Federal transportation funds
Senator Jim Jeffords says Vermont should not expect any additional federal transportation funds this year because of budget problems in Washington. Legislators say that’s going to make it difficult for the state to address some of its serious infrastructure needs in the near future. (VPR)
Interview: Tax assistance for low-income residents
The start of the New Year isn’t a bad time to start thinking about tax day. Although it’s not an enjoyable prospect, it’s even more daunting for low income residents and refugees who are new to the country and unfamiliar with the complicated U.S. tax code. Now a new program is being offered to help ease those concerns. Mitch Wertlieb talks with Karen Richards, director of the Poverty Law Project at Vermont Legal Aid. (VPR)
Former Fletcher Allen CEO pleads guilty
The former chief executive of Fletcher Allen Health Care pleaded guilty on Tuesday to misleading regulators about the true cost of a multi-million dollar hospital expansion project. William Boettcher’s plea to a federal conspiracy charge is a major milestone in the case. But state and federal prosecutors say the investigation remains open, and that more charges are possible. (VPR)
House Republican leader resigns leadership post
The Republican leader of the Vermont House has resigned his leadership post. Representative Richard Hube of South Londonderry says he has health issues that forced him to make what he describes as a difficult decision. (AP)
Bellamy named president of World Learning
The outgoing director of UNICEF will become the next president of Brattleboro’s World Learning and School for International Training. Carol Bellamy has led the United Nations Children’s Fund for the past ten years and she’s a former director of the Peace Corps. (VPR)
Florida Democrats back Dean’s DNC bid
Democratic National Committee members from Florida have unanimously voted to support former Vermont Governor Howard Dean in his bid to lead the Democratic Party. (AP)
Shaftsbury vacant factory
Shaftsbury residents will vote on Town Meeting Day whether to cap property taxes on the former Stanley Tool Works to help attract a new occupant for the plant. (AP)
‘Big Sister’s Guide to the World of Work’
A new book for women promises to transform job exasperation into career determination. The book is called, “The Big Sister’s Guide to the World of Work: The Inside Rules Every Working Girl Must Know,” written by Marcelle DiFalco and Jocelyn Greenky Herz. (VPR)
Guard deploys 330
Wednesday’s deployment of about 330 Vermont Army National Guard soldiers is expected to be the last in a series of large call-ups for the state. The mobilization will bring the number of Vermonters sent to war in the last two months to 1,340. (AP)
Social Security
Vermont Congressman Bernard Sanders says the greatest threat to Social Security is the Bush administration’s proposal to privatize it. President Bush says Social Security is on the road to bankruptcy. But Sanders says Social Security is not going bankrupt. (AP)
GMO seeds
The sale of genetically engineered seeds is rising in Vermont. Eight companies reported selling a total of 458,000 pounds of genetically engineered seeds last year, up from 417,000 pounds in 2003 and 168,385 pounds in 2002. (AP)
Vermont Yankee uprate
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says any decision on Entergy Nuclear’s proposed 20 percent power boost at Vermont Yankee is months away. Entergy had originally hoped to have a decision late this month on its proposal to increase the electricity made at the 33-year-old Vernon reactor from 540 to 650 megawatts. (AP)
Rural broadband service
Economic development officials in northern New England say rural areas without broadband Internet access are being left behind. Officials say rural areas need Broadband covered to be economically competitive. Vermont has begun work on a fiber optic network. (AP)
Chittenden County school bus vandalism
Vandals disconnected buses from heaters, tampered with some of the vehicles’ engines and threw water at their doors to freeze them shut, forcing schools in five Vermont towns to close on Tuesday. The school district’s transportation director says vandalism to buses serving Chittenden East Supervisory Union took place sometime late Monday or early Tuesday. (AP)
UVM men’s hockey
A weekend loss to Dartmouth knocked the University of Vermont men’s hockey team out of first place in the Eastern College Athletic Association Hockey League. A poll by U.S. College Hockey online saw the Catamounts drop from 13th in the country to 14th. (AP)