Vermont
Check out these Vermont students recognized for their creative talents
Nearly 170 students have been honored for their creative talents through the Vermont Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, according to a community announcement from the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center.
Their award-winning work will be showcased at the museum from Feb. 20 to March 6.
The exhibition will include work from categories such as ceramics, digital art, painting, photography, poetry and personal essays, according to the announcement.
The exhibition will culminate in a ceremony at noon March 7. Doors open at 10 a.m. The event is free and open to the public, with cartoonist and illustrator Harry Bliss delivering the keynote address.
The awards are part a national recognition program for students in grades 7-12. This year, 280 students from 43 Vermont schools submitted 707 works, the highest participation level since the museum began administering the program in Vermont, according to the announcement. Of these, 167 students received a total of 279 awards: 59 Gold Keys, 60 Silver Keys and 160 Honorable Mentions.
Dashiell Moyse of Brattleboro Union High School, Lillian Allen of Craftsbury Academy and Marcus Burns of St. Johnsbury Academy won Gold Keys for their portfolios. These portfolios will be considered for the program’s highest honor, the Portfolio Gold Medal, which includes a $12,500 scholarship.
Rhys Grandy, a junior at the Mountain School of Milton Academy, received the highest number of awards in writing, with three Gold Keys, three Silver Keys and four Honorable Mentions for his poems and short stories. Chloe Rosner, a senior at the Putney School, garnered eight awards in art, including a Gold Key and an American Visions nomination for her painting, “Sitting, Thinking.” Myrrh Pitkin, a senior at Champlain Valley Union High School, received four Gold Keys, including one for her novel, “Black Heart of the False God,” and an American Voices nomination for her personal essay, “Picking Apart My Pomegranate Heart.”
The only middle school Gold Key awardee was Tess Wiesmore from the Grammar School in Putney for her poem, “Shades of Pink.”
The schools with the most award winners were Stratton Mountain School with 30, St. Johnsbury Academy with 27 and Burlington Technical Center with 23.
For more information, visit brattleboromuseum.org or call 802-257-0124.
This story was created by reporter Beth McDermott, bmcdermott1@usatodayco.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
Updated at 5:34 p.m.
Grand Isle County’s top prosecutor Douglas DiSabito was cited Tuesday for drunken driving after he was allegedly intoxicated in a St. Albans courthouse, according to the St. Albans Police Department.
Police received a call around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday alerting officers to respond to Franklin County Superior Court in St. Albans “for a report of a person in the building who may be under the influence of alcohol,” according to a department press release.
Officers then made contact with Grand Isle County State’s Attorney DiSabito and after “subsequent investigation” arrested him for driving under the influence of alcohol, the release said.
DiSabito is set to appear in court on May 4, according to the release.
The 57-year-old from Alburgh was first elected to lead the prosecutor’s office in 2014 and has won re-election without facing challengers in every election since then, according to the Vermont Secretary of State’s website. DiSabito has said he is running again for re-election in November. Earlier this week he said he would seek both Democratic and Republican nominations, according to WCAX.
DiSabito recently said he wanted the state to pass stricter bail laws, and he thinks the judiciary isn’t doing enough to combat what he sees as a lack of respect for judicial proceedings, according to the Bennington Banner.
“It’s unfortunate for Grand Isle and for law enforcement,” said Gov. Phil Scott at his weekly press conference Wednesday.
DiSabito did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
Tim Lueders-Dumont, executive director of the Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs, said his department is standing ready to support the county, though he was not yet sure if anyone would take over some of DiSabito’s cases.
“He’s still state’s attorney, he still has his law license,” Lueders-Dumont said.
Lueders-Dumont said he didn’t know which prosecutor would bring the drunken driving case against DiSabito. He declined to comment on the arrest, saying the department doesn’t comment on ongoing criminal matters.
DiSabito’s arrest comes two years after a state prosecutor in Addison County was similarly arrested for drunken driving.
READ MORE
Addison County State’s Attorney Eva Vekos was arrested for drunken driving in January 2024 when she appeared intoxicated at the scene of a suspicious death investigation. When state troopers arrested Vekos, she declined to do field sobriety tests and asked an officer to let a friend come pick her up, according to court documents. The fallout from her arrest has turned into a more than two-year saga.
Vekos was convicted of the crime in December. The Vermont Supreme Court temporarily suspended Vekos’ law license last week, pending disciplinary proceedings stemming from her drunken driving conviction.
Vekos has challenged the allegations against her and defended her conduct. She has refused to resign.
One of Vermont’s few mosques is racing against the clock to purchase two new buildings its leaders say will better serve the growing Muslim community around Burlington.
The Islamic Community Center of Vermont, which currently operates out a cramped Winooski building, says it needs to raise $100,000 by April 28 to guarantee ownership of two much larger Burlington properties on Riverside Avenue.
For the approximately 300 Somali families who use the mosque’s services, the change in location would be like “moving from a one-bedroom apartment to a mansion,” center board member Mukhtar Abdullahi told the Burlington Free Press.
The mosque’s current space limits services. It can only run a few small Qur’an reading and recitation classes each day and weekend, resulting in waitlists for some classes.
“Unfortunately, we’ve had to turn people away simply because we don’t have the capacity to accommodate everyone,” Abdullahi said.
The mosque also lacks sufficient space for women and their children, who for instance must share the facility’s single bathroom with men, “which is far from ideal,” Abdullahi said.
The small size is also a safety concern.
“If something was to happen, there’s no quick exit,” he said.
The deadline is built into a purchasing agreement and financing terms from a bank, Abdullahi said. The center has paid an upfront deposit of $30,000, he said, and the remaining balance of the down payment and closings costs is due April 28.
A bigger space would allow the center to offer multiple classes for different demographics, including age and gender, giving families more flexibility. The organization would also be able to expand Qur’an instruction and provide followers with more activities.
Abdullahi especially dreams of one day cultivating a place just for local youth, which the mosque and the greater Burlington area as a whole lacks, he said.
“Regardless of religion, our youth are the future,” Abdullahi said. “We want to make sure we take care of them.”
How Islamic Community Center of Vermont came to be
The center is one of only two state-registered mosques in Vermont, according to Abdullahi. The other is the similarly named Islamic Society of Vermont, based in South Burlington.
The Islamic Society of Vermont formed in 1995. The Islamic Community Center of Vermont followed in 2011. Together, the two mosques serve the Green Mountain State’s 6,200-6,500 Muslim residents.
The main difference between the organizations is who each serves, Abdullahi said.
His center formed 15 years ago in response to a growing number Somali immigrants, many of whom do not speak English or have a car, to the greater Burlington area. The Islamic Society of Vermont’s services are offered primarily in English and its mosque is a long walk from where the majority of Somali families live, Abdullahi said.
Although the Islamic Society of Vermont has done its best to welcome and accommodate Somali attendees, “there was a need for a mosque where they could communicate easily, ask questions and feel fully understood by people who share their background,” Abdullahi said.
“This wasn’t about replacing that but about creating additional support and accessibility for our community,” he said.
The prospective location, which used to be a laundry mat and a car wash, is a 20-30 minute walk from the mosque’s current spot in Winooski.
Despite its small size, the mosque is “the heart of the community,” Abdullahi told the Free Press, adding that many Somali residents “would struggle to live our daily lives without it.”
The center performs marriages and funeral rites. It’s where people go to settle disagreements.
“We teach children how to be good citizens, how to stay away from trouble, how to read the Qur’an,” Abdullahi said. “It’s where we tell stories about back home.”
“It’s a small building that stands for and does more than what the eye sees,” Abdullahi said.
How fundraising is going
Should the religious nonprofit fail to raise enough money, it will forfeit thousands of dollars in already paid fees and must look for a different location, according to Abdullahi.
Despite the tight deadline, Abdullahi told the Free Press he feels confident the group will secure enough donations.
“We already have several committed donations and meetings lined up, and we’re continuing to connect with supporters,” he said. “Our community has always shown up in meaningful ways, and we’re hopeful that, as more people hear about this effort, they’ll contribute financially or support us in other ways as well.”
Donations will pay for the down payment and closing costs, which originally amounted to $300,000, according to Abdullahi. The center has raised $200,000, a significant amount of which came from Vermont’s non-Muslim population. It has a GoFundMe that as of April 14 had raised about $8,300.
“Regardless of where you come from, always, at the end of the day, community depends on each other,” Abdullahi said.
Real estate records show that the owners of the Riverside properties have been trying to sell them, or parts of them, for several years now.
When would the new mosque open to the public?
Should the center succeed in purchasing the two properties, the new mosque will open sometime between fall and the end of the year, Abdullahi said.
“The place needs a lot of renovations to make it a place of worship,” Abdullahi said, but “it’ll be doable.”
Just as before, people of all faiths, or people with no religious affiliation at all, are invited to visit the mosque.
“We don’t care what religion you are,” Abdullahi said. “It’s a place for the community. Anyone’s welcome.”
Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at mstewartyounger@gannett.com.
Vermont
Vermont argues that Trump administration provided no factual basis for voter data request – VTDigger
RUTLAND CITY — Vermont argued in federal court Tuesday that the Trump administration’s lawsuit demanding the state’s voter roll data should be dismissed because the administration has not provided a sufficient reason for its request.
The Trump administration sued Vermont’s secretary of state, among many other states, last year after she refused the department’s demand to turn over voter data, including voters’ addresses, drivers license numbers and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.
Following the hearing, Federal Judge Mary Kay Lanthier will issue a ruling to dismiss or move forward with the case.
Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas said she had grounds to deny the request because Vermont Law barred the state and local government officials from sharing personally identifying voter data with federal agencies.
Copeland Hanzas said in an interview before the hearing that the Trump administration’s requests for states’ unredacted voter rolls undermines public trust in elections and points to broader concerns with privacy rights.
“We don’t want the federal government to have that level of information about individual Vermonters,” Copeland Hanzas said.
The state of Vermont’s lawyer Samuel Stratton, representing Copeland Hanzas, argued the case should be dismissed because the Department of Justice did not provide a factual basis and purpose for the request and therefore does not comply with the Civil Rights Act.
“We are proud to defend Secretary Copeland Hanzas in this case, and we will continue working to protect our elections from federal interference,” the Attorney General Charity Clark wrote in a Tuesday statement.
The Department of Justice attorney Brittany Bennett argued that the federal government has broad authority under the Civil Rights Act to seek voter data in order to determine whether the state of Vermont’s elections are in compliance with federal law.
The hearing comes after judges recently dismissed similar cases in California, Michigan, Oregon and Massachusetts. A federal judge in Massachusetts dismissed the case last week, asserting that the department failed to comply with Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 by not sharing in detail how the department will use voter information.
The Department of Justice has brought similar lawsuits against 30 states for withholding voter rolls, while 12 states have complied or said they would comply with the Justice Department’s request, according to a tracker run by the Brennan Center for Justice.
“We certainly hope and expect that the outcome of ours will be similar to what’s happened with the states that have gone before us,” Copeland Hanzas said. “But if the motion to dismiss isn’t approved, then we will continue to fight, and we will have our day in court.”
Disclosure: VTDigger reporter Greta Solsaa worked in summer 2022 as a paid canvasser for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, which filed several motions in the case.
Detroit’s teen takeover brawls put Sheffield-Bettison policies in focus
Thousands head to San Francisco’s East Cut for 415 Day Market & Party
3 Biggest Questions Facing the Dallas Mavericks This Offseason
Should Boston still have parking minimums for new construction?
Denver police investigate shooting in Montbello neighborhood
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Video: What the Iran War Means for China
Melania Trump challenges Congress to make her foster care executive order permanent law: ‘Their birthright’
Brazil’s police open a probe into presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro
Popes have spoken out on politics before. But with Trump and Pope Leo it’s different
Spanberger signs gun bills, makes a proposed gun ban even harsher
-
Ohio2 days ago‘Little Rascals’ star Bug Hall arrested in Ohio
-
Georgia1 week agoGeorgia House Special Runoff Election 2026 Live Results
-
Arkansas6 days agoArkansas TV meteorologist Melinda Mayo retires after nearly four decades on air
-
Pennsylvania1 week agoParents charged after toddler injured by wolf at Pennsylvania zoo
-
Milwaukee, WI1 week agoPotawatomi Casino Hotel evacuated after fire breaks out in rooftop HVAC system
-
Culture1 week agoCan You Name These Novels Based on Their Characters?
-
Austin, TX1 week agoABC Kite Fest Returns to Austin for Annual Celebration – Austin Today
-
Pittsburg, PA1 week agoPrimanti Bros. closes Monroeville and North Versailles locations