Dean proposes energy efficiency in Iowa
Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean is calling for a comprehensive renewable energy plan that includes a massive wind project in the Midwestern region of the United States. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Lilacs bloom at Shelburne Farms
It’s lilac time in Vermont, and one man who is very much caught up in the season is Charlie Proutt. On Sunday, as he has for the past decade, he gave tours of the Shelburne Museum’s annual “Lilac and Gardening Sunday.” (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Vermont Law School commencement
CNN founder Ted Turner told graduates at the Vermont Law School that cooperation, not confrontation, is the answer to a host of global problems from terrorism to overpopulation. (VPR)
Marlboro commencement
Actress Jessica Lange urged graduates at Marlboro College Sunday to use their educations to work for peace and human rights. (VPR)
Legislative agenda
Vermont legislators have their work cut out for them this week. As the legislative session winds down, many of the top policy issues remain unresolved, including education funding reform and environmental permitting reform. (AP)
Special education reporting
Vermont education officials say a new report that shows some districts may not be properly documenting special education students. A two-year study shows more than half the districts failed to comply with reporting requirements. (AP)
Bennington Bypass
The scope of the Bennington Bypass highway project has divided lawmakers again. Members of a House negotiating committee are holding out for continued funding of the southern leg of the bypass. But senators have been trying to kill the section that would link Vermont Route 9, east of downtown Bennington, with U.S. Route 7 south of town. (AP)
Credit cards and government transactions
Leaders of Vermont state government are trying to decide where to accept credit cards. Lawmakers are expected to work out final differences this week on a bill that would allow more state business to be conducted with credit or debit cards. (AP)
Farmers using assistance program
A new program rushed through the Legislature this spring is already helping dairy farmers. The Vermont Economic Development Authority says dozens of farmers have applied for the program, and 26 already have checks on the way. (AP)
Somali refugees resettling in Vermont
Vermont will be welcoming dozens of Somali refugees over the next year. The Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program says the first 14 families from Somalia’s Bantu community are expected to arrive sometime this summer. (AP)
Dean on job loss
Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean bashed President Bush during a campaign appearance in Iowa Sunday. Dean says 2.5 million jobs have been lost nationally during the president’s first two and a half years in office. Dean predicts that if Bush is re-elected the job losses would amount to eight million and the nation would be plunged into a depression. (AP)
Ithaca College commencement
Ben & Jerry’s co-founders say graduating college students should get involved in politics. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield spoke over the weekend at the commencement exercises of Ithaca College. They also spoke about the importance of community service. (AP)
Atlantic sail begins in Lake Champlain
A young Vermonter is starting his cross-Atlantic sailing trip Monday from Lake Champlain. Twenty-four-year-old Adam Powers hopes to use his 3,000-mile journey as a fund raiser for the American Cancer Society. (AP)
Memphremagog monster debate
There’s a battle brewing in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom over a legendary sea monster in Lake Memphremagog. A local historian who claims she’s seen the lake monster on several occasions says she also got a copyright on its name, Memphre. (AP)