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by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org Under a bill proposed by the powerful chair of the Judiciary Committee, the Vermont Attorney General, now an elected office, would become an appointed position.
Senator Dick Sears, D-Bennington, wants to give the governor the authority to handpick the attorney general, with the consent of the state Senate.
The bill, S.270, would also make it possible for the governor ‘ and any member of the General Assembly ‘ to remove the attorney general from office for misconduct, inefficiency in office or failure to perform his or her duty.
The Vermont Attorney General enforces the state’s laws, defends the state when it is sued and handles criminal and civil cases.
Sears says the legislation is not politically motivated or directed at the current Vermont Attorney General Bill Sorrell.
The bill would not go into effect until 2016 ‘ after the next election cycle.

Fletcher Allen Health Care has earned recertification as a Level 1 Trauma Center for’ adult’ patients by the American College of Surgeons (ACS).’ The designation is the highest accreditation given to trauma services, and is granted after a rigorous evaluation by the ACS.’ Fletcher Allen is the only Level 1 center in Vermont, and shares this status with just 102 of the 5,000 hospitals in the US.’
Studies show that being treated at a Level 1 Trauma Center increases a seriously injured patient’s chances of survival by an estimated 20 to 25 percent.’ ‘ ‘
Certified centers must provide:

Expert care for every aspect of injury from pre-hospital care through rehabilitation
Immediate access to a full range of specialists and equipment 24 hours a day
Treatment areas and operating rooms reserved for trauma cases ‘

Vermont is one of the only states without comprehensive ethics laws governing the conduct of public officials, and the independent advocacy organization Campaign for Vermont (CFV) has set out to change this fact.
In a policy paper released by CFV co-founder Bruce Lisman, the organization laid out specific proposals for establishing standards of conduct for public officials that is enforced by an independent, non-partisan and quasi-judicial commission. Specifically, the organization calls on lawmakers to enact ethics laws that: ‘

Damage from last week’s ice storm is being revealed as people check on their sugar woods. ‘ The federal Farm Services (FSA) offices have begun taking applications for the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) for maple sugar makers. The affected areas appear to be mainly in Lamoille, Orleans, Franklin, Chittenden and Washington Counties where FSA officials are encouraging sugar bush owners to call to report damage.’ ‘
The ECP funds can be used to cost-share debris removal in active sugar woods. FSA is investigating whether special practice funds can be accessed to help with maple tap and tubing replacement for sugarbushes that were already prepared for this year’s tapping. ECP also can help with funds to move debris off of the tubing and open up sugaring access roads or trails.’