Governor Madeleine Kunin gets a hug from UVM President Daniel Fogel after his introducing her during a symposium celebrating the 25th anniversary of the former Governor’s first inauguration. (Vermont Daily News photo/Alden Pellett)

Burlington, Vt. – March 2, 2010 - University of Vermont President Daniel Fogel introduced former Vermont Governor Madeleine Kunin at the opening of the symposium on government held in the Dudley Davis Center Tuesday morning.

Fogel commended Kunin for her contributions as Governor during 1985-1991, which he said are visible today “in our Vermont schools, in our doctors’ offices, in access to affordable housing, and our state’s perennial rank as one of the healthiest places for children, for families, for women, and in the very landscape of this beautiful state.”

Fogel also highlighted Kunin’s public service as Vermont Lt. Governor, as well as a State Legislator. He lauded her work in the Clinton administration as Deputy Secretary of Education, and her 3 years as U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland.

Fogel added, “I would be remiss in my duties if I didn’t add a couple of lesser known facts from her resume’.  Madeline Kunin earned her Masters degree at UVM in 1967 and is a distinguished faculty member at UVM through the James Marsh Professors-at-Large Program. We are deeply proud that our students have this opportunity to learn directly from a pioneering leader in American politics.”

Following the introduction, Kunin said politicians can do many things after they leave public office.  They can, “become lobbyists as we know, some hang out their own shingles, but I’m very happy to be a part of the UVM community. I’m able to write and work here and feel embraced,”  said Kunin, then joking that,  “the real theme of this conference is not ‘What is the Role of Government Then and Now‘, but ‘Can it really be 25 years?’

“Of course, none of us have changed,” she said, as members of her past administration sat in the crowd smiling.

Kunin admitted it’s pleasant to bathe in the warm bath of the past, but joked that eventually you have to get out of the tub.  She had asked herself upon reflection with the 25 year anniversary approaching, “Do we just have a party? Do we just look back with nostalgia?”  Kunin said she really wanted this day to be a teaching and learning opportunity at the University. Because government is so much a topic of debate today, she said the event was designed to ask, “Is it a willing partner, is it a barrier, is it evil, is it a force for good?”

Kunin pointed out that twenty-five years ago there was a bit more optimism about government and it was more often looked upon as a partner.  That government can be an ogre, she agreed, and that some of the acrimony from a national level can seep down into local politics. To that, she noted that, “It’s appropriate that we are meeting on Town Meeting Day,” a day in Vermont when people have a chance to actively participate.

Kunin said of her past as Governor,“The word bipartisan was used more often than it is today. We worked constantly with people from across the aisle, and didn’t even think about it all that much. It was just a way to get things done. If there’s any nostalgia here, it’s nostalgia for that.”

-Vermont Daily News staff report

The event will celebrate Kunin’s accomplishments, especially in the areas of education, environment, and women’s issues, and to use her administration’s achievements as points of departure that could shed light on contemporary challenges.

Schedule of Events

 
Welcome and Introduction

9:30 a.m. – Daniel Mark Fogel President of the University of Vermont Madeleine M. Kunin Elizabeth Bankowsi (event moderator)

The Environment and Jobs–Can We Have Both?

10:00 a.m.-  Jonathan Lash President, World Resources Institute

11:00 a.m. – Panel Discussion Mary Watzin (moderator) Patrick Parenteau, Beth Sachs, Richard Cowart, Elizabeth Courtney, and Darby Bradley

Meeting Human Needs and Improving Education

1:00 p.m. –  Gretchen Morse Executive Director, United Way, Chittenden County Richard Mills Retired Commissioner of Education, New York State

2:00 p.m. – Panel Discussion Fayneese Miller (moderator) Charlie Smith, Jeff Francis, Jane Kitchel and Kathy Hoyt

What Difference do Women in Leadership Make?

3:30 p.m. – Madeleine M. Kunin Governor of the State of Vermont (1985–1991)

4:30 p.m. – Panel Discussion Cynthia Belliveau (moderator) Denise Johnson, J. Churchill Hindes, Karen Meyer, Ellen Mercer Fallon, and John Dooley

-Vermont Daily News report

Rosemary Gladstar

Burlington, Vt. – February 28, 2010 - City Market, Onion River Co-op presents a lively discussion with world renowned herbalist Rosemary Gladstar on Saturday, March 6, 2010,  from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at the First Unitarian Universalist Society on Pearl Street.

Land stewardship, habitat protection and sustainable cultivation practices are of primary importance to the conservation of Native American medicinal plants and the rich heritage of American herbalism. Gladstar has been practicing, living, learning, teaching, and writing about herbs for over 35 years. She is the author of nine books including the popular Herbal Healing for Women, Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health and The Science and Art of Herbalism, an extensive home study course. The public is invited to join City Market in an important and timely discussion about herbal conservation and discover the many ways that you can make a difference in helping to preserve not only medicinal plants but also the tradition of American Herbalism.

Participants will hear Gladstar discuss land as sanctuary, creating botanical sanctuaries on your own land, cultivation methods of some of our most important native medicinal plants, and learn about plants that are ‘at risk’ in Vermont and the appropriate analogs for these herbs. A gorgeous slide presentation of North American at Risk Herbs and details about United Plant Savers, a grass roots non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and cultivation of North American medicinal plants are also included. The event is free and open to the public but tickets are limited. Tickets are available the City Market Customer Service desk.

-Vermont Daily News report

A teary eyed Marqus Blakely is honored on Sunday during the UVM Mens Basketball Senior Day Ceremony

Burlington, Vt. – March 2, 2010 – Four Catamounts reached double figures led by 17 from senior Marqus Blakely (Metuchen, N.J.) as the Vermont men’s basketball team earned a 78-69 victory over visiting Binghamton in the regular season finale for both squads on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 28, 2010. The Cats improve to 22-9 overall and 12-4 in America East action as they will be the second seed at the conference tournament and play on Saturday night at 6 p.m. in Hartford, Conn.

Vermont shot 52.5 percent from the floor for the game to earn its eighth win in its last nine games. Senior Maurice Joseph (Montreal, Quebec) added 16, junior Evan Fjeld (Durham, N.C.) scored 14 and sophomore Garvey Young (Washington, D.C.) chipped in with 11.

Marqus Blakely throws down a thunderous dunk during the Catamounts 78-69 victory over Binghamton on Senior Day(Shane Bufano photo)

Prior to the game Catamount seniors Blakely, Joseph and Nick Vier (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) were honored for playing in their final home regular season game.

“I thought today was a special day, but the game was probably a little closer than I would have liked it. It was nice that our seniors played well and to see Pat Bergmann contribute. It was good to have the families of our three seniors there and we have great fans that filled all 3,266 seats. I am happy that we won and I know now that we will have great support from our fans at the tournament next weekend,” said Vermont head coach Mike Lonergan.

Vermont led by only four at 67-63 after a pair of free throws by Binghamton’s Moussa Camara with 3:24 remaining in the contest. The Catamounts secured their ninth home win of the season though by scoring the next seven points over a span of 1:24 to pull out the victory.

Binghamton (13-18, 8-8 America East) led 20-15 midway through the first half, before UVM responded with a 15-5 run to make it 30-25 with 5:57 to go and would not trail again in the frame. With the Cats leading 33-32, they closed out the half by scoring the final nine points to take a 42-32 lead into the intermission. Junior Joey Accaoui (Lincoln, R.I.) scored four in the push and also assisted on a Blakely dunk with 38 seconds left in the half.

Blakely led all scorers in the first half with 11 points, while Vermont shot 58.1 percent (18-31) from the floor and used a 26-10 scoring edge in the paint.

In the second half Binghamton came out on a 10-1 run to cut Vermont’s lead to only one. A three by Camara gave the Bearcats their first lead since it was 20-19 at 49-48 with 12:44 left in the contest. The lead would be Binghamton’s last of the day though, as Vermont tallied the next seven straight.

Blakely finished the game 6-for-8 from the floor and added team-highs for rebounds (5), assists (5), blocks (3) and steals (2). Fjeld continued his hot shooting by also connecting on six of his eight attempts in the game, as Vermont used a 48-28 scoring edge in the paint. Bergmann came off the bench to score a career-high six points in the contest.

Dylan Talley led Binghamton with 20 points off the bench, while Camara added 17 and Kyrie Sutton tallied 14.

The Cats now travel to the America East Tournament on Saturday at 6 p.m. where they will take on the seventh seed in either New Hampshire or Hartford. The game can be heard live on 96.7 DOT FM, The Zone 960 AM and WSTJ 1320 AM (Randolph), and on the internet at www.UVMathletics.com with the audio stream provided by SportsJuice.com.

NOTES: Sunday’s win was number 100 at Vermont for head coach Mike Lonergan. Binghamton had won the last three meetings in the series prior to Sunday, but the Cats still own a 15-6 edge in the all-time series. The Catamount senior class now has 87 career wins, the second-most by a class all-time at Vermont. Vier broke the school record for games played on Sunday, as he made his 127th career appearance. The Cats are 9-2 at home this year and have won 13 of their last 15 overall at Patrick Gym. Vermont has won its last five games on Senior Day. Binghamton won the first meeting of the season in Vestal on January 24, 73-67. Seven different Catamounts grabbed at least three rebounds in the game, including all five starters. With five rebounds in the game, Blakely now has 1,000 for his career. Blakely and Dylan Talley of Binghamton were named the America East Players of the Game. Check www.UVMathletics.com later for video highlights from the game.

-Vermont Daily News report

Washington, DC – February 26, 2010 – At a press conference at his Washington office, Rep. Peter Welch unveiled new lighting and water fixtures designed to cut energy use and save money.

Welch’s office is the first to undergo energy efficiency improvements designed by the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) to reduce energy use by 23 percent and water use by 32 percent throughout U.S. House office buildings. The improvements will save taxpayers $3.3 million a year.

Welch, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, became the first member of Congress to go carbon neutral in all office activities when he took office in 2007. He is the author of the Retrofit for Energy and Environmental Performance legislation, which passed the House last year, and is a leading proponent of the energy efficiency program, Home Star – or Cash for Caulkers.

“Investing in energy efficiency creates jobs, saves money and helps combat climate change,” Welch said. “Congress must lead by example and these efficiency investments do just that. I’m hopeful this work will help demonstrate to consumers throughout the country that efficiency works.”

The 30-month AOC project will replace 33,000 light fixtures; upgrade heating, ventilation and air conditioning controls and equipment; install low-flow restroom fixtures; and replace steam traps in all House office buildings. The work will achieve carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to removing 1,700 cars from the road or planting 2,600 acres of trees.

Under the terms of a public-private Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC), upfront costs of the improvements will be paid for by NORESCO, which will recoup its investment through guaranteed minimum savings. This arrangement will ensure that no taxpayer dollars are used to perform the upgrades.

“As part of our overall mission to maintain and preserve the Capitol complex, the Architect of the Capitol has embraced the principles of sustainable design in our planning, building, operations and maintenance of the facilities and grounds here at theCapitol,” noted Stephen T. Ayers, Acting Architect of the Capitol. “We appreciate Congressman Welch’s leadership and support of our efforts and his willingness to be our first Energy Savings Performance Contract ‘test office’ in the Longworth Building.”

This work builds on efforts by the Chief Administrative Officer’s Green the Capitol program, which seeks to encourage sustainable business practices, energy efficient technologies and design and behavioral changes.

The announcement today follows on the heals of a report in early January that, according to Beard, the “office greening program” had at that time reached nearly 3,000 House staff on Capitol Hill and hundreds more at District Offices throughout the country.   Back in January, Beard reported that some 75,000 pounds of waste had already been diverted from landfills, nearly 400,000 pounds of carbon emissions had been cut and more than 175,000 kilo watt hours of electricity had been saved. This new move will add significantly to those reductions in waste.

“We’re thrilled to have Congressman Welch’s support in bringing our historic buildings into a new era of energy efficiency,” Chief Administrative Officer Dan Beard said. “These improvements underscore the Green the Capitol program’s ongoing commitment to a greener, more sustainable House that is a good steward of both resources and taxpayer dollars.”

In addition to Ayers and Green the Capitol executive director Bob Lane, Welch was joined at the press conference by Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy.

“Congressman Welch is showing his colleagues in the House and citizens across that energy efficiency is for everyone. Switching out lights and water fixtures are simple steps every American can and should do,” Callahan said. “The Environmental Protection Agency says that if every home in this country switched one incandescent light bulb to a compact fluorescent, it would save $600 million and enough electricity to light million homes across the U.S. It just makes sense.”

-Vermont Daily News report

State of Vermont cautions fishermen about thin areas of ice.(Vermont Daily News file photo)

Waterbury, Vt – February 26, 2010 - Ice fishing has been excellent in recent weeks, but the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is urging anyone venturing onto the ice to use caution.

“Ice conditions are deteriorating,” said Colonel David LeCours, Vermont’s chief game warden. “Ice is melting, water is warming and ice is moving away from shore in some places, so we are asking anyone going fishing to be extra careful. Conditions can change hourly, so keep an eye on the conditions around you.”

At the same time, in response to the warming water and longer days, many fish such as walleye, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch and northern pike are moving closer to their spawning areas and feeding heavily in preparation for spawning. Fishing can be a lot of fun and very productive.

LeCours says if you are going ice fishing, don’t go alone, carry a cell phone, a floatation vest, ice spikes to pull yourself out, leave your motor vehicle on shore, and check ice thickness as you go.

“We like to see people enjoying a good fishing experience,” added LeCours, “but we are very concerned about everyone staying safe.”

LeCours also offered a reminder that ice shanties must be removed from the ice before the ice becomes unsafe or loses its ability to support them, or before the last Sunday in March, the 28th this year. He also pointed out that walleye fishing season closes March 15.

-Vermont Daily News report and Vt. Dept. of Natural Resources press release

From 2p.m. to 4 p.m., Main Street and Merchants’ Row will overflow with chili  as more than 40 restaurants, caterers and amateurs from around the state participate in this hot event. The public will pick winners in 8 categories.

Passes for unlimited samples of chili will be available at the event or in advance at The Alpine Shop,American Flatbread, Forth ‘n Goal and Sweet Cecily.

The cost is$1/child under 12 or $2/adult. Water will be available for $1/bottle.

All proceeds will go to finance Better Middlebury Partnership events such as the Winter Carnival & Chili Contest, Spooktacular, and A Very Merry Middlebury.

In addition to the Chili contest, there will be snowshoe races and a sled dog demonstration on the town green at 2 PM. Also planned are: a fire-throwing exhibition on upper Main Street by the Flying Fists, a performance art group from Middlebury College, and an open house at the MiddleburyVolunteer Fire Department, located on Seymour Street, just off Main Street, from 2-4PM.

-Vermont Daily News report

“They further called on all other parties in Darfur to join the Doha peace process and the agreement,” said Araud.

Mr. Ban, who hailed the agreement on Tuesday, said he looked forward to its full implementation and called on all parties “to engage in the inclusive Doha peace process with flexibility and political vision, and to agree on a definitive political settlement of the Darfur crisis.”

Other rebel groups have still not signed agreements with the Government to end the nearly seven years of fighting that has killed at least 300,000 people and driven 2.7 million others from their homes.

As the country approaches a scheduled election in April,  Assistant Secretary of State Phillip Crowley addressed that issue Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010, ” You have two imperatives here. There are things that are going to happen in Sudan in the future, and those are things that are – that will be significant events in the future of the region.”

Crowley continued, “So we have to work with the parties on how are we going to hold the election in April, how are we going to hold the referendum in January, how are – if Southern Sudan, for example, chooses in that referendum for independence, how will that take place? What are going to be the relationships between North and South that we take for granted here in the United States, having peaceful borders with Canada and with Mexico? But for newly created countries, if you’re not careful, you sow the seeds of future conflict.”

More information on the Darfur Conflict: Wikipedia:War in Darfur

-Vermont Daily News report

Lyndon State College's Donna Lawson has been named Rookie of the Year in the North Atlantic Conference.(Lyndon State handout photo)

Lawson, who won four of six Rookie of the Week honors in the NAC over the past several weeks, averaged 16.8 points and 11.3 rebounds per game overall for the Lady Hornets. She shot 38 percent (95-245) from the field while connecting on .806 (58-72) of her free throw attempts.

In addition to points and rebounds, Lawson also led Lyndon in blocked shots with 22. She averaged 16.6 points and 11.5 rebounds in conference play, and ranked in the top-5 in field goals made, rebounds, blocks, points and free throw percentage.

Lawson, a 2009 graduate of Lake Region High School in Orleans, Vt., is currently enrolled in Lyndon’s Physical Education-Teacher Education program.

-Vermont Daily News report and Lyndon State College Sports Information

A motorist waits for a tow truck after sliding off I-89 while heavy wet snow fell across Vermont, Wednesday, February 24, 2010.(Vermont Daily News/Alden Pellett)

Rutland, Vt. – February 24, 2010 -  More than 24,000 customers lost power and were quickly restored  as snow loading resulted in additional outages, as a second round threatened even more problems. More than 42,000 Central Vermont Public Service customers are estimated to have lost power after the first wave of the double-hitter moved through New England Wednesday.

State Police closed Vt. Route 78 at the Shawville Road intersection in Sheldon, Vt. ,Wednesday, after a tractor-trailer unit had gone off the road during the morning hours. Police also closed Vt. Route 104a in Highgate when another tractor-trailer has lost control, blocking the road there. Numerous cars slid off I-89 throughout the day even as the Vermont Department of Transportation had flashing lighted signs declaring a 45 mph speed limit due to poor road conditions. No injuries were reported.

Vermont State Police in Royalton, Vt. are advising Thursday morning, Feb. 25,  that downed wires and poles, causing power and telephone outage , has forced the closure of the roadway at  the intersection of VT 14 and VT 107 in Royalton .

Calls reporting outages were coming in as fast as crews could repair existing ones, explained Central Vermont Public Service spokeswoman Christine Rivers as the storm continued to dump wet, heavy snow across the state. She said, ”We are being assisted by 40 contract crews from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, and Connecticut. We also have more than 15 tree crews, as well as other Vermont contract crews and line crews assisting CVPS crews in the restoration effort today.”

As of 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, 17,200 customers remained without power. Crews worked as quickly as they safely could to restore power through the evening and continue to work.  Some residents remained without power into the evening.

Franklin, Addison, Rutland, Windsor, Windham and Bennington counties were hardest hit, as heavy, wet snow brought down tree limbs and power lines across the state.

“Our crews saw a lot of damage today from tree limbs coming down on lines, due the weight of the heavy snow,” said Storm Operations Chief and Preconstruction Manager Jeremy Baker. “We’ve got a lot of snow sticking to the power lines too, and as tree limbs hit them, fuses blow or lines come down, so a lot of the work is patrolling the lines and finding the limb, line or blown fuse, and this can be very time-consuming.”

-Vermont Daily News report