Wal-Mart proposal tests Bennington zoning rules
Bennington’s new zoning by-law that limits the size of retail development is getting its first test. Wal-Mart wants to replace its existing store with a much bigger one. (VPR)
Several towns may form recreation district
Rutland County towns are considering whether to build a new indoor recreational facility. On Town Meeting Day, voters in six municipalities will be asked whether they want to create a municipal district for the project. (VPR)
Funeral held for Sergeant Jesse Strong
Hundreds of people filled the Lake Region Union High School Gymnasium in Orleans on Friday to pay their respects to Marine Sargent Jesse Strong. Last week, Strong became the fifteenth soldier with Vermont ties to die in the war in Iraq. (VPR)
Legal to military families
The Vermont Bar Association is asking lawyers in the state to sign up to provide free legal services for Vermont National Guard members in Iraq. The association recently sent out a computer message to its 2,050 members seeking attorneys to sign up for volunteer duty. (AP)
Dean’s DNC bid
Howard Dean’s bid for chairmanship of the Democratic Party has tapped into members’ hunger for a fighter who can recruit new supporters and raise plenty of money. But some Democrats worry about the image Dean projects as an anti-war northeastern liberal from Vermont, the state that led the way on civil unions. (AP)
Prescription drug benefit
A bill being considered by the Vermont House could help people without health insurance get reduced price prescription drugs as soon as May 1. Prescription drug pricing is one of the biggest issues facing the Legislature this year and the Senate already has passed its version of the bill. (AP)
Minimum wage bill
The lowest paid Vermonter would get a raise next year if a Senate bill on the minimum wage becomes law. Senate Majority Leader John Campbell says a version of the bill was forwarded to the full Senate by the Economic Development Committee earlier this year. (AP)
Carbon monoxide detectors
Burlington and state officials are considering requiring carbon monoxide detectors in homes throughout Vermont. The move is one response to last weekend’s carbon monoxide leak that killed one person and injured others at a Burlington apartment complex. (AP)
Vermont label rules
Lisa Lorimer of the Vermont Bread Company in Brattleboro is in a quandary. The word “Vermont” in her company name could violate a proposed rule governing what can be considered a Vermont product. A draft of the rule would require that at least 85 percent of a product’s ingredients would have to originate in or be processed in the state to be able to use the name Vermont. (AP)
Rutland football noise dispute
A four-year-fight over Rutland High School’s touchdown cannon and outdoor public address system is over. The cannon will sound and the public address system will be used during football games. (AP)
Emergency landing on Chittenden Reservoir
A pilot from Barre had an eventful return flight from Saratoga Springs, New York, over the weekend. Seventy-four-year-old Andre Chouinard experienced engine trouble and was forced to set his plane down on the frozen and snow-covered surface of Chittenden Reservoir. Chouinard was the only person aboard the single-engine Cessna plane. He was not injured and neither were any of the ice fishermen on the reservoir. (AP)
Cochran matriarch dies at 76
Virginia Davis Cochran, whose children were world famous skiers and who herself taught thousands of Vermonters to ski, has died. Ginny, as she was known, died Saturday at the age of 76. (AP)