WEBVTT HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE S WELCOMING NEW MEMBER HAL COLSTON OF WINOOSKI - APPOINTED TO FILL THE SEAT OF A FELLOW DEMOCRAT WHO MOVED AWAY. COLSTON CALLING IT AN HONOR TO BECOME THE HOUSE'S FIRST AFRICAN- AMERICAN MAN FROM CHITTENDEN COUNTY - VERMONT'S POPULATION CENTER. BUT HE SAYS THAT DISTINCTION SHOWS THERE'S STILL MORE WORK TO DO AROUND INCLUSIVITY IN THIS PREDOMINANTLY WHITE STAT HE'S ONE OF ONLY 4 NON- WHITE FACES IN THE 150-MEMBER VERMONT HOUSE. THE STATE MADE NATIONAL HEADLINES LAST YEAR WHEN ITS ONLY BLACK FEMALE LAWMAKER SAID RACIAL HARASSMENT AND THREATS FROM A HANDFUL OF VOTERS MADE HER FEEL UNSAFE - SO SHE WOULDN'T SEEK RE-ELECTION. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FINDING KIAH MORRIS WAS THE VICTIM OF TRULY REPUGNANT BEHAVIOR, BUT NOTHING HE COULD PROSECUTE, CALLING SMEARS AGAINST HER PROTECTED POLITICAL SPEECH. REPRESENTATIVE KEVIN CHRISTIE OF HARTFORD SAYS HE'S OPTIMISTIC VERMONTERS WILL PAY SERIOUS ATTENTION TO ISSUES OF SYSTEMIC RACISM, AND COMMIT TO EMERGING STRONGER FROM AN UGLY CHAPTE COLSTON'S APPOINTMENT IS A FIRST IN ANOTHER WAY. WINOOSKI - NOW HAS TWO STATE REPS REFLECTING ITS GROWING DIVERSIT HE SAYS AMONG HIS TOP PRIORITIES: A FOCUS ON BOOSTING VERMONT'S WORKFORCE. IN MONTPELIER, JT, NBC 5 NEWS. TRAVELERS CAUGHT T