The Deeper Dig

The Scott administration has loosened restrictions on some workplaces for the second week in a row as part of a plan to slowly reopen Vermont’s economy. To prevent another wave of infections, public health officials are getting a second chance to try a containment strategy that wasn't possible the first time around.

Guests: Mark Levine (Vermont Health Commissioner), Katie Jickling (VTDigger health care reporter)

Hospitals across the state are transforming their facilities to get ready for a potential surge of coronavirus patients. But they’re preparing without knowing exactly when that surge might hit — or how severe it could be.

New models show social distancing measures could help COVID-19 cases in Vermont peak as early as this month. But officials and experts warn that those restrictions will need to stay in place long after the worst has passed.

Skyrocketing unemployment claims show that nearly 15,000 Vermonters have already lost their jobs due to business cutbacks during the coronavirus outbreak. What happens next for those workers — and for the state's economy?

Guests: Brennan Neill, Art Woolf (VTDigger columnist), Elaine McCrate (UVM economist)

Vermont’s senior senator has been in Washington for negotiations over the federal response to the coronavirus outbreak. Two bills have passed with broad bipartisan support — but the third, a trillion-dollar stimulus proposal, could see a bigger fight.

Guests: U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.

Dr. Joshua White, the chief medical officer at Gifford Medical Center in Randolph, says the COVID-19 outbreak may become even wider than many Vermonters are expecting. But that’s still not a reason to panic about its potential effects.

Tuesday’s election brought victories for newcomers Zoraya Hightower and Jane Stromberg, effectively giving the Progressives a majority on the governing body of Vermont’s largest city. But the party is already looking ahead to next year’s races — when they see the mayor’s office up for grabs.

Support for a “Vermont Green New Deal” appears to be waning among lawmakers, while another climate bill — the Global Warming Solutions Act — gains momentum. That could leave the state with a strict new set of mandates — but it’s not likely to end the push to raise new revenue for climate action.

Guests: Jennifer Rushlow (Vermont Law School), Elizabeth Gribkoff (VTDigger)

Fatal police encounters are on the rise in Vermont, according to a new analysis of fifty years of law enforcement data. Now, lawmakers, advocates and police themselves are looking at how to curb the trend of rising deaths.

Guests: Chief Tony Facos (Montpelier Police), Allen Gilbert (former ACLU-VT), Rep. Anne Donahue (R-Northfield), Erin Petenko (VTDigger)