Topic: Vermont

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Gender pay gap: Top 5 best and worst states

The pay gap between men and women has steadily narrowed during the past few decades. Women earned 77 cents for every dollar men earned in 2011, compared with 59 cents in 1963. Here is a look at states with biggest and smallest gender pay gaps today.

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Opinion Gag the 'ag-gag' laws that bar undercover recording of cruelty to farm animals

Several states have passed 'ag-gag' laws that make it illegal to gather undercover documentation and videos of cruelty to animals at factory farms and in other areas of industrial agriculture. But it is precisely this kind of reporting that exposes and can help stop abuse of animals.
IBM layoffs coming, but it won't say how many (+video)

IBM layoffs in store for Vermont and other facilities, Vermont officials say. But the computer giant is mum about how many IBM layoffs are involved in its national reorganization.
Chapter & Verse Which state has the most bookstores?

Large states like California and Texas have the most bookstores. No surprise there. But when it comes to bookstores per capita, Montana, Wyoming, and Vermont top the list.
Canada 5.2 quake: Earthquake felt in Ontario

Canada 5.2 quake: Canada's government agency that monitors earthquakes said the quake it registered a 5.2-magnitude temblor with an epicenter located about 11 miles northeast of Shawville, Quebec.
Stir It Up! Vermont wants Monsanto to label its GMOs

The Supreme Court protected agribusiness Monsanto's legal rights against a soybean farmer this week. But Vermont still wants to require Monsanto to label all of its genetically modified food products with GMOs labels.
Change Agent Sharing good news helps break down the myth of our own powerlessness

Scary stories of kidnappings and explosions lead our news feeds, but there are plenty of empowering stories of progress – if we look for them.
Pre-K programs take biggest state funding hit ever

Pre-K study finds that states' total spending on early childhood education dropped by more than $400 per pupil for the 2011-12 school year – and about $1,100 per pupil over a decade.
Senate, House pursue sharply different paths to immigration reform

Senate's bill is sweeping, and it's moving fast. The House so far is taking up immigration reform piecemeal, and is proceeding at a, well, deliberative pace. Why are the approaches are so different?
Immigration reform: How many new immigrants are we talking about?

The new immigration reform bill will double the number of immigrants coming to the US over the next decade, critics say. Others say it's too early, too complex, or too politically risky to tell.
USA Update Mississippi man charged in ricin attacks was an Elvis impersonator

Paul Kevin Curtis has been arrested and charged with making threats against the president and sending letters threatening to injure other persons. Relatives, who call him a 'super entertainer,' are shocked.
Decoder Wire Four reasons the Senate gun control bill may be kaput

The Senate is slated to vote Wednesday on nine gun control provisions, but prospects for passage for several – including expanding background checks to more gun buyers – look dim. Here's why.
USA Update Suspicious letter for Obama surfaces, after one for senator tests for ricin

The interception of the letters appears to demonstrate the effectiveness of security protocols put into place after the anthrax attacks in 2001. The letter that already tested positive for ricin is undergoing further analysis.
The Interestings

Meg Wolitzer follows a group of teenagers from art camp on to adult life, with all its successes and disappointments.
Chapter & Verse Quidditch World Cup VI this weekend

The top 80 collegiate teams from all over the world will compete in the sixth annual Quidditch Cup this weekend. Yes, it's an actual sport.
How liberal anger at Obama budget helps the president, Democrats

The president's budget, with its cost-saving measures in Social Security and Medicare, has infuriated the left. That positions Obama more to the center and could help him achieve other goals – and save some Democratic seats in 2014.
Bipartisan deal on background checks: Biggest gun control win yet?

Two senators announced a bipartisan deal on a gun control bill that would expand background checks. Its passage is hardly assured, but just the compromise is significant.
Obama's budget offends just about everybody. Is that compromise?

President Obama will unveil his federal budget proposal this coming week. Based on leaked details, the plan already is getting hammered by his own liberal base as well as by Republicans.
'The Company You Keep' never quite figures out what it wants to be

'Company,' directed by and starring Robert Redford, is equally preachy and melodramatic.
Snowdrops usher in spring

Pretty white snowdrops welcome spring in cooler climates.
USA Update Marijuana tax touted as budgetary benefit to US and states. Really?

Marijuana tax could be a new source of revenue for strapped states, and the federal government, too, say two congressmen who have proposed such legislation. But the scale of any tax benefit is hotly disputed.
Global News Blog Good Reads: Amazon mysteries, Africans step up, state of the states, knowing voters

This week's round-up of Good Reads includes a look at elusive and isolated Amazon tribes, signs of progress across Africa, the well-being of Americans, and the savvy of US voters.
Gun trafficking bill passes Senate panel. Is that it for Obama gun agenda?

A gun-trafficking bill picked up important Republican support Thursday, improving its chances for passing the full Senate. But other parts of President Obama's gun-control agenda are in limbo.
Sardines in India latest indicator of how your food is on the move

Mumbai’s new sardine bounty is an example of how warmer temperatures may be redrawing the world’s geographic distribution of food with potential implications for what and how we eat.
Pastor sentenced in same-sex custodial kidnapping case

Pastor Kenneth Miller was sentenced to 27 months in prison, but released pending appeal. He was convicted last summer of helping a woman take her daughter out of the country to flee joint custody with her ex-partner.
Whitney Houston: FBI releases 128-page file (+video)

Whitney Houston's FBI file includes letters from fans that Whitney Houston found threatening, as well as an attempted extortion attempt that the FBI investigated.