Rockingham votes to buy hydro dam
The town of Rockingham voted Tuesday to buy the Bellows Falls Hydroelectric plant for $72 million dollars. By just over the needed 60 percent margin, voters said ‘yes’ to a partnership with two Canadian Energy companies. (VPR)
Interview: Philanthropists of the Year Award
A Burlington couple is sharing the award for Philanthropist of the Year in Vermont. Dr. Arnold and Virginia Golodetz received the award and were also among four people singled out for their lifelong commitment to giving. Mitch Wertlieb talks with the Golodetzes about their support for children’s programs, commitment to health care issues, medical ethics and funding for the arts. (VPR)
Power line opponents ask for delay
Opponents of the power line proposed for western Vermont want state regulators to delay their decision on the project so that it can be studied further. But so far, the Public Service Board has refused. The board wants to stick to its schedule, clearing the way for a decision in mid-January. (VPR)
Firewood prices on the rise
With the price of heating oil up fifty-three percent from last year, many people are opting to heat their homes with wood this winter. But the cost of dry firewood has also gone up this year and in a lot of places it’s hard to find. (VPR)
More flu clinics announced
People who are at high risk of medical problems have another chance to get a flu shot. Three flu clinics will be held in the Upper Valley next week for people who are elderly or have chronic medical conditions, and for pregnant women. (VPR)
Details emerge in Kentucky prison riot
A wooden guard tower was the first target for inmates, some from Vermont, who rioted earlier this year at a private prison in Kentucky. (AP)
Barre works to correct accounting errors
The city of Barre is trying to unravel a year’s worth problems with its books. A city accountant resigned abruptly this summer, and an outside accounting firm has found that there were so many errors in the books that entries in them needed to be reposted for the whole year. (AP)
Norwich drill team
The Norwich University Drill Team is known for its excellence in national competition. And this year’s squad is upholding that tradition. In February, the Norwich “Shock Platoon” is heading to the National Championships at Tulane University. (VPR)
House race recounted
A recount of a close race for a Vermont House seat has affirmed that Republican incumbent Alan Parent defeated Democratic challenger Shaun Trombley. On election night, The St. Albans Republican tallied 13 more votes than Trombley. (AP)
Home heating assistance
Vermont will receive more than $11 million in federal funding to help low income families heat their homes. Vermont’s congressional delegation says it will continue pushing for more funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program known as LIHEAP. (AP)
Invasive species in Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain will receive some help in controlling nuisance plants and animals. The just-passed federal budget includes nearly $1.4 million for everything from fighting sea lamprey to lessening the environmental damage inflicted by double-crested cormorants. (AP)
Catholic Bishop to retire
The bishop of Vermont’s 148,000 Catholics is due to retire next summer. Bishop Kenneth Angell says he is required under church law to submit his resignation on his seventy-fifth birthday, which comes next August. (AP)
UVM men’s hockey
The University of Vermont men’s hockey team is flying high after an early season unbeaten streak that has propelled the squad into the national rankings. The team’s most recent victory came Tuesday when the Catamounts defeated the University of Massachusetts 5-2. (AP)
Drug bust near border
U.S. Border Patrol agents and police have arrested a Canadian man after they found 95 pounds of marijuana in his rental car. Police had pulled him over for a routine traffic stop in Franklin when they searched his car and found the drugs. (AP)