AltWeeklies Wire
Vermont's Colleges are Underreporting Sexual Assaultsnew

A review of statistics filed by Vermont’s institutions of higher learning in the past decade suggests that the number of sexual assaults they report to the government is far lower than the number that actually occur.
Seven Days |
Ken Picard |
04-02-2010 |
Crime & Justice
Burlington Realtor Jessica Bridge Wants to Make You Happynew
Jessica Bridge knows nearly everybody. And just about everybody in Burlington seems to know her. If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of making Bridge’s acquaintance, sit tight. At some point, someone will recommend her.
Seven Days |
Lauren Ober |
03-12-2010 |
Housing & Development
Buy an Island: A County's Priciest Property Listing is in the Middle of Converse Baynew

With their children grown, the owners of a Vermont island retreat have put it on the market at a price as big as the bathtub once used by President Taft: $7.9 million. The estate’s $19,652 yearly property tax bill is just as eye-popping.
Seven Days |
Andy Bromage |
03-12-2010 |
Housing & Development
Will a New Vermont Free Speech Law Protect Website Owners from a Powerful Religious Sect?new

The Exclusive Brethren is suing the owners of a website that serves excommunicated believers. Will Vermont's new anti-SLAPP statute protect them?
Seven Days |
Andy Bromage |
11-04-2009 |
Religion
Homeland Security Wants Eminent Domain Over a Vermont Farm at the Bordernew
The federal government may invoke the doctrine of eminent domain to appropriate as much as 10.5 acres of the Rainvilles' cropland, which an impact study calls "negligible." Brian Rainville, son of farm owner Clement Rainville, says those acres are essential to the small dairy farm's livelihood.
Seven Days |
Lauren Ober |
10-05-2009 |
Housing & Development
Did Vermont State Troopers Go Too Far When They Shot a Paranoid Schizophrenic?new
What really happened the night Joe Fortunati was killed in June 2006 may never be entirely clear. The only first-hand accounts come from the Vermont state police troopers at the scene, nine of whom are now defendants in a federal lawsuit accusing them of using excessive force and covering up key details of the case.
Seven Days |
Andy Bromage |
09-11-2009 |
Crime & Justice
The New GI Bill Lands Scores of Combat Vets on Vermont's College Campusesnew

The Veterans Administration estimates that by 2011 more than a quarter-million U.S. service members will have enrolled in college under the new GI Bill, the most generous educational assistance program for vets since FDR signed the first one in 1944.
Seven Days |
Ken Picard |
08-28-2009 |
Education
New Hampshire Transplants Live Free -- or Die Tryingnew
They're digging up public squares. They're smoking pot and baring breasts. And they openly carry guns. New Hampshire residents are divided as to whether the Free State Project is a godsend or a nuisance.
Boston Phoenix |
Chris Faraone |
08-27-2009 |
Civil Liberties
At Vermont's Biggest Auction of the Year, Another Dairy Family Calls it Quitsnew

Ken and Carol Borland are among the many victims of Vermont's flagging dairy industry. In the past five years, the state has lost 250 dairy farms. In the last 12 months, 50 Vermont dairy producers have gone out of business.
Seven Days |
Lauren Ober |
08-17-2009 |
Business & Labor
Who Makes the Rules for Vermont's Earth-Friendly Homes?new
As more Vermonters seek sustainable homes, who makes the rules, and certifies the results?
Seven Days |
Ken Picard |
06-26-2009 |
Housing & Development
Tags: Vermont, green building
Can Vermont Towns Tell Registered Sex Offenders Where to Live?new
Convicted sex offender Chris Hagan is suing the town of Barre over its ordinance prohibiting sex offenders from living within 1000 feet of schools and recreation facilities such as parks and playgrounds.
Seven Days |
Sally West Johnson |
06-19-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Vermont Health Commissioner Isn't Sweating Swine Flunew

The combination of a deadly new bug and the erosion of resources for her department will test the public-health and managerial chops of Wendy Davis, the state's No. 1 health officer.
Seven Days |
Kevin J. Kelley |
05-22-2009 |
Science
Weight a Minute: Are Heavy Trucks Getting Fair Treatment in Vermont?new

Heavy fines slapped on truckers for violating town-road weight limits often amount to revenue-raising scams on the part of local officials, charges the owner of two Northeast Kingdom logging companies.
Seven Days |
Kevin J. Kelley |
01-23-2009 |
Policy Issues
Vermont Hospital Technicians Launch Union Drivenew
A group of 600 technicians at Vermont’s largest hospital has launched a union-organizing campaign comparable to the one the nursing staff experienced six years ago, a union spokesperson confirmed.
Seven Days |
Ken Picard |
01-23-2009 |
Business & Labor
Vermont's Iraqi Refugees Struggle to Rebuild Shattered Livesnew

In the last year, about 50 Iraqis have been resettled in the Burlington area, and their numbers are growing.
Seven Days |
Ken Picard |
12-10-2008 |
Immigration