BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A suspected animal cruelty case at a goat farm in Charlotte two years ago has helped drive a push at the Statehouse this year to create a Division of Animal Welfare.

The House passed the bill, H.626, last week, and the Senate could take it up soon. Some lawmakers say it’s long past time for the state to take charge of animal welfare complaints to ensure they are handled effectively.

Cat Viglienzoni spoke with Seven Days’ Kevin McCallum, who reported on the story in this week’s issue.

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CNN
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The man charged in connection with an alleged arson at Sen. Bernie Sanders’ office in Vermont pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, court records show.

Shant Soghomonian, 35, was charged earlier this month with using fire to damage the building in Burlington.

During his arraignment on Tuesday, Judge Kevin J. Doyle ordered pretrial motions on both sides to be filed by July 22, according to court records. Last week, the judge had ordered Soghomonian to be detained pending further proceedings.

CNN has reached out to Soghomonian’s public defender for comment.

Soghomonian allegedly entered the building on April 5 and went to the third floor, where the independent senator’s offices are located, according to court records cited by the Justice Department.

“Soghomonian was recorded on a security video spraying a liquid near the outer door of the office and then lighting the area with a handheld lighter,” according to a DOJ news release.

He left through a staircase as the blaze spread, the Justice Department said, and the fire damaged the outside of the office door and surrounding areas, with sprinklers discharged on multiple floors.

Multiple employees were in the well-known progressive senator’s office at the time of the fire, and it’s unknown how many other people were in the building. No injuries were reported in the incident.

If convicted, Soghomonian could face between five and 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine, according to the Justice Department.

Married couple Camila Carrillo and Nathan D’Aversa will combine their crafts to open a shared wine bar and furniture showroom at 10 Green Street in Vergennes.

Carrillo, 31, will run the wine bar in addition to making her La Montañuela wine and coferments as part of Gruppo Garagista in Barnard. More than a tasting room, the bar will offer her wines alongside others from Vermont and beyond.

“It’s definitely a place for me to showcase my wines,” Carrillo said. “But my goal is to make Vermont wine accessible with glass pours, and it will also focus on hybrid wines from all over the world and wines that I love that complement the Vermont wine scene.”

When the bar opens in late summer or early fall, the menu will feature simple snacks such as “really good bread and butter,” olives, and desserts, Carrillo said. In the future, she hopes to have friends with food businesses host pop-ups.

The couple had planned to open a tasting room on their land in New Haven, where Carrillo planted vines last year. But they fell in love with the big-windowed antique store space above the former City Limits Night Club in the building’s basement.

Furniture maker D’Aversa, 34, will move his shop on-site and furnish the bar with his modern pieces made from Vermont-harvested wood. “When you’re drinking wine and hanging out, you’re sitting in one of my chairs,” he said. “It will be ever evolving, with rotating furniture and art.”

“It will be like your second — very nice — living room,” Carrillo added.