Leahy sponsors moratorium on Internet taxes
Congress has given its approval to legislation that prohibits a tax on Internet services for another three years. Senator Patrick Leahy, who’s a key sponsor of the proposal, says the plan could lead to the creation of hundreds of new jobs in the state. (VPR)
Interview: Fogel explains UVM expansion plans
The University of Vermont is undergoing its largest expansion since the 1970’s. An overall $475 million capital plan includes new dorms and the renovation of others, a new student center, parking complex at the Gutterson Field House Sports Arena and a new plant sciences building. Much of the building is just getting started and will be completed over a ten-year span. Mitch Wertlieb talks with UVM President Daniel Fogel about the expansion plans. (VPR)
Rockingham votes on hydro-dam purchase
On Monday, voters in Rockingham face a once-in-a-lifetime decision. They’ll vote on whether the town should enter a long-term deal to ultimately own the Bellows Falls hydroelectric plant on the Connecticut River. The decision is complicated by competing interests from two Canadian energy giants, both of whom want to run the dams. (VPR)
Writer Noel Perrin dies at 77
Essayist and teacher Noel Perrin died over the weekend. For 30 years, Perrin wrote essays that crystallized the experience of living in a changing Vermont. His books captured an unsentimental and sometimes self-deprecating view of rural life. (VPR)
NRC to allow formal hearing on Vermont Yankee uprate
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will allow the state of Vermont and a local environmental group to raise questions about planned power boost at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. (VPR)
Robison retires from Salzburg Seminar
Olin Robison, the president of the Salzburg Seminar, will retire next year. Robison has served as president since 1991 and has expanded programs and raised the organization’s endowment from $1.4 million to $19 million during his tenure. (VPR)
Claremont, NH, legislators leave office
Two state representatives from Claremont, New Hampshire, are both leaving that state’s Legislature. When Representative Sandra Harris lost re-election in a recount, her husband decided to give up his own seat in the New Hampshire Legislature. (AP)
Recount confirms Dowland’s victory
A recount in the Vermont House district encompassing five Northeast Kingdom towns has confirmed Progressive Winston Dowland as the winner. Dowland beat out Republican incumbent Nancy Sheltra by nine votes after counters spent almost 12 hours re-examining bags of ballots from Brownington, Charleston, Derby, Holland and Morgan. (AP)
UVM enrollment increase
The University of Vermont says it’s on track to meet its goal of increasing enrollment by nearly 2,000 students. This fall undergraduate enrollment was 8,143 students, which is an increase of 208 students from last fall. President Daniel Fogel has called for a larger, higher-quality student body as part of his 10-year plan for the university. A consultant recommended to the university that it recruit students from more states and build its admissions and marketing staffs to meet that goal. (AP)
Champlain College gift
A Burlington couple who never went to college have become Champlain College’s most generous donors. A $2.2 million gift by Robert and Holly Miller brings to nearly $4 million the amount the couple have donated to Champlain in the past twelve years. (AP)
Threats against President Bush
A Saint Johnsbury man has pleaded guilty to threatening the president and other officials through the mail. Twenty-five-year-old William Erno III is charged with two felony counts of mailing threatening communications and one count of threatening the president by mail. (AP)
Vernon homicide
This week Vermont state police are expected to finish their investigation into a fatal shooting in Vernon. Authorities are trying to determine if it was justifiable homicide when Timothy Grover of Brattleboro, who was visiting James Cleveland, fatally shot Cleveland’s neighbor, James Kellom. (AP)
Heroin seized
A 21-year-old Barre man has been arrested after police seized a large quantity of heroin from his home. Maurice Simoneau has been charged with heroin possession and is being held for lack of $25,000 bail. Police say they found 460 bags of heroin worth $22,000 in Simoneau’s home on Saturday. (AP)