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State drafts rates for upcoming health care exchange

Posted on April 8, 2013 |
By Wilson Ring for the AP and John Flowers



MONTPELIER (AP) — Vermont became the first state in the country last week to let people without health insurance see how much they could have to pay to get coverage through the federal health overhaul beginning next year.

The state on April 1 released the proposed rates that would be charged for a variety of coverage levels through the state’s health insurance marketplace. The rates range from an average high of about $1,700 a month for a family to an average of $745 for catastrophic coverage — only available to people under age 30 — for a family.

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Rep. Welch looks for stability in student loan rates

Posted on April 1, 2013 |
By Lee Kahrs



RUTLAND — Just listening to these working parents pursuing college degrees is exhausting.

Ava Pehm, 42, of Pittsford is a single mother to two kids, ages 10 and 13. She is pursuing a degree in administrative management from the Community College of Vermont in Rutland and works part-time.

Greg Lambert, 36, of Rutland is a single father to a seven-year-old boy and is a recent cancer survivor pursuing a degree in environmental science at CCV.

Niki Twohig of Rutland has two-year-old twin boys, and splits her time between school and work.

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Weatherization bill faces hurdles, funding still up in the air

Posted on March 28, 2013 |
By John Flowers



MIDDLEBURY — The Vermont House has moved along a bill that promotes the weatherization of citizens’ homes, but it remains unclear whether lawmakers will be able to assemble the necessary funding to help pay for the initiative.

The House last week voted 109-27 in favor of sending bill H.520 along to the Senate. That bill sets the state on a path to weatherize 80,000 Vermont homes by the year 2020, acknowledging that many abodes are porous and are losing costly heating resources to the outdoors.

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House panel considering GMO labeling bill

Posted on March 28, 2013 |
By John Flowers



MIDDLEBURY — While lawmakers spent much time at a legislative breakfast at the American Legion hall in Middlebury on Monday talking about taxes, they also discussed important legislation for the farm community, among other things.

At the top of the list was a bill that would require the labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms, known as GMOs.

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Some household products emit chemicals into the air

Posted on March 28, 2013 |
By Christy Lynn



Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOCs, are a large group of carbon-based chemicals that evaporate easily at room temperature. Commonly found in many household products including carpets, cleaning products and adhesives, they emit potentially harmful levels of chemicals into the air for many months after application.

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, research has shown that high or prolonged exposure to VOCs can yield adverse effects, including eye and throat irritation, headaches, asthma, liver damage, complications to the central nervous system and cancer.

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Lawmakers ready for tax hike votes; expect pain at pump to help fix roads

Posted on March 21, 2013 |
By John Flowers



BRISTOL — Local lawmakers were poised this week to vote on several tax initiatives aimed at improving the state’s road and bridges and backfilling federal dollars for health care and other services.

Lawmakers commented on those challenges at Monday’s legislative breakfast at the Bristol American Legion Hall. Chief among those tax proposals: A plan to raise the state’s gasoline tax by 2 percent this year and next year.

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Legislators hold out little hope for Bottle Bill changes

Posted on March 21, 2013 |
By John Flowers



BRISTOL — A local citizen is urging lawmakers to make changes in the law that discourages Vermonters from littering.

At Monday’s legislative breakfast at the Bristol American Legion Hall, some of the legislators discussed the tenuous prospects this session for an expanded Bottle Bill. Some residents, like Bristol’s Peter Grant, argued the current 5-cent deposit doesn’t provide enough incentive anymore for people to keep and redeem their containers. As a consequence, an increasing number of cans and bottles are becoming litter.

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Vermonters take stock of gun laws, weigh firearms facts

Posted on March 14, 2013 |
By John Flowers



MIDDLEBURY — Gun violence in Vermont has largely been confined to suicides, but concerns linger about the ease with which guns can be obtained in Vermont and then potentially circulated to high-crime areas of other states.

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Vermont lawmakers consider tax and fee increases

Posted on March 11, 2013 |
By John Flowers



VERGENNES — When lawmakers return to Montpelier this week after their Town Meeting break, they will continue consideration of where to get revenues for state programs.

Lawmakers at the Legislative Breakfast in Vergennes last week discussed potential increases in existing fees and taxes, as well as Gov. Peter Shumlin’s proposed new 10-percent surcharge on break-open tickets sold by various civic groups, including the American Legion Halls.

INCREASED FEES AND TAXES?

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Transition to health benefit exchange in Vt. nears

Posted on March 7, 2013 |
By John Flowers



VERGENNES — At a Legislative Breakfast in Vergennes Monday, Addison County lawmakers served notice that residents this fall will begin to see a transition to a new federal health care system — and possibly a single-payer system four years down the road.

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