John Dillon
John worked for VPR in 2001-2021 as reporter and News Director. Previously, John was a staff writer for the Sunday Times Argus and the Sunday Rutland Herald, responsible for breaking stories and in-depth features on local issues. He has also served as Communications Director for the Vermont Health Care Authority and Bureau Chief for UPI in Montpelier. John was honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow Awards in 2007 for his reporting on VPR. He was the lead reporter for a VPR series on climate change that in 2008 won a national Edward R. Murrow award for continuing coverage. In 2009, John's coverage of an asbestos mine in northern Vermont was recognized with a regional investigative reporting award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association.
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In 12 states and Washington, D.C., people in the country illegally can still get a driver's license. The process is meant to keep roads safe, but may put undocumented people at risk of deportation.
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Some workers say wages and living conditions have improved. Farms have also committed to providing five annual paid sick days, five paid vacation days and to meet housing health and safety standards. -
The FDA means sugar added to your diet, not just to a specific food. But honey and syrup makers say that natural sugar is not added. Though a compromise is on the table, some say it's still confusing. -
Dairy farmers on the U.S. side say they're getting paid less than what it costs to produce the milk. The Canadian system balances milk supply with consumer demand through production quotas. -
Socialists are a rare breed of political animal in this country. There's just one in Congress — Vermont senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. -
The owner of Vermont's only nuclear plant says it will shut down the facility next year. Entergy had just won a lengthy battle with the state over whether the plant could keep operating. Now the company says market forces and other issues mean the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant isn't profitable.
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Towns in southern Vermont's Deerfield Valley are slowly getting reconnected with the outside world as road crews repair highways ravaged by Irene. But the resort communities face a harder time re-building their tourism-based businesses. They're worried about getting back on their feet in time for the fall foliage season and upcoming ski season.
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Irene had lost a lot of power when it hit New England as a tropical storm, but that didn't keep it from packing a punch. Roads and bridges were destroyed in Vermont. And in neighboring New York, a dam gave way, flooding homes and businesses downstream.
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The Vermont Senate has given preliminary approval to a health care initiative that puts the state on a path to become the first in the country to adopt a single-payer system. Critics say the legislation could drive physicians out of state, limit patient choice and raise taxes. Once the Senate's action is complete, the measure goes back to the House.
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Vermont's Legislature overruled Republican Gov. Jim Douglas' veto and became the fourth state to legalize gay marriage. The Senate voted 23-5 and the House 100-49 to get the two-thirds needed in each chamber for a veto override. Nine years ago, Vermont was the first state in the nation to approve civil unions.
