Kevin McCallum

Burlington

Political Reporter at Seven Days

Statehouse and investigative reporter for Seven Days

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Articles

GlobalFoundries to Invest Billions More Amid AI Demand

2 days ago | sevendaysvt.com | Kevin McCallum

On Wednesday, New York-based semiconductor manufacturer GlobalFoundries announced big news: A $16 billion investment in research, development and manufacturing capacity at its Albany, N.Y.-area headquarters and Vermont plant in Essex Junction. The press release praised President Donald Trump, and included quotes from Apple CEO Tim Cook and top executives at SpaceX, General Motors and Qualcomm, which use the company's high-tech chips.
Lawmakers Consider Bringing Catamounts Back to Vermont

3 days ago | sevendaysvt.com | Kevin McCallum

click to enlarge When Alexander Crowell shot Vermont's last documented catamount in 1881 on a snowy Thanksgiving morning in Barnard, a local newspaper portrayed the hunter as heroic and his 182-pound prey as a monster. "He had killed many sheep and lambs in different parts, and the people greatly rejoiced at his death," the Standard newspaper reported.
Lawmakers Strike Deal on Huge Housing Infrastructure Bill

1 week ago | sevendaysvt.com | Kevin McCallum

click to enlarge The breakthrough came after House members agreed to significantly expand the scale of the proposed Community and Housing Infrastructure Program. They initially wanted a five-year program capped at $40 million per year. They ultimately agreed to a 10-year-program with a $200 million cap per year in the amount of tax revenue that could be dedicated to new housing infrastructure projects.
State Abandons Wildlife Crossing Project, Citing Cost

1 week ago | sevendaysvt.com | Kevin McCallum

Vermont transportation officials have abandoned the idea of building a wildlife crossing under Interstate 89 and Route 2 near the Bolton-Waterbury town line, citing the high costs and other priorities. Studies have shown the roadways to be a major obstacle to wildlife moving along the spine of the Green Mountains, particularly between the large forest blocks around Camel’s Hump and Mount Mansfield state forests.
Committee Hashing Out Education Reform Bill Jumps the Gun

1 week ago | sevendaysvt.com | Kevin McCallum

Negotiations over one of the biggest bills the Vermont legislature has grappled with in recent years got under way shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday. There was just one problem: The public had not been notified that the freshly minted committee was meeting.
Lawmakers Debate Competing Needs for Housing, School Funding

1 week ago | sevendaysvt.com | Kevin McCallum

click to enlarge Legislative attempts to create a program to boost home construction have touched off a Statehouse battle over whether the proposal would bleed money from public schools. The proposal is fraught because lawmakers and the governor are already engaged in a high-stakes debate over education reform that focuses in part on holding down school property tax increases.
Lt. Gov. and Weed Farmer Rodgers Pushes a Bill That Would Slash His Costs

3 weeks ago | sevendaysvt.com | Kevin McCallum

click to enlarge Lt. Gov. John Rodgers is lobbying hard for a cannabis bill that would slash licensing fees for growers such as him while doubling them for large indoor growers — his main competitors. The bill would trim $4,000 from the annual state fee that his Glover weed business pays. His advocacy has given some of his former Senate colleagues pause. Sen.
Vermont Lawmakers Send $9 Billion Budget to Gov. Scott

3 weeks ago | sevendaysvt.com | Kevin McCallum

Vermont lawmakers sent a $9 billion budget to Gov. Phil Scott Thursday with high hopes that he will sign the legislation even though major issues, including education reform, remain unresolved. Budget negotiators reached a compromise on the budget late last week, and the Senate embraced it earlier this week. The House followed suit Thursday with a resounding vote of 132-2. Rep.
Retailers and Growers Are Crowding Vermont's Cannabis Market

3 weeks ago | sevendaysvt.com | Derek Brouwer |Sasha Goldstein |Kevin McCallum

click to enlarge Montpelier already had two cannabis shops when John Benjamins hatched his idea for Winterland Haze last summer. By the time he opened his doors in December, the number of competitors in the Capital City had increased to three, and a pair of new dispensaries had hung their shingles in nearby Barre. Benjamins' Main Street outlet is located just a few storefronts down from a larger, established shop, Capital Cannabis.
Scott Rolls Back Regs Meant to Phase Out Gas-Powered Vehicles

3 weeks ago | sevendaysvt.com | Kevin McCallum

Gov. Phil Scott is rolling back regulations meant to end the sale of new gas-powered vehicles in Vermont by 2035. In an executive order issued Tuesday afternoon, Scott paused enforcement of rules that would have required car manufacturers to ensure that 35 percent of the cars sold in Vermont in 2026 be zero emission models. The rules, known as Advanced Clean Cars II and Advanced Clean Truck Rules, were considered key to the state's carbon reduction goals, which are increasingly out of reach.