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TexasTowelie's JournalBennington Energizer factory closing
BENNINGTON — With a two-paragraph note Thursday afternoon, a major Bennington employer for decades — Energizer — confirmed that the local factory will close.
"This morning we announced the closure of our Energizer specialty battery manufacturing plant in Bennington, Vermont, to move to our facility in Portage, Wisconsin," Marcus K. Boolish, the director of government affairs for Energizer Brands, said in an email to Sen. Dick Sears. "On behalf of Energizer and the years of productive engagement we have had with you and your office, we wanted to send you a personal note to notify you of the closure."
Boolish added, "Our recent battery and lights acquisition has transformed the size of our business. We are now the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of batteries and portable lights. In order to be successful as a larger company, we are making significant investments to better utilize our existing manufacturing facilities, reduce complexity in our operations, and enhance service to our customers."
Sears, fellow Bennnington County Sen. Brian Campion, and state Rep. Timothy Corcoran II issued a joint statement on the closure Thursday evening:
Read more: https://www.benningtonbanner.com/stories/bennington-energizer-factory-closing,588346
Sanders plans to release health records by end of year
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is planning to release his health records by the end of the year.
The White House hopeful addressed his health Thursday in Iowa ahead of his first appearance in an early voting state since suffering a heart attack earlier in the month. The 78-year-old Vermont senator has repeatedly promised to release his health records at some point, but he outlined a likely timeline in an interview with The Associated Press.
"I want to make it comprehensive," Sanders said in explaining the delay. "The answer is I will, probably by the end of the year."
Campaign manager Faiz Shakir later said more definitively that Sanders does plan to release the records by the end of December. He expects the statement from Sanders' physician to show Sanders has made a "full recovery" from the heart attack.
Read more: https://www.caledonianrecord.com/news/state/sanders-plans-to-release-health-records-by-end-of-year/article_8d8507d0-8f32-55b7-8da0-16dfb9378fbd.html
Vermont guard has received 14 noise complaints for new F-35s
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — The Vermont National Guard has received 14 noise complaints since the first two F-35 fighter planes arrived at the Burlington International Airport last month.
Vermont National Guard Capt. Mike Arcovitch, whose office tracks noise complaints, says the complaints came from eight people, and two were anonymous.
The F-35s are louder than the F-16s the guard used to fly.
He says officials had expected more noise complaints when the new jets started flying from the South Burlington airport that is home to the Vermont Air National Guard.
Read more: https://www.caledonianrecord.com/news/state/vermont-guard-has-received-noise-complaints-for-new-f-/article_a597dd4e-73dd-5bb7-94e7-61d89ea63859.html
Beto O'Rourke Calls For Drug Decriminalization And Safe Injection Sites In New Plan
Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) unveiled a plan on Thursday that promotes a series of harm reduction policies, including decriminalizing drug possession, to tackle addiction and prevent overdoses. He also discussed aspects of the proposal with reform advocates at an event in Iowa.
The 2020 Democratic presidential candidate said that in order to address a rise in misuse of opioids, as well as other illicit drugs like benzodiazepines and methamphetamine, the country must move away from the criminalization model and embrace policies that treat addiction as a public health issue.
https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1187366524878651392
That means removing criminal penalties for drug possession and implementing harm reduction programs, he said.
https://twitter.com/robinlopsahl/status/1187390863611170818
Here are two of the main harm reduction proposals in the new plan:
“Creating needle exchanges and supervised consumption sites where people can consume drugs they have obtained elsewhere in a controlled setting, under the supervision of trained staff, and with access to sterile injecting equipment.”
“Implementing innovative models for health care and interventions related to substance use disorder such as that used in Portugal, particularly mobile vans that travel to areas of high consumption to distribute medicines or needle exchanges, where individuals caught with drugs are sent to treatment instead of jail.”
Read more: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/beto-orourke-calls-for-drug-decriminalization-and-safe-injection-sites-in-new-plan/
Beto O'Rourke Calls For Drug Decriminalization And Safe Injection Sites In New Plan
Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) unveiled a plan on Thursday that promotes a series of harm reduction policies, including decriminalizing drug possession, to tackle addiction and prevent overdoses. He also discussed aspects of the proposal with reform advocates at an event in Iowa.
The 2020 Democratic presidential candidate said that in order to address a rise in misuse of opioids, as well as other illicit drugs like benzodiazepines and methamphetamine, the country must move away from the criminalization model and embrace policies that treat addiction as a public health issue.
https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1187366524878651392
That means removing criminal penalties for drug possession and implementing harm reduction programs, he said.
https://twitter.com/robinlopsahl/status/1187390863611170818
Here are two of the main harm reduction proposals in the new plan:
“Creating needle exchanges and supervised consumption sites where people can consume drugs they have obtained elsewhere in a controlled setting, under the supervision of trained staff, and with access to sterile injecting equipment.”
“Implementing innovative models for health care and interventions related to substance use disorder such as that used in Portugal, particularly mobile vans that travel to areas of high consumption to distribute medicines or needle exchanges, where individuals caught with drugs are sent to treatment instead of jail.”
Read more: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/beto-orourke-calls-for-drug-decriminalization-and-safe-injection-sites-in-new-plan/
Mayor Pete Buttigieg to stop in New Hampshire Friday
NEW LONDON, N.H. (WCAX) More presidential hopefuls are making campaign swings through the Granite State.
On the heels of Sen. Elizabeth Warren's visit Thursday, Mayor Pete Buttigieg will be in New Hampshire on Friday. He'll be in New London Friday with Congresswoman Annie Kuster. They'll be talking about women's economic empowerment at Colby-Sawyer College.
Since the 37-year-old pointedly challenged Warren and others in last week's debate, Buttigieg has come under criticism for being too cozy with the powerful tech industry and faced renewed questions about his ability to attract black voters, a vital bloc of the Democratic base.
Buttigieg says the criticism is a sign he's "doing well." And for a candidate with no experience on the national stage, he expresses confidence that his team is prepared for the attacks to come. Says Buttigieg: "We're ready for that."
https://www.wcax.com/content/news/Pete-Buttigieg-to-stop-in-New-Hampshire-Friday-563844911.html
Leading in NH polls, Warren holds Dartmouth College town hall
HANOVER, N.H. (WCAX) Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren was back in New Hampshire Thursday for town hall meetings at Dartmouth College and Newport.
The Massachusetts senator has surged to the head of the pack in New Hampshire according to Real Clear Politics' poll averages from September 1st to October 15th. It's a state she must do well in if she wants to secure her party's nomination.
At Dartmouth Warren touched on familiar themes like climate change and making education more affordable. She also took a few questions from the audience during the town hall style event. Warren plans to pay for many of her proposals by taxing the very rich, specifically people who make over $50 million a year. She also called out the billionaire class, saying they shouldn't complain about a tax targeted specifically at their fortunes.
"You built it at least in part using workers all of us helped pay to educate. You built it at least in part getting your goods to market on bridges all of us helped pay to build," Warren said. "We have a government that works great for giant oil companies that want to drill everywhere, just not for the rest of us who see climate change bearing down upon us," Warren said.
Read more: https://www.wcax.com/content/news/Sen-Elizabeth-Warren-to-speak-at-Dartmouth-College-town-hall-563771381.html
State, union reach tentative two-year contract deal
The Scott administration and the Vermont State Employees’ Association have reached a tentative deal on a two-year contract covering the lion’s share of executive branch employees.
The three bargaining units included in the contract are the supervisory, corrections, and non-management units, which involve basically all rank-and-file state employees as well as their managers. In total, it covers about 6,000 employees.
Details of the agreement will not be made public until employees vote to accept the deal. If ratified, the contract would begin July 1, 2020.
Doug Gibson, the communications director for the union, said the VSEA had not yet set a date for the ratification vote, but would soon be scheduling information sessions to answer employee questions about the proposed contract.
Read more: https://vtdigger.org/2019/10/24/state-union-reach-tentative-two-year-contract-deal/
OneCare failed to track community health programs, auditor says
The state’s accountable care organization produced no evidence of results from some of the community health programs it invested in, according to an analysis from the state auditor’s office.
OneCare Vermont “did not reliably monitor or accurately report” the community-based initiatives it promised to fund, including providing fresh produce to patients, helping house homeless families and helping to coordinate care.
State Auditor Doug Hoffer sent a memo detailing the shortcomings to the regulatory Green Mountain Care Board last week. OneCare “did not satisfy the GMCB’s certification criteria concerning community-based initiatives,” he wrote. The lack of data leaves regulators — and Vermonters — unable to be sure whether the programs are actually working, the letter explained.
OneCare was launched in 2016 to improve the health of Vermonters by focusing on preventative care. It collects money from Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance and pays doctors and hospitals a set fee for each patient, rather than for each visit. As part of that shift, the for-profit organization has promised to invest in community health initiatives, including subsidizing fresh vegetables, investing in programs that promote active lifestyles, and helping coordinate between different health agencies.
Read more: https://vtdigger.org/2019/10/24/onecare-failed-to-track-community-health-programs-auditor-says/
Stenger, Kelly join Quiros in seeking change of venue for EB-5 criminal trial
Two indicted former business partners of Ariel Quiros, the alleged mastermind of an EB-5 investor fraud scheme in the Northeast Kingdom, are joining his bid to have their federal fraud cases moved out of Vermont due to “inflammatory” news coverage and conflicts in the prosecutor’s office.
Attorneys for Quiros, Jay Peak’s former owner, filed a change of venue motion earlier this month in federal court in Vermont.
This week, lawyers for Bill Stenger, the resort’s former president and CEO, and William Kelly, described by prosecutors as a “key advisor” to Quiros, filed motions seeking to sign on to Quiros’ motion to move the criminal fraud cases against them outside the state.
The attorneys for Stenger and Kelly each submitted one-page filings, stating that they believed they couldn’t get a fair and impartial jury in Vermont and asked the court to allow them to adopt Quiros’ arguments.
Read more: https://vtdigger.org/2019/10/24/stenger-kelly-join-quiros-in-seeking-change-of-venue-for-eb-5-criminal-trial/
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