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Vermont at 2 p.m.
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TOP STORIES:
NORTHEAST KINGDOM LANDS
MONTPELIER, Vt. — Vermont is revising the management and public access plans for a vast section of the Northeast Kingdom that was the focus of a protracted, bitter public debate over traditional land uses versus conservation needs after a private company put the land up for sale in the late 1990s. But it doesn't appear that revising the management plan for the West Mountain Wildlife Management Area and the public access plan for land now owned by the Plum Creek Timber Company will provoke the same debates as last time, when the area was referred to as the Champion Lands. By Wilson Ring.
AROUND THE STATE:
HEALTH OVERHAUL-AUDIT
MONTPELIER, Vt. — Vermont's auditor of accounts plans to review the troubled implementation of Vermont's health care exchange website, which was criticized for being slow and not allowing users to correct mistakes. Auditor Doug Hoffer also says he hopes to work with the federal government on the review. SENT: 130 words. UPCOMING by 4 p.m.: 200 words.
SCHOOL FOR DEAF
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — The board of directors for the Vermont Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has voted to close a Vermont school for the deaf in Brattleboro that has been facing declining enrollment and staff pay cuts. The board voted 8-1 on Friday to close the Austine School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Williams Center in June. SENT: 120 words. UPCOMING: 200 words by 4 p.m.
IN BRIEF:
MARKET EMBEZZLEMENT
BURLINGTON, Vt. — A former grocery store manager has denied charges of embezzling $70,000 from White's Market in Lyndonville. Thirty-six-year-old Deborah Williamson, who now lives in Florida, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to mail fraud.
FATAL FIRE
FAIRFAX, Vt. — Vermont State Police say one person is dead following a house fire in the town of Fairfax. Police say two people were in the home late Friday night when the fire broke out but only one was able to escape safely.
TEACHER RETIREMENT
MONTPELIER, Vt. — The head of the Vermont School Boards Association says he's unhappy with a portion of an agreement designed to address a growing shortfall in paying for retired teachers' health care. The Shumlin administration, state Treasurer Beth Pearce and a teachers' union announced on Friday a deal in which each would contribute to a new fund designed to separate health costs from the teachers' pension fund.
UVM TUITION
BURLNGTON, Vt. — The University of Vermont administration has proposed a 3.4 percent tuition increase for the next academic year. A panel of the board of trustees is expected to review the recommendation on Monday.
CONNECTICUT RIVER BRIDGE
GROVETON, N.H. — A public meeting has been scheduled to address the preservation of a Connecticut River bridge that connects Northumberland, N.H., and Guildhall, Vt. The meeting about the Guildhall Road Bridge is scheduled for Monday, April 28, at 6 p.m. at the Northumberland Selectmen's office in Groveton, N.H.
RABID ANIMALS
BURLINGTON, Vt. — The Vermont Health Department is reminding pet owners to vaccinate their animals against rabies after four rabid raccoons were found in Chittenden County. The four animals were trapped in Burlington and South Burlington.
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