Interview: Journalist Helen Thomas speaks in Burlington BURLINGTON, VT (2003-11-14) Journalist Helen Thomas will be front and center at the Sheraton Conference Center in South Burlington Sunday afternoon as the inaugural lecturer for the “Vermont Woman” Newspaper Speakers Bureau. (VPR)
Governor plans to cut statewide property tax rate MONTPELIER, VT (2003-11-13)Governor Jim Douglas will ask the Legislature to cut Vermont’s statewide property tax rate this winter. (VPR)
Dean unveils higher education plan COLCHESTER, VT (2003-11-13) Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean has unveiled a plan to make higher education more affordable for many low and moderate income families. (VPR)
State considers purchase of hydro power dams COLCHESTER, VT (2003-11-13) Experts hired by the state to study the purchase of a series of power dams on the Connecticut River say there’s a slim chance that Vermont could pull the deal off. But they also say that if the state could put all the pieces together in the complicated financial transaction, Vermont could save money on electricity in the long term. (VPR)
Vermont school math scores
Vermont’s efforts to encourage girls to study math are paying off. A national report on state assessment tests shows Vermont girls do as well at math as boys up until high school. Vermont students performed above the national average in math and reading. (AP)
Dean proposes new college funding plan
Democrat presidential candidate Howard Dean wants to make it easier for Americans to go to college. He unveiled an education plan yesterday that would give college students ten-thousand dollars a year in financial aid. He would also limit the amount of student debt. (AP)
Sanders in Mexico
Vermont Congressman Bernie Sanders is in Mexico with six other members of Congress. They’re in Mexico to study 10 years under the North American Free Trade Agreement. Sanders says the goal is to examine how NAFTA has affected jobs, the environment and families. (AP)
Dean official candidate in NH
Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean is now an official candidate in the Democratic presidential primary in New Hampshire. Dean visited the New Hampshire secretary of state’s office yesterday, paid the one-thousand dollar fee and formally filed for the primary. (AP)
NE Kingdom company to make more helmets
A Newport company that makes state-of-the-art helmets for the military is going to be making 80-thouand more. Senator Patrick Leahy says M-S-A Gallet has won a 28 (m)million dollar contract from the army for the headgear, known as the Advanced Combat Helmet. (AP)
UVM Basketball star can play next year
There’s a silver lining for the University of Vermont men’s basketball team that lost a star center to an injury. The N-C-A-A has given Matt Sheftic a waiver to play next year after he recovers from a knee injury he suffered this summer. (AP)
Rough weather this morning
The weather forecasters weren’t kidding. A deep blanket of snow is covering large parts of northern Vermont this morning. The National Weather Service says a weather system is slowly pulling away in southern Canada. But the winds and snow are expected to continue through midmorning. (AP)
Windsor leaders propose recall boycott
Six prominent Windsor, VT leaders are encouraging voters to boycott an upcoming recall election of four select board members. They say that avoiding the polls on November 25th is the most effective means of preventing the recall from going forward. That’s because one-third of registered voters — or one-thousand residents — must turn out for the vote to be valid. (AP)
State Hospital patient pleads innocent
A patient at the Vermont State Hospital has pleaded innocent to assaulting and savagely beating a psychiatrist late last week. Thirty-three-year-old Andre Levesque of Hinesburg has been returned to the state hospital. He had been at the Waterbury facility for a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation. (AP)
“Y” health center for Winooski?
Y-M-C-A officials are considering opening a satellite health center in downtown Winooski. The main Y-M-C-A would remain in Burlington. But the new center would be part of downtown Winooski’s ambitious redevelopment project. Winooski officials have been working for four years on a proposal that would cost at least 165 (M) million dollars. (AP)