Vermont reporters provide a roundup of top news takeaways about the coronavirus and more for Friday, Sept. 24.
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1. State officials report 238 new COVID cases, three additional deaths
Three more Vermonters have died from COVID-19 as the Health Department reported 238 new coronavirus infections Friday.
The pandemic has now killed a total of 304 Vermonters since March of last year.
Some 42 people are currently hospitalized due to the virus, including 15 needing intensive care.
- Matthew Smith
Vermonters 80 and older can sign up for a Pfizer booster shot
Vermonters 80 and older can start signing up for a COVID-19 booster shot starting Friday.
The Scott administration and the Department of Health made the announcement Thursday, after the FDA expanded emergency authorization for the Pfizer vaccine to allow for a third booster shot for certain individuals.
As Vermont waits for final guidance from the CDC, Vermonters 80 and older can now register for a booster.
The state plans to open registration to those 75 and older on Monday, 70 and older on Wednesday, and 65 and older on Oct. 1.
Currently the third booster shot is only authorized for those who previously got the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Expanded booster shots are expected to be approved for both Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines in the coming weeks.
- Matthew Smith
2. State auditor releases report criticizing state's handling pandemic business relief
The state auditor on Wednesday released a report outlining what he says are failures in how the Agency of Commerce and Community Development handled Vermont's largest pandemic-era business relief program.
More than $300 million in federal coronavirus relief funds were awarded to thousands of businesses under the Economic Recovery Grant Program.
But the auditor's report alleges that the program over-estimated businesses’ need, which he says means the feds could make Vermont pay some of the funds it awarded back.
Lindsay Kurrle is Vermont's Secretary of Commerce and Community Development. She maintains: businesses were not overpaid.
"And to be clear, the methodology that we used was approved by both the Legislature and the administration, and fit within the U.S. Treasury's guidelines,” she said.
If the federal government decides to launch an investigation, it's unclear how much money the state might owe.
- Abagael Giles
3. Springfield School Board votes down ban on Critical Race Theory
The Springfield School Board Thursday night rejected a proposed resolution that would have banned the teaching of so-called Critical Race Theory in the district.
Britaney Watson said her child experienced racism in a Springfield school, and asked the board to vote down the proposal.
“Children of color should not be forced to experience humiliation, embarrassment and trauma to protect the comfortability of white students,” Watson said. “This is an opportunity for us to be progressive, embrace our history, and empower all of our children in creating a better future.”
Supporters of the resolution objected to some books that have been introduced in classrooms, and say the teaching of American history has been politicized.
Almost 200 people listened in on the virtual meeting, and most who spoke were against the resolution.
- Howard Weiss-Tisman
More from Vermont Edition: Critical Race Theory: What It Is & What It Isn't
4. Montpelier City Council approves emergency camping on city public property
The city council in Montpelier has unanimously approved allowing emergency camping on city public property for people experiencing homeless because of a lack of affordable housing and shelter beds.
MyChamplainValley reports the city council on Wednesday voted to decriminalize such camping.
The policy states it’s not a long-term solution to homelessness, but a short-term step as the city navigates an immediate affordable housing crisis.
City employees who find an encampment on public land must tell police, and the city manager’s office, to determine how to respond.
People camping in high-sensitivity areas will be asked to move within 24 hours and be connected with overnight shelters at no charge.
After 24 hours, those camps could be removed by the city.
- Associated Press
5. Alzheimer's Association working with Health Dept. to train doctors how to diagnose disease early
Around 13,000 Vermonters live with Alzheimer's. While the disease is most prevalent among those 65 and older, the number of people diagnosed in their 50s and even 40s is growing.
Meg Polyte is with the Vermont chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.
She told VPR's Vermont Edition Thursday that the group is working with the Vermont Department of Health to better train physicians on how to diagnose the disease early.
"The challenge for younger people is that many primary care physicians and other folks in the medical industry who they're interacting with, it's just not on the forefront of what they're looking for, and so there's a lot of work to be done,” Polyte said.
A different organization, the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, will host a free conference for patients in Vermont and their caregivers next Thursday.
- Michaela Lefrak
6. Data show drought lessening in Vermont
The portion of Vermont experiencing dry conditions ticked downward this week, according to the latest federal data.
The portion of the state experiencing no dryness climbed to 60% this week, data from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows.
That's up from just 2% one year ago, and higher than any point this summer.
Dry conditions remain in Vermont's northern counties. Streams are flowing at below average levels there as well.
And the progress in other regions of the state may not last long.
Forecasters next week are predicting higher-than-normal temperatures and lower-than-normal rainfall for New England.
- Brittany Patterson
7. French premier wants to ban anti-vaccine protests at certain locations
Quebec Premier Francois Legault wants to ban anti-vaccination protests at schools, health care facilities and vaccination sites.
A proposed bill would impose thousands of dollars of fines on protesters. It is a direct response to recent anti-vaccine protests outside schools and hospitals.
Legault says his patience for the protests has "reached its limit," according to the CBC.
The bill reportedly has broad support among several political parties in Quebec.
- Mark Davis
8. Fish & Wildlife Dept. monitoring deer for viral, often deadly disease
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is monitoring the spread of a frequently deadly viral disease in deer in a neighboring state and investigating possible cases in Vermont.
The department says New York has documented cases of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in several counties in the Hudson Valley, including some that border Vermont. The disease is spread to deer by biting midges, sometimes called no-see-ums.
The department said Thursday that it does not spread from deer to deer, and humans cannot get infected from deer or bites of midges.
Vermonters who see sick or dead deer should report them to the Fish and Wildlife department through the local game warden.
- Associated Press
Elodie Reed compiled and edited this post.
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