September 24, 2004 – News at a glance

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Kentucky prison warden’s removal
Vermont Corrections Commissioner Steve Gold says he recommended the removal of the warden at a Kentucky prison operated by the Corrections Corporation of America. The state has contracted with CCA to house more than 400 Vermont inmates at the prison, which was the site of a serious uprising last week. (VPR)

Interview: ‘One Day at Fenway’
Fans of the Red Sox and the Yankees know very well what stirs their contentious history, but self-described outsiders like sportswriter Steve Kettmann look for ways to explore the rivalry. Mitch Wertlieb talks with Kettmann about his new book “One Day at Fenway,” which explores the storied baseball rivalry. (VPR)

Online sex offender registry
The Legislature’s Administrative Rules Committee has given its approval to emergency rules to allow the state to launch an Internet sex offenders registry on October 1. However the committee expressed disappointment that the Public Safety Department didn’t work on the project over the summer. (VPR)

Drug re-importation
A prominent executive with a pharmaceutical company has broken ranks with his company – and his industry – on the question of drug re-importation. And Congressman Bernie Sanders says he’s got the right idea. (VPR)

Clavelle on housing policy
Peter Clavelle says more needs to be done to ensure adequate housing for Vermonters. Speaking at a news conference Thursday, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate said he would put more money into the state’s Housing and Conservation Trust Fund and increase the state’s investment in homeless prevention programs. (AP)

Verizon request denied
Vermont regulators have rejected the Verizon phone company’s request to waive most of the $8 million in rebates to customers the company was ordered to make in May. Verizon had asked the Public Service Board for reconsideration of its order, saying it failed to meet repair targets last year due to unforseen factors. (AP)

Jeffords receives stitches after fall
Vermont’s junior U.S. Senator fell outside his Washington office Wednesday and suffered a cut over his left eye that required stitches. A spokesman for Senator Jim Jeffords says the senator was on his way to a luncheon when he fell in a construction area outside the Senate office. (AP)

National Guard deployment uncertain
Vermont National Guard officials say they still haven’t gotten any official word on where 1,300 soldiers might be sent. And they say they don’t know why the head of the National Guard said Friday that Vermont’s 86th Brigade is headed to Iraq. (AP)

Vermont Yankee emergency evacuation center
A new emergency evacuation center in western Windham County is included in the proposed $1.5 million budget for emergency planning around the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. The center has long been suggested by local residents and anti-nuclear activists. (AP)

Disaster areas declared
President Bush has declared seven Vermont counties disaster areas making them eligible for federal assistance to help repair flood damage. But the president denied funding to help repair five private homes that were made uninhabitable by the same flooding. (AP)

Governor’s salary questioned
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Peter Clavelle is criticizing Governor James Douglas about the amount of money he earns. Clavelle says it’s hypocritical of Douglas to propose budget tightening while accepting a raise that has increased his salary to $133,000. (AP)

Seatbelt use declines
A new federal study shows fewer Vermont motorists are using seat belts. A recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration survey shows Vermont motorists had a 75 percent seat belt use rate, a drop of about seven percent. The federal survey says New Hampshire has the lowest rate of seat belt use, with fewer than half of Granite Staters buckling up. (AP)

Disabilities hearing postponed
Vermont’s Human Services Agency is postponing a hearing scheduled for Saturday on how well people with disabilities are integrated into the state’s communities. The Olmstead Commission hearing had been scheduled for 5-7 p.m. at the Department of Health in Burlington. (AP)

Road may be widened Wal-Mart project
U.S. Route 7 should be widened and a series of traffic signals installed if a proposed Wal-Mart is built in St. Albans Town. That message was shared by project developers with the town’s Development Review Board and a standing-room-only crowd of about 45 at Town Hall Thursday night. (AP)

Academy fundraiser fined
Supporters of a regional technical academy for northwestern Vermont have been fined $1,000 for failing to meet a campaign finance reporting deadline. Assistant Attorney General Michael McShane says the Regional Technical Academy Friends Committee paid the fine last week. (AP)

Iowa civil union divorce
A northwest Iowa judge is running for re-election amid controversy over his decision to grant a divorce to two lesbians who had entered into a civil union in Vermont. An organization has sprung up that aims to defeat District Judge Jeffrey Neary of Merrill, Iowa. (AP)

Colchester murder charge
A Colchester woman is being charged with second-degree murder in the death of her sister nearly 19 months ago. Forty-three-year-old Carolyn Walters is accused of killing 48-year-old Mary Abeling on March 1, 2003. Police say Abeling appeared to have been struck at least twice in the head with an orange glass decanter. (AP)

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