Recently in Vermont Category
Wired is running an article about Vermonters opposed to building wind towers on mountain ridges. As I've heard it, this state actually has some anti-development laws in place to preserve the natural environment.
I haven't got a solid opinion on this yet. Wind power would be great, but I do love looking at the mountains and seeing the pristine nature. I'd hate to taint that. It's kind of a lesser of two evils deal, I think.
It's like all of the television shows and movies rolled into one. Think of all of the plots about stealing valuable landmarks like the Statue of Liberty or Egyptian pyramids. These masterminds who want to steal these things they could never possibly sell because. . . . Help me out here. Why? I never quite got that.
It's certainly a smaller scale but here in Vermont it's the best we've got unless you plan to steal Lake Champlain. Somebody decided to steal one of UVM's two-hundred pound metal signs while it was at the sign shop for updating. The work never even got done. Honestly now, why would you bother? You stole a sign. Is the metal worth so much money as to counteract what it would cost to turn it into something unrecognizable so it could be sold? If it's a college prank, it's not funny and it makes no sense. UVM has a lot of signs. You're not hurting them, you're just annoying them. If it was anything more than annoyance, the reward for the return would probably be a bit more than some sporting event tickets.
Ah, the degradation of society in 21st century America.
[via Burlington Free Press]
Apparently the Postal Service is considering a plan which would have all mail for Vermont go through White River Junction, eliminating the sorting center in Burlington. Frankly, this is a bad idea. I'll go ahead and repeat some of the things in the article. First of all, this will take a one day service for northern Vermont and turn it into a two or three day service. It'll increase the load on a less populated area of the state. It's, well, just not a good idea.
If you're like me, you probably don't understand taxes all that well. You question why they take what they take and what you're eligible for in terms of rebates, refunds, and prebates. In the midst of property tax changes and city-wide re-appraisals, is opening up two forums for discussion.
The first forum is tonight (December 8, 2005) at 7pm and is located in South Burlington City Hall. The topics will be the state property tax system and the city charter. The second forum is a week from tonight (December 15, 2005) at 7pm, also located in South Burlington City Hall, and will center around the re-appraisal.
[article]
"Nobody will be without fuel," says Human Services Secretary Michael Smith. The Douglas administration responded to yesterday's shock at unprocessed heating aid requests by saying additional workers - workers we were told weren't available - will be devoted to handling the requests.
[article]
According to the Burlington Free Press, the Agency of Human Service admitted to, in my opinion, a major failure. As temperatures were approximately 30º around the state, the Agency announced that they didn't have checks ready for people who applied for heating assistance. They say they've had seven staffers working overtime, say their other staffers are too busy to be shifted, say it would take three weeks to train new staffers. Meanwhile, people all over the state are going cold.
What makes this especially stunning in my eyes is the fact that this is Vermont. I've been shocked at the unseasonable warmth we've experienced this late into November. It's almost Thanksgiving and this morning was the first I woke up with visible snow on the ground here in South Burlington. A year ago today I was attempting to snowboard for the first time. And this is the first we're hearing that they don't have the checks ready. It's disturbing that they didn't see the lack of man power and seek help. Three weeks ago they could have started training people.
Here's a hint to business owners and governments: if your employees are working overtime, something is probably wrong. You should probably check in with them and see if they really think they can meet their deadline, and if so why they're so rushed. Something could have been done weeks ago, but now, as we usher in the cold, we're first starting to think about it.
[article]
Friday November 18 has been deemed the grand opening of Winooski's newly-revamped downtown area, according to this. I find myself a bit cut off from the world right now, so I don't really know what that means. But it's still true.
The project has been in motion for over five years, and finally we see some results. The downtown portion of Winooski is no longer a dangerous construction zone blocked off to the world. The construction isn't 100% complete quite yet, but people can go down there now. Residents are saying that traffic is better, and if all goes well the benefits of this restoration will remove some of the social stigma that exists for the residents of this one-square-mile town.
I'd better make sure I spell everything correctly in this entry; Vermont has been ranked the smartest state in the nation. This ranking appears to be based on the students and our educational system. It's nice to know that when I do settle down and start a family, any future children will have good schools to go to. Just another draw for living here.
The same publisher also ranked us the healthiest state, second safest, and third most livable.
(article, though I pretty much paraphrased the whole thing)
The other day I wrote about a proposed set of rules to protect the Vermont name witch regards to how it's used in the name of food products. The Douglas administration withdrew support for these rules at the last minute when last I wrote and, as I said, that irked me. I was concerned. I'm glad to see that the legislative panel approved this set of rules.
High Temperature: 76° F
Average High: 61° F
Record High: 82° F in 1891
Low Temperature: 56° F
Average Low: 43° F
Record Low: 27° F in 1948
This is what it's been like here for the last several days. It is unseasonably warm here. Perhaps the antichrist has moved from Lower Tadfield to South Burlington. Read Good Omens to understand that reference.
The heat, and the fluctuations, are starting to get to me in a way. I miss the cold weather and look forward to a Halloween on which, if it was a decade ago, I'd be told to wear a coat over my costume. Silly mother. Doesn't she know ninjas, ghosts, and the grim reaper do not wear coats?
Not this year, they don't, if things keep up the way they are.