The Frequency

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. 

Examining why many more school budgets were approved during Town Meeting Day this year, after nearly a third failed last year. Plus, state officials and local business owners brace for the economic impact of a trade war with Canada, Vermont’s attorney general praises the U.S. Supreme Court for blocking an effort by the Trump administration to freeze foreign aid, corrections staff lock down Vermont prisons while searching for contraband, voters show mixed support for local options taxes on Town Meeting Day, and Dartmouth College is hosting the NCAA Skiing Championships for the first time in more than two decades.

Sharing scenes from Town Meeting Day, including a less-than-glowing assessment of local road maintenance. Plus, U.S. Rep. Becca Balint boycotts President Trump’s joint address to Congress, the head of the Vermont Sugar Maker’s Association attends Trump’s speech amid concerns that tariffs levied against Canada will negatively affect the state’s maple industry, Jay voters turn out for Town Meeting Day, about a half dozen municipalities consider a pledge of support for Palestinians, voters in Rutland County’s Quarry Valley School District consider a nonbinding school closure article, and voters in Guilford pass all articles on the ballot during their first-ever Saturday town meeting.

Without intervention, education officials say health care costs will continue to eat up ever-larger shares of local school budgets — regardless of which cost-saving measures Montpelier imposes on districts. Plus, Middlebury is among the handful of municipalities presenting water infrastructure bonds to voters on Town Meeting Day, Sen. Welch is calling for Republicans to support Ukraine, the state is proposing changes for waterfowl hunters, and Caledonia County’s sheriff has died.

Despite historically strong ties, Canadians are canceling trips to Vermont amid President Trump’s threats to institute tariffs on Canadian goods and calls to make our northern neighbor the “51st state.” Plus, the Scott administration presents a plan to adjust the motel housing program after funding disagreements with Democratic lawmakers, Vermont appears to have missed a major climate emissions deadline, a handful of municipalities will consider local option taxes on Town Meeting Day, and Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater is opening a new learning space.