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Senator Sanders

Gas Prices Up Oil companies warned on Sunday that they would not be able to produce adequate supplies of gasoline in the days ahead because many refineries were still not operating in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Oil price hikes also will push up home heating fuel costs. “That is one of the reasons why short- term what we're trying to do is make sure we double the funding for LIHEAP so we get fuel assistance to the working families all over the northern tier,” Senator Bernie Sanders told WPTZ News. VIDEO

Vermont Rivers A U.S. Senate committee has advanced a bill that would give special designation to two northern Vermont rivers as “wild and scenic.” The measure, introduced by Sen. Patrick Leahy and co-sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders would bestow that designation on the Missisquoi and Trout rivers. It was approved Thursday by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, of which Sanders is a member, according to The Burlington Free Press. LINK and LINK

Union Votes Critical in Presidential Race Vermont's second largest union, the AFL-CIO, met this weekend in Colchester. Senator Bernie Sanders received a rousing welcome from convention members. No surprise since he is probably organized labor's biggest backer in Congress, WCAX News reported. WPTZ News also covered the convention. LINK, VIDEO and VIDEO

Focus on Issues “The time is long overdue for the media to move toward serious discussion of the most important issues facing the American people and how the candidates intend to address them,” such as health care, the economy, and global warming, Sanders wrote in an op-ed published Sunday by the Times Argus, Rutland Herald, Valley News and the Newport Daily Express. LINK

International

World Markets Sink Asian and European stock markets were down sharply Monday amid growing alarm over the world's financial system after a seismic shake-up on Wall Street, The Associated Press reported. LINK

National

Wall Street Crisis The American financial system was shaken to its core. Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. said it would file for bankruptcy protection, and Merrill Lynch & Co. agreed to be sold to Bank of America. The U.S. government, which bailed out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac a week ago and orchestrated the sale of Bear Stearns to J.P. Morgan Chase in March, played much tougher with Lehman and refused to provide a financial backstop to potential buyers, The Wall Street Journal reported. The United States is mired in a "once-in-a century" financial crisis which is now more than likely to spark a recession, former Federal Reserve chief Alan Greenspan said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." LINK and LINK

No 'Golden Parachutes' The government yesterday said it would not allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to pay their departing chief executives the separation payments outlined in their contracts. The Federal Housing Finance Agency – the regulator that seized control of the mortgage giants last weekend and removed their chief executives – declined yesterday to specify what the executives would lose. Former Fannie Mae chief executive Daniel Mudd and former Freddie Mac chief executive Richard Syron together were eligible to receive as much as $25 million, according to The Washington Post. LINK

Obama Raises a Record $66 Million in August Senator Barack Obama raised more money in August than any presidential candidate has ever recorded in a one-month period, with his campaign disclosing on Sunday that it collected $66 million and drew 500,000 first-time donors to his candidacy. The record-setting figures and particularly the new supporters who can contribute again before Election Day were crucial for Mr. Obama, who was heading into the general election as the first major-party candidate to forgo public financing, The New York Times reported. LINK

Vermont

Labor Endorsements Independent candidate for governor Anthony Pollina earned a second significant union endorsement Sunday. The state's second largest union, the Vermont AFL-CIO, voted to endorse Pollina at the annual convention in Colchester. The state’s largest union, the Vermont-National Education Association, will announce its recommended candidate for governor today, The Burlington Free Press reported. LINK

Vermont Yankee The state Public Service Board is holding a public hearing tonight on Vermont Yankee's bid for a 20-year license renewal.  The plant's license is set to expire in 2012. The hearing will be held at 7 p.m. in the Vernon Elementary School gymnasium, The Associated Press reported. LINK

Green Tech An interactive panel discussion on “Green Technology Initiatives for Vermont” will be held at 5 p.m., Sept. 23 in the Davis Auditorium of the University of Vermont's Medical Education Building. The panel will work to come up with concrete suggestions for viable directions best suited to Vermont. Fran Stoddard from Vermont Public Television will be the moderator. This event is sponsored by the Vermont Academy of Science and Engineering, The Burlington Free Press reported. LINK

Leahy and Celtics Three members of the NBA champion Boston Celtics basketball team are due in Vermont on today along with the championship trophy. The Vermont appearance will be the first stop on a team tour of New England with the trophy. Celtic starters Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo will be in Burlington along with reserve guard Tony Allen. The three will appear in a rally from noon to 2 p.m. at the top of the Church Street Marketplace. U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, Celtics President Richard Gotham and other officials also are expected at the rally, The Associated Press reported. LINK