New data from the Vermont Department of Labor shows the state’s
unemployment rate decreased in March by one-tenth of a percentage
point to 2.2%. The March unemployment rates ranged from 1.5% in
Woodstock to 4.9% in Derby. The comparable United States rate in
March was 3.8%.
A program to help Vermonters pay for internet access could be on the
chopping block. Senator Peter Welch spoke on the Senate floor
Thursday asking his Republican colleagues to join him in supporting
the Affordable Connectivity Program. The program has already helped
over 23 million people access affordable high-speed internet through
internet discounts. Welch also pushed for the ACP Extension Act
which focuses on connecting those most in need, including seniors,
veterans, students, and tribal communities. The Extension Act would
provide $7 billion to the ACP. Almost 26,000 households in Vermont
take advantage of the ACP program to help pay for monthly internet
service, and 77% of people using this program say if they lose the
help, their internet service will be disrupted or lost altogether.
The man accused of starting a fire outside independent U.S. Sen.
Bernie Sanders’ Vermont office earlier this month will remain
detained pending further legal proceedings, a federal judge ordered
Thursday. Shant Michael Soghomonian was indicted by a grand jury
on a charge of maliciously damaging or attempting to damage and
destroy by fire a building used in interstate commerce, according to
the indictment filed with the court. Soghomonian, 35, has not yet
been arraigned. The motive remains unclear, and Sanders was not
in the office at the time. Seven employees working in the office were
able to get out unharmed. The building’s interior suffered damage
from the fire and water sprinklers.
Vermont Senator Peter Welch says that Boeing needs to be held to a
higher safety standard following recent safety lapses. An engineer at
Boeing said Wednesday that the aircraft company, in rushing to
produce as many planes as possible, is taking manufacturing shortcuts
that could lead to jetliners breaking apart. Welch said the company’s
planes have eroded public trust. Earlier this year, after a Max 9 door
plug flew off during an Alaskan Airlines flight, Welch joined other
senators in sending a letter to Boeing’s CEO to demand answers on
the manufacturer’s quality control, oversight, and communication.
A judge has dismissed some of the most serious charges against a
former Minnesota college student who police and prosecutors feared
was plotting a campus shooting. Waylon Kurts, of Montpelier,
Vermont, who was then a student at St. Olaf College in
Northfield, was charged last April with conspiracy to commit second-
degree assault, conspiracy to commit threats of violence, making
terroristic threats, and a less serious count of conspiracy to commit
theft. Prosecutors alleged he was “planning a mass casualty event.”
Kurts, who has pleaded not guilty and is free on bail, has maintained
that he is a recreational firearms enthusiast and was just exchanging
text messages on that topic with a like-minded friend.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders will host his 2nd Annual Youth Chess
Day on Saturday. It’s happening at the Vermont State University
Randolph campus and is open for grades 1 to 12. This follows last
year’s event where 130 students from all Vermont counties came to
learn and compete. The day will kick off at 11 a.m. with a learn-to-
play session for grades 1 to 8. Then, players will test their skills in the
Tournament.
The Joe’s Pond Association has a winner in this year’s Ice Out contest.
Stuart Ramsdell from Danville guessed April 14 at 4:09 a.m., the
closest guess to when the ice went out at 4:02 a.m. There were 350
guesses for that date out of more than 15,000 tickets sold. Ramsdell
gets a check for $6,974.