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SCOTUS is hearing 2 cases about political censorship on social media that could change how the internet works forever
SCOTUS is hearing arguments that, depending on the outcome, could change how the internet works. The laws in question prevent social sites from removing political posts or figures from their platforms. Legal experts told BI the states' victory, while unlikely, would erode the First Amendment.   The Supreme Court of the United States has had its hands full this session, hearing important arguments about redistricting and gerrymandering in South Carolina, whether domestic-violence-related restrictions on the ownership of firearms are a violation of the Second Amendment, and deciding that ...
March 10, 2024
Who Should Pay for Soil Contamination in China?
Soil contamination that threatens public health is extensive in China, yet accountability for polluters is rare. Friends of Nature (FON), a Chinese environmental NGO, has been pivotal in enforcing environmental laws to hold companies responsible. Despite challenges with suing polluters near a newly built middle school in Jiangsu Province, FON's public interest litigation led to the passage of China's Law on Prevention and Control of Soil Contamination. Their story shows the transformative power of Chinese NGOs. On April 18, 2016, I was on the train with my Friends of Nature (FON) colleagues ...
March 07, 2024
FDA warns about lead contamination in more cinnamon products in the U.S.
People should not eat or serve the ground cinnamon products listed in the safety alert. The Food and Drug Administration issued a safety warning Wednesday, saying it identified additional cinnamon products in the United States that are contaminated with lead. The ground cinnamon products found to contain lead are: La Fiesta, from La Superior SuperMercados; Marcum, from Save A Lot; MK, from SF Supermarket; Swad, from Patel Brothers ... ; Supreme Tradition, from Dollar Tree & Family Dollar; and Eli Chilar, from La Joya Morelense. People should not eat, sell or serve the ground cinnamon products and should throw them out, the FDA said. The warning comes after the recall of lead-contaminated cinnamon applesauce pouches, from the Florida-based company WanaBana USA. As of Feb. 23, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had received 468 reports of confirmed, suspected
March 06, 2024
Experts coming to Brooks Library to discuss compassion for animals
BRATTLEBORO — A local panel of experts will convene to discuss the idea of compassion for nonhuman animals from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6, in the Main Reading Room of Brooks Memorial Library at 224 Main St. As an adopter of the Charter for Compassion, Brattleboro committed itself to acting in accordance with the principles of the charter and Compassionate Brattleboro, which is hosting this community conversation, works on a variety of projects in an effort to support that commitment. This conversation will be an opportunity to look at compassion from the unique angle of ...
March 04, 2024
Accountability effort aimed at elected county officials ‘all but dead’ in the Senate
Sen. Ruth Hardy, D-Addison, speaks as the Senate considers the Budget Adjustment Act at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Feb. 8. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Credit: Glenn Russell Sen. Ruth Hardy, D-Addison, speaks as the Senate considers the Budget Adjustment Act at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Feb. 8. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Credit: Glenn Russell Sen. Ruth Hardy, D-Addison, speaks as the Senate considers the Budget Adjustment Act at the ... Statehouse in Montpelier on Feb. 8. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Credit: Glenn Russell A proposed state constitutional amendment to set qualifications and removal procedures for elected county officials has reached a dead end in the Legislature. On the Senate floor Wednesday, leadership moved to send Proposal 1 back to the Government Operations Committee — instead of putting it to a vote as scheduled . It was the
February 29, 2024
A Vt. Christian school’s lawsuit seen as possible bellwether in conservative movement against transgender rights
QUECHEE, Vt. - Last year, Mid Vermont Christian School's girls basketball coach Chris Goodwin worried about his players going up against an imposing player from their opponents in the state tournament. The Long Trail School player was so good at protecting the basket and blocking shots that her teammates nicknamed her "Not In My House." At some point, Goodwin learned that imposing defender was transgender, a fact that chafed against the school's conservative Christian beliefs. After consulting the school's administrators and his players, Goodwin said, everyone at Mid Vermont was in ...
February 29, 2024
Chicago Takes Big Oil to Court, Adding Another Heavyweight to the Fight
Chicago last week brought the newest lawsuit against Big Oil companies for spreading disinformation about the climate-warming hazards of burning fossil fuels — adding the third largest city in the U.S. to the growing list of state and local governments pushing for oil and gas majors to be held accountable in court. The case charges BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, ConocoPhillips, and the American Petroleum Institute with conspiring together and through front groups to run "tobacco-industry-style campaigns to deceive and mislead the public about the damaging nature of their fossil fuel ...
February 28, 2024
Climate change and clean energy with Dan Delurey 2/27/24
Dan Delurey joins us to answer your questions about climate change and emerging clean energy technologies. Dan is Senior Fellow for Energy & Climate at Vermont Law and Graduate School. Call with your question. 800-348-2551, or email VoxPop@wamc.org. WAMC's Ray Graf hosts. Vermont Law School Dan Delurey Dan Delurey has over 25 years of experience, including as an executive with utilities and clean energy companies. He has presented at Congressional hearings, federal and state agency hearings, and White House special events. Dan has led technology delegations to UN Climate Change ...
February 27, 2024
Obituary: Kevin B Jones, 1962-2024
click to enlarge Courtesy Kevin B Jones Kevin grew up in a very close family in Proctor, Vt. Kevin enjoyed spending time with his family in Proctor, where there were many family gatherings throughout the year, whether an official holiday or grilling in the yard, as well as many Sunday dinners. He was always surrounded by nature, curiosity and a loving family. Kevin and his partner, Rachel Levin, lived in a house they purchased together decades ago in Chittenden, Vt., and made their own. There he enjoyed filling the bird feeder, sitting with his coffee and something sweet, with dogs at ...
February 23, 2024
Burlington mayoral candidates debate less than 2 weeks before Town Meeting Day
With less than two weeks remaining until the Town Meeting Day elections, all four candidates for Burlington mayor gathered at the satellite office of Vermont Law & Graduate School for a debate Thursday night. Peter Clavelle, the longest-tenured mayor in the city's history, served as moderator. Joan Shannon, the Democratic nominee, has served on the City Council for two decades. She said members of all four city employee unions — and other Burlingtonians — have told her they're deeply concerned about public safety. "I think that I am in the best position to hire police officers, which is ...
February 22, 2024
Burlington's mayoral candidates discuss public safety and civil liberties at Vermont Law and Graduate School Forum
On Thursday, Burlington's mayoral candidates were back on stage, each making their case on why they'd be the best choice to lead the city moving forward. The forum was held at the Burlington office of the Vermont Law and Graduate School on College Street.Organizers included VGLS, the domestic violence prevention group "The Caroline Fund," and the "nonprofit" Vermont Institute of Community and International Involvement.The main themes centered around public safety and civil liberties.There was a lot of conversation around the need for a safe and secure community, while focusing on the ...
February 22, 2024
Enbridge Wants Line 5 Shutdown Order Overturned on Tribal Land in Northern Wisconsin
Eleven years after easements for a pipeline buried beneath the Bad River reservation in northern Wisconsin expired, five years after the tribe first sounded alarms over the risk of an imminent oil spill into their namesake river and eight months after a federal judge ordered a shutdown, Canadian pipeline giant Enbridge was back in federal court last week arguing that the flow of oil through its 71-year-old Line 5 pipeline be allowed to continue. "May it please the Court, the district court shutdown order in this case will cause a massive disruption in energy supplies and economies in the ...
February 20, 2024
Colleen O’Brien: Seafood fraud, what is it and how to avoid it
Seafood fraud — the mislabeling of seafood in order to boost profits — has become rampant nationally, with anywhere between 16 to 75 percent of seafood sold in the country being mislabeled, according to the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law School. For example, one of the most common kinds of seafood misrepresented is white fish. Red snapper, a higher-priced fish, is often just tilapia. "Some common examples include swapping out a more expensive fish for a lower value substitute, mislabeling the origin of seafood or misrepresenting the weight of the seafood and charging ...
February 16, 2024
State files brief before Montana Supreme Court in kids' climate case
In its opening brief with the Montana Supreme Court in the climate case that made international headlines last summer, the state argued it does not need to comply with an order to take the effects of greenhouse gas emissions into account when issuing permits because that will not 'meaningfully' stave off climate change as a whole. This filing is one of the first major developments in ... Supreme Court proceedings after the Gov. Greg Gianforte administration appealed the District Court's decision in the Held case, brought by more than a dozen Montana youths, to the state's high court. District Court Judge Kathy Seeley originally ruled earlier this year that the state is violating the plaintiffs' constitutional right to a "clean and healthful environment" by not accounting for greenhouse gas emissions and ... climate change impacts when granting permits under the Montana Environmental
February 14, 2024
U.S. Factory Farm Animal Population Soars by 50 Percent in 20-Year Span
New data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) 2022 Census of Agriculture shows that 1.7 billion animals are currently being raised in U.S. factory farms every year – a 6 percent increase from 2016 and nearly a 50 percent increase from 20 years ago. "The largest factory farms that are bad for farmers, the environment and public health keep growing in number," Anne Schechinger, the Midwest director of ... the Environmental Working Group (EWG), said in a statement. "The USDA's new data show that without policy changes, factory farms will continue to get bigger and bigger, wreaking havoc on public health, the environment and the climate." The U.S. currently has 24,000 factory farms, or concentrated animal feeding operations, that confine large numbers of animals in small spaces. It's difficult to comprehend the staggering quantity of animals subjected to these inhumane
February 14, 2024
Climate-damaged states see a way to make Big Oil pay
This story was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Last July, the normally warm and humid but still pleasant New England summer was disrupted by a series of unusually heavy rainstorms. Flash floods broke creek banks and washed away roads, inundating several cities and towns. Vermont and upstate New York in particular saw immense damage. As communities attempted to recover from the havoc, legislators in these states, and several others, asked themselves why taxpayers should have to cover the cost of rebuilding after climate disasters when ...
February 12, 2024
Environmental Advocacy Clinic calls for reconsideration of logging plan for Worcester Range
Student Attorneys File Extensive Comments to Protect Wild Area's Mature Forests from Unneeded Logging, Citing Flooding Risks, Lack of Environmental and Climate Impact Analyses  Vermont Business Magazine The Environmental Advocacy Clinic at Vermont Law and Graduate School and public-land protection nonprofit Standing Trees are calling on the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources to reconsider its plan to log public lands in the Worcester Range, one of the most ecologically significant forests in northern New England.    On Feb. 2, student attorneys filed on Standing Trees' behalf extensive ...
February 09, 2024
Florida Urged to Reconsider Bill That Will Kill Aggressive Dogs
A leading animal policy expert urged lawmakers in Florida to reconsider a bill that could see aggressive dogs killed and their owners punished. The Pam Rock Act, named after a Putnam County mail carrier Pamela Rock, who was killed aged 61 after being attacked by a five dogs in August 2022, was introduced on December 13, 2023, and is sponsored by Republican representatives Bobby Payne and Mike Beltran. Both have been contacted for comment by Newsweek via email. The act outlines that any dangerous dog who attacks or bites a person or domestic animal without being provoked can be destroyed and ...
February 08, 2024
Vt. Law School’s top 10 environmental issues for 2024
BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Flood resilience, climate change, and transportation infrastructure are among some of the top environmental issues facing the state this year, according to the Vermont Law & Graduate School's annual top 10 list for 2024. In selecting its annual list, the school's Vermont Journal of Environmental Law recognizes that environmental issues are linked with many other areas of law and seeks to encompass a broad range of viewpoints and attitudes. Each item is accompanied by a journal article co-authored by a law student and a law professor unraveling the legal framework of ...
February 06, 2024
Attorney General brings case against central Vermont loggers 
Michale Carriveau of Plainfield says he was ripped off by unscrupulous loggers. He is seen at his home on April 7, 2023. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Attorney General Charity Clark is suing three loggers, alleging that they stole lumber from five different landowners between February 2018 and February 2020.  Clark alleges that David, Paul and Joseph Codling, who own Codling Brothers Logging, have violated the Consumer Protection Act by "making misleading statements about their services and subsequently taking more logs than agreed, failing to compensate landowners and leaving a mess ...
February 05, 2024
A proposed constitutional amendment looks to shore up equal rights protections
More than two-thirds of the Vermont Senate has signed on to legislation that would add an equal protection clause to the state's constitution. In calling for the change, the bill's proponents have cited attacks on marginalized communities nationwide and U.S. Supreme Court rulings that have whittled away key federal protections. Proposal 4, sponsored by 23 senators, seeks to amend Article 7 in Chapter 1 of the Vermont Constitution to say that "the government must not deny equal treatment and respect under the law on account of a person's race, ethnicity, sex, disability, sexual orientation, ...
February 05, 2024
A Superfund for climate change? States consider a new way to make Big Oil pay.
Last June, the normally warm and humid but still pleasant New England summer was disrupted by a series of unusually heavy rain storms. Flash floods broke creek banks and washed away roads, inundating several cities and towns. Vermont and upstate New York in particular saw immense damage. As communities attempted to recover from the havoc, legislators in these states, and several others, asked themselves why taxpayers should have to cover the cost of rebuilding after ... climate disasters when the fossil fuel industry is at fault. Vermont is now joining Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York in a multi-state effort to hold Big Oil accountable for the expensive damage wrought by climate change . Bills on the docket in all four states demand that oil companies pay states millions for such impacts by funding, as Vermont ... 's proposal outlines , energy efficiency retrofits, water utility
February 02, 2024
Addison County cops dismayed by local prosecutor’s disparaging email
MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (WCAX) - The relationship between Addison County's prosecutor and law enforcement has gone from bad to worse in the course of two weeks. It began with DUI-refusal charges against Eva Vekos last Thursday after police said she got behind the wheel after drinking. Now, a disparaging email chain between Vekos and law enforcement is calling into question the state's attorney's relationship with local police. Addison County Sheriff Michael Elmore calls Eva Vekos' conduct unprofessional and says bridges have been burned. "To talk to us in that way was shocking to say the least," he ...
February 01, 2024
Plastic Chemicals Were Found in These Grocery and Fast Food Favorites—Here's What You Need to Know
You may not have heard of plasticizers, but you have probably encountered bisphenols (BPA) and phthalates in the news or on social media. Both bisphenols and phthalates are collectively known as plasticizers, chemical ingredients added to plastics to make them more durable and flexible. So what does this have to do with our groceries? Turns out, a lot. Consumer Reports recently released a report indicating that plasticizers were found in every food tested. With research citing the long-term potential negative impacts on health when exposed to these chemicals, ingesting foods with ...
February 01, 2024
The US uses endangered monkeys to test drugs. This law could free them.
Everything from Ozempic to Covid vaccines is tested on long-tailed macaques. Experts believe many are illegally trafficked from the wild. Tanya Sanerib has some advice for your next life: "Don't come back as a crab-eating macaque." That's what Sanerib, international legal director for the Center for Biological Diversity, concluded after looking at data on the vast numbers of crab-eating macaques, monkeys also known as long-tailed or cynomolgus macaques, imported into the United States for animal testing. These playful, fruit-loving monkeys have the misfortune of being a standard research ...
January 31, 2024
Truth and reconciliation focus of Vermont law school’s MLK event
Valley News - Truth and reconciliation focus of Vermont law school's MLK event Mia Schultz (Courtesy photograph) SOUTH ROYALTON — Mia Schultz, who relocated to Bennington, Vt., from Southern California in 2016, describes herself as a "former insurance claims adjuster turned activist." "Vermont is like no other place I've ever been to before," Schultz, who is ... among people of color because we're so spread out. And community matters." She emphasized the need to create space for people to share and bond over similar experiences. Schultz, the Rutland Area NAACP president and a Vermont Truth and Reconciliation commissioner, is scheduled to speak at the Vermont Law and Graduate School on Tuesday, Jan. 16 from 12:45 to 2 p.m. The event will take place at the Chase Community Center on the VLGS campus in South Royalton. Schultz, a longtime community organizer and advocate for the rights
January 15, 2024
Vermont State Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner to speak about MLK at Vermont Law and Graduate School
Embracing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Legacy: Moving from Symbolic to Systemic Change  Vermont Business Magazine The public is invited to join Vermont Law and Graduate School in celebrating the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Tuesday, Jan. 16, from 12:45 to 2 p.m. in the South Royalton campus' Chase Community Center.  Guest speaker Mia Schultz (she/her), Vermont State Truth and Reconciliation commissioner is a devoted advocate for truth, healing, and reconciliation in Vermont's diverse communities. Originally from Arizona, Schultz's transformative journey led her to Bennington, ...
January 13, 2024
Robert Sand: More carrots please — a healthier approach to public safety
This commentary is by Robert Sand of Woodstock. He is founder of the Center for Justice Reform at Vermont Law and Graduate School and adviser to the National Center on Restorative Justice. Recently, a member of the Scott Administration testified that the public perceived the criminal justice system as all "carrots and no sticks." While I generally understood that expression, I decided to look it up. After extensive research (OK, Wikipedia), I learned that one of the first uses was a 19th-century tale of a race between two donkey riders. One rider incentivized the donkey to move forward ...
January 11, 2024
Embrace legacy of service at Rutland Area NAACP Freedom Fund event
The Rutland Area branch of the NAACP invites the community to join in commemorating the enduring legacy of service at the annual Freedom Fund event. This inspiring brunch celebration, in alignment with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, will take place on Jan. 15, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Grace Congregational Church in Rutland. Step into a day of inspiration and reflection as the group celebrates the community's resilience and honor the legacy of service at this year's unique Freedom Fund brunch. The event, which stands as the Rutland Area NAACP's principal fundraiser, is an opportunity to ...
January 10, 2024
Decoding the Diet: Laurie J Beyranevand Of Vermont Law and Graduate School On How to Read Food Labels to Truly Understand What Is In Your Food
Thank you so much for joining us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to "get to know you" a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your 'backstory'? Thanks so much for the invitation! My backstory is a bit of a long one. I went to law school thinking I wanted to be an environmental lawyer and then wound up working in legal services in the Disability Law Project at Vermont Legal Aid. My cases involved a mix of civil and human rights issues and access to healthcare. I had a lot of clients who were children and many who lived in rural, relatively isolated households with lower incomes. ...
January 09, 2024
Report finds farmworker pesticide protections lacking
A new report from Farmworker Justice and the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law and Graduate School says compliance with workplace safety for farmworkers who are exposed to pesticides is lacking.
January 04, 2024
How mobile home co-ops provide housing security — and climate resilience.
... future generations. "We want to reduce our carbon footprint, and one of our concerns was for our grandchildren and their children," said Jones. "And we saw this as a way of contributing to that and being responsible grandparents." This story was originally published by Grist with the headline How mobile home co-ops provide housing security — and climate resilience. on Jan 2, 2024.
January 02, 2024
Vermont’s unwelcome distinction: Residents known for being ‘green’ spew out more greenhouse gases
Kevin Jones lives in Chittenden, Vt., a rural town with a population of just more than 1,000 people. Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city life, the law school professor regularly commutes 80 miles, round trip, to get to campus. "The car is, for better or worse, my only means of transportation," Jones said. Environmental strike one. Then there's Jones's house. While many in Massachusetts steadfastly refuse to turn on their heat until after Halloween, this show of bravado can be fairly unpleasant up north. Jones heats his 1960s mountain home for much of the year, marginally longer ...
December 29, 2023
2023 Was a Big Year for Climate Litigation
Climate litigation had a momentous year in 2023. Courts worldwide heard evidence and arguments at pivotal trials and hearings. Landmark rulings marked progress in holding governments to account for climate inaction or denial, and new climate cases continued to be filed.  With climate lawsuits now totaling nearly 2,500 worldwide, it is clear that courts have become a critical venue for seeking climate justice and accountability. Here are some of this year's highlights.  Major Court Victories United States In a groundbreaking ruling in August, Judge Kathy Seeley of the First Judicial ...
December 29, 2023
In Vermont, the thin blue line cracks
MONTPELIER, Vt. - It is a video that went viral last year, especially in Vermont. It shows John Grismore, at the time a captain in the Franklin County sheriff's office in rural northwestern Vermont, kicking a shackled and handcuffed prisoner, at least twice, in the groin and midsection after the prisoner refused orders to sit down. The prisoner, who was violently pushed back ... a state inquiry, and cracked further last week, rather dramatically, when the influential Vermont Sheriffs Association called on him to resign. In a recent interview, Grismore said he has no intention of resigning, and relishes the opportunity to expose what he said is the corrupt political system in Vermont that is out to get him. "I'm accountable to the voters of Franklin County," said Grismore. "Not grandstanding opportunists." Various agencies in the state disagree, including the Democratic-dominated
December 25, 2023
SIGN: Stop Leaving Farmed Animals to Die in Disasters
PETITION TARGET: United States Congress When natural disasters strike, farmed animals are left behind. Millions of animals suffer and die in fires, floods, hurricanes, blizzards, tornados, and tsunamis. Unable to escape from captivity and abandoned by their 'caretakers,' they are left with no ability to fend for themselves. Currently, there are no laws in the United States that prevent this egregious suffering. In fact, farmers are more likely to profit off abandoning animals during natural disasters, than they would saving them. Relocating and evacuating farmed animals is costly, whereas ...
December 21, 2023
Post-flood legal clinics to continue monthly
REGION – Since October, Vermont Law and Graduate School's (VLGS) Entrepreneurial Legal Lab and Legal Services Vermont have been working in collaboration to assist Vermont business owners affected by the summer 2023 floods. This effort began in September with several clinics hosted by VLGS' Entrepreneurial Legal Lab and the Environmental Justice Clinic. In October, Legal Services Vermont's flood disaster legal assistance team joined the efforts. Between the two organizations, they have hosted six clinics to date in areas severely impacted by the floods including Barre, Hardwick, Ludlow, and ...
December 20, 2023
Climate Scientists Occupy the Hot Seat in Mock Trial Training
On the morning of July 27, 2023, during a heat wave in one of the hottest summers in recorded history, two oscillating fans pushed the air around a courtroom in St. Paul, Minnesota, as Judge Nicole Starr called a pretrial hearing to order. Like many civil cases that failed to settle before trial, the two opposing sides had prepared opposing expert witnesses, who, dressed in their courtroom best, would be called to testify about their differing scientific opinions. The plaintiffs had filed a lawsuit against a company called Rain Makers, Inc. for negligence, arguing that its actions — ...
December 20, 2023
Cinnamon in contaminated applesauce pouches had ‘extremely high levels of lead,’ FDA says
One cinnamon sample tested by the FDA contained more than 2,000 times the proposed international limit. One sample of cinnamon used as an ingredient in the recalled WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree contained lead levels that were more than 2,000 times higher than proposed safety limits, the Food and Drug Administration said Monday. The FDA tested samples of the spice as it investigates at least 65 cases of lead poisoning in children in the U.S. that are linked to contaminated cinnamon applesauce pouches. At the end of October, WanaBana USA announced a recall of its apple cinnamon fruit ...
December 18, 2023
Immigrant Farmhand Remains in Custody for Now
BOSTON – A farmhand from Guatemala who has been working on an Irasburg farm remained in custody after his virtual appearance in Immigration Court in Boston on Monday morning. Bernardino Suchite Canan appeared in court from the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Plymouth, Mass.  Jill Martin Diaz, Immigration Staff Attorney and Professor of Law Associate Director at the Center for Justice Reform, and Alyssa Shea, a Vermont Law and Graduate School student, represented Suchite Canan at the hearing.
December 18, 2023
Giuliani hit with $148M verdict in 2020 defamation case
As one lawyer for a minute, put it in that article, The truth matters. Lies have consequences. Joining us now is Rodney Smolla, who was co-counsel for Dominion, voting in its successful lawsuit against Fox. He's currently the president of the Vermont Law and Graduate School. Rodney, it's good to have you here. I wanted to ask you about something that we just heard from Merrell, which is the failure for Rudy Giuliani to turn over his financials. Clearly, you didn't have that issue when it dealt with Fox News Corp, But I suspect that the reason why he didn't want to turn over his financials, Rodney, is because he has something to hide. And I don't really think that that takes too much for somebody to infer. But what are your thoughts about the fact that he ended up looking at the $148 million verdict right now and that judgment collections could be around the corner? Well, look, if you
December 15, 2023
Despite objections, Fish & Wildlife Board moves ahead with new rules for hunting and trapping
A trapper sets a trap for beaver during Vermont's winter beaver trapping season. Photo courtesy of Vermont Fish and Wildlife On Thursday evening, members of the Fish & Wildlife Board voted unanimously to approve new rules for trapping and hunting. Recent laws required the board to create the rules, which were intended to make the activities safer for wildlife, pets and people.  Earlier on Thursday, a group of lawmakers on the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules (LCAR), which is charged with approving state regulations, voted to formally object to four subsections of the new ...
December 15, 2023
Why there still aren’t limits on lead in baby food
An outbreak of lead poisonings in children, tied to contaminated cinnamon applesauce pouches, illustrates the gaps in how heavy metals in foods are regulated. Despite strong efforts to limit lead exposure from sources like paint and gasoline, the U.S. government doesn't broadly limit lead levels in food, a blind spot that's become all the more glaring, experts say, as cases of lead poisonings in young ... children linked to contaminated cinnamon applesauce continue to mount.  As of Tuesday, lead poisoning had been reported in at least 65 children, all younger than 6, who ate pouches of now-recalled cinnamon apple puree and cinnamon applesauce, up from 57 cases two weeks ago, according to the Food and Drug Administration.  Children under the age of 6 are most vulnerable to lead ... poisoning, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. The heavy metal can lead to
December 13, 2023
Residents worry water level changes at Grand Lake will lead to toxic flooding upstream
Residents of northeastern Oklahoma communities who have been affected by flooding and toxic mining leftovers are asking federal regulators for more community involvement before relicensing the hydroelectric dam at Grand Lake. The 84-year-old Pensacola Dam generates electricity for Grand River Dam Authority customers. The power generation project currently is navigating its periodic licensing renewal with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. As part of its relicensing effort, GRDA wants to increase the maximum reservoir level by one foot while scrapping a seasonal schedule that sees the ...
December 12, 2023
How a green lifestyle can increase your chance of living to 100
'Blue Zones' show how lower-carbon lifestyles and longevity go hand in hand A famous maxim from the Talmud reads "whosoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved the entire world." For world leaders gathered at Cop28, the task of saving the entire world from climate change's worst impacts must include policies that lead individuals to a longer, happier life, experts say. "I would go as far as to say that there's probably an inverse relationship between your carbon footprint and how long you're going to live. In other words, the smaller the carbon footprint, the longer you're going to ...
December 10, 2023
Can I Grow Here? Helping Urban and Innovative Growers Navigate Local Policies
Posted by Nina Bhattacharyya, USDA Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production in Farming Dec 07, 2023 When farming in urban environments, whether in-ground or using innovative production, one of the biggest challenges can be navigating local statutes, zoning, permitting and land use regulations. For growers, understanding legal access to land and water, as well as ... local policies is critical. In response to this obstacle, USDA's Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP) is partnering with the Vermont Law and Graduate School Center for Agriculture and Food Systems to develop resources that help growers understand and work through local policies. "We are thrilled to announce this partnership," said Brian Guse, ... OUAIP Director. "It will provide valuable information to producers and policymakers who work within these complex landscapes." The five-
December 07, 2023
Hibler named VP of finance at Vermont Law and Graduate School
Nate Hibler, former assistant director of taxpayer services at the Vermont Department of Tax, has been named vice president of finance at Vermont Law and Graduate School. Hibler, who holds a law degree from VLGS, will create and execute budgets, working with the school's board and leadership. He will obtain new grants, work ... with the development department to identify new revenue streams and develop new and creative ways to increase enrollment. A former VLGS professor teaching federal securities regulation, Hibler comes to this role with more than 10 years of experience in government and the audit and tax industry. He has held CPA positions at several tax, audit and accounting advisory firms. Hibler is a ... graduate of Champlain College and holds a Master of Laws in tax law from Boston University.
December 05, 2023
Legal clinics scheduled to help those affected by Vermont’s summer flooding
AM Modified: 12/5/2023 6:43:18 AM ROYALTON — The Vermont Law and Graduate School and Legal Services Vermont, a nonprofit legal aid organization, are hosting a series of monthly legal clinics to assist Vermont business owners affected by this summer's floods. The clinics will focus on long-term relief efforts such as FEMA appeals and landlord-tenant assistance. The two organizations have already hosted six clinics, and are offering more as a result of high demand, according to a news release from VLGS. If applicable, attendees should come prepared with receipts of repairs, replacements ...
December 05, 2023
Farmers Are Leaving Animals to Die During Natural Disasters — and Getting Paid for It
The fall of 2021 was particularly brutal for British Columbia. The Canadian province was hit hard by devastating floods and landslides, forcing the evacuation of more than 15,000 people. By early December as clean-up began, government officials estimated that farmers left hundreds of thousands of farm animals behind to die: 12,000 hogs, 420 dairy cows and over 600,000 chickens in total, in addition to millions of honeybees. These types of climate disasters used to be exceptional. But according to the most recent U.S. national climate assessment, the country experienced only around three ...
December 04, 2023
Protection of Pregnant Farmworkers Under Civil Rights Protection; Will There Be Enforcement.
(Beyond Pesticides, December 4, 2023) With a history of neglect of farmworker protection in the workplace, advocates are pointing to the need for ensuring stringent enforcement of regulations that are expected to take effect under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) this month. In addition to weak laws and protections that typically exempt farmworkers, enforcement for farmworker protections that do exist has been lacking. A report on enforcement of wage and hour law ... under Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has documented diminished capacity to detect and enforce against violations. A report by the Economic Policy Institute (2020) shows the dramatic failures of DOL, which is underfunded and understaffed to enforce the law. As the agency ... charged with operationalizing the new law to protect farmworkers, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (
December 04, 2023
Meat Lobbyists Attend COP28 to Contradict Climate Research
"If we are going to abate climate catastrophe, we must significantly curtail meat production," one advocate said. Powerful meat corporations are planning to push false claims that meat is "sustainable nutrition" at COP28, an international environmental conference that meets yearly to establish a global response to the climate crisis. The meat lobbyists' pro- ... meat communications strategy is contradicted by research showing that 57 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions attributed to food production are generated by meat, aquaculture, dairy and eggs. "It's no surprise that the meat industry — which is as shameless in its insatiable quest for profits as the tobacco industry — is pulling out all the stops in an attempt to dupe decisionmakers," Delcianna J. Winders, Animal Law and Policy Institute Director at Vermont Law and Graduate School, told Truthout. It ... has become
November 30, 2023
Con acusaciones de lobby de la industria del petróleo parte la COP 28 en Dubai
El presidente de la COP28 es, a la vez, el CEO de la empresa estatal de Petróleo de Abu Dhabi. Más allá del conflicto de intereses, una investigación periodística evidenció que se utilizaron las reuniones previas a fin de incrementar las exportaciones de petróleo y gas de dicho emirato. Este jueves, en medio de una fuerte polémica, se inicia en Emiratos Árabes Unidos (EAU) la edición 28 de la Conferencia de las Partes (COP28), de la Convención Marco de las Naciones Unidas como el Cambio Climático (CMNUCC). En el año en el que se han alcanzado las temperaturas más altas registradas y ...
November 29, 2023
1 of 3 Palestinian students shot in Vermont may never walk again after bullet hit his spine, his mother says
One of the three Palestinian college students who were shot while walking in Vermont may not be able to move his legs for the rest of his life after a bullet became lodged in his spine, according to his family, who shared his account of the attack with CNN. A 20-year-old junior at Brown University, Hisham Awartani, is starting to come to terms with the “very long road he has in front of him” after he and two longtime friends from the Israeli-occupied West Bank were shot while strolling through Burlington on Saturday, his mother, Elizabeth Price, said. Awartani has an “incomplete spinal injury,” meaning he can feel his legs but can’t move them, Price told CNN’s Poppy Harlow from Amman, Jordan, Tuesday morning. She said she is working to travel to the US to be with her son and hopes to arrive in about 24 hours.
November 28, 2023
Clearing Skies: Opening a New Path on Climate and the Future
Search Search Yale Environment 360 Published at the Yale School of the Environment Explore Search About E360 Enzo Pérès-Labourdette OPINION Clearing Skies: Opening a New Path on Climate and the Future Adapting to climate change does not address the societal systems and values that spawned the current crisis. What's needed is "systemic adaptation" that fundamentally changes our economy, our politics, and our priorities in ways that put community and the planet first. By James Gustave Speth • ... at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability and Red Sky at Morning: America and the Crisis of the Global Environment. More about James Gustave Speth → Topics Climate Climate policy Ethics Politics Regions North America Join the conversation: Clearing Skies: Opening a New Path on Climate and the Future Show comments → Never miss a feature! Sign
November 28, 2023
New Federal Law Seeks to Protect Pregnant Workers, Farmworkers at Elevated Risk
(Beyond Pesticides, November 28, 2023) Final regulations implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) are expected to be issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in December, 2023. The legislation, which went into effect June 23, 2023 and applies to all workplaces with 15 or more employees, extends protection for pregnant workers for disability (including temporary or short-term disability) associated with childbirth, miscarriages, or related conditions. The legislation was passed as part of the 2023 Omnibus Spending Bill and signed into law by President Biden in ...
November 28, 2023