July 7, 2004 – News at a Glance

Print More

Youth Voter Turnout
Secretary of State Deb Markowitz says she’s concerned that voter turnout rates among young people are lower now than in previous generations. (VPR)

Bloomer Won’t Seek Re-election
Republican efforts to gain seats in the Vermont Senate this November became more challenging on Tuesday. Senate Minority leader John Bloomer announced he won’t seek re-election to his Rutland County seat. (VPR)

Top State Energy Official Steps Down
A key state official responsible for mapping out Vermont’s energy future is leaving his post after just a year on the job. The appointment of Jonathan Lesser had drawn criticism from some advocates, because he had worked as a consultant for the utilities that the state regulates. (VPR)

Jeffords Supports Running Mate Choice
Senator Jim Jeffords says he believes that Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry’s chances in November have improved with North Carolina Senator John Edwards on the ticket. (VPR)

Human Encounters with Bears
State officials and nature lovers alike are hoping a new law will help to reduce encounters between humans and bears. The law allows a game warden to order a property owner to remove outside food sources that attract bears. (AP)

Dean Supports Edwards
Former Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean says a Kerry-Edwards ticket will bring “a new vision for America.” Dean says he’ll work hard over the next few months to get John Kerry and John Edwards elected. (AP)

Study of Care for Seniors
Vermont has been chosen by the National Governors’ Association policy academy as one of seven states to participate in a study of long-term health care for seniors. The Association’s Center for Best Practices will work with a team from Vermont on a plan to increase the state’s community and home care options for seniors and decrease the need for institutional care. (AP)

Brandon Companies Receive Tax Credits
Vermont state tax credits to a pair of companies could help create as many as 128 new jobs in Brandon the next few years. The Vermont Economic Progress Council said that over the next five years, payroll and export and capital improvement credits could amount to $258,000 for Nexus Custom Electronics and $85,000 for the Visual Learning Company. (AP)

Coop Contract Negotiations
The cooperatively owned City Market and the union representing its workers have hit several snags as they try to negotiate a new contract. Talks have been under way since late May. The current contract expires next week. The union has accused the store of union-busting tactics. Store management has denied the allegation. (AP)

New Engineering Dean at UVM
An administrator at Smith College in Massachusetts has been appointed dean of the University of Vermont’s College of Engineering and Mathematics. Domenico Grasso is the founding director of the Picker Engineering Program at Smith College. He will formally begin his new position at UVM in January. (AP)

Teeple Suspected in New York Arson
New York State Police are investigating whether there’s a connection between a May fire in the northern part of the state and last month’s double fatal arson in Isle La Motte. The May 5 fire in Mooers Forks, New York, destroyed a barn and a house. Several witnesses say a son of the owner had a fight at the farmhouse several days before the fire with 17-year-old Quinten Teeple, one of two teenagers charged in the June 27 Isle La Motte fire. A New York investigator says Teeple told Vermont authorities about setting the New York farmhouse on fire. (AP)

Millett Pleads Innocent
A man shot and wounded by a Vermont State Police trooper has pleaded innocent to a variety of charges including aggravated assault on a police officer with a deadly weapon. Forty-year-old James Millett is being held on $100,000 bail. Millett was shot in the leg by a trooper after a high speed chase on Interstate 89 in Bethel two weeks ago. (AP)

Comments are closed.