The Times Argus AP (thanks for the catch, Nat) has its list of the top 10 stories of 2006 out. Some are rather broad categories of stories (“congress race,” “Vermont Yankee”), some are clearly news stories that belong on such a list (“Cashman controversy,” “school shooting,” “Fell sentenced”), while the “tire burn” story probably doesn’t belong in the top ten, in my own opinion.
All told, though, some significant news stories probably should’ve been on that list – or at the very least, should be mentioned in the same strata. Here then, are what I believe to be the top 10 stories not included on the AP’s list (not necessarily in order of prominence or priority). Some of them were big splash items, while some simply did not receive the attention they probably should have, but were significant events whose impact may be underestimated or underappreciated by the traditional media.
And by all means, use the comments to add your own as well… (continued on the flip)
1. Spec. Chris Merchant of Hardwick, Sgt. Josh Johnson of Richford, Sgt. Carlton Clark of South Royalton and Lance Cpl. Kurt Dechen of Springfield are killed in the Iraq War, bringing the total number of Vermonters killed in Iraq to 18, with an escalation of tens of thousands of troops virtually guaranteed to be proposed by Bush and supported by GOP leading Presidential contender John McCain.
2. The Vermont Impeachment Movement. Two grassroots efforts simultaneously spread across the state – both of which garnered major media attention nationwide and galvanized activism leading into the elections, energizing the anti-war movement from coast to coast. Starting with Dan DeWalt in Newfane, multiple Vermont Towns have passed Town Meeting Resolutions calling for the impeachment of the President. Simultaneously, Jeff Taylor of Clarendon drafts language calling on the Vermont legislature to use its authority to initiate impeachment proceedings, and that draft sweeps through Democratic Town and County Committee meetings statewide. When some members of the Dem leadership ralied to narrowly defeat the measure at the State level (in a still-controversial vote), nearly a dozen Democratic Progressive and Independent State Representatives signed on to Progressive Rep. David Zuckerman’s similar bill in the Statehouse. Both the Town Meeting and Legislative efforts continue in close alignment.
3. GOP Senate Candidate Rich Tarrant spends more per vote than any other candidate in US History. This of course being the eye-catching tagline of the greater story of the huge amounts of money now being spent in Vermont on these races and the end of statewide elections as we’ve previously known them.
4. Auditor’s race reversed in recount. Such a thing has never happened before. Who says your vote doesn’t matter? Congratulations again, Auditor-elect Tom Salmon Jr.
5. Vermont Peace Activists spied on by US Government. Although it originally broke last December, the issue played out over the first three months of this year. One of those stories of huge import and potentially monumental implications, yet the coverage was tepid and the follow-up perfunctory. At least Senator Leahy was properly pissed off.
6. Catamount Health. It sort of blows my mind that the AP left this off their list. The issue of health care was where it belongs in 2006 – front and center. Unfortunately, it also sucked the air out of the room for many other issues. The compromise with the Governor was not the systemic overhaul envisioned by the House bill in 2005, but a safety net for most completely uninsured Vermonters. Called the most extensive reform in the nation, it was still a mighty disappointment for progressives (li’l ‘p’, natch), and made it difficult for Scudder Parker’s gubernatorial campaign to get any traction on the greater issue. Although serious doubts about the long-term sustainability of the plan loom, the Democratic Legislative leadership made a deliberate decision to not let the perfect (true reform) stand in the way of the good (covering tens of thousands without health care). In any event, the train-wreck that is the US health care system keeps piling up.
7. The Vermont Milk Company launches. Largely overlooked by the media (I suspect because it gets into a level of economics that makes many reporters’ and readers’ eyes glaze over), the VT Milk Company is the culmination of a long effort by Anthony Pollina and others to take control of a corner of the dairy production market in order to give local dairy farmers better prices. As the Catamount Health system was for health care, VT Milk doesn’t get at the root causes of the steady decline of the dairy industry in Vermont which are systemic to the global market. Again, it doesn’t let the perfect become the enemy of the good – which in this case means allowing farmers to begin to take some small measure of control of the production and offer stabalized prices on the higher end of what is commercially viable at present. Again -as with Catamount – issues of long-term sustainability linger.
8. Warming trend. Nationally, six of the first nine months of the year were much warmer than average. Going into fall globally, September was the 4th warmest recorded. Locally, November of 06 had the lowest snowfall ever in Vermont. And then there was the Green Christmas. Anybody see a pattern?
9. Instant Runoff Voting used in Burlington mayoral race. And very successfully by most accounts. Expect the issue of election reform to be revisited and the Burlington election to be the first of many.
10. Blogs impact Vermont statewide elections. Julie Waters broke the now-famous Rainville plagiarism story – which is coming to be seen by many as a watershed event in the Congressional election. The genie of the blogosphere is now out of the bottle in Vermont, and expect big-ticket statewide elections to never be the same again.
Your turn. What’s I miss?