November 13, 2002 – News at a glance

Print More

Interview: Speaker Walter Freed
Steve Delaney talks with Speaker Walter Freed about the possible change in leadership in the Vermont House of Representatives.

Douglas’ commute
Governor-elect Jim Douglas says he plans to continue to commute from his home in Middlebury to Montpelier once he’s sworn into office in January. Douglas has been making the two and a half-hour roundtrip for most of the past 22 years, when he served as secretary of state and state treasurer. (VPR)

Deer testing
State biologists plan to sample about 500 deer killed this hunting season to see if a fatal brain disorder has spread to Vermont from the Midwest. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)

Vote totals
The final results from last week’s election are in. Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Douglas defeated Democrat Doug Racine by just under 5,900 votes, and a proposed constitutional amendment passed by a wide margin. (Listen to the story or read the transcript online.) (VPR)

Vermont National Guard deployment
Fifteen members of the 158th Security Forces Squadron left early Tuesday morning from the Burlington International Airport. The soldiers’ mission will be to protect U.S. air bases. (AP)

Sexuality in school
The school board in Barre wants some time to decide whether it’s okay for a teacher to post a sign saying she is available to talk with students who are questioning their sexuality. (AP)

New baseball team
The Vermont Mountaineers are the latest addition to the New England Collegiate Baseball League, a summer league for college athletes. The team will play at the Montpelier recreation field, which will undergo $500,000 in renovations. (AP)

Powerball in Vermont
The odds of Vermont joining Powerball or another multi-state lottery game are getting a whole lot better. Governor Howard Dean has consistently blocked any attempts by the Legislature to get Vermont into a larger lottery game. But Governor-elect James Douglas says he’d support such an expansion. (AP)

Senate presidency
The contest for president of the Vermont Senate will likely be a low-key affair. Senate Democrats hold a 19 to 11 margin. Several Democratic senators, including Lamoille County Senator Susan Bartlett, Senator Richard Mazza of Grand Isle, and Senator Peter Welch of Windsor, are vying for the position. (AP)

Medicaid services
A Washington Superior Court judge is being asked to block cuts in Vermont’s Medicaid program. Two groups sued two weeks ago asking to halt plans for the state to stop paying for chiropractic care, dentures and some elective surgeries. Vermont Legal Aid and the Vermont Chiropractic Association are asking a judge today to block the cuts until their case can be heard. (AP)

Herald leadership change
Stephen Baumann was dismissed late last week as managing editor of the Rutland Herald. Baumann was a reporter and editor at the state’s second largest newspaper for the past 24 years, and managing editor for nearly two years. Herald managers say they can’t discuss personnel issues other than to say Baumann has left the newspaper. Baumann says he was fired. (AP)

Champlain improvement projects
The federal government will spend $55 million on Lake Champlain over the next five years. Congress passed a bill yesterday authorizing the money and it already has won Senate approval. The money is designed to enhance the environmental integrity and social and economic benefits of the lake. (AP)

Windham sheriff’s race
The incumbent sheriff of Windham County is asking for a recount in the election he lost last week. Sheriff Henry Farnum says he believes he owes it to the people who supported him to have the results of the election confirmed. Farnum lost last week to Sheila Prue, who had been a sergeant in the Brattleboro Police Department. (AP)

Chester fire
Officials are investigating a fire that destroyed a home in Chester yesterday. A mother and infant were napping at their house when the fire started. They escaped uninjured. Officials say the fire appears to have been accidental and expect to know the source later today. (AP)

Dean campaigns in NH
Governor Howard Dean heads back to New Hampshire today to build support for his run for president. It’s Dean’s nineteenth visit to the state. The Democrat has scheduled private meetings with activists in Manchester and will speak to American studies classes at Central High School. (AP)

Comments are closed.