Interview: Rutland superintendent
Steve Delaney talks with Bill Matthis about teacher shortages and the start of the new school year. Matthis is superintendent of the Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union. (Listen to the interview online.) (VPR)
Vermont Pure expansion
The Randolph Development Review Board held a second public meeting last night on plans to expand the Vermont Pure Springs Company operation. The bottled water company says it needs to grow to accommodate increasing demand. Some Randolph residents say the company’s planned growth will hurt their way of life. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Shumlin on vouchers
Windham Senator Peter Shumlin, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, says he strongly opposes efforts to use state tax dollars to provide vouchers for students to attend private schools. (VPR)
Transportation cuts restored
Vermont officials learned Tuesday that President Bush will not propose cuts in overall federal transportation spending. But the state will have to contribute more money if it wants to maintain their passenger rail service. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Remembering the honky tonks
In the 1950s and ’60s, dozens of working class bars dotted the Vermont countryside. They smelled of beer and cigarette smoke and every weekend featured live music and a crowded dance floor. The music was called honky tonk. The Starline Rhythm Boys are veterans of Vermont’s honky tonks and still carry on today. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Campaign finance ruling appealed
Lawyers for the Vermont Republican Party say the ruling by the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals is unconstitutional. (VPR)
UVM’s party reputation
The University of Vermont is no longer listed in the annual Princeton Review rankings as one of the top 20 party schools in the country. (VPR)
School choice
Vermont education officials are getting some extra time to implement new federal school choice requirements. The U.S. Department of Education is allowing them to consider last year’s test scores before they determine which schools must offer choice. (AP)
St. Johnsbury needle exchange
Community members will be discussing a new needle exchange program in Saint Johnsbury (Vermont). Organizers hope the forum will give residents a chance to share their feelings about the needle exchange program, which was opened earlier this month. (AP)
IBM testing center
IBM has a new center in Vermont to test and finish 12-inch semiconductor wafers. It will test semiconductor wafers that are produced at a new facility in East Fishkill, New York. More chips can be made from each of the larger wafers, improving productivity. (AP)
Drunk driving education
Vermont driver education students will be learning about the risks of drunk driving in a new way this year. The state Department of Education is introducing an interactive CD ROM program designed to help teens understand the dangers of driving drunk. (AP)
Legionnaire’s update
Vermont health officials are continuing to investigate the source of a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Waterbury. Officials say more specific tests will help them zero in on whether the outbreak is related to a single cooling tower. (AP)
Elderly abuse plea
A former nursing home aide accused of abusing an elderly man will serve two years of probation. Chad Sprague of Rutland has pleaded no contest to charges that he abused an 81-year-old disabled man who lived at the nursing home. (AP)
Marijuana seized
Police are trying to find out who was growing 66 marijuana plants that they seized in Danby and Mount Holly. The plants were found Monday. The Rutland County Sheriff’s Department says they were worth nearly $100,000. (AP)
Dean presidential campaign
Vermont Governor Howard Dean today returns to New Hampshire where he is a frequent visitor as he explores his chances for a presidential race in the Democratic party. Dean, who will be in North Conway, was also in the state during the weekend. (AP)