Concerns about Clean Air Act changes
Senator Jim Jeffords is calling for a special investigation to determine if the Bush administration deliberately misled members of Congress about changes to the Clean Air Act. (VPR)
Darrow remembered this weekend
When Vermonters honor Dan Darrow this weekend, they’ll remember a dedicated public servant. They’ll also be honoring a family man, with deep roots in Vermont agriculture and the natural environment. Darrow, who died this week at the age of 75, was a former Democratic state representative from Newfane. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Community Rating for health insurance
The Douglas administration will seek changes to Vermont’s community rating health insurance system in an effort to attract more insurance companies to the state. The provision will be part of the administration’s health care initiative that’s scheduled to be released next week. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Circumferential Highway
Opponents of the proposed Circumferential Highway want to know why the state decided not to study endangered fish species that may be affected by the project. The issue surfaced on Wednesday as the Water Resources Board heard an appeal of pollution permits needed for the next leg of the Chittenden County project. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Ticonderoga tire burn
A coalition of Vermont environmental groups and politicians is asking Governor Jim Douglas to protect them from a plan to burn tires at a New York paper mill. (AP)
Douglas against tire burn
Vermont Governor Jim Douglas says he’ll keep opposing plans to burn tires for energy in Ticonderoga, New York, until scientists assure him it’s safe. International Paper, located across Lake Champlain from Vermont, wants to test a tire-burning project for a few weeks this month. (AP)
VHAP changes
A legislative committee is due to review on Thursday new state rules that would require beneficiaries of public health insurance programs to pay premiums. But some lawmakers and advocates for low-income Vermonters say more time is needed for review the proposal. (AP)
Dean campaign notes
Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean is getting his first union endorsement next week. It’s going to come from the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. A spokesman for the union, Bill Anderson, says the announcement is planned for Monday. Meanwhile Dean has begun airing a pair of television ads that criticize his rivals’ records on the war in Iraq and on prescription drug benefits. (AP)
Municipal electric utility
The town of Rockingham is taking more steps toward forming a municipal electric utility and buying a hydroelectric dam on the Connecticut River. The select board voted Tuesday to establish the Rockingham Municipal Electric Utility. (AP)
Burlington business site
An international furniture and clothing manufacturer and retailer might move its corporate headquarters to a spot near the Lake Champlain waterfront in Burlington. Cornell Trading of Williston paid $1.3 million for an option for the Battery Street site. (AP)
Twin Farms inn honored
An inn with a private ski area in Barnard is on this year’s Mobil Travel Guide list of North America’s 30 best lodgings. The Twin Farms inn has 15 private suites and cottages. Overnight stays cost from $950 to $2,600. Mobil released its annual list on Wednesday. (AP)
Rice murder trial
Lawyers for a man accused of killing two Vermont women on the Appalachian Trail want the U.S. Attorney General to rule out the death penalty in the case. Darrell David Rice is accused of killing Julianne Marie Williams and Laura Winans in 1996. The two young women lived together in Burlington, Vermont. They were killed as they hiked the trail in the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. (AP)