Midday Report: August 30, 2006

A rare political triple header, as top Vermont politicians appear together to endorse higher minimum wages; the differences among Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate begin to clarify in a debate; by this time next week the Vermont Air National Guard will be working out of New Hampshire, and will be there for about six weeks; Rutland is recalling the life of Berna Seward today. The long-time alcohol and drug abuse counselor died yesterday morning. She had served as executive director of Rutland’s Alcoholism Information and Referral Center; a plan is nearing completion that would keep open the dairy farm once run by the Brattleboro Retreat and build a cheese factory on the site.