30
years. A state panel says a mural painted on the
side of a barn to promote the village of Bellows Falls is illegal
because it violates the state billboard ban. So lawmakers from the region tucked an exception
to the ban into a transportation bill that’s still pending in Montpelier. ..
The number of Vermonters signing up for food stamp benefits hit
a 15-year high in March; the state Tax Department is already prepared for a
possible sales tax holiday this summer;
Last spring the Legislature passed a law instructing the state to cut childhood poverty in half over the next 10 years. The effort has brought together lawmakers, state agencies and non-profit groups to rethink how we deal with poverty in Vermont. We talk with some of the people behind this effort about the new approach they’re taking.
Almost 30% of Vermonters whose income qualifies them for food stamps never apply. So state officials plan to use a reward from the federal government to boost enrollment.
The state is asking young Vermonters who went away to college, to think about coming home to work; it’s now easier for Vermonters getting food assistance, to shop at farmers’ markets; twice this week the Public Service Board has acted in a manner that’s in conflict with Governor Jim Douglas known positions on energy policy; the Montpelier City Council has scrapped a just-completed property value revision. Dozens of angry residents argued at a meeting last night that there was no rhyme or reason for the values assigned to their properties.
New technology is being introduced today at a few farmers’ markets. And the Agriculture Agency says it should help farmers and some low-income consumers.