Interview: Rise of the ‘creative economy’
Vermont’s new economy: that’s the subject of a talk Wednesday night by Carnegie Mellon economist Richard Florida. Florida is the author of the bestseller “The Rise of the Creative Class.” (Listen to the interview online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Waiver for home-based Medicaid care
State officials want to offer more people a choice between nursing homes and long-term care at home. The state has applied for a federal waiver that will allow it to use Medicaid funds to pay for home-based care for the elderly and disabled. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Extended tours of duty for Vermont Guard
Army officials have announced that tours of duty for National Guard members and reservists in Iraq and Kuwait will be extended. A number of Vermonters are expected to be affected by the new orders. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Electric transmission upgrade
Governor Jim Douglas says a proposed transmission line upgrade in northwestern Vermont has become a top priority for the New England power grid. But Douglas says he’s concerned the federal government might try to take over the project if the state’s review takes too long. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
State revenues report
The state’s new revenue report for August shows the Vermont economy is inching forward. But Administration Secretary Michael Smith cautions it could be months before there are any solid signs of recovery. (VPR)
ABC-22 closes news operations
A Vermont television station is ending its news operation. WVNY-TV in Burlington has announced that it will stop its news broadcasts Friday night. (AP)
Age discrimination
Vermont Congressman Bernie Sanders has won approval for an amendment that he says would protect workers against illegal age discrimination in retirement plans. The provision would prohibit the federal government from overturning a court decision that found IBM’s cash balance pension plan violated pension age discrimination laws. (AP)
Supreme Court vacancy
The Associated Press is reporting that one judge and five practicing attorneys are on the latest list of nominees to fill a vacancy on the Vermont Supreme Court. They are Rutland lawyer Therese Corsones; Saint Johnsbury lawyer James Gallagher, Montpelier lawyer Michael Marks; Superior Court Judge Richard Norton of Rutland; Rutland lawyer Paul Reiber; and Brattleboro lawyer Potter Stewart, son of the late U.S. Supreme Court justice. (AP)
Education Commissioner
Vermont’s state Board of Education is getting close to appointing a new education commissioner. Three finalists for the job have been chosen. They are: Richard Cate, a New York state deputy commissioner of education and former Barre city official; Wayne Gerson, an adjunct professor at Vermont College; and Eric Isselhardt, the headmaster of a private school in Maryland. (AP)
Ancient tools discovered
Stone tools that could be up to 10,000 years old are being found in the path of the proposed circumferential highway in Colchester. Archaeologists have more than a dozen fragments from spear tips. The find isn’t expected to delay the highway. (AP)
Two teens die in crash
Two Colchester teenagers are dead following a head-on crash on Vermont Route 127 in Colchester. Police say that 17-year-old Jennifer McHugh crossed the center line and collided with a vehicle driven by 15-year-old Scott Russell. Both were killed. (AP)
Homeless man’s death termed suspicious
State and local police are trying to locate people who lived in an area of South Burlington where the body of a homeless man was found. Police are calling the death of 40-year-old James Ferrin suspicious. His body was found on Sunday. (AP)
Nursing home fraud
An administrator at a now-closed Fair Haven nursing home is facing a decade in prison on charges of health care fraud. Dea Waterhouse worked as the assistant administrator at the Sager Nursing home. The 33-bed nursing home closed in Decembe