Vermont Education Secretary Zoie Saunders discusses how roiling changes at the U.S. Department of Education may impact the state. Plus, Vermont’s Senate Education Committee chair says the state’s universal school meals program is here to stay despite the Scott administration’s proposal to cut it, state biologists urge residents to take bear precautions now that hibernation season is ending, public hearings are scheduled this week on proposed changes to hunting regulations, and lawmakers consider a new state office to better coordinate services for immigrants in Vermont.

Why voters in Royalton rejected proposed restrictions on what people can do with flood plain property. Plus, nearly half of Vermont’s 14 hospitals lost money providing patient care last year, Gov. Scott vetoes a budget adjustment package that includes funding for affordable housing and the state’s motel voucher program, federal updates to the state’s flood hazard maps could result in more private property building restrictions, Vermont’s Attorney General joins a lawsuit against the Trump administration to block layoffs at the US Department of Education, and state public health officials are urging Vermonters to make sure they’re immunized against measles.

A couple that had never had kids or pets adopts a puppy and records an audio diary of the first seven months of that new and often difficult experience. Plus, Zoie Saunders is confirmed as Vermont’s Secretary of Education, both Vermont’s US senators say they’ll vote against a short-term budget bill Republicans passed in the House this week, a St. Michael’s College professor is trying to capture images of bobcats and other mountain cats in urban and suburban areas of the state, president Trump taps a six-tern New Hampshire lawmaker to head up New England’s FEMA office, a nearly 500-acre parcel of private land in Wallingford has been conserved as federal land, and the UVM women’s basketball team has a chance to get to the NCAA tournament when they tip off against the Great Danes in Albany. 

Programs that provide support for older Vermonters and their caregivers could be at risk due to proposed federal cuts to Medicaid. Plus, the Trump administration shutters a nationwide program that provided local food for schools and food shelves, GE Areospace invests in Rutland, the Vermont Senate gives initial approval to more restrictions on social media for kids, a call for state lawmakers to take action against bullying in schools after a Vermont teenager’s suicide last year, and the Essex Westford School Board announces the district's next superintendent.

The board members of a small community hospital in Morrisville face a difficult decision on whether to close its birthing center. Plus, Middlebury College is among 60 universities under threat of enforcement for allegedly failing to protect Jewish students on campus, Ripton elementary school is losing its kindergarten and first grade classes, the Scott administration warns volatility in Washington makes it hard to predict Vermont’s future economic health despite current strong revenues, the Department of Public safety seeks input regarding a new report suggesting changes to how emergency dispatch calls are handled, and Vermont now has its first official Animal Welfare Director.

A debrief on why the town of Richmond terminated a deal to hire the a new police chief just hours before  he was scheduled to begin the job. Plus, a doctor at Vermont’s largest hospital is trying to create an accessible database for researching opioid addiction, why best-selling Quebec-based mystery author Louise Penny won’t promote her new book in the US, the New Hampshire House votes to end annual vehicle safety inspections, and Bennington College launches a late-decision program for prospective students.  

Taking a deep dive into why health insurance is so expensive in Vermont with a segment from Brave Little State. Plus, a group of potential buyers for the Burke Mountain ski resort say their bid has been ignored by the person in charge of the sale, a baby formula company is closing their Franklin County manufacturing plant that employs hundreds of people, state officials are trying to identify who needs more access to high-speed broadband, and the UVM women’s basketball team will play Bryant College for a trip to the America East conference finals.

How supporting the state’s beaver population could help Vermont with flood resiliency. Plus, Gov. Scott is glad most school budgets passed this year but adds more needs to be done to reform education, the governor fills a soon-to-be vacant spot on the state Board of Education with the appointment of a former Bennington state senator, UVM institutes a 60-day hiring freeze in response to proposed reductions in federal funding from the Trump administration, bird flu so far has not adversely affected the state’s duck and geese populations, the Vermont Truth and Reconciliation Commission fills a final seat that had been vacant for more than a year, and we ponder which players could be moved by the end of today’s NHL trade deadline in our weekly sports report.