Vermont Diocese Prepares for Bishop’s Retirement
Vermont Bishop Kenneth Angell may be entering his last year as head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington. A year from now, he will be required to tender his resignation. Vermont Catholics may learn who their next bishop is even before Angell steps down. (VPR)
Interview: Changes in Forest Management Policy
Just before he left office, President Clinton signed a law that put some 60 million acres of forest in the United States under federal control and off-limits to logging. Now President Bush is proposing to change those rules and give local control of those areas to the states where they’re located. Mitch Wertlieb talks with Dr. James Harding of Green Mountain College about the proposed changes. (VPR)
Douglas Tones Down Rhetoric Against Clavelle
Republican Governor Jim Douglas has backed away from attacks his party made against Democratic gubernatorial candidate Peter Clavelle. Republican Party officials had charged that Clavelle’s support for the Nicaraguan Sandinistas 15 years ago was evidence that the Democrat is extremist. (VPR)
Captive Insurance Industry Training Center
The University of Vermont announced Thursday a professional education program for people who work in the captive insurance industry. The program is in collaboration with the Vermont Captive Insurance Association, the largest professional group of its kind in the country. (VPR)
Dubie Cancels Concert Campaign Event
Republican Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie is canceling plans for a fundraiser that was to precede a benefit concert for the families of Vermont service members. Dubie says he wants the attention at the August 14 event to stay focused on the families. (AP)
Group Advocates Against Judicial Retention
A group has formed to lobby against the reappointment of Vermont Supreme Court Justices. Citizens Alliance for Judicial Accountability says it wants legislative candidates to discuss whether they think justices should be retained. (AP)
Campaign Finance Reports
Republican Governor Jim Douglas has raised half a million dollars to support his bid for re-election. Democrat Peter Clavelle, the mayor of Burlington, has raised just over half that amount – $260,000. Thursday was the deadline for Vermont candidates to file campaign finance reports with the Secretary of State’s office. (AP)
Anthrax Investigation
Federal agents investigating the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks searched homes on Thursday that belong to the founder of an organization that trains medical professionals to respond to chemical and biological attacks. In the attacks, anthrax-laced envelopes were mailed to news media and government offices, including the office of Vermont Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy. Five people were killed and 17 were sickened in the attacks. (AP)
Cuban Cow Trade
A cattle buyer was in Vermont this week to help Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie meet his goal of shipping cows to Cuba. The buyer toured an Orwell dairy farm with Dubie Wednesday. It’s all part of a plan to open up the Cuban market to Vermont food and agricultural products. (AP)
Lowe’s Home Center Application
The Conservation Law Foundation is going to court on Monday in an effort to stop construction of a Lowe’s Home Center in South Burlington. The group contends the construction of the store is causing irreparable damage to the Potash Brook. (AP)
Bellows Falls Historic Preservation
Officials in Bellows Falls are seeking a grant to help them save the last surviving piece of the original 1791 Bellows Falls Canal. The canal once had eight locks that lifted boats nearly 50 feet so that river traffic could get around the half-mile Connecticut River gorge known as Great Falls. (AP)
Soldier Killed in Car Crash
A 20-year-old Milton soldier who survived a tour of duty in Iraq was killed in a car crash in Georgia. Matthew Hance was injured July 15 while driving from Fort Stewart, Georgia, to Florida to see his girlfriend. He died two days later. (AP)
Prison Uniforms
There’s something new at the Springfield prison, uniforms. Inmates at the Southern Vermont Correctional Facility are the first in the state to be issued the heavy-duty, dark blue scrubs such as might be worn by nurses or doctors. The change was made this week. (AP)
Essex Teacher Sentenced
A former Essex High School math teacher and basketball coach has been sentenced to serve up to seven years in jail for sexually assaulting a young student. Richard Bugbee, Jr. of Saint Albans pleaded no contest last month in Vermont District Court to charges that he sexually assaulted a minor. Bugbee was accused of carrying on a three-year relationship with his victim, starting when she was 13. (AP)