By Renee Wunderlich June 23, 2016 The South Burlington City Council dedicated it’s entire Wednesday night meeting to one issue: whether or not to join the lawsuit against F-35 fighter jets set to be based at Burlington international airport starting in 2019. “We just may come down on different sides of the issue, but that […]
BY MORGAN TRUE JUNE 25, 2016 The City Council voted 3-2 earlier this week to file an amicus, or friend of the court, brief in a lawsuit seeking to block the arrival of F-35 fighter jets at Burlington International Airport until the U.S. Air Force completes environmental reviews that the plaintiffs argue were not done […]
By Nicole Higgins DeSmet June 29, 2016 South Burlington filed on Tuesday a motion, asking the court to allow the city to support the safety and sound lawsuit against the U.S. Air Force, just one week before the case is heard. The city also submitted a formal memorandum in support of the lawsuit. South Burlington City Attorney Jim Barlow confirmed […]
By Nicole Higgins DeSmet June 30, 2016 Judge Geoffrey Crawford has granted the City of South Burlington’s request to participate in support of the safety and sound lawsuit against the U.S. Air Force, only days before the case is heard in court. South Burlington City Manager Kevin Dorn and attorney John Klesch confirmed the development. A federal Environmental […]
By Stewart Ledbetter July 5, 2016 Veracity of environmental review at heart of legal challenge A federal judge heard arguments Tuesday over whether the U.S. Air Force did its job drafting an environmental impact study projecting how the F-35 fighter jet might fit in at the Burlington airport. The USAF used the study in part […]
BY MARK DAVIS JULY 5, 2016 Opponents of the U.S. Air Force’s decision to base a squadron of next-generation F-35 fighter jets at Burlington International Airport finally got their day in federal court on Tuesday. U.S. District Court Judge Geoffrey Crawford heard arguments in a lawsuit accusing the Air Force of failing to conduct a […]
By Adam Federman July 6, 2016 Air Force attorney David Gehlert closed nearly four hours of testimony in Rutland Federal Court on Tuesday by stressing that the government has fully acknowledged the public health and environmental risks associated with the F-35 fighter jet. Gehlert also acknowledged that the environmental impacts of the aircraft would be […]
By Nicole Higgins DeSmet June 28, 2016 Frantic and frustrated attempts to dominate the narrative by well-meaning parties both for and against the F-35 basing and a related safety and sound lawsuit have upset some South Burlington residents and confused others. There is an incredible amount of information available for the general public to consume: the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), legal filings, […]
By Sarah Olsen June 14, 2016 The City Council postponed a decision on joining a lawsuit seeking to keep F-35 fighter jets from being based at the local airport after councilors Monday traded accusations of manipulating or subverting the public process in order to sway the outcome. The current plaintiffs in the lawsuit are the […]