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.
Seven battleground states: Does economy help Obama or Romney?

Seven states have emerged as battlegrounds that may well determine the 2012 presidential election. Here's a look at seven battleground states and how their economic situation is shaping the presidential election:
Can Republicans increase their ranks of governors? Four races to watch.

With only 11 races for governor this year, there’s no big sea change to anticipate. With Republicans hoping to add to the 29 states under their banner, the four races to watch are in Washington, New Hampshire, Montana, and North Carolina.
Election 2012: top seven super PACs

Decoder profiles the seven top super PACs, the organizations that have spent the most trying to influence the elections – and still have the most money in the bank.
Briefing
Gay marriage laws around the globe

There is no national gay marriage legislation in the pipeline in the US, however, numerous countries around the globe already recognize same-sex marriage or the right to civil unions. Here’s the breakdown by region.

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Supreme Court hears case: Is Vermont restricting drug companies' speech?

Drug companies tell the Supreme Court that by barring access to doctors' drug prescribing records, Vermont is discriminating against the firms' protected commercial speech.
Supreme Court case: Can drug companies buy doctors' prescription data?

Pharmaceutical companies are challenging a Vermont law that bans them from accessing prescription-drug records unless they have the doctor's permission.
Need a job? Go to North Dakota.

North Dakota's unemployment rate is far below the rest of the country's, and its employment rate is increasing more quickly, too
How a federal court battle in Vermont could recast nuclear power

The authority to license nuclear power plants has rested squarely with the federal government since 1983 – but if Vermont prevails in federal court, that power could shift to the states.
Supreme Court wary of empowering judges to order greenhouse gas cuts

A lawsuit asking a federal judge to order big power companies to cut greenhouse gases, because the emissions are a public nuisance, got a skeptical reception Tuesday at the Supreme Court.
Who can force utilities to cut greenhouse gases? Supreme Court to decide.

The Supreme Court hears a case Tuesday about greenhouse gases and global warming. Case could open the way for states and citizen groups to battle the threat of global warming via judicial order.
In Vermont, spring is finally here

Signs of spring abound in Vermont. Some are traditional and some are decidedly untraditional.
DOMA: Was the Obama administration only pretending to defend it?

A conservative legal scholar, testifying to a House subcommittee, says the Justice Department sowed the seeds for the demise of the Defense of Marriage Act even as it publicly defended it.
Which state has the most bank robberies? FBI releases its annual report.

A report released Tuesday from the FBI reveals illuminating statistics about Bonnie and Clyde's real-life counterparts – most of whom operate in California and Texas.
Pass a law to stop government overspending

The UK and US seem to spend money as if there were a limitless supply. But Germany and most US states have laws to keep the government budget balanced.
Triangle Shirtwaist fire: Why it inspires plays and poetry readings 100 years later

A defining moment of labor history, the deadly fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York remains a powerful touchstone even after 100 years.
Nuclear power in US: public support plummets in wake of Fukushima crisis

Several polls show that Americans are once again wary of nuclear power. Before the Fukushima disaster, support for nuclear power had hit record highs in the US.
In Pictures: US nuclear power plants
When to divide perennials

Answers to your questions about when to divide perennials. Is it best to divide in spring or fall, and should you avoid dividing some perennials?
Defense of Marriage Act: Will it go the way of 'don't ask, don't tell'?

Answering Obama's call, lawmakers in the House and Senate seek to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, bringing the battle over same-sex marriage to all three branches of government.
Angry squirrel terrorizes Vermont town

A neighborhood in Bennington, Vt., is under siege following a series of attacks carried out by a gray squirrel.
Stock market sinks, led by utilities

Stock market falls with Dow dropping more than 100 points in wake of concerns about Japan earthquake. Stock prices in Japan fall more than 6 percent.
All eyes on GOP House freshmen in budget impasse. Will they budge?

The Senate on Wednesday rejected both the big budget cuts of the House bill and the much smaller cuts of a Senate alternative. The ball is once again in the court of the 87 GOP House freshmen elected on last year's tea party wave.
Hawaii tops list of happiest US states

The Aloha State has topped the list in a Gallup-Healthways survery of six categories of well-being. Coming in last: West Virginia.
The Auburn oaks and oaks in your yard

The news about the poisoned live oak trees at Auburn University sparks interest in growing oak trees in general. It's easy to grow them from acorns.
Opinion: Control over your food: Why Monsanto's GM seeds are undemocratic

Large biotech agribusinesses like Monsanto control much of the global seed market with genetically modified (GM) crops. This centralization of GM seeds threatens food safety, food security, biodiversity, and democratic ideals.
5 books about chucking it all for country living

This is the time of year – when it’s been freezing for two months and the city is covered with dirty snow that won’t melt for another six weeks – that I dream of trading it all in for a simpler life. You know, one complete with farm animals, caves for aging cheese, and a vegetable garden large enough to supply all of Manhattan with frisée. I'll never do it – I can't really live without groceries delivered to my apartment, mass transit, and access to Korean food at all hours – but I can at least read about it. Here are five amazing, hilarious, utterly charming books brought to you by people, crazier, more desperate, and with even less impulse control than I: the ones who actually did it.
Among Obama's tough budget cuts: money to help needy pay for heat

Reports suggest that President Obama's federal budget, to be released next week, will propose cutting in half the budget for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. It's one of many popular programs on the chopping block.
Fed basher Ron Paul should focus on outcome, not process

Rep. Ron Paul wants to reform how monetary policy is made. Other reformers suggest looking at policy outcomes.
Illinois governor signs civil-unions bill – is gay marriage next?

Illinois will be the sixth state to recognize civil unions for gay couples. Three states have seen civil unions act as a springboard toward the legalization of gay marriage.