Kevin McCallum

Burlington

Political Reporter at Seven Days

Statehouse and investigative reporter for Seven Days

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Articles

Scott Rolls Back Regs Meant to Phase Out Gas-Powered Vehicles

2 days 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.
Three Farmworkers Arrested by Border Patrol Have Been Deported

1 week ago | sevendaysvt.com | Kevin McCallum

Three of the eight Vermont migrant workers arrested at the state’s largest dairy farm on April 21 have been deported, according to the advocacy group Migrant Justice. Luis Enrique Gomez-Aguilar, 28, Urillas Sargento, 32, and Dani Alvarez-Perez, 22, were transferred to a Louisiana detention facility last week and soon afterward got transported to Mexico “without their consent,” Migrant Justice said in a press release on Wednesday.
Lawmakers Debate Bills They Hope Will Make Immigrants Safe

1 week ago | sevendaysvt.com | Kevin McCallum

click to enlarge As President Donald Trump expands his crackdown on immigrants across the nation, Vermont lawmakers are scrambling to find ways the state can be more protective and welcoming to undocumented residents.
The Arrest of Farmworkers at Berkshire Dairy Strikes Fear Across the Industry

2 weeks ago | sevendaysvt.com | Kevin McCallum

click to enlarge As word spread last week that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents had arrested eight migrant workers at Vermont's largest dairy farm, Maribel's first reaction was fear that she could be next. The Mexico City native has worked for three years in a Franklin County milking parlor not far from Pleasant Valley Farms, the Berkshire dairy where border patrol arrested farmworkers on April 21.
Scrappy Burlington High School Debaters Make National Finals

3 weeks ago | sevendaysvt.com | Kevin McCallum

click to enlarge Is it ethical to gloat when your scrappy public school squad defeats some of the most elite private schools in the nation? For members of the Burlington High School ethics debate team, the answer is: Absolutely! In its first year, the school's 12-member team made it to the national finals in North Carolina, besting some of the nation's priciest private schools in the process.
Protestors Decry Arrest of Vermont Man Who Advocated for Palestinians

3 weeks ago | sevendaysvt.com | Kevin McCallum

More than 300 people packed the Cedar Creek room and surrounding hallways to hear lawmakers denounce the 34-year-old White River Junction resident’s widely publicized arrest last week in Colchester. Mahdawi was taken into custody by hood- and mask-wearing plainclothes officers who whisked him away in an unmarked vehicle. The circumstances outraged many residents and lawmakers, some of whom vowed to take action.
Scott Won't Cancel ICE Detainment Contract

4 weeks ago | sevendaysvt.com | Kevin McCallum

Gov. Phil Scott on Wednesday rejected calls by Vermont Senate leaders to cancel an agreement that allows federal immigration officials to keep detained people in Vermont prisons. Scott said he understood lawmakers’ desire to push back on the Trump administration’s troubling immigration enforcement actions in the state, including the detention of Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi on Monday in Colchester. Mahdawi was led away by men wearing hoods and masks, and driving unmarked cars.
A Large Farm With Pollution Problems Wants to Expand

4 weeks ago | sevendaysvt.com | JOHN DILLON |Kevin McCallum

click to enlarge Owners of a large Addison County dairy farm already found liable for polluting a neighbor's land want to expand, raising concerns that increased runoff could damage a public water supply and worsen water quality in Lake Champlain. The Vorsteveld brothers want to add another 580 animals to their Panton herd of about 1,500 mature cows and 1,500 young stock.
Senate Leaders Call on Scott to Cancel ICE Agreement

4 weeks ago | sevendaysvt.com | Kevin McCallum

Mohsen Mahdawi arrived at a Colchester immigration office on Monday for what he believed to be a "naturalization interview," according to his attorneys. Instead, the legal U.S. resident was arrested and whisked away by masked men. He is behind bars at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans, awaiting deportation proceedings, an attorney for Mahdawi has said.
Palestinian Activist Detained by Feds in Colchester

1 month ago | sevendaysvt.com | Kevin McCallum

Mohsen Mahdawi, one of the leaders of the pro-Palestine movement at Columbia University, was called into a meeting at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Office in Colchester on Monday morning, according to Vermont Sen. Becca White (D-Windsor). In a series of Instagram videos, White, who referred to Mahdawi as a constituent and a friend, said she was outside the building at 463 Mountain View Drive in Colchester because she was worried about what was going to happen to him.