Vermont

Former Vt. trooper sues Human Rights Commission over smeared reputation

Published

2 years ago

June 9, 2022

Former Vt. trooper sues Human Rights Commission over smeared reputation

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A Vermont State Police trooper accused of bias is elevating issues in regards to the state’s Human Rights Fee and its practices. It comes after the impartial fee discovered affordable grounds that a number of state troopers discriminated in opposition to a Black enterprise proprietor in 2017. Dom Amato spoke with the trooper suing the fee and discovered how the group operates largely underneath its personal discretion.

Vermont’s Human Rights Fee is a quasi-judicial group that investigates discrimination in housing, state authorities employment and public lodging. Commissioners are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate, however they function independently and with out a lot oversight.

“I really feel as if that they undoubtedly have to be investigated,” stated Andrew Leise, who labored for the Vermont State Police for 22 years. The previous corporal says his fame has been tarnished by a Human Rights Fee report. “As a trooper, in case your fame is broken — or on this case destroyed — how will you go into court docket and testify as a reputable witness?”

In 2017, Leise was considered one of greater than a half dozen troopers who responded to what VSP calls a contentious tenant/landlord dispute on the Clemmons Household Farm in Charlotte. The Clemmons say they had been terrorized by their tenant, resulting in 65 emergency 911 calls between each events and 25 incident experiences in a three-month span.

“We tried our perfect on the market. We had been truthful and neutral, affordable, respectful,” Leise stated.

WCAX Information obtained a closely redacted sprint cam video and audio from Vermont State Police from when Leise responded to his first name on the property in October 2017. The Clemmons believed their tenant was in violation of his situations of launch from a separate case. They wished the tenant held accountable, however Leise didn’t suppose the actions had been legal. Audio of Leise talking with the tenant is considered one of many items of proof the place the Clemmons say troopers handled that tenant with extra respect and deference than they acquired.

“You’re going to must be actual cautious as a result of if any little factor comes up, she’s going to name,” Leise says within the recording.

The Clemmons believed VSP ought to have taken their calls about their tenant extra severely and higher enforced court-imposed situations on him. VSP says extra tickets would have led to extra hassle and believes their troopers went above and past.

“We wished to convey peace and calm to the scenario and we did the very best we may to try this,” Leise stated.

Months later, the Clemmons filed a grievance with the Human Rights Fee. After a greater than a three-year investigation that included inner emails and interviews with the troopers concerned, a call was made that there have been affordable grounds that VSP had discriminated on the idea of race and gender.

Reporter Dom Amato: Do you’re feeling that you simply had been wronged on this scenario?

Andrew Leise: Sure, I do.

A Division of Public Security spokesperson declined an interview however says it doesn’t consider the HRC findings are supported by the details. DPS additionally shared an preliminary report by the HRC investigator that concludes there have been no affordable grounds that discrimination occurred. However 4 months later, that discovering was reversed within the official 98-page investigative report that was revealed.

That investigator, Nelson Campbell, now not works for the HRC and resigned in late spring of final 12 months. We tried to trace down Campbell to ask her about what led to her preliminary report however couldn’t discover her in individual or by telephone.

Investigator Campbell famous in her remaining report that her perspective shifted over the almost three years as proof got here in.

Human Rights Fee government director Bor Yang declined a request for an interview however did share a press release:

“The HRC is a state entity that’s charged with the tough process of investigating and discovering discrimination, the place it exists. Its workers and commissioners function with the best regard for integrity and equity. Any suggestion on the contrary is completely false and with none foundation.”

Former Human Rights Fee government director Robert Appel says throughout his tenure, an preliminary discovering like this was unusual and that he would counsel his investigators to not make an preliminary discovering, particularly in writing. “I believe it was unlucky and I believe a lesson was discovered,” he stated.

That preliminary report is a key piece of proof in Leise’s federal court docket battle. It’s additionally a degree of rivalry for Vermont State Police, who questioned how a discovering might be modified so late within the course of.

On the Channel 3 Information on Thursday, Dom Amato examines how the Human Rights Fee makes its findings and why lawmakers say the work they do is important to defending Vermonters.

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Related Topics:commission discrimination Featured human lawsuit news police rights state trooper vermont WCAX

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Vermont

VT wins big in USA Today’s 10 best ski and snowboard awards. Here’s a full list of winners

Published

3 mins ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

VT wins big in USA Today’s 10 best ski and snowboard awards. Here’s a full list of winners

Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe opens for the season

Skiers and snowboarders flock to Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe on opening day 2024.

Planning a winter ski trip? Consider heading to the mountains of Vermont.

USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards just released its best of ski and snowboard rankings, and Vermont won a total of 11 awards. The annual 10Best awards highlight the best in travel, food and lifestyle, and winners are chosen by a public voting poll after being nominated by industry experts. This year’s best of ski and snowboard awards ranks lodgings, locations and services for the winter sports across the United States.

In addition to Stowe placing as the third best ski town in the country, Vermont ski accommodations placed in the following categories: best apres-ski bar, best ski restaurant, best ski shop, best place for snow tubing, best cross-country ski resort and best ski hotel.

Here’s what to know about the winners:

The Belfry

Housed in a former one-room schoolhouse, The Belfry is a charming pub just minutes away from Jay Peak Resort. Between a robust beer and wine selection and a menu full of pub classics like wings and burgers, The Belfry is the perfect place to grab a drink after a day of skiing – earning the sixth spot on the list of apres-ski bars.

The Belfry is open for thirsty skiiers every day except Wednesday, with hours from 4-9 p.m. on Friday-Saturday and 4-8 p.m. every other day.

Award: No. 6 in Best Apres-Ski Bar

Location: 14 Amidon Road, Montgomery Center, VT

Cliff House Restaurant

Cliff House Restaurant, one of the restaurants at Stowe Mountain Resort, offers a mountainside eating experience at the top of the gondola on Mount Mansfield. The restaurant is known for American cuisine with a rustic Vermont flair, serving classics like chicken sandwiches and New England clam chowder.

Stowe’s Cliff House is open for lunch from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. daily once the season starts on Dec. 14. A valid ticket or season pass is required to ride the gondola to the restaurant.

Award: No. 8 in Best Ski Restaurant

Location: 7231 Mountain Road, Stowe, VT (top of the mountain gondola)

The INN Restaurant & Bar

Taking the third place spot for best ski restaurant is the restaurant at The INN, a quaint inn in Montgomery Center.

Guests have a choice of eating in the intimate dining room, lively tavern or riverside deck. The INN’s seasonal menus offer upscale comfort food made from fresh, local ingredients, completed with various craft cocktails.

The inn’s restaurant is open year-round on Thursday-Sunday starting at 5 p.m. Reservations are highly recommended.

Award: No. 3 in Best Ski Restaurant

Location: 241 Main St., Montgomery Center, VT

Darkside Snowboards

Darkside Snowboards is a premiere snowboarding shop with locations in Killington and Ludlow. Just making the list of best ski shops at 10th place, this shop has everything a snowboarder could want, from performance and freestyle boards to boots, helmets, goggles and clothing for the sport. Darkside does also offer ski rentals, but mainly focuses on snowboarding equipment.

Hours for this snowboard shop are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily in Ludlow and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily in Killington, with extended late-night hours Monday-Wednesday.

Award: No. 10 in Best Ski Shop

Location: 1842 Killington Road, Killington, VT; 57 Pond St., Ludlow, VT

Skiology Ski and Sports

Right down the road from Downside Snowboards in Killington is Skiology Ski and Sports, USA Today’s second choice pick for best ski shop. The store offers a wide range of high-performance skis, from recreational to racing and all-mountain to powder, as well as daily ski rentals and professional tuning services.

Skiology is open from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

Award: No. 2 in Best Ski Shop

Location: 937 Killington Road, Killington, VT

Pinnacle Ski and Sports

Pinnacle Ski and Sports, a Stowe ski shop that has been open for over 35 years, took the top spot for ski shops in this year’s 10Best awards.

Along with a wide selection of equipment and apparel, Pinnacle offers custom boot fitting, ski and snowboard rentals, ski mounting and tuning, ski repairs and a delivery concierge service. The shop is open daily from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Award: No. 1 in Best Ski Shop

Location: 1652 Mountain Road, Stowe, VT

Mount Snow Resort

Ranking fifth for best snow tubing location is Mount Snow Resort, a slopeside resort in the southern Vermont town of West Dover. The resort’s tubing hill has eight lanes and a conveyor lift, with tickets for two-hour time slots available.

In addition to snow tubing, Mount Snow has 86 skiing trails, a halfpipe and large terrain park. For those who want to stay, the Grand Summit Resort Hotel, Mount Snow’s lodging property, has almost 200 guest rooms and amenities like a spa, a health club, a heated pool and many locations for dining and retail.

Award: No. 5 in Best Place for Snow Tubing

Location: 39 Mount Snow Road, West Dover, VT

Viking Nordic Center

Londonderry’s Viking Nordic Center has over 16 miles of woodsy ski trails through classic Vermont scenery along the West River. All levels and types of cross-country skiing are welcome, whether classic, skate or snowshoe. For those just starting, the resort also offers lessons and rentals.

On select nights during ski season, Viking Nordic Center lights about two miles of their trails with overhead lights and gas lanterns from the 1900s, creating a unique nighttime skiing experience.

Award: No. 8 in Best Cross-Country Ski Resort

Location: 615 Little Pond Road, Londonderry, VT

Bolton Valley Nordic Center

Located in Bolton Valley overlooking the scenic Lake Champlain, Bolton Valley Nordic Center is a mountain adventure resort with the highest elevation in the Northeast.

The backcountry terrain offers trails for Nordic skiers and snowshoe enthusiasts of all levels, earning the resort a fifth place ranking in best cross-country ski resort. Additionally, Bolton Valley has paths for alpine, night and backcountry skiing, totaling in 71 trails.

Award: No. 5 in Best Cross-Country Ski Resort

Location: 4302 Bolton Valley Access Road, Bolton, VT

Topnotch Resort

Topnotch Resort, a luxury resort and spa located in the foothills of Mount Mansfield, ranked sixth for best ski hotel. Cozy, sophisticated rooms come together with beautiful gardens and a contemporary restaurant for a charming New England stay.

Along with skiing and snowboarding through the Stowe Mountain Resort, Topnotch has over 100 acres of activities like hiking, biking and horseback riding. Amenities include a spa, a fitness center, three pools, a tennis academy and seasonal activities.

Award: No. 6 in Best Ski Hotel

Location: 4000 Mountain Road, Stowe, VT

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Vermont

We can be thankful for Vermont’s wild turkeys

Published

8 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

We can be thankful for Vermont’s wild turkeys

One of our native wildlife species historically played an important role on Thanksgiving Day. North America’s native wild turkeys were the ancestors of the Thanksgiving turkey on our dinner table.

Originally found only in the wild, turkeys now exist as meat-producing domesticated varieties — the broad breasted white, broad breasted bronze, white Holland, bourbon red, and a host of other breeds – all of them descended from our native wild turkey.

More than 140,000 servings of Vermont wild turkeys are harvested each year – that’s 140,000 servings of free-ranging, wild and sustainably harvested protein.

Wild turkeys exist throughout Vermont today, but that was not always the case. Wild turkeys disappeared from Vermont in the mid-to-late 1800s due to habitat destruction when land was cleared for farming and only 25 percent of the state was covered by forest.

The wild turkeys we see in Vermont today originated from just 31 wild turkeys stocked in Southwestern Vermont by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department in 1969 and 1970. Vermont’s forest habitat was once again capable of supporting turkeys. State wildlife biologists moved groups of these birds northward, and today Vermont’s population of turkeys is estimated at close to 50,000.

This is just one of many wildlife restoration success stories we can be thankful for in 2024. Funding for Vermont’s wild turkey restoration was derived from the sale of hunting licenses and a federal tax on hunting equipment.

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Vermont

Explore Vermont Public's 2024 Annual Impact Report

Published

16 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

Explore Vermont Public's 2024 Annual Impact Report

We are proud to share our Annual Impact Report for 2024, which outlines some of the work our community made possible this year.

While it reflects on the past, this report is also a roadmap for our future. Rapid changes in how people get information bring challenges for media organizations like Vermont Public. But our unique funding model and the generosity of our audience are key to our success, now and in the years to come.

Together with you, we enter 2025 with excitement and curiosity, ready to serve our community with trusted journalism, educational programming, music and more.

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