February 13, 2003 – News at a glance

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Mandated reporting
House Judiciary Chairwoman Peg Flory is set to introduce legislation at the Statehouse that would require members of the clergy to report cases of suspected child abuse. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)

Interview: new Fish and Wildlife commissioner
VPR’s Steve Delaney talks with Wayne Larouche, the new commissioner of the Department of Fish and Wildlife. (Listen to the interview online.) (VPR)

High fuel prices, low temperatures
Vermonters are facing a one-two punch this winter. Heating fuel prices are at near record highs and temperatures at near record lows. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)

Medicaid payments to mental hospital
this week officials at the Brattleboro Retreat said financial problems threatened to close the facility. They said part of the problem is inadequate Medicaid reimbursement from the state. But now, the state says it will increase those payments. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)

Alcohol tax
Senator Jim Leddy says he’s going ahead with legislation to raise alcohol taxes to pay for new drug treatment programs, even though Governor Jim Douglas strongly opposes the plan. (VPR)

Douglas on FAHC
Governor Jim Douglas is turning up the heat on the trustees of Vermont’s largest hospital. Douglas told officials from Fletcher Allen Health Care Wednesday he wants the hospital’s board of trustees to be replaced. (AP)

Dean campaign
Former Governor Howard Dean is raising money on the home turf of one of his opponents in the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination. Dean was in Boston Wednesday. Dean says he’s sure Massachusetts Senator John Kerry will recover from prostate cancer. Dean and other Democrats hoping to challenge President Bush next year are headed to Florida later this month. The presidential hopefuls plan to attend the AFL-CIO’s winter meetings where they’ll be courting labor leaders. (AP)

Vermont GOP
Susie Hudson, the executive director of the Vermont Republican Party, is stepping down to take a job with the Douglas administration. Susie Hudson will be the new executive director of the Vermont Commission on National and Community Service. (AP)

Times Argus hires new editor
A Maryland woman will become the new managing editor of the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus newspaper. Maria Archangelo is now the managing editor of the weekly Howard County Times and the Columbia Flier in the Baltimore area. Archangelo replaces Scott Fletcher. Fletcher was dismissed last year after questions were raised about the truthfulness of his reporting. (AP)

Carbon monoxide poisoning
Three Vermonters poisoned by carbon monoxide remain in critical condition. Authorities found 45-year-old Judy Evans, 40-year-old Eribeto Cobeo and 17-year-old Danford Cross unconscious Monday at their home in Fairfax. Authorities say the furnace in their home was to blame. (AP)

Weather affects retail stores
Some Vermont retailers say the recent cold weather has kept many shoppers at home. Owners of stores located outside Vermont’s malls are worried that people are avoiding unnecessary trips into the bitter cold, spelling trouble for those retailers. (AP)

Stolen Santa
A Rutland woman accused of stealing an inflatable Santa Claus lawn ornament now has a criminal record. Twenty-three-year-old Rebecca Peters has pleaded guilty to a possession of stolen property charge following the holiday prank. (AP)

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