Vermont This Week

This week in the legislature saw heated words and a rare no vote from Senate lawmakers on Vermont's education secretary nominee Zoie Saunders.Plus, Howard Dean, Vermont's longest-serving governor, is making rumblings of a potential run at his old job. And panelists take a deeper look at Vermont students camping out on campus to protest the war in Gaza.

In Montpelier, negotiations are finalizing on double-digit property tax increases."I worry that if this year doesn't spark real change, I'm not sure what will," said Craig Bolio, State's Tax Commissioner. At the statehouse, polarizing pick for Education Secretary Zoie Saunders defends her record at her confirmation hearing.Plus, protections to keep sexual assault victims from being blamed for their assaults.

After lawmakers advanced the annual bill used to set property tax rates, rhetoric between lawmakers and Gov. Phil Scott is escalating.“I don’t know what the plan B would be. If they’re not willing to do anything right now, then they are part of the problem and are accepting this 20% increase, which I’m not accepting,” Gov. Phil Scott said this week.The fight over school budgets is also coming to a head, as some communities around the state enter their second or third rounds of votes.Plus, panelists discuss why state officials are eyeing Addison County as the site of a new treatment facility for troubled youth.

With Monday’s much anticipated total solar eclipse behind us, state leaders are reflecting on the momentous occasion.Plus, Dick Mazza, the longest-serving member of the Vermont Senate, has resigned from his post after serving for more than 40 years.And Zoie Saunders, Gov. Phil Scott's nominee for Secretary of Education, faces pushback. Top local journalists discuss these stories and more on the latest Vermont This Week.

As Vermont gears up for its first total eclipse since 1932, state leaders encourage residents to be prepared. Vermonters should expect a lot of traffic this weekend through Monday and possibly Tuesday, so please plan accordingly and use common sense. Think of this as peak foliage weekend on steroids. Plus, Gov. Phil Scott vetoes a bill banning the sale of flavored tobacco products, and the Senate passes legislation to establish a "climate superfund." All that and more on this episode of Vermont This Week.

This week on Vermont This Week, tensions are running high in Montpelier as lawmakers work to craft the state's annual budget. With Republicans claiming the super majority's spending is outpacing revenue growth and Democrats defending their spending plan.Plus, a proposed land use bill has the governor and legislature at odds again, and the Burlington City Council unanimously approves a major zoning overhaul.

This week on Vermont This Week, the Vermont House gives preliminary approval to the Renewable Energy Standard, bringing the bill one step closer to law as the Scott administration continues to urge caution. Plus, Vermont's congressional delegation announces over $74 million for housing projects.And we'll hear how one state representative is working to dignify the debt.

This week on Vermont This Week, Gov. Phil Scott's last-minute plan to open temporary homeless shelters has ignited outrage and efforts to find common ground on the housing crisis.Plus, it's crossover day in the legislature, and many big issues have yet to find consensus. And we'll discuss how Nikki Haley supporters in Vermont are regrouping, while U.S. Rep. Becca Balint gears up for another campaign.

This week on Vermont This Week, nearly a third of all school budgets failed on Town Meeting Day, leaving school boards, state leaders and voters alike wondering what's next.Plus, Progressive candidate Emma Mulvaney-Stanak makes history as the new mayor-elect of Burlington. And we'll discuss how Vermont's aging population is reshaping the state.

This week on Vermont This Week, news from the Statehouse regarding the Senate's passage of the Budget Adjustment Act and what we know about the newly negotiated $80/night hotel-motel rate, and how it might impact those utilizing the program. Also: conversations about conservation, discussing some of the concerns surrounding the cost of the Renewable Energy Standard bill as it makes its way through the Legislature, a bill to ban pesticides toxic to bees taking a key step forward, and lawmakers considering a bill to diversify voices on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board.