Vermont

Vermont becomes 2nd state to allow non-residents to use assisted suicide law

Published

2 years ago

May 3, 2023

Vermont becomes 2nd state to allow non-residents to use assisted suicide law

Vermont turned the second state within the nation Tuesday to permit terminally in poor health individuals from different states to journey there to die by suicide whereas underneath medical care.

The medically assisted suicide regulation that’s been round for many years within the state dropped its residency requirement after Republican Gov. Phil Scott signed the invoice Tuesday.

Supporters of the regulation hailed the change although critics warned it may lead Vermont to change into a “demise tourism” spot.

Kim Callinan, president and CEO of Compassion & Selections, mentioned in an announcement that the non-profit was grateful Vermont lawmakers realized that “a state border shouldn’t decide should you die peacefully or in agony.”

“Sufferers routinely journey to different states to make the most of the very best healthcare choices,” she added. “There is no such thing as a rational cause they shouldn’t be capable of journey to a different state to entry medical assist in dying if the state they dwell in doesn’t supply it.”

Opponents of the suicide regulation slammed it.

“To be clear, Vermont Proper to Life opposed the underlying idea behind assisted suicide and opposes the transfer to take away the residency requirement as there are nonetheless no safeguards that defend weak sufferers from coercion,” mentioned Mary Hahn Beerworth, the chief director of the Vermont Proper to Life Committee.

Vermont made historical past Tuesday when it modified its assisted suicide regulation.

College of Massachusetts regulation professor Dwight Duncan informed Nationwide Catholic Register in February dropping the residency rule might make Vermont a vacation spot for demise.

“And it opens up this concept of ‘demise tourism’ — that you just journey there as a spot to be killed,” the regulation’s critic mentioned. “It’s one factor to journey to Vermont as a result of they’ve nice ski slopes. It’s one other factor to journey there as a result of they’ve nice undertakers.”

Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed the invoice Tuesday dropping the residency requirement for the medically assisted suicide regulation that’s been round for many years.

Whereas Vermont is the primary state to really change the regulation to permit non-residents to finish their life, Oregon beforehand agreed to cease implementing the residency requirement that allowed terminally in poor health individuals to obtain deadly remedy as a part of a court docket settlement. It additionally agreed to ask lawmakers to scrap it from the regulation.

Vermont is one in all ten states to permit medically assisted suicide.

Earlier than the invoice’s passage, the state had reached a settlement with a Connecticut lady who has terminal most cancers that allowed her to benefit from the regulation.

Lynda Shannon Bluestein, smiles during an interview in the living room of her home, Feb. 28, 2023, in Bridgeport, Conn — Lynda Shannon Bluestein smiles throughout an interview in the lounge of her residence, Feb. 28, 2023, in Bridgeport, Conn

The girl, Lynda Bluestein, of Connecticut, and her physician sued Vermont final summer season, claiming the residency mandate violated the regulation.

She mentioned Tuesday the change permits scores of different terminally in poor health individuals to die by suicide in the event that they select that path.

“I’m pondering much more importantly that that is going to trigger different states, the opposite jurisdictions which have medical assist in dying, to take a look at their residency requirement, too,” Bluestein mentioned.

With Submit wires

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Vermont

Killington Women’s World Cup skiing returns to Vermont: 2 skiers with Western Mass ties to compete

Published

7 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Killington Women’s World Cup skiing returns to Vermont: 2 skiers with Western Mass ties to compete

This is a biweekly column about all things skiing and snowboarding in New England.

Since the FIS Women’s World Cup ski racing returned to the Northeast eight years ago, American Mikaela Shiffrin has dominated the slalom, winning six of the seven races and earning two bronze medals in the giant slalom.

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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

15 hours 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

23 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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