Interview: Decade of change
Mention a decade of radical change in America and the 1960’s might spring to mind. But Boston University professor Bruce Schulman argues that the 1970’s were actually the most pivotal years in U.S. history, or at the very least a decade that made its mark with more than just pet rocks, disco, and the introduction of the leisure suit. Mitch Wertlieb talks with Professor Schulman about his book, “The 70’s: The Great Shift in American Culture, Politics, and Society.” (Listen to the interview online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Powerball revenues expected to reach record high
Vermont lottery officials say this fiscal year will see record revenue for lottery ticket sales in Vermont. They say the increase is due to sales from the multi-state Powerball game. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
House gives initial approval to state budget
On Monday, by a vote of 81 to 59, the Vermont House gave its preliminary approval to the state budget for next year. House Appropriations Chairman Richard Westman says the budget plan meets the state’s immediate needs, while it limits the growth of overall state spending. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Power companies to fund energy projects
Vermont’s two largest utilities want to use a grant program to jump-start small-scale renewable energy projects. Governor Jim Douglas says the power companies will offer more than one million dollars for renewable energy efforts, including systems that convert farm waste to methane. (VPR)
Jimmy Cochran wins skiing title
Skier Jimmy Cochran of Keene, New Hampshire has won his first national title. Cochran won the slalom at the U.S. Alpine Championships at in Alaska on Sunday. The Cochrans are one of the pre-eminent skiing families in the country. (AP)
School deals with bomb hoaxes
The principal of the St. Johnsbury School is fighting back against a rash of recent bomb threats. Janet Haley says the six threats this month are disruptive and draw the school’s resources away from teaching and into policing. (AP)
Peterson Dam debate
A bitter debate about a Lamoille River power dam in Milton is being revived in the Vermont Legislature. A piece of legislation that has been tacked onto a capital projects bill would prohibit the removal of Peterson Dam. (AP)
National forest logging
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to block a logging project and timber sale in the Green Mountain National Forest. The judge says the objections to the so-called Old Joe logging project raised by Forest Watch didn’t meet federal standards to stop such a project. (AP)
Baird School has new building
The 50 students and staff at the Baird School in Burlington are getting accustomed to their spacious new quarters. The $7.5 million building was completed midway during the school year. The building houses 20 programs, including the school. (AP)
Teen suicide
The family of a 13-year-old Essex Junction boy who committed suicide last fall is hoping their personal tragedy can help prevent other suicides. Ryan Halligan committed suicide last October. The Halligans will participate in a public forum on harassment Wednesday night at Essex High School. The goal of the meeting is to inspire a plan to combat bullying. (AP)
Windsor high school track
Some Windsor residents are campaigning hard to get support for a new high school track. Advocates of the project plan to make a presentation at a basketball game on Friday, speak about it on community access television, and perhaps even hold neighborhood meetings in people’s homes. The track would cost more than half a million dollars. (AP)
Marijuana smuggling
A Quebec man has been sentenced to serve two years of probation after pleading guilty to charges he helped smuggle almost 90 pounds of marijuana into the United States. Twenty-four-year-old Guy Vachon is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada. (AP)
Bank fraud sentencing
A Vermont man has been sentenced to serve more than a year in prison on bank fraud charges. Twenty-three-year-old Justin Compton of Bellows Falls was sentenced on Monday in Concord, New Hampshire. Federal authorities say Compton opened checking accounts in New Hampshire, Vermont and Missouri and wrote bogus checks worth $150,000. (AP)
Daley trial
Lawyers for Eric Daley appeared in court on Monday in White River Junction. Daley is charged with striking and killing Vermont State Police Sergeant Michael Johnson last June while he was trying to flee from a traffic stop. He was arrested two days later on the Appalachian Trail. Daley faces seven charges, including second-degree murder. (AP)
Turnbaugh trial
A Moretown man who is charged with fatally shooting his co-worker at American Flatbread in Waitsfield went on trial on Monday. Twenty-year-old Isaac Turnbaugh has pleaded innocent to first-degree murder charges in the killing of 24-year-old Declan Lyons two years ago. (AP)