The Burlington Free Press from Burlington, Vermont • Page 8

SA www.burlingtonfreepress.com The Burlington Free Press Friday, March 9, 2007 DEMERS: No jail time urged for former hospital executive ceived and stonewalled state regulators and the hospital's trustees, according to court papers and prosecutors. Demers' sentencing arrives seven years after the executives initiated their deceit, five years after the government launched its investigation, and 18 months after the completed project a sprawling complex of soaring windows, exposed steel and state-of-the-art medical facilities was celebrated with a regal grand opening. The only administrator connected to the scandal to have served prison time is former president and chief executive William Continued from Page 1A papers. If Sessions allows the lesser sentence, Demers will join former colleagues David Cox and Thad Krupka in avoiding incarceration for lying to state regulators and falsifying financial records to pass off the Renaissance Project's cost borne largely by those treated at the hospital as $173 million. Demers admitted he and the other executives concocted two sets of financial ledgers, one for state regulators that minimized the project's cost, and the other an internal document that reflected the spiraling expenses.

He also de Boettcher, whom authorities and former subordinates have described as the architect of the cover-up. He received a two-year sentence after his guilty plea to federal conspiracy charges in January 2005, reported to prison that June but was released in December after serving 18 months. Boettcher, the man once heralded for his get-it-done leadership and later vilified for his autocratic management style, resigned in 2002 after four years at the hospital's helm. Cox, the former chief financial officer, pleaded guilty in August to two state misdemeanor charges of making false claims and was sen accompanied by 17 letters of support from relatives, colleagues, neighbors, community leaders and churchgoers Demers laid blame for the scandal squarely at Boett-cher's feet but admitted he played a major role because he "was simply not strong enough" to stand up to his boss. "David attempted to rationalize his complicity with the belief that he could do more good helping on the inside than simply quitting," Sherrer wrote.

"In the end, however, he had allowed himself to be compromised and to become part of the problem himself." Contact Adam Silverman at 660-1854 or asilvermbfp.burlingtonfreepress.com tenced to pay a $25,000 fine and complete 100 hours of community service. Government prosecutors credited Cox for exposing the Renaissance Project scandal. Krupka, the former chief operating officer, pleaded guilty in 2004 to three state misdemeanor charges of making false claims and agreed to cooperate with investigators and serve as a government witness at any trials related to the scandal. Ultimately, none was held. Demers did not respond to an interview request Thursday.

His attorney, Thomas Sherrer, and prosecutor Drescher, citing the ongoing case, declined to comment. In court papers Sherrer filed IRAQ: Democrats draw veto threat ir II ZT- i ln ft; Democratic plans on Iraq I .3. V- 1 Highlights of separate measures on the Iraq war that House and Senate Democratic leaders released Thursday: House Democratic leaders proposed adding language to President Bush's request for nearly $100 billion for military and diplomatic efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan that: Requires that all combat troops begin leaving Iraq in March 2008 and are gone by that September. Would allow personnel conducting training and diplomatic missions to stay. May require that troops come home sooner than September 2008 if the Iraqi government does not meet certain benchmarks for easing violence and political divisions in the country.

These benchmarks include a political agreement on how to share the nation's oil revenues and amending the constitution, seen as unfair to minority Sunnis. Requires the president to certify on July 1 that Iraq is making progress and on Oct. 1 that the benchmarks have been completed. As soon as the president cannot guarantee conditions are being met, troops must come home in six months. Adds $4 billion to Bush's request for military spending, including $1 billion extra to ramp up efforts in Afghanistan and $900 million to help troops recovering from brain injuries and post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Prohibits military action against Iran unless authorized by Congress. Senate Democrats proposed legislation separate from the measure financing the wars that: Requires the president to change the mission of U.S. forces to protecting U.S. personnel and infrastructure, training and equipping Iraqi forces, and carrying out counterterror-ism operations. Mandates troop withdrawals to begin within 120 days of enactment, with the goal of removing most combat forces by March 31, 2008, except those required to carry out the newly defined mission.

Requires regular reports from the president to Congress on progress being made on shifting the mission and redeploying troops. The Associated Press GLENN RUSSELL, tree Press DJ Mike Morris updates the online playlist Thursday during his show on WWPV at St. Michael's College in Colchester. Vermont Public Radio is considering buying WWPV's broadcast license. RADIO: SMC license might be sold Continued from Page 1A to the administration's request for nearly $100 billion to pay for the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The plan is to bring the bill to a vote by the end of the month, making it the first major test of the Democrats' power since they rode a wave of anti-war voter sentiment to midterm election victories last fall. Across the Capitol, Senate Democrats readied a less sweeping challer.f2 to the commander in chief. Their version would set a target date of March 31, 2008, for the withdrawal of combat troops but no deadline. The measure says U.S. forces could stay beyond that date only to protect U.S.

personnel, train and equip Iraqi forces and fight terterrorism. "We can't stay in Iraq forever," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Reid has considerably less leeway than Pelosi, since Senate rules give Republicans greater power than their counterparts have in the House. Presidential politics also figure in his calculations. Illinois Sen.

Barack Obama, a White House hopeful, told reporters the measure includes some of the key provisions of a bill he introduced this year setting a March 31, 2008, target for withdrawal. "It expresses the central insight that we can't have our troops policing a civil war," he said. Of the 141,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, about 60,000 are combat forces and the rest are support troops. Bartlett attacked the House measure in comments to reporters aboard Air Force One as Bush flew to South America.

"Obviously, the administration would vehemently oppose and ultimately veto any legislation that looked like what was described today," he said. Democrats can afford only 15 defections and still be assured of passing their legislation in the House. Few Republicans are expected to vote in favor. students in Northfield, which sold its station to Minnesota Public Radio for $10.1 million. Probably boosting that station's value was the strength of its signal, which could be heard in Minneapolis-St.

Paul. Apart from its idiosyncratic programming, WWPV has another appeal for students connected to it as a training ground for careers in broadcasting. Andrew Kaiser, Class of 2006, who describes himself as "the third wheel of 'Mike and Chantal in the Morning' on 95 Triple said he chose St. Michael's in part because it had a radio station. "I had a show every Thursday, 10 to midnight, for four years," he said Thursday.

That helped him get a job in commercial radio, he said. He acknowledged that a sale could be driven by fi-. nancial incentives, but said the college "has lots to lose, not much to gain." "People get things here they don't get anywhere else," he said of WWPV. "St. Mike's is a very valuable member of the broadcast community.

I still listen." Contact Tim Johnson at 660-1808 or tjohnsonbfp.burlingtonfree press.com Continued from Page 1A last month at a meeting called by St. Michael's President Marc vanderHeyden. Kurt Palermo, WWPV station manager, who attended with other student members of the station's executive board, said a sale could remove student programming from the airwaves, leaving Internet broadcasting as the only option. He said WWPV has broadcast over the Internet for five years but the station's online audience is negligible. "I would be very sad if this station were sold," Palermo said.

Any deal would have to be approved by the St. Michael's board of trustees, who hold the noncommercial FCC license, and by the VPR board of directors. The trustees' next meeting is April 13. Buff Lindau, St. Michael's spokeswoman, said WWPV would be on the trustees' agenda but that it was unclear if they would make a decision then.

She said the college would solicit students' input beforehand. The next meeting of VPR directors is May 15 in Brat-tleboro. VPR hopes within the next year to increase "information and cultural programming," and to offer classical music to Burlington via a new signal. In the quest for a new local station, Vogel-zang said, it makes sense for VPR to confer with St. Michael's, given their abiding relationship, but he said VPR would also consider other options.

A long history One of WWPV's virtues, Palmero said, is its flexibility. "It's a free-form station," he said. "Anyone can come on and have any type of show they like jazz, pop, talk Most of the DJs are students, but not all. Presiding over one of the regular jazz shows are a couple of guys "from the area" who are in their 50s. The reach of the 150-watt signal depends partly on the weather, Palermo said.

On a good day, he said, WWPV can be heard just short of St. Albans and in Jericho. The station has a long history. From 1954 to 1972, it operated as WSSE, Lindau said. The call letters became WWPV in 1973.

The station was affiliated with the college's journalism program, and for a time, students produced a live news show from 5 to 5:30 p.m. The station is entirely student-run. St. Michael's is not the only college to mull the sale of its radio station. A 2004 article in Current, a newspaper that covers public broadcasting, identified nearly a dozen "educational licensees" around the country which had sold or transferred public stations, often because of fiscal pressures or to gain "an influx of capital." Among them was St.

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