WCAX - Vermont Headlines

Feds: 5 Vt. dairy farms targeted over workers

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:15:00 EST

Associated Press - November 20, 2009 5:15 PM ET WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal immigration officials say five Vermont dairy farms are being asked to provide records proving their workers are legal.

News Minute: Here is the latest Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont news from The Associated Press

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:05:00 EST

Click through for continually updated top news from around the state.

Vermont auditor to plead guilty to DUI

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:55:00 EST

Associated Press - November 20, 2009 2:55 PM ET MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Vermont State Auditor Tom Salmon says he will plead guilty to a driving under the influence of alcohol charge, and he's...

Vt. unemployment drops .2 percent in October

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:55:00 EST

Associated Press - November 20, 2009 2:55 PM ET MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - The state says Vermont's unemployment rate dropped two-tenths of 1 percent in October to 6.5 percent of the work...

Winooski, Vt., brings peanuts back to city schools

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:35:00 EST

Associated Press - November 20, 2009 1:35 PM ET Corrected Version WINOOSKI, Vt. (AP) - Peanuts are back in Winooski schools.

Attorney Anita Hill named to S. Vt. College board

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:35:00 EST

Associated Press - November 20, 2009 9:35 AM ET BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) - A Brandeis University professor who rose to national prominence during the 1991 Supreme Court confirmation hearings of...

Vt. orchestra director facing child porn charge

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:15:00 EST

Associated Press - November 20, 2009 9:15 AM ET BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (AP) - The director of the Windham Orchestra is facing charges he possessed child pornography and that he tried to lure a minor...

Vermont celebrating centennial of first forest

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:45:00 EST

Associated Press - November 20, 2009 7:45 AM ET PLAINFIELD, Vt. (AP) - The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation is getting ready to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first...

Winooksi, Vt., brings peanuts back to city schools

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:15:00 EST

Associated Press - November 20, 2009 7:15 AM ET WINOOSKI, Vt. (AP) - Peanuts are back in Winooski schools. In 2002 city school officials established a peanut and tree nut policy.

Rail Action network plans kickoff Friday

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:15:00 EST

Associated Press - November 20, 2009 6:15 AM ET BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) - Advocates of train travel who successfully fought a plan to cut service to Rutland last year are gearing up to promote...

Salmon addresses personal responsibility

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:45:00 EST

Associated Press - November 20, 2009 5:45 AM ET MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Vermont State Auditor Tom Salmon is holding a press conference to discuss government transparency and personal...

Vt. nuke critics renew campaign against relicense

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:15:00 EST

Associated Press - November 19, 2009 7:15 PM ET BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) - 2 of Vermont's most famous residents and 1 of its former governors have joined groups opposed to the Vermont Yankee...

Immigration officials target Vermont farms

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:35:00 EST

Associated Press - November 19, 2009 6:35 PM ET MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Federal immigration officials are cracking down on Vermont dairy farmers asking them to provide records to prove their...

Immigration officials visit Vermont farms

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:25:00 EST

Associated Press - November 19, 2009 4:15 PM ET MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - The Vermont Department of Agriculture says federal immigration officials are serving subpoenas to dairy farmers asking...

$3M for NY businesses near closed Champlain bridge

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:25:00 EST

Associated Press - November 19, 2009 3:25 PM ET ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New York officials say nearly $3 million has been allocated to help businesses hurt by the closing of the Lake Champlain...

Captain freed from pirates thanks Navy rescuers

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:15:00 EST

Associated Press - November 19, 2009 2:55 PM ET NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - A merchant sea captain who was captured and held by Somali pirates has thanked the U.S.

US Senate committee approves Vt. judge nominee

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:45:00 EST

Associated Press - November 19, 2009 1:45 PM ET MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has approved the nomination of a Vermont state judge to become the state's next...

Feds report fewer workplace deaths in New England

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:45:00 EST

Associated Press - November 19, 2009 12:45 PM ET BOSTON (AP) - A federal agency says 136 people died in New England from work-related injuries last year, 27 fewer than in the previous year and...

Captain, Navy crew in piracy rescue to reunite

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:15:00 EST

Associated Press - November 19, 2009 11:15 AM ET NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - A guided-missile destroyer has arrived in Norfolk for a reunion with the American merchant captain the crew helped rescue...

Nuke critics renew campaign against re-licensing

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:15:00 EST

Associated Press - November 19, 2009 11:15 AM ET BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) - Vermont Yankee critics are gearing up for another campaign aimed at persuading state lawmakers to turn thumbs-down on the...

Vt. town signs off on National Forest land buy

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:35:00 EST

Associated Press - November 19, 2009 9:35 AM ET ARLINGTON, Vt. (AP) - The town of Arlington is backing a plan by the Green Mountain National Forest to buy 812 acres of land from a timber...

Rutland man jailed, loses home in child porn case

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:05:00 EST

Associated Press - November 19, 2009 9:05 AM ET RUTLAND, Vt. (AP) - A 58-year-old Rutland man convicted of child pornography is going to federal prison for 12 years and losing his home and...

Julie Brill chosen for Federal Trade Commission

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:55:00 EST

Associated Press - November 19, 2009 6:15 AM ET MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - President Barack Obama has selected former Vermont Assistant Attorney General Julie Brill to join the U.S.

Cops say alcohol played role in Vt. teen's death

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:05:00 EST

Associated Press - November 19, 2009 7:05 AM ET PLAINFIELD, Vt. (AP) - The Vermont State Police says that underage drinking played a role in a June traffic crash that killed a Montpelier...

Vt. hunter charged in shooting

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:35:00 EST

Associated Press - November 19, 2009 5:35 AM ET BRADFORD, Vt. (AP) - Vermont State Police say a Topsham man has been charged with aggravated assault for allegedly shooting a fellow turkey...

Captain, Navy crew in April piracy rescue reunite

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:35:00 EST

Associated Press - November 19, 2009 4:35 AM ET NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - The American sea captain who was held by pirates off of Africa and the crew of a Navy ship involved his rescue are reuniting...

Ex-crewmen: Company wouldn't rename targeted ship

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:25:00 EST

Associated Press - November 18, 2009 6:25 PM ET PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Former crew members of the Maersk Alabama say they asked the company to rename, repaint or reroute the ship after it was...

Vermont gets 'healthiest state' title

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:15:00 EST

Associated Press - November 18, 2009 5:35 AM ET MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - For the third year in a row, Vermont has been ranked the healthiest state in the country.

Northeast states granted green jobs funding

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:45:00 EST

Associated Press - November 18, 2009 5:45 PM ET MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Vermont and seven other states will share nearly $4 million in economic stimulus funding to support a green jobs...

Family: RI skipper was prepared to defend ship

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:25:00 EST

Associated Press - November 18, 2009 11:45 AM ET BARRINGTON, R.I. (AP) - A sea captain from Rhode Island assured his family that he know how to handle a pirate attack before his vessel was...

Vt. 911 callers report plane dropping pot

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:45:00 EST

Associated Press - November 18, 2009 3:45 PM ET NEWPORT CENTER, Vt. (AP) - Vermont State Police have seized $200,000 worth of marijuana believed to have been dropped from a plane into a field...

Intrawest selling Colo.'s Copper Mountain to Powdr

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:15:00 EST

Associated Press - November 18, 2009 3:15 PM ET KILLINGTON, Vt. (AP) - Powdr Corp., the owner of the Killington ski resort, plans to buy Copper Mountain ski resort in Colorado.

3 Vt. kids got vaccines against parents' wishes

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:15:00 EST

Associated Press - November 18, 2009 2:15 PM ET MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Vermont Health Department officials say three students got doses of swine flu vaccine at school-based clinics against the...

Phillips mum on attack on former ship

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:15:00 EST

Associated Press - November 18, 2009 12:15 PM ET UNDERHILL, Vt. (AP) - The former captain of the Maersk Alabama says he has nothing to say about the second pirate attack in seven months on his...

MMA prof: Somali pirates a 'scourge'

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:55:00 EST

Associated Press - November 18, 2009 10:55 AM ET BOSTON (AP) - A Massachusetts Maritime Academy professor whose son was on the Maersk Alabama when it was attacked last spring says he's not...

Vt. woman charged following triple fatal in NH

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:55:00 EST

Associated Press - November 18, 2009 10:55 AM ET LANCASTER, N.H. (AP) - A Vermont woman is facing negligent homicide charges stemming from an accident last summer on U.S.

Pirates again attack US-flagged Maersk Alabama

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:15:00 EST

Associated Press - November 18, 2009 6:45 AM ET NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - The EU's anti-piracy force says that Somali pirates have again attacked the Maersk Alabama, the U.S.-flagged ship hijacked...

Springfield Hospital sues Vt. to recover funds

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:45:00 EST

Associated Press - November 18, 2009 8:45 AM ET SPRINGFIELD, Vt. (AP) - The Springfield Hospital is suing the heads of 2 Vermont agencies to recover $1.2 million in Medicaid funds it says were...

Burlington Airport hires growth consultant

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:15:00 EST

Associated Press - November 18, 2009 7:15 AM ET SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) - The Burlington International Airport has hired a prominent aviation marketing firm to help restore growth at...

Vt.'s Douglas to meet Republican governors

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:15:00 EST

Associated Press - November 15, 2009 8:25 AM ET MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas is to join his fellow Republican governors at a conference in Austin, Texas this week, and the...

Vt. Farm Crackdown Over?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:32:00 EST

Vermont farmers are breathing a sigh of relief. It appears an immigration crackdown could be over. The feds visited four farms Thursday, demanding documentation for all workers. Rumors circulated that more than 80 farms would be targeted.

Possible Penalties from Immigration Crackdown

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:40:00 EST

There are still questions about what penalties farmers and their workers will face after an immigration crackdown in Vermont Thursday. For the answers, Kristin Carlson sat down with an immigration lawyer.

Escaped Inmate May be in Connecticut

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:41:00 EST

Police say an inmate who carved his way out of his Sullivan County jail cell could be in Connecticut.

Vt. orchestra director facing child porn charge

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:29:00 EST

The director of the Windham Orchestra is facing charges he possessed child pornography and that he tried to lure a minor via electronic means.

2 Killed in Morrisonville Crash

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:42:00 EST

Two people are dead following a car crash Friday morning in Clinton County, N.Y.

Firing Range Danger

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:43:00 EST

Some Vermont outdoorsmen are putting themselves in danger by venturing onto a military firing range. And they're interfering with the National Guard's preparations for Mission Afghanistan.

Salmon Speaks Out on DUI, Finances

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:45:00 EST

Vermont State Auditor Tom Salmon talked about his recent drunk driving arrest and what the political impact may be. He also addressed concerns about his own finances.

Officer Under Investigation

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:40:00 EST

The criminal division of the Attorney General's office is investigating an award-winning officer at the Windsor County Sheriff's Department.

Principal's Unexplained Resignation Sparks Outrage

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:34:00 EST

A school board meeting in Concord turned emotional on Thursday night. School board members accepted the resignation of Principal Karl Stein, but wouldn't tell a packed room of parents, students, faculty and staff why he was resigning.

Details Emerge About Ex-Crossett Brook Teacher

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:35:00 EST

An art teacher and girls soccer coach in Duxbury who surrendered his teaching license this week reportedly displayed unprofessional conduct over email and Facebook while communicating with teen girls.