Vermont This Week

A kick in the stomach" is how one local official described it. On the one year anniversary of last year's destruction, heavy rains swept across the state, again causing widespread flood damage and for some, an all too familiar response.Vermonters are once again forced to reckon with the long process of recovery – with hard questions about how to rebuild, where they can safely, and whether there will be the resources to do it.Get analysis of the flooding from Vermont Public's newsroom on Vermont This Week.

Vermont State Parks are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. On today’s show, we’ll discuss the past, present and future of some of the state’s most treasured assets. Ahead, on a special edition of Vermont This Week.

A yearslong saga finally came to an end this week, with the state paying $175,000 to a man arrested for giving the middle finger to a state trooper back in 2018.Of the settlement, Jay Diaz, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said, “If we want to live in a free society, we have to ensure that we can speak openly to the police.”Plus, UVM's Center for Community News is getting a $7 million boost to help them expand.And, Vermont Public education reporter Lola Duffort provides an update on school budgets as a July 1st deadline looms.

After a whirlwind veto session during which lawmakers overrode six of Gov. Phil Scott's vetoes, Scott chided Democratic legislators as "arrogant" in their approach."The executive branch should have a say in this. I don’t know of any other governor who is experiencing what I’m experiencing in terms of this supermajority,” Scott said Tuesday.House Speaker Jill Krowinski responded, “What you saw out there is compromise and so what he’s saying doesn’t match the reality of what’s happening in this building, in my chamber, and what we’re hearing from Vermonters."Plus, two state senators are suing the governor's office over the appointment of Zoie Saunders as interim education secretary.And following a veto override, Burlington hopes to have Vermont’s first overdose prevention center open within a year.

For Vermonters, there is no property tax relief in sight after Gov. Phil Scott’s administration and lawmakers failed to reach a deal.Plus, Scott continues to take action on the remaining bills from this past legislative session — including a veto of the so-called “yield bill” due to its double-digit property tax increase.And, it's not just your imagination. A recent nationwide analysis shows Vermont home prices spiked more than any other state last year. That and more, ahead on Vermont This Week.

Just a week after the passing of state Sen. Dick Mazza, Vermont has lost another political cornerstone with the death of Dick Sears, who served more than three decades in the Vermont Senate.Plus, Gov. Phil Scott continues to take action on the remaining bills from this past legislative session — including a veto of the so-called “yield bill” due to its double-digit property tax increase.And, a closer look at the evolution of the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival. That and more, ahead on Vermont This Week.

In "Trials & Tribulations," Vermont Public and Seven Days teamed up to spend a week inside Vermont's busiest courthouse. Reporter Derek Brouwer shares what they learned.Plus, the filing deadline for candidates has passed — we’ll tell you who’s on the 2024 primary ballot and what's at stake.And, Vermont’s largest health care system seeks state regulators' approval for a $130 million surgical facility. That, and more, on Vermont This Week.

With the filing deadline for candidates quickly approaching, the 2024 election season is starting to take shape.Former Gov. Howard Dean ended weeks of speculation and suspense this week, announcing he would not run for governor. "I think the future of the Democratic party is 40-year-olds, not 75-year-olds," Dean said.Plus, the list of state senators not seeking reelection grows, as the Vermont GOP hopes to make gains in the statehouse.And the University of Vermont halts plans for a proposed $100M housing project.

As the 2024 legislative session comes to a close, lawmakers are reflecting on a particularly contentious year.Panelists discuss which bills made it to the finish line — and discuss the announcement of long-serving Sen. Jane Kitchel's retirement.Plus, Vermont’s health insurers are eyeing steep rate increases for the year ahead.

Mitch Wertlieb makes his debut as the new permanent host of Vermont This Week, leading a panel of journalists in discussion of the issues animating the 2023-2024 legislative biennium's closing days.State lawmakers agree on safe injection site legislation, but Gov. Phil Scott has indicated he plans a veto.Vermont's biggest energy bill of the session, which would force utilities to source all of their power from renewable resources by 2035, is headed to the governor’s desk.Plus, panelists provide updates on pro-Palestinian encampments on Vermont campuses.