Vermont This Week

This week, advocates and some Democratic lawmakers have pushed back on Gov. Phil Scott's plan to repeal some climate change standards.And, school budgets getting slashed ahead of Town Meeting Day poses the question: Will it be enough to get them a passing grade from voters?And, on Town Meeting Day, the balance of power is in balance in Burlington.Vermont's top journalists join guest moderator Cat Viglienzoni to delve into the most important news stories of the week.

In the wake of abrupt cuts to USAID funding, Vermont nonprofits, companies and workers are left reeling.Plus, how the state is trying to prevent the spread of bird flu.And a look at drug treatment incentives and mental health services for prisoners in Gov. Phil Scott’s public safety proposal.

As the details of Gov. Phil Scott's education reform proposal come into focus, stakeholders are pushing back.Plus, Seven Days and Vermont Public set out to count, for the first time, how many Vermonters have died while homeless during the past four years.And hundreds rally outside the Vermont Statehouse to protest the Trump administration.

After a five-year period of unprecedented spending growth, Republican Gov. Phil Scott presented a budget plan Tuesday that he says will match the government's appetite for spending with Vermonters’ ability to pay.Plus, a look at the numbers behind the administration’s sweeping proposal for education funding reform.And a new study released by the Agency of Commerce and Community Development shows tourism in Vermont is a $4 billion industry.This week's panel:Mitch Wertlieb (Moderator) - Vermont PublicTim McQuiston - Vermont Business MagazineCalvin Cutler - WCAXKevin McCallum - Seven Days

Vermonters got a first look this week at Gov. Phil Scott's plan to revamp the education system — and it’s nothing short of a sweeping overhaul that would consolidate power at the state level, diminish local control and upend how schools are funded. It’s all in response, of course, to anger over property tax increases.Plus, just hours after Donald Trump is inaugurated, a Border Patrol agent is shot and killed in the Northeast Kingdom.Our guests will discuss the latest on what's known about the case and what is still unknown.This week's panelMark Davis - Moderator - Vermont PublicLola Duffort - Vermont PublicCarly Berlin - VTDigger / Vermont PublicNeal Goswami - VTDigger

Gov. Phil Scott says many Vermonters have lost faith in their criminal justice system, and he wants prosecutors and judges to impose stricter criminal sanctions on alleged repeat offenders.Plus, a new group of power players will lobby for housing policy in Montpelier.And the Public Utility Commission issues highly anticipated proposed rules for the clean heat standard.

Elections have consequences. And in his inaugural address this week, Gov. Phil Scott made clear that he thinks he has a mandate to overhaul Vermont’s education system.But what will Democrats think of this potentially historic overhaul? And when push comes to shove, will anyone in Montpelier really muster the courage to make unpopular choices to cut costs?

Vermont’s latest statewide survey of middle and high school students has intensified concerns about youth mental health. On a special edition of Vermont This Week, we sit down with an expert panel to discuss what steps can be taken to best support youth in the state.

As 2024 comes to a close, we recount the top ten stories of the year as voted on by our panelists ahead on a special edition of Vermont this week.

With Vermont’s 2025 legislative session just weeks away, lawmakers consider minimum wage recommendations for agricultural workers.Plus, the Scott administration plans a push to delay ‘Raise the Age’ juvenile justice reforms for a fourth year in a row.And a look at health care in Lamoille County.