On orders from Gannett, Vermont’s largest daily, the Burlington Free Press, undergoes a risky media makeover
Updated at 8:45 a.m. with corrected figures for state auditor candidate Vince Illuzzi There were two big surprises for those waiting at the Vermont Secretary of State’s office Monday afternoon for candidates to drop off their first campaign finance reports of the election season. The first came when Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Brock’s fundraiser, Darcie…
Ira Powsner spent part of his 26th birthday in the back of a police cruiser today after a protest at the construction site of a 21-turbine wind installation in Lowell sparked an exercise in civil disobedience. Powsner, 26, of Ira, Vt., (pictured in red hat) was among dozens of protestors at Green Mountain Power’s Kingdom Community…
The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) confirmed this week that it plans to upgrade its database to enable the use of facial recognition technology on all newly issued driver’s licenses and state identification cards. The DMV says the upgrades to its photo-capture workstations are designed to crack down on identity fraud. However, civil libertarians…
Congressman Peter Welch ramped up his fundraising last quarter, bringing in $133,827 as he seeks a fourth term in the U.S. House. To date, Vermont’s lone House member has raised $679,165 during the two-year election cycle, according to a campaign finance report filed Sunday with the Federal Election Commission. In that time, he has spent…
As recently as last Wednesday, Gov. Peter Shumlin was assuring Vermont reporters at his weekly press conference that he was just too busy “creating jobs and doing the job [he] was hired to do” to wade into election year politics. “I think we’ll have plenty of time for silly season after Labor Day,” he said.…
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger on Friday tapped real estate developer and airport commission chairman Gene Richards to serve as the city’s new interim aviation director. If approved by the council, Richards would replace Bob McKewing, who has served in the role on an interim basis for the past year and a half. Weinberger said that,…
Updated July 16 with comment from Barre’s attorney, Joe Farnham Good news for renters: Vermont cities and towns can no longer shut off tenants’ water for their landlords’ failure to pay the bill. At least not without first giving renters an opportunity to contest the shut-off. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss ruled that…
Despite token opposition, Sanders raises big bucks for his Senate campaign.
This week in movies you missed: the most praised film of 2011 that nobody saw. What You Missed Lisa Cohen (Anna Paquin) is a bright, seen-it-all Manhattan high schooler. When her math teacher (Matt Damon) confronts her about cheating on a test, she blithely tells him math doesn’t matter to her. He suggests she’ll change…
The Vermont Department of Corrections (DOC) has stopped sending inmates to the Massachusetts jail where Vermont offenders rioted last summer over substandard confinement conditions. Vermont Corrections Commissioner Andy Pallito confirmed this week that the state did not renew its contract with the Franklin County Jail & House of Correction before it expired June 30 and…
Updated below: Maine Democratic Party chair questions LePage’s fitness for office; Vermont Dem chair says Brock should condemn remarks. Update #2: Comment from Anti-Defamation League and union representing IRS workers. Following a fundraiser for Vermont Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Brock Thursday morning, Maine Gov. Paul LePage repeated and elaborated on controversial comments he made over…
Updated below with Correction Organic farmers from around the country — including David Zuckerman and Rachel Nevitt of Full Moon Farm in Hinesburg — are taking their lawsuit against seed giant Monsanto to the next level. Having lost round one in federal court in February, the farmers have appealed the case and are asking another…
Winooski fights crime with video surveillance — and it’s not the only Vermont burg doing so
Well, shit. Two weeks ago, we reported on an odd story brewing out of White River Junction that gave rise to speculation that the Tupelo Music Hall may not be long for the world. To jog your memory, our report was based on a story originally published on May 24 by the Valley News [“Tupelo…
Visions of a radically remade downtown and waterfront took a small step closer to reality Tuesday evening as Burlington planning commissioners got a power-point preview of the “Plan BTV” report. A draft version of the document — the product of a week-long public brainstorming session held in January — will be released online in a…
Curses, Foiled Again Police said Steven Mercado, 32, walked into a bank in Vineland, N.J., indicated he had a weapon and demanded money. He fled with an undisclosed amount of cash but didn’t get far before his getaway car ran out of gas. He then called for a taxi, but police nabbed him before it…
ARIES (March 21-April 19): During an author tour a few years ago, I was a guest on San Francisco radio station KFOG. For a while, the host interviewed me about my book and astrology column. Then we moved into a less formal mode, bantering about psychic powers, lucid dreams and reincarnation. Out of nowhere, the…
Side Dishes: Take-out pizzeria to open in Burlington’s South End
![Sun Boxes in Vermont State Parks [274]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sevendaysvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/episode274.webp?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1)
7/7/12: Artist Craig Colorusso has traveled the country with his solar-powered sun boxes. When the sun is out, each of the 20 speakers emits a different note. When the sun goes away, they are silent. Colorusso brings this sound installation to the Green Mountains with Sun Boxes in Vermont State Parks. Eva caught up with…
Theater review: Unnecessary Farce at Saint Michael’s Playhouse
Trail Marker While I won’t argue one way or another as to the overall point made by Mr. Goldsmith in [Feedback, July 4], I wanted take a moment to clarify that it is the Green Mountain Club that established, built and maintains the Long Trail — not our friends at the Appalachian Mountain Club. Our…
It was two weeks ago that Tom Moreau, the general manager of the Chittenden County Solid Waste District, noticed his tomato plants were curling and wilting. That compelled him to alert the public that soil and compost from CSWD’s Green Mountain Compost might be toxic. He suspended sales and sent off samples for testing. Now that…
