Ethan Weinstein

1 week ago | vtdigger.org | Ethan Weinstein

MONTPELIER — About 95% of people incarcerated in Vermont will one day leave prison. But getting out — and staying out — relies on a system that often appears rigged against those reentering society. “The system as it’s built today forces individuals to jump through hoops that many of us in this room would struggle through, even in the best of circumstances,” Nick Deml, Vermont Department of Corrections commissioner, told participants at the state’s first ever reentry simulation.

2 weeks ago | vtdigger.org | Ethan Weinstein

BURLINGTON — A federal judge on Wednesday released Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian Vermonter detained early this month by federal immigration authorities. Mahdawi, a student organizer at Columbia University and a lawful U.S. resident for a decade, was arrested by federal agents in Colchester during an interview as part of his U.S. citizenship naturalization process.

2 weeks ago | openlegalblogarchive.org | Ethan Weinstein

You may have noticed, though probably not: the House streams its party caucuses, but the Senate doesn’t. That’s a change this year. What happens in weekly lunch-hour caucus meetings? The parties discuss their priorities for the week and strategize. Sometimes things get feisty, either internally or lashing out across the aisle. Once or twice a session, it can make the news, but mostly, it’s mundane. Why the change? Sen.

2 weeks ago | vtdigger.org | Ethan Weinstein

You may have noticed, though probably not: the House streams its party caucuses, but the Senate doesn’t. That’s a change this year. What happens in weekly lunch-hour caucus meetings? The parties discuss their priorities for the week and strategize. Sometimes things get feisty, either internally or lashing out across the aisle. Once or twice a session, it can make the news, but mostly, it’s mundane. Why the change? Sen.

2 weeks ago | openlegalblogarchive.org | Ethan Weinstein

As lawmakers toil away trying to reform Vermont’s school funding and governance systems, they’ve declared better student outcomes a principal goal. Well, on Friday, the students themselves showed up to testify on H.454, as well as on efforts from the administration of President Donald Trump to cut diversity, equity and inclusion programs in public schools. And while the youth had lots of positives to say about their schools, they weren’t so effusive about where lawmakers are headed.