July 1, 2003 – News at a glance

Print More

Circ Highway compromise
Critics of a highway planned for Chittenden County have offered a compromise. They say they’ll drop their opposition to part of the project that will lead to the IBM plant in Essex Junction. In exchange, the environmentalists want the Douglas administration to scrap the rest of the project and agree to measures that will slow the growth of suburban sprawl. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)

Dean fundraising
The presidential campaign of former Governor Howard Dean passed a key milestone on Monday with the close of fundraising for the second quarter of the year. Dean hopes to raise about $7 million for the first six months of the year. Almost $3 million came in the last eight days. (VPR)

Medicare prescription coverage
Senator James Jeffords says he’s confident that Congress will enact a meaningful Medicare plan that will introduce prescription drug coverage. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)

Powerball tickets go on sale
At 10:00 Tuesday morning Vermonters will be able to purchase Powerball tickets in this state for the first time. The Legislature this session passed a bill that allows Vermont to become the 26th state in the country to be part of the Powerball game. (VPR)

NH wrestles with budget woes
In New Hampshire, the House has accepted the Senate’s budget resolution, which allows New Hampshire to continue operating without a state budget. (VPR)

Nurses vote on contract
Nurses at Vermont’s largest hospital vote Tuesday and Wednesday on their first union contract. Burlington’s Fletcher Allen Health Care and the union representing about 1,200 hundred nurses reached a tentative agreement on June 21, ending six months of talks. The agreement outlines a host of issues, including pay raises through 2005 and nurse-patient ratios. (AP)

Dean fundraising update
Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean has emerged as the big-money candidate among Democrats this quarter. He raised more than $7 million toward his presidential campaign from April through June. That’s on pace to be better than all of his eight other rivals for the current three-month period. (AP)

New laws in effect
The Powerball lottery game isn’t the only new state law in Vermont taking effect on Tuesday. It also will be legal to use sparklers at events such as this week’s Independence Day celebrations. Another new law will set up a statewide checklist of voters to help bring the state in compliance with the federal Help America Vote Act. (AP)

Rivers yet to vacate office
Monday was to be the day Cheryl Rivers vacated her state office. But the former state senator and director of the National Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Prices is staying put for now. The Douglas administration has granted her another couple of weeks to get packed up. (AP)

Champ’s myth dispelled
Could it be there’s no Champ? A magazine article questions whether a sea monster roams the depths of Lake Champlain. The June-July issue of the Skeptical Inquirer says there’s probably no such thing. The magazine routinely challenges such things. (AP)

Comments are closed.