Corey McDonald

2 weeks ago | vtdigger.org | Corey McDonald

The town of Colchester has appealed to the Vermont Supreme Court a lower court decision that found town officials acted in bad faith when they tried to seize waterfront property in an eminent domain proceeding. The appeal continues a long legal saga that began in 2022, when the Mallet’s Bay waterfront property owner, Mongeon Bay Properties, sued the town after officials there started eminent domain proceedings.

3 weeks ago | vtdigger.org | Corey McDonald

A Bradford man in Vermont State Police custody is accused of killing Corey Crooker, who was first reported missing in January, according to state police. James D. Nickles Jr., 42, is facing charges of second-degree murder, unauthorized burial or removal of a dead body and providing false information to police, according to state police spokesperson Adam Silverman. A judge found probable cause for the charges Friday, and the Vermont State Police obtained an arrest warrant for Nickles.

3 weeks ago | vtdigger.org | Corey McDonald

Joanne Putzier, an employee with the Burlington Parks, Recreation & Waterfront Department, was months away from a planned retirement to cap her 43-year career with the city. But Thursday, she and 17 other city employees were laid off, part of a cost-saving measure by the city to close an $8 million gap in next year’s budget. The affected employees were offered 60 days’ pay and health insurance through the end of July, city officials said.

4 weeks ago | vtdigger.org | Corey McDonald

Shawn Burke has been Burlington’s interim chief of police for just over a month. Two weeks into the job, he had to use Narcan, the life-saving treatment that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, for the first time in 10 years. Driving around Orchard Terrace early in the morning, he witnessed a man he thought was sleeping and went to check on him. As he tried to wake him up, Burke realized the man was overdosing and ran back to his vehicle to retrieve a dose of Narcan.

4 weeks ago | vtdigger.org | Corey McDonald

The city of Burlington has cut 25 full-time positions as it faces a multi-million-dollar budget gap for the second year, and difficult financial questions ahead. Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, in an email sent Thursday night, announced to city staff and the city council that 12 union employees, as well as 13 non-union positions across a number of departments, were being eliminated. The cut positions represent roughly 5% of the city’s workforce. Seven of those positions were vacant, the mayor said.