Soldier buried in Brattleboro
The fourth Vermonter to die in Iraq was honored with a hero’s funeral in Brattleboro Monday. Twenty-year-old Private First Class Kyle Gilbert, a Brattleboro native, was a paratrooper with the Army’s 82nd Airborn division. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
IBM blames lay offs on international markets
IBM, Vermont’s largest private employer, cut 500 jobs on Monday. IBM blamed the layoffs on a worldwide slump in microchip sales. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Douglas defends job growth efforts
Governor Jim Douglas says officials at IBM have assured him that the company has a long term commitment to the state, even though IBM has reduced its workforce at its Essex Junction facility by roughly 8%. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Economic impact of layoffs
Economists can look to the IBM layoffs of June 2002 to forecast how Monday’s announcement will impact the state’s economy. (VPR)
New cadet class arrives at Norwich
The nation’s oldest private military college has enrolled its largest class in 20 years. Some 430 candidates for Norwich University’s Corps of Cadets arrived on the Northfield campus this weekend for early training. (AP)
Brattleboro home office
Brattleboro officials are may redefine what constitutes a home business. People who support the plan say it would relax the town requirements for some people who work out of their home. (AP)
Crop insurance
Vermont farmers will benefit from a move to expand a federal crop insurance program. Small or medium-sized livestock and organic farms in about a dozen states, including Vermont, will be able to get insurance to guard against losses from drought or floods. The change was voted on Monday by the board of directors that oversees the Agricultural Department’s insurance program. (AP)
Dean blasts Bush policies
Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean blasted President Bush Monday at a rally in Arizona. Dean, a Democrat running for president, told about 500 supporters that Bush’s economic policies have lost the nation about 3 million jobs in nearly three years. Dean said Bush’s policies have caused the largest deficit and national debt in American history. (AP)
Route 7 construction
Construction is expected to start Tuesday to widen Route 7 in South Burlington and Shelburne. A group opposed to the project won a temporary restraining order in federal court that blocked the scheduled start of construction. But U.S. District Court Judge William Sessions reversed his decision Monday. (AP)
Bennington Battle Monument
State officials say work is expected to begin immediately to install lights in the Bennington Battle Monument. Bennington’s zoning board has unanimously approved the lighting of the monument, despite some opposition from residents. The obelisk is scheduled to be lit for a Veterans Day dedication ceremony. (AP)
Fired police officer’s case reviewed
The Vermont Labor Relations Board will consider next month whether a former head of the governor’s state police security detail was improperly fired. Former state police Lieutenant Dennis Madore was fired in December 2000 after an internal probe determined he had lied about extramarital affairs during his divorce hearings, committed domestic assault and lied to investigators. (AP)
Rutland parking fines
It’s getting a lot more expensive to violate the parking ordinances in downtown Rutland. The board of aldermen unanimously voted Monday to double parking fines for expired meters and on a number of other parking infractions. (AP)
Baseball trade
Tyler Pelland, a Vermont native who was drafted into the minor leagues by the Red Sox last year, has been traded to Cincinnati. Pelland, who is 19, grew up in Monkton and went to Mount Abraham High School. The Red Sox drafted him in the ninth round