Monday, December 5, 2011 at 10:01AM Tropical Storm Irene has been a defining moment in Vermont history, House Speaker Shap Smith told his Democratic colleagues during their annual caucus to plan for the upcoming legislative session. The speaker reminded lawmakers of the importance of listening to their constituents, even if they didn’t agree with them.
Monday, October 31, 2011 at 04:30PM Vermonters answered Gov. Peter Shumlin’s call to help their neighbors recover from Tropical Storm Irene during "VT Clean Up Day," which came two months after the most damaging flood to hit the state in recent memory.
Friday, June 17, 2011 at 01:29PM Over the past few months, Winooski has launched a rebranding campaign, complete with a design-forward new logo and community-building events. These efforts, along with a retooled farmers market, are in part the work of the reenergized Winooski Community Partnership, a downtown business organization aimed at making the city an attractive, vibrant urban center.
Link to full articleWednesday, March 2, 2011 at 10:19AM In Rutland, the most hotly debated issue was not the municipal or school budgets but a $3.9 million bond vote to upgrade the city's recreation department.
Link to full articleThursday, May 20, 2010 at 03:04PM The airwaves in Vermont in recent years have increasingly been turned over to the vox populi — the voice of the people. Community-radio stations have mushroomed in numbers in the state during the past decade, giving volunteers a chance to play music, talk about current events or simply entertain listeners within close range of the generally low-powered stations. Community radio, though, is about more than boosting the public’s on-air abilities. It’s about presenting music and thoughts that might not make it onto commercial-radio stations.
Link to full articleThursday, May 6, 2010 at 01:54PM The Montpelier Master Plan that will provide a framework for the city's development for years to come is moving through the final stages, and the public will have a few more chances to weigh in on the 226-page document before it becomes final, including at a meeting on Monday. The master plan has been in the making for about three years, starting with EnVision Montpelier, a community planning initiative that began in 2007.
Link to full articleFriday, April 9, 2010 at 09:59AM When the state wanted to revise its wetland rules, a paid notice ran in 16 Vermont newspapers, alerting the public to the proposal and explaining how they could weigh in. Those ads would cease or shrink -- replaced by online postings -- under a proposal that is part of the "Challenges for Change" the state is considering to save money and increase efficiency. The move would save an estimated $100,000 paid to newspapers for the ads. "The more accessible the rules are, the better chance people will see them," said Tom Evslin, the state's chief technology officer, arguing that putting the ads online not only will save money but make them accessible to a larger segment of the population. With time, he said, people would get used to looking online for the ads.
Link to full articleMonday, March 15, 2010 at 02:09PM A state panel charged with brainstorming ways to slice millions of dollars from education spending will meet in public after critics complained the group’s closed-door sessions are undemocratic. Members of the Challenges for Change Education Design Team decided Thursday that their meetings will be open to the public starting Monday.
Link to full articleWednesday, March 3, 2010 at 10:18AM Vermonters voice their collective opinions today at town halls and high school gymnasiums as annual town meetings convene across the state. Local issues large and small fill agendas, including an effort to repeal instant-runoff voting in Burlington and a question about the continued operation of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. Most polls remain open until 7 p.m. Read about the most-watched issues.
Link to full articleWednesday, February 24, 2010 at 12:40PM On Town Meeting Day next week, voters in Rutland will have a chance to weigh in on their city's $17 million budget. Historically, it fell to Rutland's board of aldermen to decide the fate of the Mayor's proposed budget. But a charter change approved last year, now allows residents to have a say. Mayor Christopher Louras says that's a good thing. But he says local residents need to understand the consequences of voting down the city's $17 million budget.
Link to full articleThursday, January 28, 2010 at 09:55AM Last month marked the end of a unique art-making and public-planning project 10 months in the making. Starksboro’s "Art & Soul Civic Engagement Project" aimed to inspire public creativity and participatory decision making with the hopes of enabling residents of the small Addison County town give expression to their community identity and develop a vision for Starksboro’s future.
Link to full articleWednesday, January 28, 2009 at 11:55AM The Brattleboro Reformer reports that following a string of racially motivated incidents in the Brattleboro area (including the emergence of a racial hate group at Brattleboro Union High School during the spring of 2008), about thirty of Brattleboro's "community leaders and residents [have] banded together to work for a town free of discrimination and prejudice." Indeed, "Brattleboro residents and community leaders formed the Racial Issues Planning Team to help plan and organize a wide-scale plan for the town." That Team has recently decided to host a Future Search Conference in February to "further promote racial tolerance and understanding in Brattleboro." The Conference will take place over three days and will feature 64 representatives "from all different backgrounds within the community." Those representatives will discuss the past, present and future of discrimination and prejudice issues in Brattleboro" and brainstorm a list of practical ways to address discrimination and intolerance.
Share Article Wednesday, November 26, 2008 at 03:09PM The Brattleboro Reformer reports that Melinda Bussino, executive director of the Brattleboro Area Drop In Center, was recognized this week as Vermont's Housing Hero at the biannual Vermont Statewide Housing Conference. "The award is given out at the conference, which is held every other year, to one person who has made a significant and lasting contribution to promoting safe and affordable housing for low and moderate income Vermonters." According to Vermont Housing Finance Agency public affairs manager John Fairbanks, "Bussino was chosen this year not only for the number of years she has put in at the Drop In Center, but also for the level of success she has had working with low income individuals and families in the Brattleboro area." Notably, "during Bussino's time as head of Drop In Center, the local food shelf has grown to become a day shelter, a source of income for the under-employed, and a place to find clothing, make a call or clean up."
Share Article Monday, September 8, 2008 at 01:46PM Vermont Public Radio reports that Vermonters head to the polls on Tuesday, September 9, 2008, for the state primary. "Voters will decide their party's nominees for statewide offices and the legislature. Secretary of State Deb Markowitz says polling places are not likely to see the same large turnout as the March presidential primary." She explained, "Turnout in a primary is driven by the ballot. The more contested races there are in a ballot, the higher up the ticket they are, the more people that come out. And in fact this is a pretty sleepy primary." She concluded that she "expects a similar turnout to the 2006 statewide primary when 19 percent of registered voters went to the polls. "
VCF Staff
Vermont Public Radio reports that "voter turnout in last week's Vermont primary election was only 8.5 percent, which
officials say is the lowest in recent memory." Indeed, "36,716 of the state's registered voters cast ballots in the
election, almost two-thirds of them in the Democratic primary." The lack of contested races on the ballot may be the reason why many people stayed
home.
Share Article Tuesday, August 19, 2008 at 03:50PM Vermont Public Radio reports that a telephone survey conducted last winter by the the University of Vermont's Center for Rural Studies has found that Vermonters cherish the state's working landscape, its sense of community, and its independence. The survey was conducted for the Council on the Future of Vermont which has spent several months holding forums around the state to explore Vermonters' values, challenges, opportunities, and priorities. Of the 700 people questioned for the survey, 97 percent said they value the state's landscape and heritage, and 93 percent said they are proud of living in Vermont. The respondents also said that "Vermont's future is bright" but worried about things that threaten Vermont's values including "the cost of living, high tax rates, and the difficulty of surviving as a farmer." Notably, "the council's goal over the next six months is to take all of this information and use it to tell Vermonters what their neighbors think about the state of affairs" in the state. The Council hopes that the infomration will "give policymakers and average citizens the perspective that will help them preserve their values and solve future challenges."
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