Interview: methadone clinic
Steve Delaney talks with Bob Bick, an organizer of the methadone clinic that is opening in Burlington. (Listen to the interview online.) (VPR)
Dairy prices
Some Vermont dairy farmers are hoping to band together to demand higher prices from milk processors. The National Farm Organization is planning a meeting in the Northeast Kingdom for Sunday. (VPR)
FAHC construction costs
State health care regulators don’t know how much a major hospital expansion project will cost. Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington admitted ten days ago that its $228 million Renaissance Project faces at least $26 million in cost overruns. (VPR)
Dubie proposes graduation exam
Brian Dubie, the Republican running for lieutenant governor, wants greater accountability for Vermont schools. Dubie says high school seniors should pass a new state graduation test before they get a diploma. Dubie’s opponents don’t like the plan at all. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Peace protest
While the U.S. continues to threaten military action against Iraq, some Vermonters are heading for a peace rally in Washington on Saturday. They’re also making their anti-war sentiments known at home. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Burlington film festival
This weekend marks the arrival of the thirteenth annual Vermont International Film Festival in Burlington. Unlike most film festivals, which highlight celebrity and marketing, the Burlington Film Festival focuses on social and environmental issues. (VPR)
Senate races
The Vermont Senate is up for grabs on Election Day. Democrats hope to hold onto their 16 to 14 majority. Republicans say they have a good chance of gaining control of the chamber for the first time in six years. The outcome is hard to predict because a number of veteran senators have retired, and some senate districts were redrawn by the Legislature. (Listen to the story online or read the transcript.) (VPR)
Ben & Jerry’s layoffs
The company is laying off 52 people from its South Burlington corporate offices. The cuts represent a large proportion of the headquarters staff, where nearly 200 worked before the layoffs. Ben & Jerry’s says the job cuts are designed to bolster its position in the ice cream business and prepare it for future growth. (AP)
Natural foods distributors merge
The natural foods distributor Northeast Cooperatives of Brattleboro is hoping to merge with a larger competitor and move to New Hampshire. Northeast Cooperatives members have been asked to approve the merger with United Natural Foods of Chesterfield, New Hampshire. (AP)
Geologists predict storm cycle
A team of University of Vermont geologists has uncovered evidence that the region could be heading for a period of storms unlike any it’s seen in 2,500 years. (AP)
Counter-terrorism center at Norwich
Norwich University in Northfield has been designated as the site one of seven national Centers for Counter-Terrorism and Cyber-Crime. The U.S. Justice Department is funding the center, which will help test and design new technologies that can be used in the war on terrorism and computer crime. (AP)
History grant
Northeastern Vermont’s Caledonia Central School District has won a one million dollar grant to enhance the teaching of U.S. history. The supervisory union’s proposal was for a program called “The Flow of History,” which focuses on how various historical developments played out in the Connecticut River valley. (AP)
Dean in New Hampshire
Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean will be in New Hampshire Friday to campaign for First Congressional District candidate Martha Fuller Clark. The three-term Vermont governor has made several trips to New Hampshire this year as he prepares to seek the Democratic presidential primary nod. (AP)
Lyndonville town office break-in
Vermont state police are investigating a burglary reported yesterday at the municipal offices that serve the town of Lyndon and village of Lyndonville. Evidence of a break-in was found shortly before 6:30 a.m. by Ken Mason, manager of the Lyndonville Electric Department, as he arrived for work. (AP)