Ethan Weinstein
At debate, Balint’s challenger, Mark Coester, questions the questions
-At an Oct. 21 debate with Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., Mark Coester disagreed with the incumbent Democrat on nearly every issue - challenging the basis of the questions and, at times, the moderators themselves.
Coester, a Westminster logger and small business owner who won the Republican and Libertarian nominations for Vermont's sole seat in the U.S. House, even seemed to question his own presence at the debate and his status as the parties' standard-bearer.
Windham school lawsuit moves ahead, but most claims dismissed
Question remains whether the elementary school failed to provide ‘quality basic education’
WINDHAM-Parents in the Windham School District, who sought via a lawsuit to have the district pay tuition to send students elsewhere, have had a majority of their claims dismissed. But Windham Superior Court Judge David Barra allowed a central part of the suit to continue - the allegation that...
Former student settles complaint over alleged racist bullying
A Vermont Human Rights Commission complaint filed against Twin Valley School District alleged that the only Black student at Twin Valley Middle High School faced continued racist bullying, while school leadership failed to take action
A former Twin Valley student, who is Black, has settled a complaint with the district that alleges school officials didn't do enough to address racist bullying she faced at the district's middle and high schools, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Vermont, which is representing her.
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In Putney, bringing a rural focus to harm reduction
Robin Rieske arrived to town with five overdose emergency kits. The red metal boxes with a glass front resembled a square version of a small fire extinguisher cabinet. But rather than putting out flames, the tools inside could reverse an opioid overdose. Two hours later, Rieske had distributed the day's supply - a fraction of the 175 boxes she and colleagues have helped hand out in recent years to businesses and community groups across southeastern Vermont. Her work is part...
In Putney, bringing a rural focus to harm reduction
Robin Rieske arrived to town with five overdose emergency kits. The red metal boxes with a glass front resembled a square version of a small fire extinguisher cabinet. But rather than putting out flames, the tools inside could reverse an opioid overdose. Two hours later, Rieske had distributed the day's supply - a fraction of the 175 boxes she and colleagues have helped hand out in recent years to businesses and community groups across southeastern Vermont. Her work is part...
Paper mill oil leak pollutes nearby waters
An estimated 15,000 gallons of heating oil spilled from a tank at the Soundview Paper Company mill on Nov. 2, much of it entering Sacketts Brook, which flows into the Connecticut River. Authorities have thus far recovered more than 12,000 gallons of the sludgy No. 2 heating oil, according to Mike Nucci, an environmental analyst with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation spill team. He said he expected authorities to discover more of the missing oil when they excavate the...
Accused killer incompetent to stand trial
A judge has found Zaaina Asra Zakirrah Mahvish-Jammeh, charged with murdering their social worker at the Morningside House shelter last month, temporarily incompetent to stand trial. The state can request a new competency evaluation, according to an order regarding competency signed by Superior Court Judge Katherine Hayes. A status conference is set for Aug. 9. Mahvish-Jammeh is charged with first-degree murder, accused of killing Leah Rosin-Pritchard, the social worker and shelter coordinator at the Morningside House shelter at 81 Royal...
'This is the moment to fix it if we're going to fix it'
With two-thirds of Vermont towns requiring property value reappraisals, the House Ways and Means Committee is considering a moratorium on them and transitioning to a state-run reappraisal system. “This was not on my agenda coming into the session as, like, the project to take on,” Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, D-Brattleboro, the committee chair, said at a hearing on Feb. 2. “But it does seem like we're in a crisis. This is the moment to fix it if we're going to fix...