Douglas attends soldiers’ funerals
As the casualties from the war in Iraq mount, governors around the country are taking different approaches concerning their presence at funerals of soldiers who have been killed in the conflict. Governor Jim Douglas has attended all of the funerals of Vermont soldiers killed in Iraq. Douglas says he feels it’s very important for families who have lost a loved one in the war to understand how much the state of Vermont appreciates their service to the country. (VPR)
Interview: Partners in Adventure summer camp
School’s out and summer camp season is here. In Chittenden County, the counselors and other staff at “Partners in Adventure” are gearing up for their fifth season, which begins later this month. Partners in Adventure offers camp programs for young people with or without disabilities who take part in the activities together. Mitch Wertlieb talks with Deborah Lamden about the program. (VPR)
Soldier buried, more deployed
On the same day that the most recent Vermont National Guard soldier to be killed in Iraq is buried, 24 more will ship out. Sergeant Jamie Gray will be buried in East Montpelier Monday. The two-dozen members of the first detachment of the 42nd military policy company will participate at a deployment ceremony at the Burlington International Airport. (AP)
Corrections mental health services
The head of mental health and medical services for the Vermont Corrections Department will leave his job this year. But 54-year-old Thomas Powell says his decision is simply a matter of being eligible for retirement and has nothing to do with recent problems at the Corrections Department. (AP)
Brownfields bill
Developers will have an easier time re-using old industrial sites, under a law that Governor Jim Douglas signed this weekend. The so-called “brownfields” bill limits the liability developers would face in the event hazardous wastes are found on the old industrial sites. (AP)
State Senator Munt retires
Retiring Vermont Senator Janet Munt says her six years in the Legislature were frustrating, because she didn’t deliver all that she’d hoped for people in need. The frustration was most acute on the subject of health care. She thinks a state-sponsored system covering all Vermonters is the way to go. (AP)
Opiate addiction treatment
The Vermont Health Department and private doctors are stepping up efforts to treat opiate addictions with a new drug. Buprenorphine is said to have several advantages over methadone in treating heroin addiction. (AP)
Atlantic salmon program
More than $200 million have been spent trying to restore Atlantic salmon to the Connecticut River and its tributaries. So far, there’s not much to show for all the effort, and some are calling for devoting the resources elsewhere. (AP)
WWII veterans graduate
Two members of the class of 2004 at Milton High School this year were seniors in more ways than one. Eighty-year-old Eugene Towne and 82-year-old John Bourgeois graduated alongside their grandchildren. A 2002 Vermont law made all World War II veterans eligible for diplomas. (AP)
Dartmouth graduation
General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt refused to let his critics bring him down while serving as commencement speaker at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire Sunday. The campus newspaper called Immelt, the head of one of the world’s biggest corporations, an uninspiring choice for a graduation speaker. Immelt joked with the students that the last time his name was in the college newspaper was when he and his roommates stole a Christmas tree from the Hanover Inn while they were streaking in 1974. (AP)
Burling code enforcement
Burlington city councilors are considering public hearings on how well the city’s code enforcement office is running. Council President Andy Montroll is sponsoring a resolution that would direct the council’s code enforcement committee to hold the hearings. The move follows the recent resignation of Ray O’Connor, chief of the code enforcement office. (AP)
Brawl in Burlington
Burlington police weren’t able to handle a big and too rowdy a crowd by themselves early Saturday morning. They called in officers from the University of Vermont police, five surrounding towns and the Vermont state police to respond to the downtown brawl. (AP)
Drug raid in Bellows Falls
Six people will face felony charges stemming from an early-morning police drug raid in Bellows Falls. Police say the most significant arrest was that of 38-year-old Michael Pryor of New York City, who was on parole from a second-degree murder conviction in 1990. The five others facing charges are all from southeastern Vermont. (AP)