June 9, 2003 – News at a glance

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No child left behind: implementation in a rural state
Eighteen months ago, President Bush signed into law a sweeping educational reform plan called the “No Child Left Behind Act.” The president says he created the law to improve accountability for federal education dollars, give parents more choice, and ensure no child falls between the cracks. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)

USDA redraws plant hardiness map
For more than forty years, gardeners have used the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map as a guide to tell them which plants can grow in Vermont. Now the map is being revised and some Vermonters could end up in a different zone. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)

Interview: around the world car trip
Steve Delaney talks with Joe Sherman, who is embarking on a car trip in a 1902 Napier automobile. (Listen to the interview online.) (VPR)

Refugees arriving from Somalia
Vermont will be welcoming dozens of Somali Bantu refugees over the next year but some are worried about how they’ll adapt to their new home. The first 14 families are expected to arrive sometime this summer and most will live in Chittenden County. (AP)

Dean and Kerry in NH
A new poll shows former Vermont Governor Howard Dean and U.S. Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts lead the Democratic field of presidential contenders in New Hampshire. Kerry was at 25% while Dean was at 22% in the Zogby poll. (AP)

Butson arrested for Danville murders
A 54-year-old Saint Johnsbury man is due to be arraigned today on two counts of murder in the deaths eight days ago of two people who had been close friends. Police say Henry “Hank” Butson was arrested without incident Saturday night after they were tipped that Butson was hiding out in the woods in Peacham. (AP)

Cabot victim memorialized
Friends are remembering a Cabot man who was shot to death a week ago. They describe Robert Brown as a likable, popular man who was a devoted father to his 4-year-old daughter. Authorities say many questions about the shooting may remain unsolved. (AP)

Domestic violence in court records
Court records indicate that a Burlington man accused of killing his longtime girlfriend with a blow to the head had a history of abusing her. Sarah Genest described eight years of abuse at the hands of Robert Jones in an application for a restraining order in 1998. Now the 34-year-old Jones is accused of killing Genest, who was 32. (AP)

House burns in fire
Robert and Debbie Wallen say they’ll bounce back from a fire that destroyed their home in Randolph Center early Saturday. Debbie Wallen says they were in the midst of building a new home behind their current one, and now have new incentive to hurry and finish it. (AP)

Investigators cleared to enter burned building
A building on Main Street in Montpelier that burned two weeks ago has been deemed safe enough for fire investigators to enter. Officials had been worried about the possible collapse of a building that housed a music store and beauty salon. Water used to fight the fire damaged a neighboring store and bar. (AP)

Flag vandalized
State computer crime investigators have been asked to try to find out who sent an e-mail claiming responsibility for vandalizing a huge flag that hung over Main Street in Barre. Someone claiming to represent the Iconoclast Front of Vermont sent an e-mail saying that dousing the flag with oil and fake blood was an act of social and political agitation. (AP)

Homemade bombs
A 22-year-old Brattleboro man faces charges alleging he illegally made two explosive devices. Police say Amos Putnam was arrested Friday night after selling the two homemade bombs. (AP)

Vermont festivals
It’s a bit like trying to get into an Ivy League college or enrolled in an elite New York preschool. The Vermont Chamber of Commerce’s decision to put together a top-ten list of fairs and festivals has set up a stiff competition. The prize is free publicity on 300,000 handouts and on several official Vermont web sites. (AP)

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