INSIDER
Woman pleads guilty to trying to smuggle 29 turtles across a Vermont lake into Canada by kayak
Read full article: Woman pleads guilty to trying to smuggle 29 turtles across a Vermont lake into Canada by kayakA woman from China has pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle 29 eastern box turtles, a protected species, across a Vermont lake into Canada by kayak.
Rare but deadly mosquito disease has New England hotspots warning against going out at night
Read full article: Rare but deadly mosquito disease has New England hotspots warning against going out at nightHealth officials warn that a rare but deadly mosquito-spread disease is posing a serious threat in parts of New England, prompting the cancellation of some events and changes to sports schedules to avoid bites by infected bugs.
A Vermont mom called police to talk to her son about stealing. He ended up handcuffed and sedated
Read full article: A Vermont mom called police to talk to her son about stealing. He ended up handcuffed and sedatedA Vermont mother has filed a lawsuit alleging that police used excessive force and discriminated against her unarmed Black son with behavioral and intellectual disabilities.
Small farmers hit by extreme weather could get assistance from proposed insurance program
Read full article: Small farmers hit by extreme weather could get assistance from proposed insurance programSince catastrophic flooding hit Vermont in July and waterlogged crops, some farmers are trying to figure out how to get to the next season.
Ben & Jerry's and Vermont scoop shop employees reach contract agreement
Read full article: Ben & Jerry's and Vermont scoop shop employees reach contract agreementIce cream maker Ben & Jerry’s has reached its first contract agreement with workers at a retail shop in the Vermont city where the company was founded after the employees petitioned to unionize last year.
Vermont, ranked as one of the safest states, sees dramatic spike in gun violence
Read full article: Vermont, ranked as one of the safest states, sees dramatic spike in gun violenceThe recent shootings of three college students of Palestinian descent in Vermont’s largest city come as the small rural state is grappling with a spike in gun violence.
More than $950,000 raised for Palestinian student paralyzed after being shot in Vermont
Read full article: More than $950,000 raised for Palestinian student paralyzed after being shot in VermontMore than $950,000 has been raised for the recovery of one of the three college students of Palestinian descent who was shot in Vermont and is currently paralyzed from the chest down.
A world away from the West Bank, Vermont shooting victims and their families face new grief and fear
Read full article: A world away from the West Bank, Vermont shooting victims and their families face new grief and fearNearly a week after three college students of Palestinian descent were shot and seriously wounded while taking an evening walk, relatives of two of the victims have arrived in Vermont from the war-torn West Bank to care for their loved ones.
Man charged with shooting 3 Palestinian college students accused of harassing ex-girlfriend in 2019
Read full article: Man charged with shooting 3 Palestinian college students accused of harassing ex-girlfriend in 2019The man charged with shooting three college students of Palestinian descent in Vermont was accused in 2019 of harassing an ex-girlfriend in New York state.
Was the Vermont shooting of 3 men of Palestinian descent a hate crime? Under state law it might be
Read full article: Was the Vermont shooting of 3 men of Palestinian descent a hate crime? Under state law it might beAuthorities in Vermont are weighing whether the shooting of three college students of Palestinian descent over the weekend was a hate crime.
Suspect in shooting of 3 men of Palestinian descent near the University of Vermont pleads not guilty
Read full article: Suspect in shooting of 3 men of Palestinian descent near the University of Vermont pleads not guiltyA man pleaded not guilty to attempted murder Monday in the weekend shooting of three college students of Palestinian descent in Vermont.
Northeast floods devastate 'heartbroken' farmers as months of labor and crops are swept away
Read full article: Northeast floods devastate 'heartbroken' farmers as months of labor and crops are swept awayWhen devastating rains swept through the Northeast, farmers in the region were dealt a devastating blow at the worst possible time.
Vermont starts long road to recovery from historic floods, helped by army of volunteers
Read full article: Vermont starts long road to recovery from historic floods, helped by army of volunteersVermonters are working to dry out homes and businesses damaged by this week's historic flooding and keeping a wary eye on the horizon with another round of storms on the horizon.
Sanders praises shop workers, Ben & Jerry's on union effort
Read full article: Sanders praises shop workers, Ben & Jerry's on union effortWorkers seeking to unionize at a Ben & Jerry’s retail shop in the city where the ice cream brand was founded announced Friday that the company has signed the fair election principals.
U of Vermont president denies antisemitism allegations
Read full article: U of Vermont president denies antisemitism allegationsThe president of the University of Vermont has issued a blistering denial of allegations the university failed to adequately respond to complaints of anti-Jewish behavior on the Burlington campus.
Passenger rail return to Vermont city took vision, decades
Read full article: Passenger rail return to Vermont city took vision, decadesPassenger rail service is returning to Vermont's largest city after an absence of almost 70 years as part of a renewal in interest in passenger rail service nationwide.
Hail, Mary! High school's halftime show is a drag pageant
Read full article: Hail, Mary! High school's halftime show is a drag pageantA Vermont high school homecoming football game turned into a “drag ball” runway at halftime with a mix of students and faculty members parading in gowns, wigs and makeup, and a big crowd in rainbow colors.
‘Cool but weird.’ Macy’s store transformed into school
Read full article: ‘Cool but weird.’ Macy’s store transformed into schoolStudents commute between classes at Downtown Burlington High School, Monday, March 22, 2021, in Burlington, Vt. Students who once shopped at a downtown mall are now attending high school in the mall's former Macy's department store, taking escalators to and from classes. The existing Burlington High School was closed last August after PCBs were found in the building. The Downtown Burlington High School opened March 4, about six months after school administrators closed the existing school, just under 2 miles away, because toxic industrial chemicals known as PCBs were found in the building and soil during renovations. As school officials looked for space where students could attend school in-person, they eventually eyed the empty department store, which closed in 2018. “It's weird but cool at the same time,” said freshman Moses Doe, 15, who said he and his family shopped plenty at Macy's before it became his school.
As hospitals cope with a COVID-19 surge, cyber threats loom
Read full article: As hospitals cope with a COVID-19 surge, cyber threats loomEmployees lost access to databases, digital health records, scheduling systems and other online tools they rely on for patient care. With COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations climbing nationwide, experts say health care providers are dangerously vulnerable to attacks on their ability to function efficiently and manage limited resources. Much of the medical staff idled, doing crossword puzzles and explaining they were forced to document everything by hand. “It’s a pitiful rate.”And it's part of why cybercriminals have focused their attention on health care organizations — especially now, as hospitals across the country are coping with a surge of COVID-19 patients, he said. “We’re seeing true clinical impact,” said health care cybersecurity consultant Dan L. Dodson.
ICE settles lawsuit filed by immigrant activists in Vermont
Read full article: ICE settles lawsuit filed by immigrant activists in VermontAs part of the settlement in the lawsuit against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security, ICE will also pay $100,000 to be split among the three activists and Migrant Justice, an advocacy group representing immigrant farmworkers in Vermont. “ICE tried to terrorize us by going after our leaders,” said plaintiff Victor Diaz, a member of Migrant Justice, at a rally outside the federal courthouse on Wednesday. Afterward, Thelma Gomez, of Migrant Justice, said what happened was a clear example of what happens when the people rise up to defend their rights. Before the arrest, she said, ICE tried to enter her email account and used a confidential informant to spy on the group’s members and gather information about them. At the time of the settlement, the agency commissioner said she was pleased her department was able to work with Migrant Justice on an agreement.
Students, alumni clamor to take care of university's cows
Read full article: Students, alumni clamor to take care of university's cowsCows on pasture at the University of Vermont dairy farm eat hay Thursday, July 23, 2020, in Burlington, Vt. When the coronavirus pandemic forced the University of Vermont to close and send its students home, the school worried about who would take care of the cows, normally tended to by students. In no time, dozens of alumni and students of a particular agriculture program clamored to spend their spring and summer caring for the Holsteins. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)
Students, alumni clamor to take care of university's cows
Read full article: Students, alumni clamor to take care of university's cowsCows on pasture at the University of Vermont dairy farm eat hay Thursday, July 23, 2020, in Burlington, Vt. When the coronavirus pandemic forced the University of Vermont to close and send its students home, the school worried about who would take care of the cows, normally tended to by students. The universitys beloved herd of about 100 dairy cows is normally tended by students taking part in the Cooperative for Real Education in Agricultural Management program, or CREAM. In no time, dozens of CREAM alumni and students clamored to spend their spring and summer caring for the Holsteins. They have really, really shined in every single way possible and I am, I will never forget them, Bodette said, choking up.
Forsooth: COVID-19 brings Shakespeare to Vermont backyards
Read full article: Forsooth: COVID-19 brings Shakespeare to Vermont backyardsJena Necrason, of the Vermont Shakespeare Festival, performs "Shakespeare," in a backyard, Thursday, June 25, 2020, in Burlington, Vt. Jena Necrason of the Vermont Shakespeare Festival throws herself into the role of Helena in A Midsummer Nights Dream, lamenting the vagaries of the heart. So far Necrason, Nagle and about a dozen other actors have performed about 30 times, sometimes in backyards (safely socially distanced from their audiences), via Zoom or even on the phone. The idea is just a single person going up to a yard and ringing the doorbell, wearing a mask, stepping back, at least 6-feet apart, delivering a live Shakespeare monologue or sonnet as a way of connecting in a real, face-to-face, live way, Nagle said. To order up a performance, aspiring audiences go to the Vermont Shakespeare website and choose from among a dozen Shakespeare selections.