I'm sorry, readers. I just haven't been reading my Boston Globe's very so I probably missed dozens of important and indispensable stories from the Green Mountain state.
The ones I didn't:
"Vt. House debates childhood immunization law" by Dave Gram | Associated Press, April 13, 2012
MONTPELIER - The Vermont House has voted to uphold a philosophical exemption for parents who want to skip the requirement that their children get a series of vaccinations before being allowed to attend school or child care.
The House voted against an amendment to eliminate the exemption that public health officials have blamed for lowering Vermont’s childhood vaccination rate from 93 percent for incoming kindergarteners in 2005 to 83 percent in 2010.
The Senate earlier passed a version of the bill ending the philosophical exemption. Lawmakers likely will have to work out the differences between the two in a conference committee.
Those who wanted to keep Vermont among the 20 states that allow a philosophical exemption said the reported decline in vaccinations was exaggerated, because children missing just one of about 20 shots they are supposed to have by age 6 are counted as unvaccinated.
“It doesn’t mean that we’re at a critical level of non-vaccination,’’ said Representative Sarah Copeland Hanzas, a Bradford Democrat and a member of the House Health Care Committee, which drafted the vaccination bill.
The committee was divided on the issue, voting 6-4 with one member absent to maintain the philosophical exemption, and divisions among the members showed up sharply in Thursday’s debate. The amendment’s lead sponsor was Representative Paul Poirier, an independent of Barre and committee member who got a big assist from Representative George Till, a Democrat and obstetrician-gynecologist from Jericho.
Till argued that parents have a right to leave their children unvaccinated, but not to send them to school in that condition.
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Update: Freezer failure at brain bank hampers autism research
Why wouldn't Vermonters want their kids vaccinated?
"Rate of autism diagnoses in children rises to 1 in 88" March 30, 2012|By Patricia Wen
The number of children identified as having an autism spectrum disorder in the United States is soaring, with roughly 1 in 88 being found to have this condition, according to a study released Thursday morning by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The new figure reflects a 23 percent increase compared with the autism rate the public health agency released two years ago.
During a conference call with reporters, CDC officials acknowledged widespread concern among parents about why the numbers have grown so much. They said increased detection is clearly a major factor driving up the rates, though agency research is being conducted to see what other factors -- genetics or the environment -- play a role....
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Related: Studies find gene changes tied to higher rate of autism
Yeah, anything but the real cause: mercury-based preservatives in the vaccines.
"2011 measles outbreak worst since ’96" April 20, 2012
ATLANTA - Last year was the worst year for measles in the United States in 15 years, health officials said Thursday.
There
were 222 cases of measles, a large jump from the 60 or so seen in a
typical year.
That's it?
Most of the cases last year were imported - either by
foreign visitors or by US residents who picked up the virus overseas.
US
children have been getting measles vaccinations for nearly 50 years.
But low vaccination rates in Europe and other places resulted in large
outbreaks overseas in 2011....
Measles is highly contagious. The virus spreads easily through the
air, and in closed rooms, infected droplets can linger for up to two
hours after the sick person leaves.
It causes a fever, runny nose, cough, and a rash all over the body. In rare cases measles can be deadly...
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I swear they will $ay anything to get a needle in you.
Time to put an end to this post.
Autistic jazz savant graduates from Berklee
With growing opposition to ‘smart meters,’ Vt. favors free opt-out
Related: New Mexico's Smart Tech Ghost Town
Developer drops plans to build wind turbines in Vermont near Canada
"NRC officials to visit Vt. talk about Vt. Yankee" May 23, 2012
BRATTLEBORO, Vt.—Officials
from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are coming to Vermont to talk
about their annual safety assessment of the Vermont Yankee nuclear
plant. NRC officials will be on hand Wednesday to
talk with members of the public one-on-one in what they're calling an
open house beginning at 5:30 p.m. on May 23 at Brattleboro Union High
School. Beginning at 7 p.m., they'll convene a more formal public
meeting where members of the public will be invited to ask questions.
The
NRC says Vermont Yankee got good safety grades over the past year, with
no issues presenting more than very low safety significance.
Just ignore the lies and the cancer that soaked into the soil and leached into the river.
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Also see: Around New England: No Veracity in Vermont
Around New England: Vermont Votes Yankee Down
The Boston Globe Can Not Say a Lie
But they sure can tell 'em!
So what in the world is Vermont going to use for power?
Updates: Time off doesn’t accrue during leave, Vermont court rules
Historic Vt. bridge will be split, widened
Trail-riding cyclists boost economy
Court dismisses Vermont campaign finance challenge
