January 7, 2003 – News at a glance

Print More

Teacher certification rules
The Vermont Department of Education wants to change the way some teachers in Vermont are licensed. The department says many of the proposed changes are designed to bring better qualified teachers into Vermont’s schools. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)

Seatbelt laws
Backers of a mandatory seatbelt law are planning to ask the Legislature to add new enforcement provisions to the state’s existing law. The proposal faces an uncertain future in the Senate. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)

Higher education funding
Incoming State Treasurer Jeb Spaulding says he’ll ask the Legislature to consider several proposals that are designed to make higher education more affordable for low- and middle-income Vermont families. (VPR)

School racism hotline
Parents whose children have experienced racial harassment in Vermont schools can now get help from a hotline. A statewide organization called the Vermont Anti-Racism Action Team has set up the line. (AP)

Community development grants
The state is distributing a round of community development block grants Monday. The federal program will support handicapped accessibility, low-income housing and economic development in Vermont. (AP)

Pfizer lawsuit
Vermont and 18 other states have reached a $6 million settlement with Pfizer over the company’s antibiotic ads. Attorneys general in the states accused the company of misrepresenting the performance of an antibiotic by implying the medication was superior to similar drugs. (AP)

Legislature convenes Wednesday
The Vermont Legislature will convene Wednesday and new lawmakers will be seated at the Statehouse. On Thursday Democratic Governor Howard Dean will leave office and Republican James Douglas will be sworn in. (AP)

Milton dam
Governor Howard Dean could announce Tuesday that the Peterson Dam in Milton will be removed. The Milton Select Board voted last night to approve an agreement over the fate of the dam but the details will not be released until Tuesday. (AP)

Anti-tobacco “grades”
Vermont is getting a good grade for discouraging smoking, especially smoking by young people. The American Lung Association is giving Vermont an ‘A’ for laws against youth smoking. The state gets ‘B’s for tobacco control, smoking restrictions and high cigarette taxes. (AP)

S. Burlington teachers’ contract
Teachers in South Burlington held a public meeting Monday night to ask for support from the community for an end to their contract negotiations. Teachers urged the roughly 150 people who attended the meeting to call school board members and urge them to offer teachers more money. (AP)

Burlington city council
Burlington Republicans will meet tonight to select candidates for city races. They will also consider a replacement for city GOP Chairman Scot Shumski, who has taken a new job in Philadelphia. (AP)

Civil unions in court
Vermont’s civil unions law is continuing to spark legal action in other states. Three Indiana couples are asking their state to recognize the civil unions they obtained in Vermont. The couples say Indiana’s law banning same-sex marriage violates a guarantee of equal privileges. (AP)

Dean receives labor award
Governor Howard Dean is getting a national award for supporting organized labor. The AFL-CIO will present Dean with its first Paul Wellstone Award on Friday in Washington to recognize his efforts on behalf of nurses at Burlington’s Fletcher Allen Health Care. (AP)

Corrections officer faces drug charges
A Vermont corrections officer is facing charges he took a bribe to smuggle hypodermic needles and drugs into the Caledonia County work camp. Police say 21-year-old Chris Baptie accepted $300 cash, the needles and what he believed was drugs from an undercover state police trooper. (AP)

Bank robber indicted
A Bellows Falls man is facing a federal indictment that he robbed a bank in his hometown in December. A federal grand jury yesterday returned a one-count indictment against 21-year-old Greg Turner. A second man 18-year-old Jimmy Winter, has agreed to plead guilty and cooperate with prosecutors. (AP)

Comments are closed.