CHITTENDEN, Vt. (WCAX) – A lake in Chittenden has received an upgrade so more people with disabilities can enjoy the outdoors.

Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports partnered with the U.S. Forest Service to make Lefferts Pond area more accessible for people with disabilities.

The new additions include a new pier with lower rails to allow fishing in wheelchairs, a viewfinder meant for colorblind people and a new ramp making it easier to access the Chittenden reservoir for all.

Jeff Alexander with Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports says he hopes this encourages more people to get outside throughout Vermont.

“The demand to recreate and get outside and the mental and physical health wellbeing of being outside in the state of Vermont is there and we’re providing those opportunities. It’s basically leveling the playing field for everyone so that everybody can explore Vermont together,” Jeff Alexander of Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports said.

Alexander hopes similar projects will be completed by the forest service at other bodies of water, giving Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports more options for outings.

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Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed President Joe Biden after his announcement Sunday that he is dropping his reelection bid.

In a statement posted on X, Balint wrote, with his decision, Biden “put the needs of the nation first,” adding the president “has cemented his legacy as a true patriot and a man of deep integrity.”

“Now it’s time for all of us to get to work and secure @KamalaHarris in the White House,” Balint wrote.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, among the first Vermont politicians to weigh in on the announcement that President Joe Biden has ended his reelection campaign, posted on X that Biden “has served our country with honor and dignity.”

Sen Peter Welch, D-Vt., said in a post on X, “Joe Biden will be remembered as one of the greatest presidents of our time.”

“I know Vermonters are indebted to Biden for his lifetime of public service and to strengthening our democracy,” Welch wrote.

Biden’s announcement came after weeks of turmoil for the Biden-Harris campaign. Many within his party began to call on him to withdraw after the president’s poor performance at the June debate against former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for the president.

The president is 81 years old and has held elected office for 50 years, including on a Delaware county council, U.S. senator, and vice president.

Even while calling for Biden to drop out in an op-ed that ran in the Washington Post on July 10, Welch spoke highly of Biden and described him as “one of the best presidents of our time,” but added that Americans “cannot ignore or dismiss the valid questions raised since that night.”

Here are the reactions of the Vermont congressional delegation and Gov. Phil Scott.

What did Senator Bernie Sanders

Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats and ran for their party’s nomination in the past two election cycles, praised Biden in an op-ed published in the New York Times. Sanders called Biden “the most effective president in the modern history.” Sanders wrote Biden “is the strongest candidate to defeat Donald Trump — a demagogue and pathological liar.” 

Sanders acknowledged he and Biden disagree on many issues, but added, “Supporters of Mr. Biden can speak proudly about a good and decent Democratic president with a record of real accomplishment.

What Rep. Becca Balint said

In a statement posted on X, Balint said, “President Biden has dedicated his life to public service for his country, leading with courage and grace.”

“President Biden understands the White House must continue to be occupied by someone who believes in democracy, the constitution, and protecting civil rights.” the statement continues.

In endorsing Harris, Balint wrote, “Through her leadership, we will be able to build on the President’s legacy and get the job done.”

What Peter Welch has said

Welch said in a statement released on X Biden made a “difficult and selfless choice.”

“Joe Biden defeated Trump, and restored our democracy,” Welch wrote. ““Now we have an existential task at hand: defending the White House from Donald Trump —  a felon, a twice-impeached liar, and a man who tried to overturn the results of the last election. There is much at stake.”

“I express deep gratitude to President Biden for making his difficult decision,” Welch wrote. “As he has done throughout his long career, this decision was made for the benefit of the country.”

Peter Welch, one of Vermont’s two senators, was among the first to call for President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.

What the Vermont Democratic Party said

“Joe Biden has been a dedicated public servant for as long as my parents have been able to vote, and he has been the most consequential President of my lifetime. As President, Biden brought decency and competence back to the White House, putting working families first as he brought inflation under control, invested in American infrastructure and supported Vermont’s flood recoveries,” reads the statement Vermont Democratic Pary Chair David Glidden issued on Sunday.

“He made transformative investments in climate change that will pay off for generations after hispresidency. He is the single greatest president for organized labor this country has ever seen. He ledour country through difficult times with dignity and honor, and the Vermont Democratic Party will beforever grateful.

“On behalf of all Vermont Democrats, I want to thank President Biden for his service, his sacrifice,and his judgment. We look forward to continuing his work to protect democracy for regularAmericans. While his decision could not have been an easy one, President Biden has always beensomeone who put his country first.”

What the Vermont Republican Party said

On July 12, the Vermont Republican Party issued a statement titled, “VTGOP Joins Senator Welch in Calling for Biden to Drop Out of Presidential Race.”

“I am surprised to agree with Senator Peter Welch on this, but many Republicans also believe that ‘for the good of the country’ President Biden should withdraw from the race for President,” state party Chairman Paul Dame wrote. “It is rare to have this kind of bipartisan support on such a significant and urgent issue, but when Senator Welch is right he ought to be recognized.”

The statement went on to read, “Democrats kept on pretending that that the flaws in their candidates could be ignored out of existence the same way that the flaws in their economic policies could be wished away.”

Where Sander, Welch, Balint and other stood before the announcement

Welch less than two weeks ago had called on Biden to drop his reelection bid. as did former Vermont Gov. Madeleine. Kunin. Sanders and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean had urged Biden to stay in the race. Balint did not explicitly take a position on Biden’s candidacy, but told Seven Days the president is “an honest, decent President with a proven track record of fighting for working families.”

By Gabriela Rose

MONTPELIER, VT- The ACLU of Vermont this week announced the details of a lawsuit filed  against Vermont Gov. Phil Scott’s administration, charging the Vermont Dept. of Health withheld opioid settlement records and violated Vermont’s Open Meeting Law requirements.

In a statement, the ACLU said its lawsuit seeks to obtain public records concerning the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee’s budget recommendations to the Scott administration regarding the legislature’s response to Vermont’s opioid epidemic.

The Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee is composed of public health experts, especially those with experience with substance use disorder, explained the ACLU, noting the committee was created by legislature in 2022 and is responsible for advising the DOH on how to spend Vermont’s part of opioid settlement money paid by drug companies.

The ACLU alleges the committee ranked its funding priorities in December 2023, and most votes went towards $2.6 million in funding for Vermont’s first overdose protection centers, defined as a life-saving harm reduction measure, and were adopted into the legislature this past year despite Gov. Scott’s veto.

Commissioner of Health Dr. Dr. Mark Levine was charged with presenting the committee’s final recommendations to the legislature, said the ACLU, insisting Levine presented an altered version of the Advisory Committee’s recommendations to the legislature—eliminating the recommendation to fund OPCs and reallocating the $2.6 million.

The ACLU states Dr. Levine shared a copy of the report he planned to submit to the legislature, but did not respond to many questions posed by committee members via email about the changes omitting OPCs from its recommendations.

Dr. Levine, added the ACLU, implied to the legislature that the committee had not prioritized OPCs for spending “because H.72 contains a provision for an alternate financing mechanism.”

And, that statement, noted the ACLU, was misleading because H.72 had not yet been passed or signed into law, and the legislation was later vetoed by Governor Scott.

The ACLU’s lawsuit seeks public records to challenge the Scott administration’s private alteration of the committee’s recommendations to the legislature. These records include emails within the administration before Dr. Levine removed OPCs from the Committee’s recommendations.

The ACLU statement states Dr. Levine denied the ACLU access to the correspondence, citing “executive privilege.” However, executive privilege, maintains the ACLU, only applies to direct communications with the governor about genuine executive decision-making.

The DOH’s alterations to the recommendations, informing the committee of his changes over email alone, and the failure to publish accurate minutes reflecting the committee’s consensus

Are cited in the ACLU’s lawsuit as violations of Vermont’s Open Meeting Law and the Vermont Public Records Act.

Lia Ernst, legal director of the ACLU of Vermont, said in the ACLU statement, “Claiming ‘executive privilege’ as a means of avoiding accountability is out of step with Vermont values, and it denies Vermonters their right to transparent and responsive government.”