Vermont basketball can point to key injuries as an easy reason for its lackluster performances in the nonconference season.

Longtime coach John Becker didn’t go that route after the Catamounts’ underwhelming, 60-53 defeat to Brown on Tuesday night in front of 2,111 at Patrick Gym.

The loss was Vermont’s first at home in 15 games, and just the third on Tom Brennan Court over the last four seasons (48-3).

“It’s another game we struggled to score the ball, struggled to rebound, struggled to take care of the ball. Credit to Brown, they played really hard, pressed us the whole game, got on the glass late when they needed to and had the best player on the court,” the 14th-year Catamount bench boss said. “Our injuries really aren’t an excuse because (Brown is) injured just as much as we are.

“We have to be better and that’s on me. Right now, it’s really difficult for us.”

Kino Lilly, Jr., whom Becker referenced as Tuesday night’s best player, drained four 3s and totaled a game-high 23 points, while Landon Lewis racked up a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds to power the Brown Bears (5-3).

Freshman guard Sean Blake scored a career-high 13 points and Shamir Bogues added 11 points and three steals for the Catamounts (5-5), who were without injured starters Nick Fiorillo and TJ Long for a third straight game. Transfer forward Shy Odom (concussion) also missed his second straight contest.

Fiorillo and Long are week to week with their injuries, according to a UVM athletic spokesperson.

The Catamounts made only 5 of 21 3-point attempts and shot 37.9% overall from the floor for the game. Their percentage worsened in the second half at just a 33.3% clip. And the Catamounts’ starting guards went 7 of 30 from field.

“The numbers are atrocious for us offensively. We are struggling to find consistency,” Becker said.

Ahead 31-28 at the break, Brown built a 12-point lead at 47-35 at the 15-minute mark of the second half. The Catamounts closed to within 53-50 on Ileri Ayo-Fale’s 3-pointer with 4:31 to play. Then Lilly responded with a driving layup, a step-back 3-point splash and a pair of foul shots to seal Brown’s road victory.

Redshirt freshman forward Noah Barnett (eight points on 4 of 5 shooting, six rebounds, two assists) was a bright spot, but scored all of his points in game’s first 5:08. The explosive Blake had flashes with strong takes to the rim, finishing 6 of 12 on his field-goal attempts.

Vermont’s inability to play out of the post, the graduation losses of Aaron Deloney and Matt Veretto and, yes, even the injuries have the America East Conference favorites searching to play cohesively on the offensive end.

“We’ve had these stretches early in the year when it looks discombobulated and we figure something out. But I think it’s really difficult when you can’t throw it into the post and play out of the post consistently,” Becker said.

“We have to continue to try and figure it out … but I don’t know what the answer is right now.”

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.

BY MELISSA GOLDIN

Social media users are misrepresenting a Vermont Supreme Court ruling, claiming that it gives schools permission to vaccinate children even if their parents do not consent.

The ruling addressed a lawsuit filed by Dario and Shujen Politella against Windham Southeast School District and state officials over the mistaken vaccination of their child against COVID-19 in 2021, when he was 6 years old. A lower court had dismissed the original complaint, as well as an amended version. An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was filed on Nov. 19.

But the ruling by Vermont’s high court is not as far-reaching as some online have claimed. In reality, it concluded that anyone protected under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, or PREP, Act is immune to state lawsuits.

Here’s a closer look at the facts.

CLAIM: The Vermont Supreme Court ruled that schools can vaccinate children against their parents’ wishes.

THE FACTS: The claim stems from a July 26 ruling by the Vermont Supreme Court, which found that anyone protected by the PREP Act is immune to state lawsuits, including the officials named in the Politella’s suit. The ruling does not authorize schools to vaccinate children at their discretion.

According to the lawsuit, the Politella’s son — referred to as L.P. — was given one dose of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic held at Academy School in Brattleboro even though his father, Dario, told the school’s assistant principal a few days before that his son was not to receive a vaccination. In what officials described as a mistake, L.P. was removed from class and had a “handwritten label” put on his shirt with the name and date of birth of another student, L.K., who had already been vaccinated that day. L.P. was then vaccinated.

Ultimately, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that officials involved in the case could not be sued.

“We conclude that the PREP Act immunizes every defendant in this case and this fact alone is enough to dismiss the case,” the Vermont Supreme Court’s ruling reads. “We conclude that when the federal PREP Act immunizes a defendant, the PREP Act bars all state-law claims against that defendant as a matter of law.”

The PREP Act, enacted by Congress in 2005, authorizes the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to issue a declaration in the event of a public health emergency providing immunity from liability for activities related to medical countermeasures, such as the administration of a vaccine, except in cases of “willful misconduct” that result in “death or serious physical injury.” A declaration against COVID-19 was issued on March 17, 2020. It is set to expire on Dec. 31. Federals suits claiming willful misconduct are filed in Washington.

Social media users described the Vermont Supreme Court’s ruling as having consequences beyond what it actually says.

“The Vermont Supreme Court has ruled that schools can force-vaccinate children for Covid against the wishes of their parents,” reads one X post that had been liked and shared approximately 16,600 times as of Tuesday. “The high court ruled on a case involving a 6-year-old boy who was forced to take a Covid mRNA injection by his school. However, his family had explicitly stated that they didn’t want their child to receive the ‘vaccines.’”

Other users alleged that the ruling gives schools permission to give students any vaccine without parental consent, not just ones for COVID-19.

Rod Smolla, president of the Vermont Law and Graduate School and an expert on constitutional law, told The Associated Press that the ruling “merely holds that the federal statute at issue, the PREP Act, preempts state lawsuits in cases in which officials mistakenly administer a vaccination without consent.”

“Nothing in the Vermont Supreme Court opinion states that school officials can vaccinate a child against the instructions of the parent,” he wrote in an email.

Asked whether the claims spreading online have any merit, Ronald Ferrara, an attorney representing the Politellas, told the AP that although the ruling doesn’t say schools can vaccinate students regardless of parental consent, officials could interpret it to mean that they could get away with doing so under the PREP Act, at least when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines. He explained that the U.S. Supreme Court appeal seeks to clarify whether the Vermont Supreme Court interpreted the PREP Act beyond what Congress intended.

“The Politella’s fundamental liberty interest to decide whether their son should receive elective medical treatment was denied by agents of the State and School,” he wrote in an email to the AP. “The Vermont Court misconstrues the scope of PREP Act immunity (which is conditioned upon informed consent for medical treatments unapproved by FDA), to cover this denial of rights and its underlying battery.”

Ferrara added that he was not aware of the claims spreading online, but that he “can understand how lay people may conflate the court’s mistaken grant of immunity for misconduct as tantamount to blessing such misconduct.”

Originally Published: December 3, 2024 at 6:42 PM EST

Former Vermont House Minority Leader Rep. Don Turner, Jr. — known fondly as “Mr. Milton” for his dedication to his hometown — died on Saturday after a “short but courageous battle” with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 60 years old.

Turner, who represented Chittenden County in the House for 13 years as a Republican, died “peacefully, surrounded by family” at the McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester, according to his obituary.

In a press release, Gov. Phil Scott (R-Vermont) described Turner as “respected and liked by most everyone he met and worked with,” adding that “he treated all with dignity, respect and kindness” regardless if they “agreed with him or not.”

Turner served in the House from 2006 to 2019, spending the last eight as minority leader. He notably served on committees such as Human Services, Institutions and Corrections, General, Housing and Military Affairs, Commerce and Economic Development and Education. In 2018, Turner chose to forego re-election to run for lieutenant governor against Progressive-Democrat incumbent David Zuckerman. He secured the Republican nomination but was defeated handily by Zuckerman in the general election.

Turner is one of several former lawmakers who passed away this year, including Sens. Dick Mazza (D-Grand Isle) and Dick Sears Jr. (D-Bennington) and Rep. Curt McCormack, who represented Rutland and Burlington at different times.

‘Profound impact’ on hometown: Turner’s life outside the Statehouse

Turner was born to Donald H. Turner Sr. and Nancy Turner on July 19, 1964 in Burlington. Milton, however, is where the junior Turner eventually put down his roots.

Turner earned the nickname “Mr. Milton” from his years of community service and involvement in state and local governance. Most recently, he served as Milton’s town manager, a position he held from 2017 until his death. He also previously served on the city’s Board of Civil Authority as a Justice of the Peace and on the supervisory board of the Vermont Federal Credit Union.

“Few have had such a profound impact on their hometowns as Don has in Milton,” Scott said. “He touched and improved so many lives, and as a result his legacy will live on.”

Turner also had a penchant for public safety. At age 16, he joined the Milton Fire Department, where he eventually served as chief for 14 years. He also served as a fire instructor, a forest fire warden and a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and Milton Firefighters Association.

Beyond his numerous public service roles, Turner was known for “his unwavering love, kindness and commitment to those around him,” according to his obituary, which also painted him as a “devoted family man.”

“He cherished instilling in his children the values he learned from his own upbringing in a close-knit family, prioritizing weekly family time, vacations and holiday events,” Turner’s obituary said. “He particularly enjoyed playing and bonding with his grandchildren.”

Turner is survived by his wife, Gail, of 40 years; three daughters, Emily Turner-Frye, Hillary Joyal and Erin Turner; three grandchildren; his parents; two siblings; six nieces and nephews; and a large extended family.

Turner was predeceased by a sister, his parents-in-law, an aunt and his grandparents.

Per Scott’s request, U.S and Vermont flags will fly at half-staff on Friday, Dec. 6 in honor of Turner’s memory.

When is his celebration of life?

Turner’s Celebration of Life is slated for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Donald H. Turner Jr. Public Works Building — the impressive structure he helped bring to fruition — in Milton.

Consider donating to the McClure Miller Respite Home in his honor instead of bringing flowers. You can also order a memorial tree online in memory of Turner.

Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at mstewartyounger@gannett.com.