¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Democratic lawmakers have mixed interest in advancing Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s wide-ranging housing plan, and haven’t offered many of their own proposals to address Vermont’s long-standing unit shortage.

Neurodivergent Vermonters are organizing a mutual aid effort to provide each other with medicine, groceries and other support amid potential cuts to Medicaid and other federal funding. Plus, the state is finalizing plans to open its own cannabis testing lab, Vermont officials are closely monitoring for bird flu, Vermont Fish and Wildlife is proposing allowing hunters to take antlerless deer during the regular fall hunting season for the first time in years, and several blighted South Burlington buildings are being razed to make way for commercial space and housing.

Vermont poultry farmers take steps to guard their animals against bird flu, which has been spreading around the country. Plus, rank-and-file lawmakers are pushing Democratic leadership to exempt military pensions for state income tax, U.S. Rep. Balint denounces a budget plan that passed the House this week, several towns will mull whether to allow ATVs on town roads, and the Stowe Foliage Arts Festival won’t return this fall.

The mountain town of Ripton has been trying to keep its small elementary school open for years, and now risks losing one of its classes unless the community can recruit a handful of extra students for the coming school year. Plus, Gov. Scott and Democratic lawmakers are at odds over budgeting for Vermont’s motel housing program, Green Mountain Transit is seeing better-than-expected ridership numbers after reinstating fares, Vermont has a shortage of child psychiatrists, and some overlooks and cliff tops are now closed to protect nesting raptors.

Vermont needs more basic municipal infrastructure in order to build more homes amid a massive shortage, but putting water and sewer systems in the ground can get political. Plus, Essex Westford School District is proposing steep cuts, a strong winter season may be benefiting Vermont’s betting industry, Vermont Senate Minority Leader Scott Beck speaks out against a proposed tariff on Canadian goods, and Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to visit Vermont for a ski trip.

Breaking down Rutland’s mayoral race, which has recently generated some controversy for the well-known candidates. Plus, Democratic legislative leaders decry the Scott administration’s efforts to roll back climate policy, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital support staff have unionized, University of Vermont officials generally expect research to continue like normal despite Trump administration efforts to cut federal funding, and a Barre granite quarry is no longer offering public tours.

A Brave Little State excerpt explores how Bristol’s town forest has shifted over time to meet changing community needs. Plus, Vermont’s treasurer wants lawmakers to hold off on joining a California initiative that could raise the price of gas here, Sen. Peter Welch raises alarms at Ukraine not being included in talks to end the country’s war with Russia, Johnson’s former grocery store building could be headed for a FEMA buyout, and Shelburne Museum has acquired Norman Rockwell paintings tied to Vermont’s granite industry.

In this week’s Capitol Recap, reporters Lola Duffort and Peter Hirschfeld talk over what’s behind the lack of action in Montpelier on legislation regarding big issues like education and housing.

We meet the Vermonters of the Green Mountain Chorus, who raise their voices to provide singing valentines on the 14th of February. Plus, a lawsuit filed in federal court accuses a Burlington police officer of using excessive force in an incident last summer, Sen. Sanders introduces legislation aimed at lowering Americans� credit card debt, the EPA plans to inspect cleanup efforts at a Bennington Superfund site, why New Hampshire farmers can get paid to pause mowing on their hayfields in early summer, the Vermont-born band Phish has been nominated for entry into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and we consider the courtship that ended with the Boston Red Sox hooking up with a coveted free agent in our weekly sports report.

Students from Kenya and Jordan arrived in Brattleboro for a Biden-era college program, just before the Trump administration suspended new refugee applications. Plus, Democrats in Montpelier push back against Gov. Scott’s school choice lottery plan, lawmakers consider another delay to a bill that would process 19-year-olds charged with crimes as juveniles, public health officials try to get a jump on monitoring bird flu to keep it from spreading to cows and people, Burlington has a new interim police chief, and the state may change how it regulates panfish after hundreds of people sign a petition calling for a ban on commercial fishing.