This is the Vermont ethos I so love and that Bernie represents so well
People like me- and Bernie- didn't move here to get away from diversity but because we fell in love with this wonderful place. It's just.... different. And yeah, we grow actual good politicians here. Bravo to Mayor Louras and the citizens of Rutland. (population about 16,000) Btw, this article is from April 27 and it's been clarified that all the refugees will be Syrian. Churches and civic groups are getting together things and clothes people will need.
Rutland opens arms to Syrian war refugees
The City of Rutland, in the midst of a socio-economic turnaround that has boosted downtown, reduced crime and improved quality of life, is looking to make compassion the latest tool in its ongoing revitalization. Mayor Chris Louras, flanked by a host of community and business leaders, announced plans Tuesday to resettle up to 100 refugees – including families from war-torn Syria – in Rutland starting this fall.
“As a community whose forefathers, including my own grandfather, came here to escape poverty and persecution, we have a unique opportunity to repeat our storied history,” Mayor Louras said. “Just as our grandparents and great-grandparents were welcomed to Rutland in the late 1800s, early 1900s and during the World War II era, we will welcome new families facing peril.
“Their arrival will signal a new wave in the ongoing economic growth of the region,” Louras said. “As our forefathers’ arrival added to the rich cultural melting pot of Rutland County, our newest residents will enrich and expand the tapestry we cherish today.”
Louras announced that the city is working with the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program, a field office of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, to serve as a new refugee resettlement site. The Committee is a refugee resettlement provider through an agreement with the U.S. Department of State.
With approval expected, children and their parents, forced from their homeland by civil war, terrorism and atrocities, could begin arriving as early as October, with all 100 refugees settled within 12 months. On average, it takes 18 to 24 months for the State Department to clear refugees through a rigorous security screening process for immigration to the U.S.
“These innocent people, including infants and toddlers, have been driven from their homes by the collapse of their nation,” said Louras, whose grandfather, Nicolaos Louras, immigrated to Rutland to escape persecution from the Ottoman Turks in 1906. “As Rutland welcomed my grandfather when he left the Greek island of Chios, we will welcome a new generation of Rutlanders facing the same kind of oppression and fear. These new residents seeking the American dream will bolster the economic growth taking place in Rutland and make us a stronger and better community.”
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http://www.vermontbiz.com/news/april/rutland-opens-arms-syrian-war-refugees
= new reply since forum marked as read
beautiful state...
Thanks for the thread, cali.
My boyfriend and I are polar opposites - he thinks Nassau County is a big city and I think remote is anything east of 2nd or west of 8th. But when I went to Vermont with his family last year, I told him that if I had to live somewhere rural, I'd want to live in Vermont, because at least most people there are progressive and the state has such a fascinating political history. Of course, the only two people I know in Vermont, his aunt and uncle, are Trump supporters. 
But even they couldn't deny that Bernie is a good man; they just don't like his policies.
P.S. What happened to the vomit smilie? I wanted to use that in reference to them being Trump supporters.
And good on Vermont! 
