The Vermont Department of Labor has identified eight cases of fraudulent activity in the Unemployment Insurance Claimant Portal system. Based on their initial review, this activity appears to involve individual claim accounts, in which personal information was used to gain unauthorized access to the Unemployment Insurance system. The Vermont State Police are actively investigating, and it is believed that this situation is limited to only individuals with active unemployment claims. In each of the eight cases the claimants have been notified by the Department, and none have suffered the loss of any unemployment benefits.
Vermont State Police conducted another saturation patrol in Brattleboro and Springfield Monday, enforcing the states distracted driving laws. Between 2 and 5 P M, 26 motor vehicle stops were made and 17 tickets issued. All the tickets were for violation of the states ban on hand held cell phone use or texting while driving.
Brattleboro select board members tonight will be asked to approve asked to approve permits for the Strolling of the Heifers weekend on June 7 through 9. Town staff has met extensively with the event organizers and recommends Selectboard approval of the permits, which include a few changes this year. Also scheduled tonight, board members will be asked to endorse a contract with Stone Environmental of Montpelier, Vermont, for a Phase II environmental assessment at Long Falls Paperboard. In addition, the board will discuss after how to proceed, aftefr three bids to build a skatepark all came in over budget. The meeting takes place at 6;15 in the Brattleboro Municipal Center meeting room.
Vermont General Fund revenues bounced back in March, mostly for the personal income tax, but uncertainty continues as to how refunds ultimately will play out in April through June, the last three months of the fiscal year. Complaints from taxpayers about under-withholding on the federal tax tables, and changes in recent years on the state side, has led to uncertainty over how much the state will ultimately take in. As of now, the state is showing slightly positive results for the current fiscal year.
Two lost hikers were helped out of the woods in Swanzey by New Hampshire state police late Saturday. 28 year old Gibson Chase-Pinkney, of Keene and 24 year old Adam Hugh, of Richmond began their hike that evening at around 5:00 p.m. The pair had planned to hike a .7 mile section of trail which they had hiked before, however they became lost after dark. They made a call to 911 that provided GPS coordinates for their location. A team of Keene Fire Department personnel located the hikers below the summit of West Hill at approximately 10:34 p.m. The pair was transported out of the woods on UTVs at 11:30 p.m. and both refused medical attention.
The Vermont Department of Financial Regulation has entered into a Consent Order with the CMFG Life Insurance Company for improperly calculating interest amounts resulting in underpayments to about 200 life insurance policy beneficiaries. Under the terms of the settlement CMFG will pay a $231,000 administrative penalty and implement a corrective action plan. CMFG has also paid the correct interest amounts to the affected beneficiaries.
A new report has found that automatic voter registration has dramatically increased the number of voters being registered, in several states across the country . Secretary of State Jim Condos launched AVR in January of 2017, in partnership with the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles . An average of 427 voters registered or updated their registration status each week in 2017. Vermont was the 4th state to pass AVR, and the 2nd state to implement it.
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