Sign up for Scenic Six
Navigate the endless possibilities of New England travel with Boston.com.
Soundview Vermont Holdings LLC, a division of Marcal Paper but known by the name of Putney Paper, has closed.
The paper mill, located in downtown Putney, Vermont and its converting plant, together employ 127 people. It is the end of an era started more than 200 years ago when the first paper mill was established in Putney.
Stephen Prentiss, labor and employment counsel for Marcal, which is based in New Jersey, confirmed that the Vermont plant would be closing.
In a press release issued on behalf of the company, Soundview Vermont President Rob Baron said the papermaking division of the mill will cease operation immediately but that the paper converting division will remain open until the end of the 2024 first fiscal quarter, and the end of March.
“Despite our best efforts to sustain operations at this historic paper mill, we had no choice but to shut down operations,” said Baron in a statement.
“The high cost of energy in the region has made it unaffordable to keep our doors open. Our top priority moving forward will be supporting our incredible employees and their families throughout this difficult transition.”
Soundview Vermont acquired Putney Paper Mill in 2012. Over the past decade, the company said it has invested tens of millions of dollars to strengthen the mill, but the rising energy costs are “insurmountable to sustain operations.”
In Tuesday’s election, Vermonters voted to change the balance of power in the state’s House of Representatives during the next legislative biennium. Republicans picked up 17 seats, bringing their ranks to 55 in the 150-member chamber.
Democrats held 105 seats alone by the end of the 2023-2024 session, but now will be left with just 88, meaning they’ve lost their supermajority. Their numbers are bolstered by alliances with Progressives and independents, who will occupy the same number of seats as they do now: 4 and 3, respectively. But even with full cooperation, their numbers would not allow them to pass bills into law over the veto of Republican Governor Phil Scott. That requires a two-thirds vote in the chamber, or at least 100 votes.
Fourteen incumbent House Democrats lost their seats, though two of them will be replaced by fellow Democrats. Several lawmakers from districts in Bennington, Caledonia and Rutland counties were ousted, as were at least one from Addison, Chittenden, Franklin, Washington and Windsor counties.
Among them are several veteran lawmakers who hold leadership positions and other legislators who just started in 2023. Voters have left almost no House committee unchanged.
Elsewhere, Democrats lost ground when newcomers were unsuccessful in filling a seat vacated by an incumbent.
Republicans Jim Casey of Hubbardton and Ken Wells of Brownington won without a fight when Democrats did not field a candidate for one stepping down.
The highlight for Democrats was in a Chittenden County district, where incumbent Rep. Sarita Austin and newcomer Wendy Critchlow, both of Colchester, were able to overcome Republican challengers to swing one seat the other direction.
The overall balance of power is complicated by party shifts in two other districts. Northfield’s Anne Donahue, a long-time Republican, won reelection as an independent, while Democrat Chris Morrow of Weston was able to win a seat for his party previously held by independent Kelly Pajala who did not run.
Travel
Stowe, Vermont is more than a leaf peeping paradise, according to Travel + Leisure — it’s also an ideal Christmas getaway.
Stowe often lands on best-of lists for fall foliage but is also world-renowned for its skiing, and Travel + Leisure just named it one of 20 best places to spend Christmas this year. It was the only New England destination on the worldwide list.
Here’s what the publication wrote about Stowe:
A popular ski destination among East Coasters and one of the most picture-perfect places to go for Christmas, Stowe is within driving distance of several medium and large northeastern cities (Boston, Albany, and Montreal, to name a few). The ski season typically starts in November, so this is an ideal place to hit the slopes if you’re looking for a white, powder-filled Christmas. Stay at The Lodge at Spruce Peak for beautiful mountain views and ski-in, ski-out access.
Other Christmas destinations on the list include Beaver Creek, Colorado; Saint Lucia; and Edinburgh, Scotland.
Earlier this year, Stowe was named among the top 10 skiing locations in the U.S. by The Family Vacation Guide. Last year, the Vermont spot was named among the 20 best ski resorts in the world by Conde Nast Traveler and one of the best ski towns in North America by USA Today.
Navigate the endless possibilities of New England travel with Boston.com.
Updated Nov. 6 at 2:12 a.m.
The Democratic supermajority in the Vermont House is no more.
Republicans picked up 18 seats in the 150-member chamber on Tuesday, dramatically reshaping power dynamics in the House. They’re set to hold 55 seats in the next biennium — enough to prevent Democrats and Progressives, who will hold 92 seats together, from overriding Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s vetoes. Three independents won races Tuesday, according to unofficial results from the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office.
The chairs of two House committees were among several Democratic incumbents unseated Tuesday — as was an assistant majority leader of the party — ensuring major changes to the chamber when lawmakers return to Montpelier in January.
The outcome mirrored that of the Vermont Senate, where Republicans toppled four incumbents and picked up two additional seats in the 30-member body.
Vermont Republican Party Chair Paul Dame said the Republican successes in legislative races will force Democrats to work with Republican Gov. Phil Scott, who cruised to reelection Tuesday.
“I don’t think we’ve had a night this good in 10 years,” Dame said. “Tonight, voters have weighed in on how to solve that stalemate. They said, ‘You should have been listening to the governor in (the) last two years.’”
Speaking at an election party in South Burlington on Tuesday night, House Speaker Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, bemoaned the outcomes of that day’s elections.
“Our stomachs are in knots tonight about what’s happening with the national election and elections here at home,” said Krowinski, flanked by about a dozen House colleagues. “We are still waiting to get final results from across the state. We’ve picked up some seats. We’ve lost some seats. It’s difficult, but what I want Vermonters to know is that we still have your back.”
The loss of two committee chairs was a particularly tough blow for Democrats.
Rep. Diane Lanpher, D-Vergennes, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, came in third in a four-way race for two seats in the Addison-3 district, according to unofficial results from the Secretary of State’s Office.
Republican Rob North finished first with 24.67% of the vote. Lanpher’s fellow incumbent, Rep. Matt Birong, D-Vergennes, finished second with 21.86%. Lanpher picked up 21.7%, finishing just 17 votes behind Birong. Republican Joseph Baker took 20.63%.
Lanpher’s leadership position on the powerful money committee is among the most coveted posts in the House and helps guide state spending. She was first elected in 2008, led the House Transportation Committee and took over the appropriations panel in 2023.
Rep. Mike McCarthy of St. Albans, the chair of the House Government Operations and Military Affairs Committee, lost his reelection bid to Republican Joe Luneau in the single-member Franklin-3 district. Luneau won 52.53% to McCarthy’s 44.43%.
In the Rutland-7 House district, Rep. William Notte, one of the Democrats’ assistant majority leaders, was also defeated. Republican Chris Keyser won 55.9% of the vote to Notte’s 40.43%.
Other House Democratic incumbents ousted Tuesday included:
Jim Dandeneau, executive director of the Vermont Democratic Party, said in an interview around 11:15 p.m. at the party’s election night gathering in South Burlington that the state GOP’s — and particularly Scott’s — messaging over property taxes proved to be more effective on the campaign trail than what he called Democrats’ ‘herculean work’ knocking on doors and engaging with voters on the ground.
Scott and the GOP, Dandeneau said, “overwhelmed people’s concerns about the future of our democracy with concerns about the future of their own pocketbooks.”
“We were fighting this fight one person at a time, one household at a time,” he added, holding several boxes of uneaten finger foods from the party’s hors d’oeuvres spread as workers began to break down the event space. “He was blanketing the airwaves with his messaging about cutting taxes. That ended up being not great for us.”
Shaun Robinson and Sarah Mearhoff contributed to this story.
Carol Lombardini, studio negotiator during Hollywood strikes, to step down
Just Walking Can Help You Lose Weight: Try These Simple Fat-Burning Tips!
Hall of Fame won't get Freddie Freeman's grand slam ball, but Dodgers donate World Series memorabilia
Will Newsom's expanded tax credit program save California's film industry?
Yankees’ Gerrit Cole opts out of contract, per source: How New York could prevent him from testing free agency
Try This Quiz on Books That Were Made Into Great Space Movies
Apple is trying to sell loyal iPhone users on AI tools. Here's what Apple Intelligence can do
Try This Quiz on Spooky Novels for Halloween