TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalDemocrats make gains in Vermont Legislature
MONTPELIER — Democrats extended their dominance in the Vermont Senate in Tuesday’s election and maintained their majority in the House, a setback for Vermont Republicans who had hoped to see gains in the lower chamber.
Following Tuesday’s election, Democrats will control 23 of the Senate’s 30 seats — a pickup of two for the party. Longtime Republican Sen. Bill Doyle, the 90-year-old who has served in the Senate since 1969, was defeated by Democrat Francis Brooks. Brooks served for many years in the House before working as the sergeant-at-arms in the State House.
Meanwhile, Democrats also gained a seat in the Chittenden County delegation. Rep. Chris Pearson, a Progressive who ran in the Democratic primary for the Senate, takes over a seat previously controlled by Republicans. Former Sen. Diane Snelling retired from the chamber earlier this year and Gov. Peter Shumlin appointed Republican Sen. Helen Riehle to replace her. Riehle did not seek re-election.
Democrats held on to the seat occupied by retiring Senate President Pro Tem John Campbell. Rep. Allison Clarkson, D-Woodstock, was elected and will join the two Democratic incumbents from the district.
Read more: http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20161111/NEWS03/161119911
National group buys five nursing homes
BENNINGTON - One of the nation's largest skilled nursing facilities groups has purchased the Bennington Health and Rehab Center and four other nursing homes in Vermont.
Genesis Healthcare recently completed purchase of those facilities and others in a total of five states from Revera Inc., a company based in Ontario, Canada, according to Judy Morton, regional executive director for the Genesis facilities in Southern Vermont.
Morton said Revera had wanted to sell its facilities in the U.S., and Genesis was operating in states where they were located, including Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and New Jersey.
"This seemed like a good fit," she said.
The Bennington nursing home and the others in Vermont are now part of a group that owns about 200 facilities in New England and more than 500 nationwide. Morton and staff members in Bennington said that large network already is providing benefits for both patients and employees.
Read more: http://www.benningtonbanner.com/stories/national-group-buys-local-nursing-home-five-in-vt,489595
Trump election puts pressure on Merkel to take liberal lead
BERLIN (AP) — Can Germany, the country that once unleashed Nazism, lead the free world?
The idea that the former home of militarism and nationalism could become a beacon for human rights and peaceful international cooperation within one lifetime may seem far-fetched.
But with outsider Donald Trump's election as U.S. president and the rising strength of far-right and populist movements in Europe, some have suggested that German Chancellor Angela Merkel is left as the last powerful defender of liberal values in the West.
Since taking office in 2005, Merkel has been a fixture of the international summit circuit, often providing the only dash of color in row upon row of grey suits.
Read more: http://hosted2.ap.org/MAPIT/a4a7f05067e84d33a816257a66c9aab2/Article_2016-11-17-EU-Germany-Merkel/id-32308049d6c44a8f863b549385062d1a
Leahy to serve as ranking member of Senate Appropriations
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is leaving his leadership post on Senate Judiciary to become the ranking member of Senate Appropriations.
As the Democratic leader on Judiciary, Leahy had backed President Barack Obama’s pick, Merrick Garland, to replace U.S. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia who died in February. Republicans in Congress blocked hearings for Garland’s nomination, insisting that a new president should choose the next justice. With the election of Donald Trump, the future of Garland’s nomination is now in doubt.
Leahy, a former prosecutor, said in a statement that he believes that he can do more to advocate for the interests of Vermonters as ranking member of Senate Appropriations.
The senior senator says he did not take the decision to shift leadership positions lightly, but he believes Vermonters need a front and center seat on the Appropriations Committee.
Read more: http://vtdigger.org/2016/11/16/leahy-serve-ranking-member-senate-appropriations/
Vermont to lose funding source for psychiatric hospital
The state has been told it must quit using millions in Medicaid money to fund certain psychiatric hospitals, substance abuse centers, information technology projects and education programs.
The federal government is restricting the use of money on certain initiatives as part of the agreement renewed in October called the global commitment waiver that gives Vermont a big pot of Medicaid money to spend in many different ways.
The biggest impact will be on psychiatric services. Within five years, the state will be required to start switching to other ways to pay for psychiatric treatment at the Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital in Berlin and the Brattleboro Retreat.
The federal government is requiring that the state “phase down” the use of federal funding for “facilities that qualify as an institution of mental disease (IMD) under federal law, which is a facility primarily for mental health or substance use disorder treatment” with more than 16 beds, according to Dean Mudgett, the spokesperson for the Agency of Human Services.
Read more: http://vtdigger.org/2016/11/16/vermont-lose-funding-source-psychiatric-hospital/
Mt. Sunapee, Loon buyer paid 412m to settle criminal, civil bribery charges
Och-Ziff Capital Management Group, the New York-based hedge fund that is buying 14 ski resort properties across the country, including Loon Mountain and Mt. Sunapee, earlier this year agreed to pay $412 million in criminal and civil penalties to settle charges related to offering bribes in several African nations, with some money allegedly going to the son of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the late Libyan dictator.
The settlement, reached Sept. 29, was the fourth-largest penalty ever levied under the federal Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the first ever paid by a hedge fund.
At the beginning of November, Och-Ziff announced it was participating in a complicated three-way, $830 million deal to buy the 14 resorts, described by many as the largest ski resort transaction in history.
The agreement still has to be approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the very agency that brought the civil bribery charges against Och-Ziff. Those charges resulted in $199 million in civil fines. The U.S. Justice Department lodged criminal charges as well, and they resulted in the rest of the penalty as well as some restrictions that mean more regulatory oversight over the hedge fund’s future investments.
Read more: http://www.nhbr.com/November-25-2016/Mt-Sunapee-Loon-buyer-paid-412m-to-settle-criminal-civil-bribery-charges/
Donald Trump pleads guilty to marijuana possession
LONDONDERRY — It's not often that a court proceeding begins with the judge congratulating the defendant, but that's exactly what happened in 10th Circuit Court in Derry Tuesday morning when Donald Trump appeared before the court.
Judge Lucinda V. Sadler jokingly congratulated Trump for winning the presidency last week — but this Trump won't be taking over the Oval Office in January. The 61-year-old from Easton, New Hampshire, was formerly known as Gary Shipko until January of 2013, when he says he legally changed his name to match the business mogul and president-elect's.
Shipko pleaded guilty Tuesday to a class B misdemeanor charge of possession of a controlled drug.
On Oct. 19, Londonderry police arrested him at the Manchester Boston Regional Airport about 6:30 a.m. after Transportation Security Administration agents found a ziplock bag containing a "suspicious, green, vegetative matter" in his carry-on, later determined to be marijuana, said Detective Chris Olson.
Read more: http://www.eagletribune.com/news/nh-s-donald-trump-pleads-guilty-to-marijuana-possession/article_ed2ed10f-bff8-5189-bc57-b37e3725bf0e.html
Senator-elect Hassan names chief of staff, senior adviser
U.S. Senator-elect Maggie Hassan has named Marc Goldberg, her campaign manager, as her chief of staff.
The two-term governor, a Democrat from Newfields, also announced that Pamela Walsh, currently chief of staff for the governor's office, will serve as senior adviser.
Mike Vlacich, state director for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, was named as Hassan's interim state director.
Goldberg worked previously as a communications director for the Hassan administration, and for her 2012 gubernatorial campaign. Walsh was previously deputy chief of staff for Gov. John Lynch, and worked as press secretary for former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.
Rad more: http://www.unionleader.com/Maggie_Hassan_names_U.S._Senate_staff_
'Productive' talks put brakes on strike by school bus drivers
New Hampshire school bus drivers employed by First Student will remain on the job through at least Tuesday after a meeting Wednesday aimed at ending a contract dispute proved productive.
First Student spokesman Chris Kemper said a second meeting is now scheduled for Nov. 22 to continue discussions between the bus company and the union representing bus drivers and other employees who have threatened to strike.
“It was a step in the right direction. We're still negotiating. We're still at the table and we're still providing service,” Kemper said.
A potential strike by bus drivers with Teamsters Union Local 633 has many school officials planning ahead just in case buses don't show up to bring students to school at some point in the coming days.
Read more: http://www.unionleader.com/article/20161116/NEWS04/161119408
NCAA Division III Volleyball National Tournament
I am proud to say my alma mater, Southwestern University, made the national tournament that starts tomorrow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The start times are given in EST and the numbers in parentheses indicates their rank in the latest AVCA poll that was taken before the field of 64 teams was selected.
1:30 p.m.
(2) Calvin (MI)
(5) Emory (GA)
4:00 p.m.
(18) Northwestern--St. Paul (MN)
(13) Eastern (PA)
6:30 p.m.
(7) Southwestern (TX)
(27) Tufts (MA)
9:00 p.m.
(16) Washington-St. Louis (MO)
(14) Mary Washington (VA)
More information about the playoff brackets and live video are available at http://www.ncaa.com/liveschedule/2016/11/17 .
Go Pirates!
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