2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, February
February 26, Whitecaps acquire designated player Matias Laba from Toronto FC for future considerations rumoured to be $2,500,000. In another move the Whitecaps traded Daigo Kobayashi rights to the New England Revolution for a fourth round draft pick.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, March
March 5, Whitecaps signed Pedro Morales on a free transfer from La Liga Malaga CF and made him a designated player joining Laba and Kenny Miller as DP's on the team. Also team favourite Matt Watson was traded to Chicago Fire for a 2014 international roster spot.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, March
March 8, Whitecaps opened the season with a 4–1 victory over the NY Redbulls. Caps got a brace from Kenny Miller and goals from newcomers Sebastian Fernandez and Pedro Morales. With the victory the Whitecaps improved to 4–0 in season opening games since joining the MLS.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, March
March 16, After going down 1–0 on an Erick Torres goal, Kekuta Manneh got the game tying goal in the 81st min to earn the Whitecaps a draw versus Chivas USA.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, March
March 22, David Ousted earned his 1st clean sheet of the season with a 0–0 draw on the road versus the New England Revolution.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, March
March 29, Jordan Harvey opened the scoring with his 1st goal of the season. Kenny Miller scored on a penalty kick to put the Whitecaps up 2–0 before settling for a 2–1 victory over Houston Dynamo.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, April
April 5, Darren Mattocks put the Whitecaps up 1–0 before Colorado Rapids got a brace from Jose Mari to give the Rapids a 2–1 victory.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, April
April 12, Robbie Keane scored the lone goal to give the LA Galaxy a 1–0 victory.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, April
April 19, Mattocks scored to tie the game 1–1. Down 2–1 after a Galaxy goal, Manneh earned the Whitecaps the 2–2 draw versus the LA Galaxy with a goal in the 86th minute.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, April
April 26, After going down 2–0 in the opening 9 minutes the Whitecaps fought back to earn a 2–2 draw versus Real Salt Lake with goals in the 86th min by Nicolas Mezquida and the 94th min by Sebastian Fernandez.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, May
May 3, Manneh opened the scoring to put the Whitecaps up 1–0. Whitecaps then got a brace by Morales with goals in the 19th and 20th min to give the Caps a 3–0 lead. Chris Wondolowski scored to in the 45th and 90th mins but it was not enough. Whitecaps held on for a 3–2 victory over San Jose Earthquakes.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, May
May 4, Kenny Miller and the Whitecaps agree to a mutual contract termination effective immediately. Miller signs with the Rangers in Scotland after time with the club in the past.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, May
May 7, after going down 2–0 versus Toronto FC, Manneh scored in the 92nd min to loss 2–1 in the 2014 Amway Canandian Championship first leg.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, May
May 10, Ousted earned his 2nd clean sheet of the season with Erik Hurtado scoring the lone goal in the 1–0 victory over Columbus Crew.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, May
May 14, going down 1–0 (3–1 agg) in the 4th minute, the Whitecaps fought back to a 3–3 agg score versus Toronto FC with goals by Hurtado and Morales. After no score in extra time the game went to penalty kicks where TFC won 4–3 and advanced to the Amway final versus Montreal Impact.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, May
May 24, after goals by Hurtado and Gershon Koffie to go up 2–1 a controversial penalty call on Jay DeMerit let the Seattle Sounders FC leave Vancouver with a 2–2 draw.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, June
June 1, Whitecaps got a brace by Morales and goals by Hurtado and Harvey to hold on for a 4–3 victory versus Portland Timbers.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, June
June 7, Hurtado and Mezquida put the Whitecaps up 2–0 versus the Philadelphia Union before Philadelphia scored 3 straight to gain a 3–2 lead. Morales scored in the 81st minute on a penalty kick to earn a tough 3–3 draw.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, June
June 25, Whitecaps settled for their second 0–0 draw of the season when they played the Montreal Impact. Ousted earned his 3rd clean sheet of the season.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, June
June 28, Whitecaps failed to score for the 2nd straight game and their winless streak extended to three games with a 2–0 loss to the Colorado Rapids.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, July
July 5, in front of an over capacity crown over 22,500 Fernandez scored in the lone goal in the 12th min to give the Whitecaps a 1–0 win over the Sounders.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, July
July 8, Whitecaps announce they are looking into a partnership with the city of New Westminster, BC to field a USL Pro team in Queens Park starting in the 2015 season.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, July
July 11, Whitecaps announced that Russell Teibert has agreed to a contract extension with the club. Per Major League Soccer and club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, July
July 12, after Carlyle Mitchell scored to give the Whitecaps a 1–0 lead, Chivas USA came back with three straight goals to earn the 3–1 victory.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, July
July 16, in a rematch of the Amway semi-final the Whitecaps and Toronto FC played to a 1–1 draw. Whitecaps got the goal by Mattocks.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, July
July 19, a Mattocks 73rd min penalty kick earned a 1–1 draw with Real Salt Lake. it was the 2nd game in a row where the Whitecaps blew a 1–0 lead.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, July
July 24, Whitecaps captain Jay DeMerit announces his retirement from professional soccer after his second foot injury in two years. Pedro Morales is named as captain until end of season.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, July
July 27, 3rd straight blown lead and 3rd straight draw with a 2–2 game versus FC Dallas. Mattocks opened the scoring in the 11th minute. A penalty kick by Morales in the 83rd min earned the hard-fought draw.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, July
July 30, Whitecaps settled for a 0–0 draw with Chicago Fire. It was the third 0–0 draw if the season and Ousted's 5th clean sheet.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, August
August 8, Whitecaps sign central back Kendall Waston from Deportivo Saprissa.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, August
August 10, after a Sporting KC own goal to give the Whitecaps a 1–0 lead, Mattocks scored to give the Whitecaps a 2–0 victory who extended their unbeaten streak to five games (1 win 4 draws).


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, August
August 16, Whitecaps and Chivas USA played to a 0–0 draw to extend the Whitecaps' unbeaten streak to seven games. It was the Whitecaps fourth scoreless draw of the season and Ousted earned his seventh clean sheet of the season.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, August
August 21, Whitecaps announced that Nigel Reo-Coker has been traded to Chivas USA for Argentina winger Mauro Rosales.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, August
August 23, Whitecaps lost 2–0 to LA Galaxy for their first loss in six games and only the team's fifth loss since October 19, 2013. This game saw the debuts for Kendall Waston and Mauro Rosales.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, August
August 28, Whitecaps announced that defender Jordan Harvey has agree to a contract extension with the club. Per Major League Soccer and club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, August
August 30, Whitecaps fell 3–0 to Cascadia rival Portland Timbers. It was the third game in a row where the Whitecaps failed to score.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, September
September 3, the New Westminster Chamber of Commerce, Queen's Park Residents' Association, and Royal City Youth Soccer Club came together today to provide their support for bringing a Whitecaps FC USL PRO team to New Westminster in 2015.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, September
September 6, the Whitecaps and D.C. United played to a 0–0 draw. Ousted earned his 8th clean sheet of the season.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, September
September 10, Whitecaps earned a 2–0 victory over the visiting San Jose Earthquakes. Morales scored his team leading 9th goal of season in all competitions in 39th minute. Kendall Waston opened his scoring account with the Whitecaps with a header off a Morales cross in the 57th minute. Ousted earned his MLS leading 9th clean sheet of the season.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, September
September 13, Whitecaps lost 2–1 to FC Dallas. Blas Perez scored a brace for FC Dallas and Erik Hurtado scored the only goal for the Caps.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Season overview, September
September 15, Whitecaps announced a pre-contract signing of young Canadian residency player Marco Bustos to a home grown player contract. His contract will take effect January 2015. They also announce the home-grown player contract signing of young Canadian Kianz Froese. The city of New Westminster voted against modifications to Queens Park Stadium to allow a Whitecaps USL Pro team. The Whitecaps eventually decided to locate the team in Thunderbird Stadium on the UBC campus.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Major League Soccer, Regular season, Results
Last updated: October 26, 2014Source: ResultsPld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won;  T = Matches tied;  L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Major League Soccer, Regular season, Tables
(SS) = Supporters Shield winner; (E1) = Eastern Conference champion; (W1) = Western Conference champion


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Cascadia Cup
The Whitecaps have had a long-standing rivalry with the Pacific Northwest clubs Seattle Sounders FC and Portland Timbers, dating back to the 1970s when ancestry clubs of the same name played in the original and now-defunct North American Soccer League. The tri-member tournament continued in 2014.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Cascadia Cup
The winner is determined through league matches between the sides, and the club with the best record against both sides wins the trophy. As a result, the Whitecaps played three matches each against Portland and Seattle, winning the trophy for the second year in a row with a record of three wins (two against Seattle, one vs Portland), two losses (both to Portland), and a single draw with the Seattle Sounders, for a total of 10 points.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Player stats, Top minutes played
Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted by shirt number when total minutes are equal.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Player stats, Disciplinary record
Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted by position, and then shirt number.


2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Player stats, Disciplinary record
Last updated: Sep 19, 2014Source: Competitive matchesOrdered by ,  and  = Number of bookings;  = Number of sending offs after a second yellow card;  = Number of sending offs by a direct red card.


2014 Vancouver municipal election
The 2014 Vancouver municipal election took place on November 15, 2014, the same day as other municipalities and regional districts in British Columbia selected their new municipal governments. As with previous elections, voters elected one mayor, 10 councillors, nine school board trustees, and seven park board commissioners through plurality-at-large voting. Voters also voted on whether to approve a capital budget.


2014 Vancouver municipal election, Outcome
Incumbent Mayor Gregor Robertson sought re-election with the Vision Vancouver Party, which swept the 2011 election when it elected him and all of the party's city council, park board and school board candidates. In this election, Robertson was re-elected as mayor; however, Vision representation decreased with only six councillors, four school trustees, and one park board commissioner elected. In total, ten Vision candidates were not elected, including five incumbent candidates: one councillor, three school trustees, and one park board commissioner.


2014 Vancouver municipal election, Outcome
The Non-Partisan Association (NPA) came into the election as the second largest party in Vancouver, with two city councillors, two park board commissioners, and one school trustee. Their mayoral candidate was journalist Kirk LaPointe who lost to Robertson in the mayoral race by 10,086 votes. The NPA team gained ground electing three councillors, four park board commissioners, and four school trustees.


2014 Vancouver municipal election, Outcome
The Vancouver Green Party sought to improve on its 2011 results which saw the first-ever Green Party city councillor, Adriane Carr, elected. Carr was re-elected as councillor and was actually the councillor elected with the most votes at 74,077. Additionally, two park board commissioners and one school board trustee were elected, giving the Green Party of Vancouver its best result in the history of Vancouver municipal elections.


2014 Vancouver municipal election, Outcome
The Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE), which officially cut ties with former ally Vision Vancouver in 2012, lost its only elected official when school trustee Allan Wong switched from COPE to Vision Vancouver on December 8, 2013, ending decades of COPE representation in the city. COPE contested this election with its first mayoral candidate since 2002, community organizer and former NDP candidate Meena Wong. The party also had candidates for every council seat. Wong placed third in the mayoral race, and no COPE candidates were elected.


2014 Vancouver municipal election, Outcome
New Party Vancouver 1st ran a slate of candidates for all offices. These included Olympic bronze medal winning swimmer Brent Hayden as a park board commissioner candidate, and two incumbent school board trustees Ken Denike, and Sophia Woo, who had been expelled from the NPA in June. However, no candidates from Vancouver 1st were elected.


2014 Vancouver municipal election, Outcome
Nominations for the 2014 vote opened on September 30, 2014 and closed on October 10, 2014. Vancouver uses an at-large election system for all elected positions; the ten candidates with most citywide votes are elected as councillors.


2014 Vancouver municipal election, Outcome
Just before 8:00 P.M. on election day, voting hours were extended by 45 minutes at four locations because of ballot shortages earlier in the day due to high voter turnout.


2014 Vancouver municipal election, Political parties
This is a list of political parties who ran candidates in the 2014 election:


2014 Vancouver municipal election, Political parties
On June 22, 2014, Vision Vancouver held a nomination meeting for candidates to fill one school trustee and four park commissioner seats. Two park board candidates dropped out of the race, but a full slate of candidates was announced on September 10, 2014.


2014 Vancouver municipal election, Candidates and results
The nomination period officially opened on September 30, 2014 and closed on October 10, 2014.


2014 Vancouver municipal election, Candidates and results, Mayor
Ten candidates sought election to the position of mayor; four were affiliated with a political party and six were independents. Incumbent mayor Gregor Robertson of Vision Vancouver was re-elected for a third straight term.


2014 Vancouver municipal election, Candidates and results, City councillors
Ten councillors were elected from forty-nine candidates. Of the candidates, thirty-nine were affiliated with a political party; ten were independent. All ten incumbent councillors sought re-election: seven from Vision Vancouver, two from the NPA, and one from the Green Party. NPA candidate Melissa De Genova and Vision candidate Niki Sharma were both sitting Park Board commissioners from their respective parties. Of the ten elected councillors, six were from Vision, three were from the NPA, and one was from the Green Party.


2014 Vancouver municipal election, Candidates and results, Park Board commissioners
Seven commissioners were elected from thirty-one candidates. Of the candidates, twenty-five were affiliated with a political party; six were independent. Two incumbent commissioners sought re-election: one from Vision Vancouver and one from the NPA. Of the elected commissioners, four were from the NPA, two were from the Green Party, and one was from Vision Vancouver.


2014 Vancouver municipal election, Candidates and results, School Board trustees
Nine school board trustees were elected out of twenty-eight candidates. Of the candidates, twenty-three were affiliated with a political party, and five were independent. All nine incumbent trustees sought re-election: six from Vision Vancouver (including Allan Wong, who was elected in 2011 as part of COPE, but crossed the floor to Vision Vancouver in 2013), one from the NPA, and two ex-NPA trustees: Ken Denike, and Sophia Woo, who were running for new party Vancouver 1st after being expelled by the NPA in June 2014. Vision and the NPA each had four candidates elected, while the Green Party had one.


2014 Vancouver municipal election, Candidates and results, Capital plan questions
The proposed budget for 2015–2018 was $1.085 billion, of which $235 million would be borrowed, requiring electoral approval.


2014 Vancouver municipal election, Candidates and results, Capital plan questions
1. Are you in favour of Council having the authority, without further assent of the electors, to pass bylaws between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2018, to borrow an aggregate $58,200,000 for the following purposes?


2014 Vancouver municipal election, Candidates and results, Capital plan questions
2. Are you in favour of Council having the authority, without further assent of the electors, to pass bylaws between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2018, to borrow an aggregate $95,700,000 for the following purposes?


2014 Vancouver municipal election, Candidates and results, Capital plan questions
3. Are you in favour of Council having the authority, without further assent of the electors, to pass bylaws between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2018, to borrow an aggregate $81,100,000 for the following purposes?


2014 Vancouver municipal election, Voter and party statistics, Voter turnout
Of the 411,741 registered voters, there were 181,707 recorded ballots, putting the voter turnout at 44.13%. This was an increase from the 34.57% turnout during the previous municipal election in 2011.


2014 Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team
The 2014 Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team represented Vanderbilt University in the 2014 NCAA Division I baseball season. The team played its home games at Hawkins Field in Nashville, Tennessee. The team was coached by Tim Corbin in his twelfth season at Vanderbilt.


2014 Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team
The Commodores won the 2014 College World Series, defeating the Virginia Cavaliers 2 games to 1 in the championship series. It was the first NCAA men's championship in school history.


2014 Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team, Ranking Movements
^ Collegiate Baseball ranks 40 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season. † NCBWA ranks 35 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season. * New poll was not released for this week so for comparison purposes the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.


2014 Vanderbilt Commodores football team
The 2014 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University during the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Commodores played their eight home games at Vanderbilt Stadium at Dudley Field in Nashville, Tennessee, which has been Vanderbilt football's home stadium since 1922. Derek Mason took over the helm as Vanderbilt's new head coach. They were members of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They finished the season 3–9, 0–8 in SEC play to finish in last place in the Eastern Division.


2014 Vanderbilt Commodores football team, Schedule
In 2014 Vanderbilt played eight home games; the Ole Miss game was played at LP Field, but it was considered a Vandy home game. Their first four games were at home. Vanderbilt played at Kentucky (Lexington, Kentucky), Georgia (Athens, Georgia), Missouri (Columbia, Missouri), and at Mississippi State (Starkville, Mississippi). Also Vandy played four non-conference teams at home against Temple, UMass, Charleston Southern, and Old Dominion.


2014 Vanderbilt Commodores football team, Game summaries, Temple
The Derek Mason era got off to a bad start as his mistake-prone Commodores were outscored 37-7 in a loss to visiting Temple at home. It was the worst defeat in a home opener in Vanderbilt program history, and the worst opening game loss since 1998 a 42-0 loss to Mississippi. The Commodores had seven turnovers, leading to 27 points for Temple.


2014 Vanderbilt Commodores football team, Game summaries, Ole Miss
With a bad loss to Ole Miss Vandy had the worst start since 1998. In 1998 they lost to Ole Miss 42-0 and Alabama 32-7 to start the season. Also in 1998 Vanderbilt started with a six straight losses and ended the 1997 season with five straight losses to complete an eleven-game losing streak.


2014 Varsity Cup
The 2014 Varsity Cup was contested from 3 February to 7 April 2014. The tournament (also known as the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International for sponsorship reasons) was the seventh season of the Varsity Cup, an annual inter-university rugby union competition featuring eight South African universities.


2014 Varsity Cup
The tournament was won by  UCT Ikey Tigers for the second time; they beat  NWU Pukke 39–33 in the final played on 7 April 2014. Wits were automatically relegated to the second-tier Varsity Shield competition for 2015, but  UJ won their relegation play-off match against  UKZN Impi to remain in the Varsity Cup for 2015.


2014 Varsity Cup, Rules
The Varsity Cup used a different scoring system to the regular system. Tries were worth five points as usual, but conversions were worth three points, while penalties and drop goals were only worth two points.


2014 Varsity Cup, Rules
All Varsity Cup games also had two referees officiating each game, props' jerseys featured a special gripping patch to ensure better binding, intended to reduce collapsing scrums and the mark will be extended to the entire field.


2014 Varsity Cup, Competition
There were eight participating universities in the 2014 Varsity Cup. These teams played each other once over the course of the season, either home or away.


2014 Varsity Cup, Competition
Teams received four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded to teams that scored four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by seven points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).


2014 Varsity Cup, Competition
The top four teams qualified for the title play-offs. In the semi-finals, the team that finished first had home advantage against the team that finished fourth, while the team that finished second had home advantage against the team that finished third. The winners of these semi-finals played each other in the final, at the home venue of the higher-placed team.


2014 Varsity Cup, Competition
The bottom team in the Varsity Cup was relegated to the 2015 Varsity Shield competition, while the Varsity Shield winner was promoted to the 2015 Varsity Cup. There was also a promotion/relegation match between the 7th-placed team in the Varsity Cup and the Varsity Shield runner-up at the end of the 2014 season.


2014 Varsity Cup, Teams
The following teams took part in the 2014 Varsity Cup competition:


2014 Varsity Cup, Standings
The final league standings for the 2014 Varsity Cup were:


2014 Varsity Cup, Players, Player statistics
The following table contain points which have been scored in competitive games in the 2014 Varsity Cup:


2014 Varsity Cup, Referees
The following referees officiated matches in the 2014 Varsity Cup:


2014 Varsity Football
The 2014 Varsity Football challenge is the second season of a South African university association football competition. It involves some of the top football playing universities in the country, which belong to the University Sports Company. The tournament is run by Varsity Sports SA, and is endorsed by the South African Football Association and University Sport South Africa.


2014 Varsity Football, History
The Varsity Cup tournament was founded in 2008, featuring the rugby teams of eight universities. Varsity Sports was expanded in 2012 to include other sporting codes. University Sport South Africa discussed the Varsity Football proposal at its 2012 annual general meeting. The idea was initially rejected, as it was seen to split the member institutions. However, it was later accepted, and 2013 was the inaugural season of Varsity Football, with an 8 team men's tournament. A four team women's tournament is also being played.


2014 Varsity Football, Participating Teams
The eight teams competing in the men's Varsity Football challenge are:


2014 Varsity Football, Participating Teams
The four teams competing in the men's Varsity Football challenge are:


2014 Varsity Football, Participating Teams, Qualification
Qualification was based on the 2013 University Sports South Africa National Club Championships. In order to qualify, men's teams need to be one of the eight highest placed teams associated with Varsity Sports.


2014 Varsity Football, Format
The tournament begins with a round robin stage, in which all teams play each other once. After the round robin stage, the top 4 teams will advance to the knock-out stage. The teams ranked 1 and 2 will host the semi-finals, against the teams ranked 4 and 3 respectively. The winners will advance to the final, to be hosted by the highest ranking finalist. All matches are played on Mondays. The league scoring system follows a standard scoring system and awards 3 points are awarded for a win, and 1 point for a draw. Teams are separated first on points, and then on goal difference.


2014 Varsity Football, Round robin stage
The 2014 season began with the round robin stages on 21 July, which will end on 1 September.


2014 Varsity Football, Knockout stage
The top four placed men's teams progressed to the knockout stage, as did all four women's teams. The semi-finals for both men and women were played on 8 September and the finals on 15 September.


2014 Varsity Football, Notable Players and Coaches
Players and coaches who have since been signed by professional clubs.


2014 Varsity Rugby
The 2014 Varsity Rugby competitions were contested from 27 January to 7 April 2014. Varsity Rugby is the collective name of four rugby union competitions played between several university teams in South Africa, with the Varsity Cup being the premier competition. The 2014 season was the seventh edition of this tournament.


2014 Varsity Rugby, Rules
All four 2014 Varsity Rugby competitions used a different scoring system to the regular system. Tries were worth five points as usual, but conversions were worth three points, while penalties and drop goals were only worth two points.


2014 Varsity Rugby, Rules
All Varsity Cup games also had two referees officiating each game, props' jerseys featured a special gripping patch to ensure better binding, intended to reduce collapsing scrums and the mark was extended to the entire field.


2014 Varsity Rugby, Varsity Cup
The following teams competed in the 2014 Varsity Cup:  Maties,  NMMU Madibaz,  NWU Pukke,  UCT Ikey Tigers,  UFS Shimlas,  UJ,  UP Tuks and  Wits. The tournament was won by  UCT Ikey Tigers, who beat  NWU Pukke 39–33 in the final, while  Wits were relegated to the 2015 Varsity Shield.


2014 Varsity Rugby, Varsity Shield
The following teams competed in the 2014 Varsity Shield:  CUT Ixias,  TUT Vikings,  UFH Blues,  UKZN Impi and  UWC. The tournament was won by  CUT Ixias, who beat  UKZN Impi 35–26 in the final and was subsequently promoted to the 2015 Varsity Cup.


2014 Varsity Rugby, Young Guns, Competition Rules
There were eight participating universities in the 2014 Young Guns competition. These teams were divided into two pools (the FNB pool and the Steinhoff pool) and played the other teams in the pool once over the course of the season, either home or away.


2014 Varsity Rugby, Young Guns, Competition Rules
Teams received four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded to teams that scored four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by seven points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).


2014 Varsity Rugby, Young Guns, Competition Rules
The top two teams in each pool qualified for the title play-offs. In the semi-finals, the teams that finished first had home advantage against the teams that finished second in their respective pools. The winners of these semi-finals played each other in the final.


2014 Varsity Rugby, Young Guns, Standings
The final league standings for the 2014 Varsity Cup Young Guns were:


2014 Varsity Rugby, Koshuis Rugby Championship, Competition Rules
There were eight participating teams in the 2014 Koshuis Rugby Championship competition, the winners of the internal leagues of each of the eight Varsity Cup teams. These teams were divided into two pools and each team played every team in their pool once over the course of the season, either home or away.


2014 Varsity Rugby, Koshuis Rugby Championship, Competition Rules
Teams received four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded to teams that scored four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by seven points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).


2014 Varsity Rugby, Koshuis Rugby Championship, Competition Rules
The top two teams in each pool qualified for the semi-finals.


2014 Varsity Rugby, Koshuis Rugby Championship, Standings
The league standings for the 2014 Koshuis Rugby Championship were:


2014 Varsity Shield
The 2014 Varsity Shield was contested from 27 January to 31 March 2014. The tournament (also known as the FNB Varsity Shield presented by Steinhoff International for sponsorship reasons) was the fourth season of the Varsity Shield, an annual second-tier inter-university rugby union competition featuring five South African universities.


2014 Varsity Shield
The tournament was won by  CUT Ixias for the second consecutive time and third time overall; they beat  UKZN Impi 35–26 in the final played on 31 March 2015. CUT Ixias were automatically promoted to the top-tier Varsity Cup competition for 2015, but  UKZN Impi lost their promotion play-off match against  UJ to remain in the Varsity Shield for 2015. Bottom side  TUT Vikings won their relegation play-off match against challengers  NWU Vaal Triangle to also remain in the Varsity Shield for 2015.


2014 Varsity Shield, Rules
The Varsity Shield used a different scoring system to the regular system. Tries were worth five points as usual, but conversions were worth three points, while penalties and drop goals were only worth two points.


2014 Varsity Shield, Competition
There were five participating universities in the 2014 Varsity Shield. These teams played each other twice over the course of the season, once at home and once away.


2014 Varsity Shield, Competition
Teams received four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded to teams that scored four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by seven points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).


2014 Varsity Shield, Competition
The top two teams qualified for the title play-offs. These teams played each other in the final, at the home venue of the higher-placed team.


2014 Varsity Shield, Competition
The Varsity Shield winner was promoted to the 2015 Varsity Cup competition, while the bottom team in the Varsity Cup was relegated to the 2015 Varsity Shield. There was also a promotion/relegation match between the 7th-placed team in the Varsity Cup and the Varsity Shield runner-up at the end of the 2014 season.


2014 Varsity Shield, Standings
The final league standings for the 2014 Varsity Shield were:


2014 Varsity Shield, Standings
The top two teams will qualify to the final, with the higher-placed team having home advantage. The winner of the final will automatically be promoted, while the runner-up will qualify to the promotion play-off against the seventh-ranked Varsity Cup team. The bottom team will qualify to the relegation play-off against a team outside of the Varsity Rugby structure.


2014 Varsity Shield, Standings
Points breakdown:* 4 points for a win* 2 points for a draw* 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less* 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match


2014 Varsity Shield, Players, Player statistics
The following table contains points which have been scored in the 2014 Varsity Shield.


2014 Varsity Shield, Referees
The following referees officiated matches in the 2014 Varsity Shield:


2014 Vasilevskis
2014 Vasilevskis, provisional designation 1973 JA, is a stony Phocaean asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) in diameter. It was discovered on 2 May 1973, by American astronomer Arnold Klemola at the U.S. Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton, California. It was named after Stanislavs Vasilevskis, staff member at the discovering observatory.


2014 Vasilevskis, Orbit and classification
Vasilevskis is a member of the Phocaea family (701), a group of asteroids with similar orbital characteristics, named after the family's namesake, 25 Phocaea. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.7–3.1 AU once every 3 years and 9 months (1,360 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.29 and an inclination of 21° with respect to the ecliptic. No precoveries were taken prior to its discovery.


2014 Vasilevskis, Physical characteristics, Rotation period
In May 2014, a photometric lightcurve analysis by American astronomer Robert Stephens at the Center for Solar System Studies (U81), California, gave a rotation period of 32.16±0.02 hours with a brightness variation of 0.26 in magnitude (U=3-).


2014 Vasilevskis, Physical characteristics, Rotation period
Alternative measurements also made in 2014, include an observation by astronomer René Roy, which rendered a period of 39±2 hours with an amplitude of 0.31 in magnitude (U=2), and an analysis at the Burleith Observatory (I13), with a period of 15.6±0.1 hours, or 49% of the first period (U=2-).


2014 Vasilevskis, Physical characteristics, Diameter and albedo
According to the space-based surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the asteroid measures between 9.1 and 11.8 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo between 0.265 and 0.451. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo 0.23 – derived from 25 Phocaea, the family's largest member and namesake – and calculates a diameter of 9.6 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 12.3.


2014 Vasilevskis, Naming
This minor planet was named after astronomer Stanislavs Vasilevskis (died 1988), long-time staff member at the discovering Lick Observatory from 1949 to 1974.


2014 Vasilevskis, Naming
A specialist for astrometric instrumentation, in particular the computational analysis of the position of astronomical objects from photographic plates, he has also performed broad astronomical surveys to obtain the parallax and proper motion of stars. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 30 June 1977 (M.P.C. 4190).


2014 Vasse state by-election
A by-election for the seat of Vasse in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly was held on 18 October 2014. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Liberal MLA and former Liberal leader Troy Buswell on 3 September 2014, who won the seat at the 2013 election with a 57.3 percent primary and a 71.2 percent two-party vote. It was held on the same day as the 2014 Casuarina by-election in the Northern Territory.


2014 Vasse state by-election, Candidates
The writ for the by-election was issued on 18 September 2014, and candidate nominations were open until 26 September.


2014 Vasse state by-election, Candidates
The six candidates in ballot paper order were as follows:


2014 Vasse state by-election, Candidates
The Labor Party declined to field a candidate at the by-election.


2014 Vattenfall Cyclassics
The 2014 Vattenfall Cyclassics was the 19th edition of the Vattenfall Cyclassics, a single-day cycling race. It was held on 24 August 2014, over a distance of 247 km (153.5 mi), starting and finishing in Hamburg, Germany. It is the 23rd race of the 2014 UCI World Tour season. It was won in the sprint by Alexander Kristoff, ahead of Giacomo Nizzolo and Simon Gerrans.


2014 Vattenfall Cyclassics, Teams
As the Vattenfall Cyclassics was a UCI World Tour event, all 18 UCI ProTeams were invited automatically and obligated to send a squad. One Professional Continental team – NetApp–Endura – was given a wildcard place into the race. The peloton was therefore made up of 19 team.


2014 Vegalta Sendai season
The 2014 Vegalta Sendai season is Vegalta Sendai's fifth consecutive season and seventh season overall in J.League Division 1. Graham Arnold managed the team to start the season, but he parted ways with the club after taking just two points from the first six games. Arnold identified the advanced age of the Vegalta roster, with 17 players over the age of 30, as a factor in the team's poor performance and his split with management. Susumu Watanabe, a former assistant coach, succeeded Arnold as manager.


2014 Vegalta Sendai season, Current players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2014 Vegalta Sendai season, Current players, Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2014 Vehbi Emre Tournament
The 32nd Vehbi Emre & Hamit Kaplan Tournament 2014, was a wrestling event held in Istanbul, Turkey between 1 and 2 February 2014.


2014 Vehbi Emre Tournament
This international tournament includes competition men's Greco-Roman wrestling. This ranking tournament was held in honor of the Olympic Champion, Hamit Kaplan and Turkish Wrestler and manager Vehbi Emre.


2014 Veikkausliiga
The 2014 Veikkausliiga was the eighty-fourth season of top-tier football in Finland. The league started on 6 April 2014 and ended on 25 October 2014. HJK Helsinki are the defending champions.


2014 Veikkausliiga, Teams
JJK were relegated to Ykkönen after finishing at the bottom of the 2013 season. Their place was taken by Ykkönen champions SJK.


2014 Venetian independence referendum
The Venetian independence referendum of 2014 was an unofficial, non-binding, online and privately organised poll held among residents of Veneto, one of the 20 regions of Italy, 16–21 March 2014. The vote, known also as the "digital plebiscite" or "Plebiscito.eu", was promoted by Plebiscite 2013, a Venetian nationalist organisation led by Gianluca Busato.


2014 Venetian independence referendum, Turnout and results
According to Plebiscito.eu's staff, 2.36 million Venetians (63.2% of all eligible voters) participated in the online referendum and 89.1% of them (that is to say 56.6% of all eligible voters) voted "yes" to independence. P2013 proclaimed Veneto's independence from Italy in Treviso on the night of 21 March.


2014 Venetian independence referendum, Turnout and results
In the poll, ten "delegates for independence" were elected: Busato was the preferred candidate with 135,306 votes, followed by Stefano Vescovi (48,320), Selena Veronese (46,947), Silvia Gandin (43,025), Lodovico Pizzati (25,731), Gianfranco Favaro (16,670), Raffaele Serafini (16,627), Manuel Carraro (16,627), Gianluca Panto (16,321) and Paolo Bernardini (16,299).


2014 Venetian independence referendum, Turnout and results
Finally, voters were asked to express their opinion on three "foreign policy issues", were Veneto to become independent: adoption of the Euro (supported by 51.4% of voters), accession to European Union membership (supported by 55.7% of voters) and accession to NATO membership (supported by 64.5% of voters); turnout was however much lower for these three questions (24.6%, 22.3% and 19.8%, respectively).


2014 Venetian independence referendum, Critique of turnout and results
Turnout and results were questioned by many news sources based on publicly available website traffic statistics released by Alexa Internet and similar providers. According to the critics, throughout the duration of the poll, the website received approximately 135,000 visits (just 3.6% of eligible voters). Moreover, a significant proportion of this traffic came from outside Italy, with 10% coming from Santiago, Chile alone.


2014 Venetian independence referendum, Critique of turnout and results
According to an opinion poll by Ilvo Diamanti's Demos&Pi for La Repubblica taken on 20–21 March, however, 48% of Venetians had voted or had intention to vote in the online referendum, 49% had not voted, and 3% did not answer. Among those voting, 78% favoured independence. Moreover, Diamanti found that 55% of all eligible voters favoured independence, which was opposed by 39%. Other polling firms, including Ixè and Istituto Piepoli, offered comparable data.


2014 Venetian independence referendum, Critique of turnout and results
Plebiscito.eu, for its part, announced on 29 March that a short report on the referendum by a committee of international observers would be soon presented. The president of the committee, former ambassador of Georgia to Italy, Beglar Davit Tavartkiladze, anticipated that 100% of the voters who had been contacted confirmed to have voted.


2014 Venetian independence referendum, Critique of turnout and results
In 2014 and 2015, the Plebiscito.eu organizers asserted that the result of the referendum was legitimate and that the Plebiscito.eu referendum committee was entitled to "establish any form of relationship with states and intergovernmental organizations in order to recognise referendum results and therefore the full independence of the Venetian Republic."


2014 Venetian independence referendum, Reactions and aftermath
Several international media covered the event. During an interview with foreign journalists on 19 March 2014, Luca Zaia, President of Veneto and leading member of Liga Veneta–Lega Nord, announced that he too had voted (yes) in the online poll and explained that he would seek "total independence" for Veneto.


2014 Venetian independence referendum, Reactions and aftermath
On 1 April 2014 a committee of the Regional Council of Veneto put forward bills calling for a referendum on independence and on more autonomy for the region. The move was supported by the representatives of Liga Veneta–Lega Nord, Forza Italia (the minority faction), New Centre-Right, Popular Future, Union of the Centre and North-East Union, but opposed by the Democratic Party, Italy of Values and the Federation of the Left.


2014 Venetian independence referendum, Reactions and aftermath
The day after, all the floor leaders of the parties represented in the council (except for the Federation of the Left) officially asked the Italian government to give Veneto the status of a special-statute autonomous region and fiscal autonomy. The final document was approved by Liga Veneta–Lega Nord, Forza Italia (both factions), New Centre Right, Union of the Centre, Italy of Values and North-East Union.


2014 Venetian independence referendum, Reactions and aftermath
On 28 April, during a visit to Veneto, the Italian Minister of the Interior, Angelino Alfano, acknowledged that "there is a Venetian question, which will be central in the government's relation with regions". In reference to what he called "Agenda Veneto", he said:


2014 Venetian independence referendum, Reactions and aftermath
"We think that Veneto could be the laboratory for a form of strong and advanced federalism. [ ...] We cannot close our eyes in front of independentist risings. [ ...] The answer is dual: enhancing autonomy and improving the government's services".


2014 Venetian independence referendum, Reactions and aftermath
For his part, Zaia explained to Alfano the "legitimate request of Venetians" for autonomy and independence, and that "the issue of autonomy and the desire of independence of Venetians cannot be resolved with an aspirin", concluding that "if Rome continues to sleep, it is inevitable that Veneto will organise by itself".


2014 Venetian independence referendum, Reactions and aftermath
On 10 June the Regional Council discussed and passed a law concerning five referendum questions concerning special autonomy. On 12 June the same legislative assembly passed Valdegamberi's 342/2013 bill in order to hold a referendum on the independence (question: "Do you want Veneto to become a sovereign and independent republic?") with 30 yeas, 12 nays and 3 abstentions. On 26 June 2015 the Constitutional Court ruled the independence referendum out as contrary to the Constitution, but authorised one of the five autonomy referenda ("Do you want the Region of Veneto to be granted of further and special forms and conditions of autonomy? ").


2014 Venetian independence referendum, Reactions and aftermath
In March 2016 President Zaia announced that he had written to Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in order to start negotiating both on the organisation of the referendum on autonomy and on the devolution of further powers to Veneto according to article 116 of the Constitution. Zaia proposed holding the referendum on the same day as the 2016 constitutional referendum (which would reduce the regions' powers—article 117, while expanding the powers that can be devolved to regions according to article 116 and creating a regionalised Senate), a notion deemed legally impossible by undersecretary Gianclaudio Bressa, and the negotiations started in May.


2014 Venetian independence referendum, Reactions and aftermath
According to an opinion poll taken in June, 78.5% of Venetians would take part in an autonomy referendum, 78.4% would vote yes, 3.5% no and 18.1% did not know. According to the same poll, 70.7% of voters would participate also in the constitutional referendum, 41.3% would vote yes, 22.2% no and 36.5% did not know.


2014 Venetian independence referendum, Reactions and aftermath
Contextually, two bills calling for an independence referendum were introduced in the Regional Council, one by Liga Veneta's Marino Finozzi, Gabriele Michieletto, Alessandro Montagnoli and Luciano Sandonà, with the support of Roberto Ciambetti (President of the Council), and the other by Antonio Guadagnini.


2014 Venezuelan protests
In 2014, a series of protests, political demonstrations, and civil insurrection began in Venezuela due to the country's high levels of urban violence, inflation, and chronic shortages of basic goods attributed to economic policies such as strict price controls. Mass protesting began in earnest in February following the attempted rape of a student on a university campus in San Cristóbal. Subsequent arrests and killings of student protesters spurred their expansion to neighboring cities and the involvement of opposition leaders. The year's early months were characterized by large demonstrations and violent clashes between protesters and government forces that resulted in nearly 4,000 arrests and 43 deaths, including both supporters and opponents of the government.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Background
Since Hugo Chávez was elected President of Venezuela in 1998, he and his political ambitions proved to be controversial.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Background
Under Chávez, oil revenues in the 2000s brought funds not seen in Venezuela since the 1980s, with Chávez's government becoming "semi-authoritarian and hyper-populist", investing heavily in public works which initially benefited Venezuelans. His government failed to save funds earned while oil prices were high and soon after his death, Venezuela's economy became dilapidated. Also under Chávez's tenure, corruption in Venezuela, as well as crime in Venezuela, had greatly increased, causing more frustration among Venezuelans.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Background
Frustrations were seen in the polls when during the 2013 Venezuelan presidential election, Nicolas Maduro narrowly won the election with 50.6% of the vote, ahead of the 49.1% of candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski, surprisingly close compared to previous elections in the country. The opposition's defeat in the 8 December 2013 municipal elections, which it had framed as a 'plebiscite' on Maduro's presidency, would later ignite an internal debate over strategy.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Background
Moderate opposition leaders Henrique Capriles and Henri Falcón argued for 'unity' and dialogue with the government, and attended meetings held by the President to discuss cooperation among the country's mayors and governors. Other opposition leaders, such as Leopoldo López and Marina Corina Machado, opposed dialogue and called for a new strategy to force an immediate change in the government.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Timeline
According to the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict (OVCS), 9,286 protests occurred in 2014, the greatest number of protests occurring in Venezuela in decades. The majority of protests, 6,369 demonstrations, occurred during the first six months of 2014 with an average of 35 protests per day. SVCO estimated that 445 protests occurred in January; 2,248 in February; 1,423 in March; 1,131 in April; 633 in May; and 489 in June.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Timeline
The main reason of protest was against President Maduro and the Venezuelan government with 52% of demonstrations and the remaining 42% of protests were due to other difficulties such as labor, utilities, insecurity, education and shortages. Most protesting began in the first week of February, reaching peak numbers in the middle of that month following the call of students and opposition leaders to protest. The number of protests then declined into mid-2014 only to increase slightly in late 2014 into 2015 following the drop in the price of oil and due to the shortages in Venezuela.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Timeline, Growing unrest
Demonstrations against violence in Venezuela began in January 2014 following the murder of actress and former Miss Venezuela Mónica Spear, and continued, when former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles shook the hand of President Maduro; this "gesture... cost him support and helped propel" opposition leader Leopoldo López Mendoza to the forefront.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Timeline, Growing unrest
According to the Associated Press, well before protests began in the Venezuelan capital city of Caracas, the attempted rape of a young student on a university campus in San Cristóbal, in the western border state of Táchira, led to protests from students "outraged" at "long-standing complaints about deteriorating security under President Nicolas Maduro and his predecessor, the late Hugo Chávez. But what really set them off was the harsh police response to their initial protest, in which several students were detained and allegedly abused, as well as follow-up demonstrations to call for their release". These protests expanded, attracted non-students, and led to more detentions; eventually, other students joined, and the protests spread to Caracas and other cities, with opposition leaders becoming involved.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Timeline, Growing unrest
Leopoldo López, a leading figure in the opposition to the government, began to lead protests.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Timeline, Growing unrest
During events surrounding the 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt, Lopez "orchestrated the public protests against Chávez and he played a central role in the citizen's arrest of Chavez's interior minister", Ramón Rodríguez Chacín, though he later tried to distance himself from the event, López, alongside María Corina Machado launch a campaign on 23 January 2014 to remove Maduro from office, named La Salida (The Exit), with an intent to have President Maduro resign through protests with Machado publicly stating “We must create chaos in the streets through responsible civic struggle”.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Timeline, Mass demonstrations
On 1 February, López called upon students to protest peacefully against the scarcity, insecurity, and shortages. The next day, opposition leaders call for a march on 12 February in recognition of National Youth Day.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Timeline, Mass demonstrations
On 12 February, major opposition protests began with student marches led by opposition leaders in 38 cities across Venezuela simultaneous with the national celebrations for the bicentennial year anniversary of Youth Day and the Battle of La Victoria. After the protests, smaller groups remained and threw stones at government forces. The protests turned more violent after government security forces used excessive force on protesters and shot at groups of unarmed people. Bassil Da Costa was the first protester to die after getting a bullet to the head. Later that day, another protester, Robert Reddman, and a pro-government activist were also killed in Caracas. President Maduro blamed "fascist" groups for the deaths caused that day, including opposition leader Leopoldo López, during his closing address in the Youth Day parade that evening in La Victoria, Aragua state.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Timeline, Mass demonstrations
The next day on 13 February following the death of a colectivo member Juan "Juancho" Montoya, members of colectivos "went on television to call for calm and called for the arrest of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. Judge Ralenys Tovar Guillén accepts the Public Ministry's petition to detain Leopoldo López in connection with the unrest that resulted in the death of the colectivo leader and two students.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Timeline, Mass demonstrations
Leopoldo López delivers a speech on 18 February in Plaza Brión where he pointed out that its necessary to build "a peaceful exit, inside the constitution but in the streets" and assured that "there isn't free media anymore to express themselves and if the media stays silent they must go to the streets". He declared that "if his imprisonment allows Venezuela to wake up definitely and for the Venezuelans that want a change, his imprisonment will be worth it." He turned himself to the National Guard at 12:24 P.M., Venezuelan time, and said he was turning himself to a "corrupt justice". After Lopez turned himself in, the opposition protesters blocked the Francisco Fajardo Highway.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Timeline, Mass demonstrations
Miss Tourism Venezuela Génesis Carmona is killed by colectivo gunfire on 19 February after being shot in the head while supporting an opposition protest. MUD leader Henrique Capriles breaks his silence and confronts Francisco Ameliach, government officials and denounced the violence the government was using on the protesters.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Timeline, Mass demonstrations
On 23 February, about 30 military units arrived at the residence of retired brigadier general Ángel Vivas to arrest him for allegedly "training" protesters to place barbed wire over the roads to injure government forces and pro-government protesters, resulting in one fatality in the process and many more wounded. According to CBC, Vivas "rose to prominence in 2007 when he resigned as head of the Defence Ministry's engineering department rather than order his subalterns to swear to the Cuban-inspired oath 'Socialist Fatherland or death'."


2014 Venezuelan protests, Timeline, Mass demonstrations
Vivas reported that "Cubans and thugs" were attacking his house and moments later appeared atop the roof of his house wearing a flak jacket along with an assault rifle saying "Come find me Maduro!". National Guardsmen made a barricade in front of Vivas' house but neighbors and supporters defended Vivas by placing a barricade of vehicles in front of the troops. The troops retreated without arresting Vivas after the citizens refused to leave the area. Vivas later explained why he thought Venezuelans needed to defend the country from foreigners, saying "Cubans are in all structures of the Venezuelan state" and also explained that he told protesters to set up barricades in order to defend themselves against attacks from the National Guard.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Timeline, Mass demonstrations
On 29 February, Sukhoi fighter jets of the Venezuelan Air Force were seen flying over  San Cristóbal, Táchira, Venezuela on 20 February and President Nicolás Maduro ordered paratroopers of the 41st Airborne Brigade, 4th Armored Division, Venezuelan Army on standby on recommendations from the Minister of Interior and Justice, Lieutenant General Miguel Rodríguez Torres.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Protest violence, "Colectivos"
In March 2014, paramilitary groups acted violently in 437 protests, about 31% of total protests in March, where gunshot wounds were reported in most protests they were involved in. According to a correspondent from Televen, armed groups attempted to kidnap and rape individuals in an apartment complex in Maracaibo on 27 March without intervention from the National Guard.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Protest violence, "Colectivos"
On 16 April, colectivos in several trucks allegedly attacked an apartment complex known for protesting damaging 5 vehicles, leaving 2 burnt, and fired several shots into the apartments leaving one person injured from a gunshot wound.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Protest violence, "Colectivos"
In early-May, armed colectivos allegedly attacked and burnt down Universidad Fermín Toro after intimidating student protesters and shooting one.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Protest violence, Government forces, Use of firearms
El Nacional claimed that the objective of those attacking opposition protesters is to kill since many of the protesters that were killed were shot in vulnerable areas like the head and that, "9 of the 15 dead people were from the 12F demonstrators, who were injured by state security forces or paramilitaries linked to the ruling party." El Universal has claimed that Melvin Collazos of SEBIN, and Jonathan Rodríquez, a bodyguard of the Minister of the Interior and Justice Miguel Rodríguez Torres, are in custody after shooting unarmed, fleeing, protesters several times in violation of protocol.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Protest violence, Government forces, Use of chemical agents
Some violent demonstrations have been controlled with tear gas and water cannons.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Protest violence, Government forces, Use of chemical agents
Some mysterious chemical agents were used in Venezuela as well. On 20 March 2014, the appearance of "red gas" first occurred when it was used in San Cristóbal against protesters, with reports that it was CN gas. The first reported use of "green gas" was on 15 February 2014 against demonstrations in Altamira. On 25 April 2014, "green gas" was reportedly used again on protesters in Mérida. Venezuelan-American Ricardo Hausmann, director of the Center for International Development at Harvard made statements that this gas caused protesters to vomit. Some reported that the chemical used was adamsite, a yellow-green arsenical chemical weapon that can cause respiratory distress, nausea and vomiting.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Protest violence, Government forces, Use of chemical agents
In April 2014, Amnesty International worried about "the use of chemical toxins in high concentrations” by government forces and recommended better training for them. During the months of protest in 2014, the heavy use of tear gas by authorities in Chacao affected surrounding residents and forced them to wear gas masks to "survive" in their homes. Regional human rights groups also denounced the usage of "green gas", stating that its usage is "internationally banned".


2014 Venezuelan protests, Protest violence, Government forces, Use of chemical agents
A study by Mónica Kräuter, a chemist and professor, involved the collection of thousands of tear gas canisters fired by Venezuelan authorities in 2014. She stated that the majority of canisters used the main component CS gas, supplied by Cóndor of Brazil, which meets Geneva Convention requirements. However, 72% of the tear gas used was expired and other canisters produced in Venezuela by Cavim did not show adequate labels or expiration dates. Following the expiration of tear gas, Krauter notes that it "breaks down into cyanide oxide, phosgenes and nitrogens that are extremely dangerous".


2014 Venezuelan protests, Protest violence, Government forces, Arbitrary detentions
Multiple NGOs reported mass arbitrary detentions of demonstrators, political activists and key figures that were targeted. During the period between 12 February and 31 May 2014, the human rights NGO Foro Penal verified 3,127 arbitrary detentions.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Protest violence, Government forces, Arbitrary detentions
Many of the detentions were carried out by SEBIN agents, who targeted political activists that later became Deputies before the National Assembly, like Rosmit Mantilla and Renzo Prieto, retired members of the Armed Forces, like Lt. Col. José Gustavo Arocha, and human rights activists, like Rodrigo Diamanti, detained after a raid to the premises of the NGO that he directed, Un Mundo Sin Mordaza, to whom is attributed the creation of the campaign SOS Venezuela  According to Alfredo Romero, the director of Foro Penal, The detainees often suffered cruel and unusual treatment, often rising to torture.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Media, Domestic media
Shortly after protests began, the Inter American Press Association protested against the "official censorship" of media by the government in Venezuela which included blocking the internet, banning channels, revoking foreign media credentials, harassing reporters and limiting resources for newspapers.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Media, Domestic media
A group of Venezuelan artists created a group called "Eco" in late-February 2014 to speak out against violations and crimes that have happened in Venezuela during the protests. VTV made a satirical parody of the videos made by the Eco group.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Media, Domestic media
In March 2014 as a response to newspaper shortages and closing of 13 Venezuelan newspapers, the Colombian newspaper organization Andiarios sent a caravan of trucks carrying 52 tons of resources to El Nacional, El Impulso and El Nuevo País as part of the "We are all Venezuela. No press freedom, no democracy" movement to help defend "press freedom and the right to information". Newspaper organizations in Puerto Rico, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago have also shipped newspaper to Venezuela to help ease newspaper shortages caused by price restrictions set by the Venezuelan government.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Media, Domestic media, Resignations
There were 34 resignations and 17 dismissals of journalists during the protests. The head of investigative journalists at Últimas Noticias resigned after being told not to do a story on guarimbas and after the manager tried to force her to say that the guarimbas were funded, that they were not protesters and to conclude the story by condemning them. While on air, Reimy Chávez, a news anchor for Globovision also resigned and was directed out of the studio by security guards.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Media, Domestic media, Resignations
A cameraman who resigned from Globovisión shared images that were censored by the news agency showing National Guard troops and colectivos working together during the protests. A journalist for Globovision, Carlos Arturo Albino, resigned saying it was because "I do not want to be complicit silence. I'm not trained to be silent."


2014 Venezuelan protests, Media, Foreign media
Equipment belonging to CNN was "stolen at gunpoint" on 19 February and possibly destroyed by government forces.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Media, Foreign media
President Maduro threatened to force CNN out of Venezuela the next day, saying, "I've asked the (information) minister to tell CNN we have started the administrative process to remove them from Venezuela if they don't rectify (their behavior). Enough! I won't accept war propaganda against Venezuela." On 21 February 2014, the government revoked press credentials of seven CNN journalists with CNN responding to the government by saying, "CNN has reported both sides of the tense situation in Venezuela, even with very limited access to government officials ... We hope the government will reconsider its decision. Meanwhile, we will continue reporting on Venezuela in the fair, accurate and balanced manner we are known for."


2014 Venezuelan protests, Media, Attacks on reporters
On 22 April 2014, reporters from La Patilla that were covering events in Santa Fe were retained by the National Guard. The team of reporters were accused of being "fake journalists", had to show their ID's to the National Guardsmen and had their pictures taken. They were later released without further complications. In another incident, a photojournalist from La Patilla was assaulted by National Police who tried to take his camera and hit him in the head with the butt of a shotgun while he covering protests in Las Mercedes.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Media, Attacks on reporters
A week after being attacked in Las Mercedes, the same photojournalist for La Patilla was assaulted by the National Police again who tried to take his camera while covering protests in the Las Minitas neighborhood in Baruta. While covering protests on 14 May, a group of reporters said they were assaulted by the National Guard saying they were fired at and that the National Guard attempted to arrest a reporter. On 27 May 2014, a reporter for La Patilla was attacked for the third time while covering clashes when he was shot by the National Guard.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Media, Attacks on reporters
Two reporters were injured on 5 June after being shot with buckshot coming from a National Guard vehicle and reported it to Lieutenant Colonel Rafael Quero Silva of the National Guard, who denied their accounts. On 3 July 2014, during a protest near the Catholic University of Táchira, an NTN24 reporter said he was arrested, beaten and had his passport and ID taken by National Police officers.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Media, Censorship
Images on Twitter were reported to be unavailable for at least some users in Venezuela for 3 days (12–15 February 2014) after allegedly being blocked by the government. Twitter spokesman Nu Wexler stated that, "I can confirm that the images are now blocked Twitter in Venezuela" adding that "[w]e believe it the government that is blocking". However, the Venezuelan government published a statement saying that they did not block Twitter or images on Twitter, and implied that it was a technical problem.


2014 Venezuelan protests, Media, Censorship
According to the Huffington Post, the alleged internet blockage by the government was directed at the opposition since it prevented live coverage of government crackdowns with Zello announcing that CANTV blocked the use of its walkie-talkie app that was used by opposition protesters. In an interview with La Patilla, Chief Technology Officer of Zello, Alexey Gavrilov, said that after they opened four new servers for Venezuela, it still appeared that the same direct blocking from CANTV is the cause of the Zello outage. The Venezuelan government said Zello was blocked due to "terrorist acts" and statements by TeleSUR about radical opposition after the government monitored staged messages from "internet trolls" that used a Honeypot trap against authorities.


2014 Vermont elections
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Vermont on November 4, 2014. All of Vermont's executive officers were up for election as well as Vermont's at-large seat in the United States House of Representatives. Primary elections were held on June 3, 2014.


2014 Vermont elections, Lieutenant Governor
Incumbent Republican Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott (since 2011) ran again for a third term.


2014 Vermont elections, Lieutenant Governor, Progressive primary
Dean Corren, former State Representative (1991-2001), House campaign coordinator for U.S. Rep. Bernie Sanders (2001-2005), renewable electric utility officer at Burlington Electric Department and Verdant Power Inc., ran unopposed in the Progressive primary.


2014 Vermont elections, Lieutenant Governor, Liberty Union primary
Marina Brown, activist, ran unopposed in the Liberty Union primary.


2014 Vermont elections, Secretary of State
Incumbent Democratic Secretary of State Jim Condos (since 2011) ran again for a third term.


2014 Vermont elections, Treasurer
Incumbent Democratic/Republican Treasurer Beth Pearce (since 2011) ran again for a third term.


2014 Vermont elections, Attorney General
Incumbent Attorney General William Sorrell (since 1997) ran again for a tenth term.


2014 Vermont elections, Auditor of Accounts
Incumbent Democratic/Progressive Auditor Doug Hoffer (since 2013) ran again for a second term.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election
The 2014 Vermont gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the Governor of Vermont, concurrently with elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic Governor Peter Shumlin ran for reelection to a third term in office against Republican businessman Scott Milne, Libertarian businessman Dan Feliciano and several other minor party and independent candidates.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election
Based on election polling, Shumlin's large financial advantage and the state's strong Democratic lean in presidential elections, Shumlin was expected to win easily, but he received only a plurality, not a majority, of the vote and polled only 2,434 votes more than Milne out of 193,087 cast. The Constitution of Vermont requires that the 180-member Vermont General Assembly choose the winner when no candidate receives over 50% of the popular vote. As a result, on January 8, 2015, the Assembly chose Shumlin over Milne by a vote of 110 to 69, with one abstention.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election
The result of the election prompted much debate and analysis amongst commentators and the political parties. The 2014 U.S. elections saw Republicans make sweeping gains in federal, state, and local offices across the country, and Republicans won gubernatorial victories in the Democratic-leaning Northeastern states of Maryland and Massachusetts. With a margin of 1.3%, this election was the second-closest race of the 2014 gubernatorial election cycle, behind only the election in Florida. As of 2021, this is also the last time a Democrat won the governorship of Vermont.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, Background
Four-term Republican governor Jim Douglas did not run for reelection in 2010. In the race to succeed him, Democratic nominee Peter Shumlin, the President Pro Tempore of the Vermont Senate, received 49.5% of the vote while Republican nominee Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie received 47.7%. As neither candidate received a majority, the General Assembly was required to pick the winner in January 2011. Dubie did not contest the vote; he conceded the race on election night and called for Vermont to "unite" around Shumlin. Shumlin won the Assembly vote 145 to 28, with 7 legislators not voting.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, Background
Shumlin was reelected in 2012 against Republican state senator and former Vermont Auditor of Accounts Randy Brock by a landslide, 57.8% to 37.6%.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, Background
Vermont and New Hampshire are the only states in the country whose governors are elected every two years. An incumbent governor of Vermont has not been defeated for reelection since 1962, when Democrat Philip H. Hoff beat Republican F. Ray Keyser, Jr. by 1,315 votes.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, Democratic primary
Shumlin announced in December 2013 that he was running for reelection to a third term in office, but said that he would not begin campaigning until after Labor Day 2014, just two months before the election. He faced one opponent in the Democratic primary on August 26: lifelong Republican and Washington, D.C. resident H. Brooke Paige, who simultaneously ran against Democratic incumbent William Sorrell in the Democratic primary election for Vermont Attorney General. Paige was also unsuccessful in that effort, losing by 80% to 20%.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, Republican primary
The Republicans initially struggled to recruit a candidate. Former governor Douglas and Lieutenant Governor Phillip Scott announced early on that they would not run, and it was not until March 2014 that a candidate entered the race: marijuana legalization activist and former Independent gubernatorial candidate Emily Peyton. This spurred Republicans to recruit a serious candidate, but they struggled to do so. Former Wall Street banker Bruce Lisman announced in May 2014 that he was not running, and attention turned to former state senator and 2012 nominee Randy Brock, State Representative Heidi Scheuermann and businessman Scott Milne.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, Republican primary
In May, Scheuermann said that she would not run, leaving the party with a month until the June 12 filing deadline to find a candidate. Milne, who was traveling in Africa, announced that he would decide shortly before the deadline. Brock was urged to run and considered doing so, but revealed on June 8 that he would not. On the morning of filing deadline day, Milne announced that he would run. He was joined in the Republican primary by Peyton and retired marketer and self-described "modern-day Mark Twain" Steve Berry. Also running but not appearing on the ballot was Dan Feliciano, who ran as a write-in candidate for the Republican nomination and was uncontested for the Libertarian nomination. In the August 26 primary, Milne was nominated with over 70% of the vote.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, Progressive primary
Satisfied with his support for single-payer health care and his efforts to close Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant, the Vermont Progressive Party had not run a candidate against Shumlin in 2010 or 2012. Its members discussed challenging him in 2014 because of his proposed cuts to social programs, but the party openly admitted that it lacked the money for a gubernatorial campaign, and no candidate came forward to run.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, Liberty Union primary
Peter Diamondstone, who co-founded the Liberty Union Party and has run for elected office almost two dozen times, was unopposed.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, Libertarian nomination
Feliciano, a businessman who also ran as a write-in candidate in the Republican primary, was unopposed for the Libertarian nomination.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General election, Debates
A general election debate, attended by party nominees Shumlin, Milne, Diamondstone and Feliciano and Independent candidates Ericson, Peters and Peyton, was held on October 9. It attracted considerable media attention and was described variously as "funny", "strange", "crazy", "one of the strangest of this election cycle", "very, very special" and "beard-filled".


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General election, Debates
Comments by all of the candidates apart from Shumlin drew media attention and laughter from the studio audience, such as Milne describing himself as "third-generation, born in Vermont", only to correct himself and state that he was born in Brooklyn; Ericson, who sported a large bow-topped hat, suggesting that poor Vermonters use their food stamps to buy lottery tickets and decrying "chemtrails"; Diamondstone, who wore jean shorts with suspenders and long socks and sported a large beard, calling for revolutionary socialism, the legalisation of all drugs and secession from the union, as well as comparing students to "slaves" because of the cost of higher education and responding to a question about the Department of Children and Families by railing against the U.S. military and the "Zionist regime"; Peters answering a question about the affordability of college in Vermont by saying that he had "no idea"; and self-described "light worker" Peyton shouting at Shumlin for allegedly closing highway restrooms and using her closing remarks to ask Vermonters if they'd rather choose money or love.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General election, Debates
Additional debates among the candidates were held, which also drew attention. Former governor Howard Dean described the debates as a "good thing for the state" and Time magazine's Denver Nicks called them a "breath of fresh air" and "pure entertainment". There was a final debate on October 29 with just the top three candidates: Shumlin, Milne and Feliciano.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General election, Results, Results by district
Of Vermont's 275 "polling places" that report results separately—corresponding to the state's 255 towns and cities, with some larger municipalities broken into multiple precincts—Milne won a plurality in 162 precincts, or 58.9%. Shumlin won 112, or 40.7%, and they were tied in one other. Shumlin won the state's biggest voting area, Burlington (representing 9,604 gubernatorial voters), by a margin of 66% to 23%. Of the state's 10 largest municipalities, Shumlin also won South Burlington, Bennington, Montpelier, Hartford and Middlebury. Milne won Essex, Colchester, Rutland City, Williston and Barre Town. Of Vermont's 13 multi-member Senate districts, aligning roughly with the state's 14 counties, Milne won eight (61.5%) and Shumlin five (38.5%). Milne won the popular vote in 53 House districts; Shumlin won in 51.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General election, Analysis
As no candidate received a majority of the vote, the Vermont General Assembly was required to decide the election, choosing among the top three vote-getters, Shumlin, Milne and Feliciano. The result came as a surprise to most observers, who had expected Shumlin to win easily. RealClearPolitics rated the race "Likely Democratic" and The Cook Political Report, Daily Kos Elections, Governing, The Rothenberg Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball all rated the race "Safe Democratic". RealClearPolitics reported an average lead in the polls of 15.2% for Shumlin and HuffPost Pollster's model estimated Shumlin would beat Milne 51.1% to 37% with the probability that Shumlin would win the election at 95%.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General election, Analysis
Analyzing the results, The Burlington Free Press pointed to Shumlin's relatively soft numbers in opinion polls – he was in the mid-40s in the last four polls of the race – as evidence that voters were dissatisfied with the progress the state had made in instituting single-payer health care, with rising property taxes, and with the unsuccessful roll-out of Vermont Health Connect, the state's federal health care exchange. Shumlin's internal polls showed a close race and he touted an endorsement from U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy to try to put him over 50%. By comparison, Milne lagged in fundraising and spending, with $100,000 available compared to Shumlin's $1.1 million, which meant that he could not afford to pay for polling.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General election, Analysis
Opinions varied about the effect Libertarian nominee Dan Feliciano's candidacy had on the result. Former governor Douglas suggested that Feliciano split the anti-Shumlin vote. The Burlington Free Press speculated that Feliciano drew voters dissatisfied with Shumlin but who would have voted for Milne if they had realized that he had a chance to prevail. Feliciano stated that he was "not a spoiler" but drew voters who could not bring themselves to vote for the Republican candidate. A Feliciano campaign consultant felt, based on polling, that her candidate's stance against Shumlin's healthcare policy garnered votes.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General election, Analysis
Milne, who did no polling, began criticizing Shumlin's healthcare policy later in the campaign than Feliciano. Republicans wondered whether they should have done more to push Feliciano out, whether Milne should have run more strongly against single-payer, whether 2012 nominee and former state auditor Randy Brock should have run again, and whether the state party should have been less focused on state legislative races.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General election, Analysis
Analysis by political experts pointed to the record-low voter turnout–around 43.6%–and that 39,000 more people voted for Democratic Congressman Peter Welch than voted for Shumlin as a sign of dissatisfaction with Shumlin. University of Vermont political science professor Garrison Nelson said that "the people who showed up are the angry ones" and that, unlike Shumlin, "Welch demonstrated an appeal far beyond just the Democratic base."


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General election, Analysis
In a news conference on November 12, Shumlin stated that the result was "humbling" and said that he would "listen, learn, reflect [and] be more inclusive." He also pledged to move ahead with single-payer health care and to address school spending, property taxes and the $100-million budget gap.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General Assembly vote
Since 1853, the General Assembly has selected the first-place finisher in every gubernatorial election that has come before it, most recently in 2010, when Shumlin received 49.5% of the vote and was chosen over Republican Brian Dubie, and in 2002, when the Democratic-controlled legislature picked Republican Jim Douglas, who had received 44.9%, over Democrat Doug Racine, who received 42.4%. The Assembly most recently reversed a plurality vote in the 1976 lieutenant gubernatorial election, when the Republican-controlled legislature picked Republican T. Garry Buckley rather than Democrat John Alden, who was suspected, and later convicted, of insurance fraud.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General Assembly vote
Although the second-place finisher usually concedes the race, as happened in 2002 and 2010, Milne refused to concede. He considered requesting a recount, but did not do so, reasoning that it was "extremely unlikely, almost unfathomable, that a recount would put either candidate above the 50 percent mark." Before the election, Milne said that if Shumlin won a plurality, he would support him and would expect Shumlin to do the same if the situation were reversed. After the election, however, he said, "it's clear that 54% of Vermonters want a new governor, and a new path forward."


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General Assembly vote
As 91 votes are needed to elect the governor from the 180-member body and Democrats and Progressives held 112 seats, it was considered unlikely that Milne would win. Milne argued that legislators should decide the election in line with how their individual districts voted. Neal Goswami of the Vermont Press Bureau calculated that if each legislator voted according to the results in their district, the vote would result in a 90–90 tie. Milne disagreed with this calculation and claimed voting according to district outcome would result in his winning 93–87.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General Assembly vote
The fact is that fewer people voted for Scott Milne than voted for Peter Shumlin. Milne did not get a majority, either. I just don't think he has a case to be made that a majority, or even a plurality of voters, want him to be governor. I don't think that I will probably have to persuade [other legislators of this], quite frankly.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General Assembly vote
— State House Speaker Shap Smith, whose district voted for Milne, explaining why he will vote for Shumlin.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General Assembly vote
Republican legislative leaders said that they would not whip their members to vote for Shumlin, leaving them free to vote their consciences. Though Republican Lieutenant Governor Phillip Scott did not have a vote, he said that he would vote for Shumlin, and Republican state representative Kurt Wright said that he would do so. Initially, no Democrats indicated that they would vote for Milne. Indeed, several Democrats whose districts voted for Milne over Shumlin said that they would vote for Shumlin, citing his plurality win.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General Assembly vote
For almost a month, Milne made no further comment as he considered whether to lobby for legislators' votes. Former governor Douglas cautioned Milne against waging a legislative campaign for governor, saying that it was "unlikely" to be an effective strategy and that Milne should seek to preserve the "good will that he has accrued" and "acknowledge the result and come back and fight another day."


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General Assembly vote
On December 8, Milne held a press conference in which he defied suggestions that he would concede by officially announcing that he was asking state legislators to vote for him. He went on to say that he would not be "pro-actively" trying to convince legislators to vote for him, nor would he start "twisting arms", but that his "door is open" and called on legislators to "consider the record of the incumbent" and what was "best" for Vermont.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General Assembly vote
Shumlin responded that he was "honored to have received the most votes in this election and would not want to serve as governor if I did not." He went on to say that he believed that "the Legislature will honor the long democratic tradition of electing the candidate who received the most votes."


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General Assembly vote
After Milne's announcement, Independent State Representative Paul Poirier, a liberal whose district voted for Milne by a 2-to-1 margin, announced that he would vote for Milne. One Democrat, State Representative Jim Condon, said that he would vote for Milne, also citing his district's support for Milne over Shumlin. Political science professors Eric Davis and Garrison Nelson and House Minority Leader Don Turner expected the General Assembly vote to roughly follow party lines, with Milne receiving about one-third of the votes, including most of the Republicans and a few Democrats and Independents.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General Assembly vote
On December 17, Shumlin announced that he was dropping his plan to implement single-payer healthcare. The reforms, which required business and personal tax increases, had never advanced beyond the framework stage. Shumlin, who had missed two earlier financing deadlines, said that "this is not the right time" because the federal government had offered less funding than expected and "the potential economic disruption and risks would be too great to small businesses, working families and the state's economy."


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General Assembly vote
The media also cited controversy surrounding comments made by economist Jonathan Gruber, who was involved in crafting and advocating for the plan, and Shumlin's failure to win a majority in the election as reasons for the cancellation. The decision, which Shumlin called the "biggest disappointment" of his career, drew a mixed response. Business groups lauded his "pragmatic" move but supporters of health care reform organized protests and said that it would end his political career.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General Assembly vote
At the end of December, the newly formed group "Vermonters for Honest Government" raised $30,000 to air television advertisements aimed at pressuring legislators to vote for Milne. The group's founder, retired United States Navy Captain Bill Round, said that legislators should vote against Shumlin because "he's promised a lot and failed to deliver." Round did not reveal the source of the group's funding. Milne said that while he had no connection to the group, he appreciated the sentiment. By contrast, Shumlin said that he would "absolutely not" run any advertisements, nor would he campaign for legislators' votes or spend any money. He added that he was "not worried" about the vote.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General Assembly vote
In early January, Milne reiterated that he was not actively campaigning for legislators' votes but said that he felt that his odds of victory were "getting better on a weekly basis, if not a daily basis." Shumlin said that if Milne were to win, Vermont would be "paralyzed", as the new administration lacked the time needed to assemble a new staff and draft a budget for the 2016 fiscal year. He also offered his support for amending the state constitution so that as long as a plurality winner received at least 40% of the vote, the Assembly would not be required to decide the election.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, General Assembly vote
On January 8, the General Assembly voted to reelect Shumlin by 110 votes to 69, with one legislator not voting. Shumlin stated that he was "grateful for the opportunity to continue serving this state I love. I expect this will be a productive session addressing the issues Vermonters care about so deeply." Milne said that it was "a good day for Vermont ... I was happy to be a part of it. I think the road that's led us here has a lot of people feeling like one person can make a difference." Milne did not rule out running again in 2016, although he later declined and instead ran for the United States Senate, losing to Leahy by almost 30 points.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, Aftermath
On June 8, 2015, Shumlin announced that he would not run for a fourth term in 2016. He said that he had "never seen politics as a lifelong career" and "decided to make this decision now because I want these next 18 months to be about the work that we still have to do." He said that his decision was "not driven by poll numbers; [nor] driven by politics" and that after leaving office in January 2017, he would return to his family business in Putney.


2014 Vermont gubernatorial election, Aftermath
Several candidates announced their intention to run: for the Democrats, former state senator and 2010 gubernatorial candidate Matt Dunne, former secretary of the Vermont Agency of Transportation and former state representative Sue Minter and Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives Shap Smith; for the Republicans, retired banker Bruce Lisman and Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott. Milne is not running again. After saying that he was "unlikely" to run when Scott entered the race, it was later reported that he "would only get in the governor's race if Scott was to falter." Milne later clarified that he expected Scott to win the nomination and, in September 2015, officially endorsed him. Libertarian nominee Dan Feliciano, who joined the Republican Party in mid-January 2015, is considering running for the Republican nomination.


2014 Victoria Azarenka tennis season
The 2014 Victoria Azarenka tennis season officially began at the 2014 Brisbane International, the first of two simultaneous events which opened the 2014 season, and ended with a second round loss to Ana Ivanovic at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September.


2014 Victoria Azarenka tennis season, Yearly summary, Australian Open series
Azarenka began her 2014 season as the second seed at the 2014 Brisbane International, in what was her third participation at the event. She reached the final for the first time since 2009, but lost to world No. 1 Serena Williams in straight sets.


2014 Victoria Azarenka tennis season, Yearly summary, Australian Open series
Her next tournament was the Australian Open, where she was the two-time defending champion. She failed to defend her title, losing in the quarter-finals to Agnieszka Radwańska in three sets.


2014 Victoria Azarenka tennis season, Yearly summary, Middle East series
Azarenka was due to play in the Qatar Total Open, where she was the two-time defending champion, but she withdrew before the tournament started due to a left foot injury.


2014 Victoria Azarenka tennis season, Yearly summary, American hard court season
Azarenka returned from her foot injury at the Indian Wells Masters, but she lost her first match to Lauren Davis, marking her earliest ever exit from Indian Wells. A recurrence of her foot injury at Indian Wells later forced her withdrawal from Miami for the second consecutive year.


2014 Victoria Azarenka tennis season, Yearly summary, American hard court season
Azarenka withdrew from the Monterrey Open for the second consecutive year.


2014 Victoria Azarenka tennis season, Yearly summary, Clay court season
Azarenka was scheduled to play at both the Madrid Open and the Italian Open, however she withdrew from both tournaments after failing to recover from a left foot injury. Her absences from both events resulted in her dropping out of the top four for the first time since May 2011. She ultimately withdrew from the French Open after failing to recover in time for the event.


2014 Victoria Azarenka tennis season, Yearly summary, Grass court season
After three months out due to a foot injury, Azarenka returned to the Tour at the Eastbourne International as a wildcard entry. She drew world No. 44 Camila Giorgi in the first round, and was defeated in three sets.


2014 Victoria Azarenka tennis season, Yearly summary, Grass court season
Azarenka then played at Wimbledon, where she lost in the second round for the second year running; after defeating Mirjana Lučić-Baroni in the first round for her first win since January, she lost to Bojana Jovanovski in the second in three sets.


2014 Victoria Azarenka tennis season, Yearly summary, US Open series
Azarenka started her US Open series campaign as a wildcard entry at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford. After receiving a second round bye, she was defeated in the second round by Venus Williams in straight sets; as a result of that loss, she dropped out of the top ten for the first time since September 2010. She had marked her 200th consecutive week in the top ten in the week of Stanford.


2014 Victoria Azarenka tennis season, Yearly summary, US Open series
Azarenka's spell outside the top ten lasted just one week; by reaching the quarter-finals of the Rogers Cup, where she lost to Agnieszka Radwańska for the second time this season, she re-entered the top ten in the week starting 11 August 2014 at the expense of Ana Ivanovic.


2014 Victoria Azarenka tennis season, Yearly summary, US Open series
She later withdrew from the Cincinnati Masters due to a right knee injury she suffered at the Rogers Cup. This defeat has, again, seen her drop out of the top ten as she was the defending champion.


2014 Victoria Azarenka tennis season, Yearly summary, US Open series
At the US Open, Azarenka reached the quarter-finals for the third consecutive year, but was upset by Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets. The loss saw Azarenka drop out of the top 20 for the first time in over six years.


2014 Victoria Azarenka tennis season, Yearly summary, Asian hard court season
After the US Open, Azarenka commenced her Asian swing at the downgraded Premier tournament in Tokyo, where she was unseeded. She defeated Kimiko Date-Krumm in the first round in three sets, before losing to fellow former world number one and eventual champion Ana Ivanovic in the second in straight sets. She was then scheduled to play at the inaugural 2014 Wuhan Open and the China Open, however she announced that she will miss the remainder of the season due to knee and foot injuries.


2014 Victoria Azarenka tennis season, Yearly Records, Head-to-head match-ups
Bold indicates that the player was in the Top 10, italics denotes that the player was in the Top 20 (at the time of the match being played). This list is ordered by number of wins to number of losses in chronological order played.


2014 Victorian state election
The 2014 Victorian state election, held on Saturday, 29 November 2014, was for the 58th Parliament of Victoria. All 88 seats in the Victorian Legislative Assembly and 40 seats in the Victorian Legislative Council were up for election. The incumbent centre-right Coalition minority government, led by Liberal Party leader and Premier Denis Napthine and National Party leader and Deputy Premier Peter Ryan, was defeated by the centre-left Labor Party opposition, led by Daniel Andrews. The Greens won two lower house seats, their first Legislative Assembly seats in a Victorian state election, whilst increasing their share of upper house seats. The new Andrews Ministry was sworn in on 4 December 2014.


2014 Victorian state election
Voting is compulsory in Victoria. Elections for the Legislative Assembly use instant-runoff voting (called preferential voting in Australia) in single-member electorates (called districts). Elections for the Legislative Council use partial proportional representation, using single transferable vote (also called preferential voting) in multi-member electorates (called regions). Members of the Legislative Council are elected from eight electoral regions each returning five members, making the quota for election in each region 16.67%. The election was conducted by the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC).