Gov. Peter Shumlin has signed Vermont ’s
new five-year emergency plan, molded by the state’s experiences in responding
to and recovering from 2011’s Tropical Storm Irene. Speaking today at the headquarters of Vermont
Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Shumlin said Irene taught that
government needs to work together. He
says the new plan meets the needs of Vermonters before, during and after a
catastrophic event.
An internal memo of the Vermont State Police seems to
suggest that they are supposed to meet quotas when it comes to issuing
tickets. The memo surfaced during the
investigation into Deputy Andi Higbee’s DUI charge. In it, officers on a special detail called "Sober
Summer" was instructed to stop two cars per hour. Vermont
gets three-million dollars for programs like "Sober Summer" or
"Click It or Ticket."
The fight over a methadone clinic in South
Burlington is heating up again. Wednesday night the school board
voted to approve an appeal to the zoning board to keep the clinic from the town’s
schools. The Howard
Center opened on Dorset
to meet the needs of the many addicts who live in the district. However, the school district says that the
clinic is too close to the schools.
The Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign is down in Vermont
so far this year. A press release says
with fewer days to collect from its street corners and shopping mall locations,
Salvation Army leaders are hoping for a surge in public response to reach the
Red Kettle Campaign goal. They say they
are about $25,000 behind compared to last year’s income at this time. This year's goal in Vermont
is to raise $245,700.