A Middlebury College course explores how students can use AI to develop their creative writing. Plus, calls for more security for public officials in light of recent political violence, drought conditions put a North Country town under a state of emergency, school libraries in the region are updating policies about books and advocates for English-speakers in Montreal push back against French language rules.

How scientists are working to save the tiny Bicknell’s Thrush, a delicate songbird that travels thousands of miles to Vermont’s tallest peak to raise its young. Plus, state health care regulators make deep cuts to next year’s proposed UVM Medical Center budget, the state employees union is asking the Scott administration to reconsider its return to work order, Montreal’s geodesic dome will be closed for two months of renovations, and the Agency of Education is developing new graduation requirements for Vermont high school students.

Afghan refugees are helping a Windham County school district serve up high quality vegetarian fare for students who don’t eat meat. Plus, Vermont’s home prices continue to rise even as the pandemic-era buying binge starts to level off, Gov. Scott taps an executive from Rutland Regional Medical Center to serve as Vermont’s next health commissioner and he’s also appointed a new labor commissioner, and recent drought conditions have been having an impact on apple crop yields. 

There’s excitement over the discovery of a timber rattlesnake in a part of Vermont the reptile had not previously been spotted. Plus, Vermont’s Secretary of State says she won’t comply with a Trump Administration request to turn over voter data, there’s been a vacancy easing in Chittenden County’s notoriously tight rental market, the co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream decry what they call a failure of political messaging by the company’s current owner, a shortage of horse veterinarians in Vermont is making things challenging for equine owners, and we preview two major bicycling races taking place today and Sunday in Quebec City and Montreal in our weekly sports report. 

A Christian high school that was banned from sports competitions in the state for refusing to play against a team with a transgender athlete celebrates a legal victory. Plus, The Scott Administration says it plans to move forward with its new policy to restrict remote work for many state employees, Vermont health officials have confirmed the first human case of Jamestown Canyon virus in the state, a new program aims to strengthen the state’s African diaspora food businesses, and to diversify tourism and rising health insurance costs are driving a Vermont nonprofit to close a car detailing shop that employs at-risk youth.

How Vermont plans to keep teaching sex education in schools amid Trump administration threats to end federal funding over gender identity references. Plus, Burlington’s City Council green-lights two-million dollars in state grant funding to develop an overdose prevention center, a former state director of the Vermont Council of Special Education Administrators faces charges of felony embezzlement, forecasters say it’ll start feeling a lot more like winter with freezing overnight temperatures expected in the region soon, and apple growers are using mitigation strategies to keep crops healthy amid challenging regional drought conditions.

Sen. Bernie Sanders talks about building a grassroots working class agenda for the Democratic party while fighting the influence of billionaires trying to curry favor with the Trump administration. Plus, federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty against a woman who pleaded not guilty to fatally shooting a border patrol agent in Vermont, an infectious disease doctor explains why most people should get a COVID booster despite recent federal guidelines recommending it only for people over 65, Caledonia County's interim state's attorney has been named to the job on a permanent basis, and research is underway to determine why there appear to be more bears than usual in Vermont.

A New Hampshire man has his dream of becoming a fishing guide blocked by a decades-old Granite State law regarding people with past felony convictions. Plus, once-frozen federal money has now been released allowing Vermont to build eleven new fast-charging stations for electric vehicles, state regulators suggest Brattleboro Memorial Hospital may need to consult an independent observer to oversee its troubled finances, a Manchester woman arrested by ICE officials has been moved to a processing center in Michigan, and environmental advocates urge people to pick up trash and other debris from their local streams as part of September’s Vermont River Clean-Up Month.

We visit an East Barnard church that’s just built a new outhouse on the grounds that’s free and open to the public. Plus, Sen. Sanders calls on Health Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign over his handling of federal vaccine policy, Rutland Regional Medical Center reaches a settlement with state regulators over a two-year old budget issue, a Shelburne police officer avoids jail time by pleading guilty to a reduced charge after fatally hitting a bicyclist with his vehicle, a Democratic primary looks likely in New York as two candidates vie to unseat Republican representative Elise Stefanik in next year’s midterms, and the Boston Red Sox get some very bad injury news regarding their superstar rookie outfielder in this week’s sports report. 

Considering the effect this summer’s drought will have on the fall foliage season. Plus, the Vermont Medical Society scores a legal victory against the Trump administration in a case about removing public health data from federal websites, the Scott administration’s plan to have state workers in their offices more often faces pushback from the union, school bus drivers return to the roads in Windham County after a company-imposed lockout against them was lifted, the UVM Medical Center is making changes to how operating rooms deliver anesthesia in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and a long-serving town manager for Bennington has died.