Enron and Finance Reform
Vermont Congressman Bernie Sanders says Enron’s collapse may finally force Congress to consider campaign finance reform. (VPR)
E-government
State Auditor Elizabeth Ready says recent problems with the state’s electronic income tax filing system reveal serious problems with more ambitious plans to use the Internet for many government transactions. (VPR)
NRA and Champion Lands
The National Rifle Association has now joined the debate over the Champion lands. The gun-rights lobby warned over 10,000 members in Vermont that hunting could be banned from the state-owned portion of the property. (VPR)
Steamboat Springs
The new Vermont-based owners of Steamboat Springs plan improvements for the Colorado ski resort. (VPR and AP)
Lake Placid Economy
Tourism in Lake Placid, NY is up. The village is experiencing double-digit increases over last year. (VPR and AP)
Children’s Cabinet
Governor Howard Dean is announcing the formation of a Children’s Cabinet. He formed the group in response to claims that state programs for children are not coordinated with each other. (AP)
Williston Bus Service
Bus service to Williston will end in June due to shrinking subsidy budgets and too few riders. The service was created to help people without cars commute to jobs in Williston. (AP)
Federal Budget
Senators James Jeffords and Patrick Leahy applaud the emphasis on national security in the President’s new budget, but say it comes at the expense of too many other programs. Jeffords and Leahy say that more resources need to be dedicated to including education and the environment. (AP)
Baseball Antitrust
Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, will hold hearings this month on whether Major League Baseball should be exempt from antitrust laws. The move is in response to baseball owners, who have voted to eliminate two teams before the 2002 season begins. A 1992 Supreme Court ruling exempted MLB from antitrust laws. (AP)
Recreational Vehicles
The Vermont Senate will debate whether snowmobiles and ATV’s should be sold with transferable documents, like car and boat titles. (AP)
Springfield Prison
Vermont Corrections officials say the Springfield prison now under construction will provide long-term employment in the region. The Springfield area is hit hard by the shrinking of its machine tool industry. (AP)