Midday Report: Tuesday, December 30, 2003

Top stories developing across the region at the noon hour: the dean of the University of Vermont Medical School, Dr. Joseph Warshaw, has died of cancer at 67; Vermont is about to open a new kind of court to deal with addiction cases; an American Research Group poll shows that former Vermont Governor Howard Dean still holds a big lead in New Hampshire; more…

Vermont officials say meningitis outbreak unlikely here

Vermont health officials say they are watching the outbreak of bacterial meningitis in New Hampshire. But because the disease isn’t easily spread, there are no plans to take additional precautions. In the past week, there have been five reported cases of bacterial meningitis in New Hampshire, with one fatality.

Cattle tracking system proposed by Brattleboro group

A case of mad cow disease in Washington state has focused attention on the difficulty that investigators face in tracing cattle across the country. A Vermont organization has one solution: a national cattle identification system that allows researchers to accurately follow an animal its entire life.

Midday Report: Monday, December 29, 2003

Top stories developing across the region at the noon hour: Springfield schools will be able to lower the tax rate while raising the budget, according to Business Manager Steve Hier; Democratic candidates for president are using long-form TV programs as well as televised debates and 30-second spots to get their messages out to potential voters; BankNorth economist Alan Day gives a year-end review of the regional economy, rating it 7.5 on a 1-to-10 scale.